KELoquacious

Spending an afternoon in Washington DC while eating a couple American 100% beef burgers is how I like to kick off Independence Day weekend. Spending ten minutes in Washington DC while scarfing down as many burgers as humanly possible?? Now, that’s how Z BURGER likes to kick off Independence Day weekend!

The 2010 Z Burger Eating Championship was definitely a sight to behold; especially for those (like me!) who had never witnessed a live eating contest. I saw burgers dipped in water, burgers eaten in three bites, and even saw a burger rolled into a sphere and tossed into a competitor’s mouth. It was like watching the aftermath of a head-on collision… It was revolting to watch, but it was impossible to look away. Competitors came in from all over the country for this competition. For them, eating is no picnic. Eating is their career.

As the Z-Burger promo-girls recorded the amount of beef patties pounded by each competitor, a large audience gathered and cheered. With $3,000 of cold hard cash on the line, competition was fierce. After ten minutes of eating it all up, and two minutes of keeping it all down… the results were in.

Returning champion, Canadian “Furious Pete” Czerwinski, ate a whopping 23 burgers to emerge victorious. Dale “Mouth of the South” Boone trailed behind by a mere 2 burgers, snagging the 2nd place prize of $1,500.

Although only 3 cash prizes were given out, no one walked away empty handed… or empty-stomached. Z-Burger gave everyone free burgers! You can’t get any better than that.

Most entry level interns spend their days filling coffee stations for employees they’ve never even met before. Me? I’ve only done one coffee run for someone other than myself. That coffee run was to Starbucks, to pick up a grande Caramel Macchiato for Beth Holloway.

June 8, 2010, marked a big day for me. I knew weeks in advance that it was going to be the day of my first real press conference. I knew that this press conference was going to be filmed at the National Museum of Crime & Punishment, where “America’s Most Wanted” is filmed. I knew that the purpose of the press conference was to mark the opening of the Natalee Holloway Research Center (NHRC) on the 5 year anniversary of Natalee’s disappearance. And yes, I even knew that I was going to be in the same building as the mother of Natalee Holloway. What I did NOT know weeks in advance — along with Beth and everyone else in the world — was that Van Der Slut (*cough* I meant SLOOT *cough*) would kill again, just days before our “small press conference.”

In my office, we’re usually borderline begging local media to attend our clients’ events. Especially events that support non-profit organizations like the NHRC. But not this time. Thanks to Van Der Sloot’s very public and very cold-blooded slaying of the innocent Stephany Flores, I quickly realized that my first press conference was going to effortlessly make national news.

As we simultaneously checked in New York Times photographers, Washington Post reporters, and Good Morning America speakers, thwarted the paparazzi, and handed out press kits (which unfortunately did not contain my resume)… Beth entered the museum. Honestly, I expected to hear the clickety-clack of patent leather heels and see a woman wearing a gorgeous jet-black trench-dress and carrying a Kate Spade clutch to walk through the door. What I saw was very different, and told more about this woman than designer shoes ever could.

Beth walked in wearing no-name jeans, white sandals, and a bright blue t-shirt that would have brought out her blue eyes if they weren’t hidden by no-name sunglasses. Her beautiful blonde hair was the only hint that this was the woman we were all here to see.

All eyes were on Beth Holloway as she made her way to the microphone to speak about the NHRC, a non-profit organization that will help protect traveling teens from killers like Van Der Sloot. Although she only spoke for a few minutes, I knew her words weren’t only being heard by us, the media. Her words were also reaching the ears of other mothers who also know what it feels like to lose a child, and the ears of teens who think they are invincible. Beth wants to use the NHRC and her time in the spotlight to reach these individuals and help them, not to gain fame or fortune. In fact, she didn’t talk at all about Van Der Sloot or herself. This was a day for Natalee, the mother’s of missing children, and for the missing children themselves, not a day of mourning or pessimism.

I can’t remember a time before this that national news stations actually shared good news. Hearing about a life-saving non-profit organization may not be as interesting as hearing about the murder of a beautiful teen but it is JUST AS IMPORTANT! When stories like Beth’s are shared, please listen.

This woman has a heart of gold. When I walked to her VIP room to bring the coffee she requested, she put down her phone in mid-conversation just to give me a huge smile and thank me, then got back on her phone as I walked away and said “This sweet intern just brought me coffee, how nice!” I cannot get over Beth’s strength, courageousness, selflessness, or beauty — inside AND out. Wearing jeans and a t-shirt, she looked more beautiful than any supermodel in Milan.

Later, I officially (and nervously) introduced myself and told her how much of a role model she is for mother’s of lost children, how much I admired her strength, and how beautifully she spoke. Spoken like a true southern belle, she told me she “doesn’t actually talk in real life the way I sound on television. My ex-husband asked my son, ‘Have you ever heard momma speak like that?!’ after my first on-air press conference!”

She was such a sweetheart, and so captivating, that I barely noticed the NY Times snapping pictures of us talking! I hate candid photos of myself, but I guess I’ll let that one slide ;)

Last but not least, PLEASE do this incredible mother a favor and learn more about the Natalee Holloway Resource Center at: www.crimemuseum.org/NHRC. The press release, written by Lisa Marie (an employee that I work for) can be found at http://www.crimemuseum.org/documents/NHRC%20Launch.pdf.

P.s.- FUN FACT: In the logo above, “Natalee Holloway” is written in Natalee’s handwriting!

The video below was filmed at the press conference.

Last night, I was three feet away from a fight.

With chests bare, muscles taut, and heat in their eyes I watched as they pummeled each other until sweat, blood, and tears hit the floor. Hundreds of us watched them destroy each other… And did nothing to stop it…

But this was just another day in the “office” for these boys. This is the male-dominated world of professional boxing.

I headed into this world for the first time last night on business, not pleasure. In fact, I expected to hide out at media check-in all night, nervous that a drop of blood would cause me to hyperventilate. I did not expect a VIP pass, or to breeze by the $500 floor-seats on my way to a seat 3 feet from the ring, right next to a security officer who looked scrawny compared to the glove-wearing gladiators in front of me. I did not expect to be cheering at the sight of blood either… Looking back on it, that’s a little sick, right?

Eh, whatever. I didn’t get any blood on my white blouse, so who cares? Why not encourage their passion for beating people to a pulp?

After a couple trips to the VIP room and being told I looked like a model by a photographer, I started feeling like a rockstar. So, what do you do when you feel like a rockstar? Fraternize with other rockstars, right? Well, that’s exactly what I did.

By the end of the night, I had met and conversed with all sorts of people; however, no one quite compared to a woman I met ringside: Jackie Kallen.

Before meeting her, my incredible coworkers Hannah and Amanda (who are just as loquacious as I am) had already warned me of her celeb-status. Kallen is the most successful female boxing promoter in the world. Her life as queen of the male-dominated boxing world inspired the movie “Against the Ropes,” in which Kallen was played by Meg Ryan. Was I nervous to even be in her presence? Oh, you have no idea…

This is no butter-face ring girl or boxer-hunter (my name for women desperately seeking to have sexual relations with boxers). No. This woman is a big deal. And if you didn’t already know she was a big deal, her charisma and metallic silver highlights could still be spotted from a mile away. She was pure class, with a hint of sass. And I feel so lucky to have met her.

All in all, it was a fabulous and unforgettable night. It completely changed the way I view boxing, and even the way I view myself.

But anyway, I’m off to the pool! Those tan ring girls had me feeling pretty pasty last night… When I wasn’t too busy feeling like a rockstar of course ;)