You're Working... Building a Mystery

My company had a private murder mystery dinner at a hotel downtown on Friday night. I've always wanted to go to one (various improv groups do public murder mystery dinners around town all the time). It was SO FUN! If your company does a private event, they will customize it for you. The actors were absolutely hilarious and there were all sorts of little "digs" here and there about specific people in the office, as well as some pharma research industry lingo (the dead guy "has clearly experienced an SAE" (serious adverse event)- ha!).

At one point one of our CRA's boyfriends was twerking. At another, our CEO was wearing our IT guy's underwear on his head. Priceless.


Saturday 9: Can't Buy Me Love (1964)
50 years ago this week, The Beatles made history with this song (hear it here). They became the first and only act in history to hold all 5 of the top slots in the Billboard Hot 100.

1) In this song, Beatle Paul offers to buy his girl a diamond ring. Do you wear rings?
I wear my wedding ring and my anniversary ring and occasionally my Aggie ring (because it's a bit loose and I'm afraid I'll lose it).

2) This song was written by boyhood friends John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who went on to become the most successful songwriters of the 20th century. Tell us about your best friend from "the old neighborhood." Do you know where he or she is today?
If we're talking my "girlhood" best friend, that would be Lori. She is from Louisiana and lived next door. She had two younger brothers. She was funny and adventurous and we shared a love of music. We practically lived at Astroworld in summers, where we went to concerts and rode roller coasters and were mini-groupies for the show bands. We maintained our friendship after I moved away in 8th grade and I saw her now and then through college.

We reconnected in the early 2000s, when I found out that she was living a block away from our old houses. Her parents still live in their old house. She is an accountant in Houston. She and I have seen each other a few times in the past several years. She and I went to Astroworld the weekend before it closed permanently in 2005.

3) The Ed Sullivan Theater, where the Beatles first performed to a mass American audience, is now the home of The Late Show with David Letterman. Do you have a favorite late night talk show?
I haven't watched much late night TV since I started working and getting up at 5:30, but I'm a Letterman girl.

4) In 1964, when this song became #1, one of top TV shows was My Favorite Martian. Do you believe in life on other planets?
Yes, I think there is life somewhere on another planet in the big wide universe.

5) In those days, homes had rotary dial phones, often affixed to the wall, with the receiver always tethered by a curly cord. Does your home still have a landline phone?
We do not.

6) 1964 was the year GI Joe first appeared on toy shelves. Tell us about one of your favorite childhood toys.
I had a Simon, which was the 1970s predecessor to Bop It (which I bought in the 90s and still own). It had four colors of lights, which would light up and beep different tones. There were different modes, but the default was to have you match one tone, then two, then three, etc. until you messed up repeating the tones. Superfun!!



I have no idea why anyone would use one hand to play Simon. Two hands are a must.

7) Ringo was the first Beatle to become a grandfather. His granddaughter, Tatia, is now a rock musician. If you were to follow your grandfather into his chosen profession, what would you be doing now?
I would be an officer in the US Army.

8) Paul McCartney admits he enjoys watching MasterChef. What show do you go out of your way to catch?
Shark Tank is our current family favorite to try to catch live together on Friday nights.

9) The paparazzi has often caught Paul pedaling a bike around Martha's Vineyard. What's your favorite form of exercise?
cardio kickboxing