Last night was the AJAC banquet, where they name annual winners in the automotive journalism world. There are 5 writing categories, one photography one and one layout. I won a writing one. I really wanted to win one for my picture of the red car with the stork thing, but, they were having none of that, apparently.
Wakefield/Castrol offers an award in Technical Topics. I submitted this, this andthis. It was that last one that won, I guess. That’s the one they put up on the monitor thing. It’s a column of mine that has a Ferris Bueller quote in it. And the word ‘penis’.
The problem was, I was at a table chatting away with friends, and we weren’t paying attention. Then they said my name. And we all started laughing. I finally got up and prayed I wouldn’t catch my heel on the table cloth or something, and was giggling like an idiot. After I sat down, I decided to look and see what I’d won, because of that not paying attention thing. When I read ‘technical topics’ I realized why the room had gotten so quiet. I got told later even my editor looked shocked. And my other editor told people it was because of the headline I won. He writes the headlines.
So, that was fun.
Edit: As the boys came down, I showed each one the plaque. Christer started laughing. Ari looked at it and said “Technical topics? Have they read your stuff?”
Personally I think it was using the term “coterie” that did it. Anyone can quote Bueller, and “penis” is a highly overrated word, let alone object. But when you throw out a word that you know 99% of the voters will have to look up, and then 80% of them will assume “a group of prairie dogs occupying a communal burrow” is the correct definition, you have to win SOME kind of award.
But the title seems more like a detractor to me. The meat of it is definitely in the column itself. Personally I think you should be winning Stephen Leacock awards.
Congratulations.
Yay you!
I too think that parallel parking is a lost art, as I demonstrated a few weeks ago to my crew in downtown Oakville…
..a driver of one of those new Porsche Sedans gave up trying to park on the street near the Hospital, and I wheeled up and swung my Ford E450 into that spot like it was a Smart Car.
You can’t replace skill with technology. You can enhance it though.
DJW
Way to go Lorraine. I am proud of you!
Thank you. >takes a wee bow<
Congrats Lorraine!
Felicitations, Lorraine! It’s great to receive affirmation of your work.
All this time I thought the problems I had parallel parking was due to my small penis. Now I know that the lack of depth perception probably really is the reason I struggle with that task. Thanks, Lorraine!
Congratulations! Your writing speaks for itself. Why are men supposedly better at parallel parking than women? Is it that spatial thing? It’s amazing what women are led to believe by men what 12″ looks like!
Now who’s boasting!
Way to go Lorraine. You don’t have to have a penis to parallel park in a successful manner.
No, but apparently it’s invaluable in helping to straighten things out.
Um. Cough…?
No,no,no Padraig! I’m just recycling an old carpenters’ joke. It goes kind of like this….why are there no women carpenters in Local 27 ? Because women are fed up with what the men want them to believe 12″ looks like. Maybe it lost something in translation? Lorraine!!! Padraig’s bothering me…you are so much in trouble Padraig! Maybe?
Naw, we got it. That old saw…
Art: this is a take-no-prisoners website. I only step in to stop bloodshed. Sometimes.
Oh, and by the way, Lorraine, beaucoup des felicitations.
Please don’t ever leave us.
The category was TECHNICAL topics and the second word in the headline was TECHNOLOGY. That made it very easy for the judges. It removed all the guesswork. Just sayin’ …
And that folks, is my brilliant editor, showing up (late, as usual) to claim the winning touchdown:)