OK… this story was absolutely too hilarious NOT to share. How could anyone be THIS out of touch in society, especially when you LIVE in Washington, D.C., the city of politics…

Who’s that man?: Obama asked for ID at gym
By Kris Kitto Posted: 06/27/08 02:13 PM [ET]

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) may have one of the best-known faces in the world, but that doesn’t mean he is recognized everywhere, even in Washington.

Washington Sports Club employee Takehia Wheeler was manning the front desk to scan members’ identification cards Friday morning when the presidential candidate walked in with his entourage. The gym opened a month ago in the Columbia Heights district.

“He came in and walked past me,” Wheeler told In The Know. “I was like, ‘Sir, you need to come back.’ ”

Wheeler said Obama looked familiar, but she didn’t recognize him. So she asked for his ID card.

“I said, ‘What’s your last name?’ He said ‘Obama,’ ” Wheeler explained. “I said, ‘So what’s your first name?”

Then she laughed because it was at that point that Wheeler realized who she was talking to. How did she make amends? By saying, “Sorry, Mr. Future President!”

She wasn’t alone in not recognizing Obama. Trainer Drew McNeil wasn’t sure either.

“I was training right next to him, and I was like, ‘That looks like Obama,’ ” he said.

Obama brought his security detail along. Gym staff said Obama stayed for 20 minutes.

They said he has a membership to the citywide gym network, with his home gym at the Gallery Place/Chinatown location.

 Wow… just wow. There are no words that can really… yeah. I'm done.

So, my friend Shope saw this the other day going down the interstate through Birmingham. While it's not her picture, she did find it, and I just had to share it, because it's hilarious.

Because, seriously, what the crap do you do if you're traveling and you wake up to this? Do you wonder if the person you're traveling with has just taken you to Oz or Wonderland? Or that you're still dreaming? This is just insanely weird. And as we were all talking about it, we couldn't figure out what or why, or how. There were so many questions, we felt that our brain would fry.

But, the biggest question is this: why on earth would anyone allow a giant head of themselves to be created? If this were me, someone would SOOOOO be fired.

So, lately the buzz (and snickering) around Birmingham has been about Mayor Larry Langford's proposal to the City Council to present the City of Birmingham as a site for the 2020 Olympic Games. No, seriously… he really did. And this is exactly why we're all still laughing.

Apparently, he believes that since he's pushing for the dome stadium (that we are still unsure will be built… and why, too), and for an olympic-size pool (for what reason, might I ask?), Langford believes that we would be a perfect place. Besides, we held the soccer events for the 1996 Atlanta Games, so that makes us ready, right? I mean, since our air traffic is about to be possibly severely reduced, it makes complete sense…

What I love is that, according to Musings on Birmingham, Langford prefaced the proposal with: “This is not a game or a joke." Again, seriously??? If you have to say that, shouldn't you reconsider it altogether? If you know they're gonna laugh and giggle, you should know it's a bad idea. I mean, this is SO out in left field, it's not even funny.

Yes, Birmingham needs some good positive PR and something good for the economy, but having to put millions (probably billions) of dollars into building for the Olympic games when the city is already in debt in so many areas is SUCH a bad idea. And, if people are already upset with Beijing's pollution problem, I can't imagine what they will think about Birmingham's smog and ill-consideration for a greener city.

However, maybe I'm skeptical, because there are some like Musings and Andre over at the Terminal who think that a push like this could be good for Birmingham. I suppose it could be a good thing for Birmingham… I've just seen things continually flop that we thought were good ideas. See: Birmingham Fire, Birmingham Stallions, Birmingham Bulls, Alabama Slammers… and that's just the professional sports realm. The only things that work here in the state are college sports and racing. I could go on, but I don't have the time or the desire to be negative. I want to see Birmingham get out of its rut. I'm just not sure that the Olympics are the way to go.

Shopping at Ikea is like returning to therapy:     

It feels like the right thing to to do, but then you get there and realize you aren’t adequately emotionally prepared.

One of my friends, SR, sent me a newspaper clipping a while back that I lost in my inbox for a while that I came across a few days ago. I thought I would share it. It is absolutely too hysterical!

It's the 1943 Guide to Hiring Women, furnished by the July 1943 issue of the Transportation Magazine. It covers all guidelines that male employers should follow when considering females for employment. It's rather amusing.

Following are a shortened version of the 11 guidelines:

1. Pick young married women. Why? They have fewer responsibilities (editorial: and, duh, you don't have to deal with their husbands).
2. When choosing older women, try to find those who have outside-of-the-home experience.
3. Choose a "husky" girl… they are more "temperamental."
4. Have a physician on staff, especially for "female conditions."
5. Stress the importance of time strictness and schedules.
6. Give female employees to-do lists for the entire day so they will not have to bother the management.
7. Allow inside females to change jobs from time to time… they'll be happier.
8. Provide females with rest periods throughout the day. Allowing her to reapply lipstick and wash her hands can maintain her confidence level.
9. Be tactful with instruction or criticism due to women's sensitivity levels; ridicule can interrupt efficiency.
10. Do not swear around women. Their ears are sensitive, and their men do not appreciate it. Plus, they may grow to dislike their job.
11. Make sure each woman's unifom fits properly to keep her happy.

The full article can be found here in its original form. Enjoy… and happy hiring!