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1. Yesterday was Take Your Daughter (Or Son) To Work Day. Did any of you take your daughter (or son) to work? Did you ever go to work with one of your parents as part of a past installment of TYDTWD? How’d that go? Charlotte is a little young to fully appreciate the magic that happens in the mental_floss office. But she did enjoy her mom’s wrist support system during her last visit to her office.
2. Here’s one for political junkies. Which would you rather have on your resume: that you worked on the first season of The West Wing or, say, 24; or that you worked in the White House under either President Obama or President Reagan (depending on how you swing politically)?
3. Jason Plautz’s FreeCreditReport.com quiz yesterday managed to get that commercial jingle stuck in my head all day (”I was shopping for a new car, which one’s me: a new convertible or an SUV?”) It’s OK. I like that song. What commercials do you find particularly annoying right now?
Comments (46)
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1. I always thought I worked in a pretty boring office. My daughter confirmed that for me yesterday.
2. I wish I could tell people I worked on The West Wing. If you say you worked for a president, half the people didn’t vote for that person. Even though West Wing skewed liberal, I have a lot of Republican friends who watched it. Plus I’d rather live in California than DC.
3. I don’t know what the ad is for (allergy meds, I think), but boy do they have money to spend! “The wish won’t wait for us, but that’s OK.” I don’t watch a lot of TV, but this commercial is on WHENEVER I turn the TV on. Basketball playoffs, Seinfeld reruns, local news…
posted by Ken on 4-24-2009 at 12:42 pm
2. First season of 24 for sure! None of the following seasons has been as compelling, the current season is pretty fresh though.
3. Jack in the Box mini-Sirloin burgers with the midget cowboys. BLECH!
posted by Witty Nickname on 4-24-2009 at 12:50 pm
1) I remember going to my dad’s office (high tech company in the 80’s boom in Ottawa) when I was 8 and I made him a rocketship out of a papertowel roll and some coloured paper. I went back at 13 and he still had it, neatly hung in the corner of his office so it looked like it was being launched. I thought it was sweet but was embarassed because my classmate was also there for the day and made fun of me relentlessly. It was unfortunately lost a few years later when my dad moved offices and they lost a box of his stuff…
3) Sham-WOW!
posted by ac on 4-24-2009 at 12:51 pm
1. My mom took me to work with her everyday from Third-Eighth grade…she was the secretary at my school. Actually, she still is the secretary which is weird because my wife is now the Third grade teacher. Good thing they really like eachother!
2. Reagan was President when I was an infant – That would be an impressive to have on a resume.
3. Anything with Billy Mays – WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME?!
posted by Cameron on 4-24-2009 at 12:57 pm
2. Reagan was President when I was an infant – That would be an impressive THING to have on a resume
posted by Cameron on 4-24-2009 at 12:59 pm
3. The Burger King/Spongebob commercial set to “Baby Got Back” horrifies me to no end.
posted by Amanda on 4-24-2009 at 1:00 pm
1: never went, no kids.
2: 24 hands down. Being a geographer i could give better coordinates than Chloe. But Damn it Andy doesn’t sound as cool, and I’d probably tell Jack to shut it which would get me shot.
3: Any Disney movie commercial of late. Or those JG Wentworth guys.
posted by Andy on 4-24-2009 at 1:08 pm
1. I remember my dad taking me once or twice. All I remember is the elementary school he worked (er, works) at looked different than mine.
2. Definitely West Wing. Who wouldn’t have wanted to work for President Bartlet?
3. Amanda-ME TOO!! I couldn’t believe it. An ad for a kids meal + big square butts? So wrong.
posted by Kate on 4-24-2009 at 1:08 pm
1) I used to go to my dad’s law office but then I started shadowing my first grade teacher. She was (and remains) my favorite.
2) Having never watched West Wing or 24, I’m going with Obama administration
3) I CANNOT TOLERATE that annoying, abrassive, mind-melting madness that is the Optimum commercial. 877-393-4-4-4-8! Pirates! Sea Monsters! Ladies in onsies! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THAT THING?!?!?
posted by Amanda on 4-24-2009 at 1:28 pm
1. No, I didn’t, because my kids have been to my office numerous times before and would be bored out of their minds.
2. I’d rather be with President Reagan, as I’ve never watched West Wing.
3. I absolutely hate all of the FreeCreditReport.com commercials.
posted by Will on 4-24-2009 at 1:33 pm
1. Over the years, I’ve been to my mom’s various places of business (but long before TYKTW was in existence, so now I feel so forward-thinking/early adopter!) However, my dad worked in aerospace (read: top secret…or so I was told), so I have only been to his office ONCE in my entire life. And, it was some kind of open house, so the big highlight was going to the really cool cafeteria (whose food was decidedly better looking and tasting than the junior high version I had to suffer through at the time!).
