On Groundhog Day in 2007, I was working at Sugar N' Spice in the BYU Cougareat. I had been in such a rush to get to work that I completely forgot to check the news to see if Phil had seen his shadow. But I figured, customers have to be good for something, right? So as I scooped their ice cream, I asked each customer if they had heard whether or not the groundhog saw his shadow. Purely selfish, not trying to make polite conversation or anything. (I'm trying to be sarcastic, is it working?)
Most folks had forgotten it was Groundhog Day. Eh, no biggie, I told them. Just curious. But inside I was seething. How could people forget about Groundhog Day! That obscure little rodent up in PA was going to determine the course of their lives for the next six weeks, and they didn't even care? C'mon, people! But then the unthinkable happened....
As I scooped her Raspberry and Cream Cheese scoop of ice cream, I asked the next girl in line if she knew whether or not the groundhog had seen his shadow. She looked at me blankly. It can be hard to hear in the Cougareat, so I asked a little more loudly. Still no answer, but now she was starting to look confused. I asked her if she had seen the movie with Bill Murray. No. So I decided to be a little more clear (Groundhog Day can be a bit difficult to understand). I said "Oh, you know, once a year up in Punxsutawney, PA, the groundhog named Phil comes out of his burrow and and if he sees his shadow, we'll have six more weeks of winter. They have a big ceremony and everything!" She stares at me, then says "I'm sorry, I don't follow that sort of thing."
What!? I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and let her have a few more seconds of small talk so she could prove she was a foreign exchange student. Unfortunately, she was not.
I had to have one of my co-workers ring her up because my eyes were tearing up from trying not to laugh. I didn't have the heart to ask anyone else the rest of my shift.
Think about it, though -- if you had NEVER heard of Punxsutawney Phil, and this girl starts asking you all these random questions about groundhogs and Bill Murray. What WOULD you say?
Most folks had forgotten it was Groundhog Day. Eh, no biggie, I told them. Just curious. But inside I was seething. How could people forget about Groundhog Day! That obscure little rodent up in PA was going to determine the course of their lives for the next six weeks, and they didn't even care? C'mon, people! But then the unthinkable happened....
As I scooped her Raspberry and Cream Cheese scoop of ice cream, I asked the next girl in line if she knew whether or not the groundhog had seen his shadow. She looked at me blankly. It can be hard to hear in the Cougareat, so I asked a little more loudly. Still no answer, but now she was starting to look confused. I asked her if she had seen the movie with Bill Murray. No. So I decided to be a little more clear (Groundhog Day can be a bit difficult to understand). I said "Oh, you know, once a year up in Punxsutawney, PA, the groundhog named Phil comes out of his burrow and and if he sees his shadow, we'll have six more weeks of winter. They have a big ceremony and everything!" She stares at me, then says "I'm sorry, I don't follow that sort of thing."
What!? I gave her the benefit of the doubt, and let her have a few more seconds of small talk so she could prove she was a foreign exchange student. Unfortunately, she was not.
I had to have one of my co-workers ring her up because my eyes were tearing up from trying not to laugh. I didn't have the heart to ask anyone else the rest of my shift.
Think about it, though -- if you had NEVER heard of Punxsutawney Phil, and this girl starts asking you all these random questions about groundhogs and Bill Murray. What WOULD you say?
1 comment:
Wow! It really is hard to imagine someone has never heard of the groundhog day traditions, especially the movie. Come on! Thanks for linking me to your blog. What a fantastic couple of weeks - the inauguration, new boss, and making it in to the FS! Huzzah! :D
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