I'm Ben

When I worked at Zions we hired a teller that had previously worked at Wells Fargo. Every day we'd hear some comment from him like, "At Wells Fargo we just swiped the debit card to pull up the account number," or, "At Wells Fargo it was so much busier than it is here," or, "At Wells Fargo blah blah blah blah blah." It became a joke among the rest of us (okay, really just between Jamie and me) that Ben didn't seem to realize he was no longer working at Wells Fargo; he was at Zions.

Today I realized I'm Ben. I constantly catch myself saying, "In Ogden..." I was getting irritated with myself, wondering why I couldn't just shut up about Ogden. But I think the real issue is the fact that I hate sounding, or looking, or possibly being perceived as being, stupid. So I've created this whole method of asking questions that involves letting the other person know that at one time, I did know the answer to my current question. But it's probably getting old. So goal for Week 2: Stop being Ben.

Aside from that, I do feel like each day got a little better. Today I received a Christmas present from a co-worker, a gesture by which I am still so touched. She doesn't know me well, and she certainly should have felt no obligation to buy me a pretty little scarf. But she did, and I'm really grateful for it. It's cliche to say, "It's the thought that counts," but in this instance I feel like the saying very accurately applies.

But enough about work. Let's talk about Zac Efron! You likely already know (or if you don't, you should) that Zac Efron is my guilty pleasure. I love him. And he's only a year and a half younger than me, so it's not even that bad. Anyway, Kate and I had both seen Me and Orson Welles advertised when we saw 17 Again and she informed me last weekend that it was now out but only playing at the Broadway Theater. Apparently, it's not the busiest establishment in Salt Lake on a Wednesday night...And this wasn't just a picture taken at an opportune moment. Kate and I were the only patrons in the theater throughout the entire show. Regardless, it was an enjoyable movie and I really liked seeing Zac Efron in a role like this. (Meaning no basketball dribbling, high-energy dancing, or upbeat singing... Okay, there was a little singing. But not what you'd expect.)