2. The West Wing would have been too cool to work on! How else could I have finally made Aaron Sorkin see that in the REAL Washington DC, Dupont Circle is not the center of the universe or even the city, so stop sending people there from Capitol Hill to the White House!
3. Re: commercials: I agree with ac, Cameron and Amanda…what is with advertisers these days? It’s like they are daring you to use that lovely little mute button on your universal remote!
Happy Friday to you all!
posted by Carolyn on 4-24-2009 at 1:35 pm
3. I tivo through the commercials on TV (except the square butt ad, which I kind of love…). But they play that damn Subway commercial on the radio all the time.
Five
Five doller
Five doller foot long
ARRRG. I listen to the radio all day at work, so that jingle is so stuck in my head.
posted by Julie on 4-24-2009 at 1:36 pm
2) 24 for sure. a) there’s Jack, who can probably teach you a thing or two about being a badass and b) there’s also Jack’s daughter, who has a pretty fantastic ass ;) Not to mention they’re both fellow Canucks.
3) I gotta agree with the Sham-WOW. The product actually seems OK, it’s just that every time I see it I have to restrain myself from trying to punch that slimy a**hole through the TV.
posted by Bert on 4-24-2009 at 1:41 pm
1) My dad was a foreman for an underground construction company when I was in fourth grade. He took me all over town in his company truck and introduced me to a bunch of grungy construction guys. I loved every minute of it.
2) Either administration, I suppose.
3) Anything involving Jack in the Box or Burger King. . . Years ago I stopped patronizing Carl’s Jr entirely because of their offensive ad campaigns. (Not that I went there that often, it was the priciple of the matter. . .)
posted by andrea on 4-24-2009 at 1:41 pm
1) I went with my dad to his office – he was a manager of some sort and didn’t really do much that day. I remember going out for lunch and really liking the secretary.
2) Never really paid attention to those shows, so I’d say Obama’s administration. I’m Canadian and would have loved to have been on Pierre Trudeau’s team, though that was way before my time.
3) Watching the Blue Jays, every time either team has a pitching change they show the same stupid commercial for Robax Platinum. It’s annoying because it’s the same one every time. Most of my TV watching is baseball related, and it’s always the same 4 or 5 commercials and I’m sick of them.
posted by Trevor on 4-24-2009 at 1:42 pm
1. Went to my dad’s office once after begging about the injustice of an all-girl’s holiday. turns out his office was huge, boring & full of daughters. Never went back.
2. West Wing. By far. Period.
3. Whatever that Burger King one is…with the square butts. Hate it.
posted by Andrew on 4-24-2009 at 1:43 pm
1. No kids of my own, but mom often took me to her office. Yawn.
2. Maybe West Wing. Never seen 24.
3. Have to agree with most comments – anything with Billy Mays shouting, also McDonald’s kid commercials insult their intelligence – they don’t show the burgers or fries anymore, as if that fools anyone.
posted by KS on 4-24-2009 at 1:51 pm
1.) I never participated in that because my mom was a nurse and my dad worked on the rails of Amtrak. So there were lots of safety issued that prevented me from participating!
2.) The West Wing for sure! My favorite episode was on this morning too. When Toby, Josh, & Donna get stuck in the middle of nowhere during the campaign. I would have loved to have been the 4th person on that trip.
3.) Currently, it’s a radio spot for Coors Light. It features the song “Hot Blooded” and they change out some of the words to describe Coors Light. It’s funny the first 2 times you hear it, but when they play it every commercial break, not so much!
posted by Mavis on 4-24-2009 at 1:56 pm
One vivid memory I have from my dad’s work at an army base was not paying attention while crossing the street and not seeing a tank coming right at me. My father was not amused.
posted by Liz on 4-24-2009 at 2:25 pm
1. No kids
2. I rather say I worked for one of the Presidents. Being on the West Wing, if the employer knows the show, he or she will probably think that I am overqualified for the job if I included it on my resume.
3. Commercials: Umm, the one on this site advertising the t-shirts. :-) On TV, the Viagra commercials. We have enough pills already – pills that help you get it up, go to sleep, stay asleep, pills that help you to stop running to the restroom and even pills to help you go to the restroom.
posted by DB on 4-24-2009 at 2:32 pm
I work at home, and my daughters are always wanting to use my computer, because theirs is the one I upgraded from. Mine is faster. But i don’t let them surf the places I go!
posted by Miss Cellania on 4-24-2009 at 3:01 pm
1) My mom took me and my two sisters to work when we were little. I dared my sister to pull this “shiny, red lever” and she did…turns out that lever was the fire alarm. The sprinklers came on and ruined a number of the computers in the office. After that day, children were not allowed in the office ever again.
2) 24. Mainly because I’m sure I would have picked up some bad-ass fighting techniques from Jack.
3) Head on! Apply directly to the forehead. Head on! Apply directly to the forehead. Head on! Apply directly to the forehead.
posted by mrg on 4-24-2009 at 3:03 pm
3) commercials: a local radio ad that was recently shot down by listeners because it sounded like it was sung by people that the company picked up off of the street. i can’t even tell you the name of the company (a fitness club i think) but i cringed everytime i heard, which was a lot.
Billy Mays is annoying; the Square-butt ad never really bugged me that much, but i am sometimes hard to offend.
posted by the creature on 4-24-2009 at 3:19 pm
1. Went to work with mom a lot. It was great…she worked in a hotel so I’d help myself in the kitchen and swim in the pool. All the employees knew me, so I was able to run around by myself.
2. Obama, definitely.
3. OMG, that friggin AllTel commercial with the 4 “losers” from the other cell phone companies. This ad campaign is DEAD. I’d write to AllTel, but I know what happens to those complaints (nothing).
posted by Jamie on 4-24-2009 at 3:26 pm
RE #1:
Beautiful baby! I used to visit my mom at her work (in the ER during the graveyard shift) but it was before this “Bring Your Child To Work Day” thing existed. I volunteered there when I was in high school during the summers and for a little while after I graduated before I got a paying job.
RE #3:
This is a local store but there is a furniture store in a nearby city that basically has some sort of promotion going on every week and they play tons of commercials for each one… I HATE THEM!!!!!
Sometimes they have the same promotion again (especially the no interest until 2000-whenever) and they will replay commercials with the updated year or whatever.
posted by Sarah in CA on 4-24-2009 at 3:41 pm
Jason, your daughter Charlotte just may win the cutest baby of the century award. More pictures, please!
1. I vaguely remember going to work with my dad when I was in 2nd grade. He worked (and still works) for a giant defense contractor. I don’t remember seeing anything cool like planes or radar or missiles or anything, but I do recall meeting all the boring grown-ups he worked with. I also remember eating lunch in the cafeteria at the plant, which was about 2767283 times better than elementary school cafeteria food.
2. I would rather say that I worked for one of the TV shows. I hate discussing politics because I don’t really follow the news that closely and I also hate getting in arguments. If I worked for a president, talking about politics would be my entire life.
3. HI, BILLY MAYS HERE FOR THE BIG CITY SLIDER STATION! TOPPED WITH KETCHUP, PICKLES, ONIONS, OR CHEESE, BIG CITY SLIDERS ARE SURE TO PLEASE! In a strange way, I respect Billy Mays. He has become ridiculously successful by being the guy that everyone loves to hate. Not many people can pull that off.
posted by Sandy on 4-24-2009 at 3:51 pm
2. This one is really hard. Career-wise, the White House would definitely look better, but I LOOOOVE LOOOVE the West Wing and just the thought of working there makes me super excited. I guess it would depend on if I had another good reference for politics. Honestly- I plan on working in the White House at some point and think that when I walk in all I’ll be thinking about is “The West Wing.”
posted by Jessica on 4-24-2009 at 4:09 pm
1)The company where I work does the TYDTWD thing in July, when school is out for the summer.
2)I have never seen West Wing or 24, and I’m not a political person at all. Wouldn’t mind being able to put some NCIS or CSI experience down, though…
3) Arrgh, commercials! Top spot goes to the ASPCA ads with the sad, sad music and even sadder pictures of the poor mistreated pets. I know what they are trying to do, but it’s too much for me. It upsets me too much to watch or even hear it… I have to either hit the mute button or change the channel. The other top contenders for the most irritating are any having anything to do with intimacy or bodily functions. Some things just don’t belong on TV where little ones can see.
posted by Mama9cats on 4-24-2009 at 4:09 pm
1) Went to work with my mom a lot (she’s a reporter at a weekly newspaper) when I was younger, but not exclusively on TYKTWD.
2) Reagan, definitely. I was 10 months old when he was inaugurated, so that would be an impressive item. And I greatly respect his politics to this day.
3)NY State’s Smokers Quitline has a PSA where they squeeze “tar” out of a pair of sponge “lungs”. It grosses me out everytime it’s on. I hear the opening line and I’ll change the channel for those 30 seconds.
posted by AmyD on 4-24-2009 at 4:30 pm
1) My stepmom used to work at the UN. When I was in high school, they had a TYDTWD lecture where a bunch of girls (most of them went to the UN private school; I went to a public school in NJ) got to listen to Marlo Thomas, Isabella Rosellini, Nane Annan, and someone I can’t remember talk about female empowerment. I still don’t know exactly what my stepmom did in the building.
2) As a musician, I would love to say that I wrote the theme to The West Wing. Gorgeous.
3) There’s a local commercial for a car dealer where these two people are in an elevator and they start chanting “Route 23 Nissan! Route 23 Nissan!” And then this little Muppet-like creature pops up to chant it with them! WTF? I’m glad I bought my car from them BEFORE they started using that weird puppet as their mascot.
posted by Liz on 4-24-2009 at 4:45 pm
I went to work with my mom once, in the mid 90’s. Although I swear it was just take your daughter to work day. When did they add in the sons too?
She’s a Orthopedic Surgical Tech so I got to see a surgery – four really. It was really fun and interesting if you can stomach it. A few other girls that were there either had to leave the room, almost fainted or got sick. I got lucky and the one surgeon had me up on some step stool and was showing me all sorts of things. Good times!
posted by Christina on 4-24-2009 at 4:54 pm
1. My kiddos are too young to come with me – I’ll wait a few years. I went to my mom’s lab all the time – she had microscopes and slides so it was like attending a science fair.
3. The Video Professor who will give away tutorial CDs for Windows, Excel, etc. That woman whose 3 y.o. is smarter than her is just beyond stupid. How does that man’s business model work??!!
posted by Humaira on 4-24-2009 at 4:56 pm
1. I’ve always been able to visit my parents’ work for some reason or another but either one of them never had a TYDTWD. But I remember my mom being a volunteer at my school and she got to hang out in my classroom, grading papers, making copies, and everyone wanted her to by their mom. I loved every minute of that.
2. I’m not a big political person at all and have never watched 24 or West Wing. I know, I know I see the faint flickering of a mob torch in the distance.
3. I hate this one radio commerical for AshleyMadison.com. It’s for people who are already married but “want more”. Basically it’s promoting affairs. I hate, hate, hate it. The Spongebob Squarepants and Burger King one also gets on my nerves. Although the “Hungry” ones with the little orange muppet from Jenny Craig are awesome!
posted by Colene on 4-24-2009 at 5:00 pm
I went to work with my Mom one year – she worked at a law firm, and they actually had some cool activities lined up for all the kids that day. My favorite was “outdated software disposal” (we got to fling old CDs in a box from across the Board room, as I recall…). They didn’t name it that, but it’s pretty much what it was.
posted by C on 4-24-2009 at 8:07 pm
3. I don’t watch much TV, but those lip-plumping ads on your site annoy me to no end. :-)
Oh, wait! I just remembered that I have a deep and abiding hatred of Axe (as in the deodorant, body wash, etc.) advertisements. No matter what they do they manage to offend me. I’m not normally much of a feminist, but they’re so sexist that even I can’t stand it.
posted by Kelsey on 4-24-2009 at 10:02 pm
3. Those enzyte commercials… I’ve always said they make me feel dirty.
posted by Rachel on 4-24-2009 at 11:35 pm
3. I think it’s for Quiznos – but I’m not sure – there’s this guy being taunted by a saucy man-oven who wants the guy to stick his sandwich in it really bad and the guy wants to but is afraid he’ll get hurt like last time? Anybody know what I’m talking about? Dude molesting appliance with sub sandwich?
posted by cookie on 4-24-2009 at 11:49 pm
1. my dad used to take me to old office old the time. it was in a hotel, so i ordered “a la room service” style and had the food delivered to his office. i used to go swimming a lot there as well.
3. there are so many annoying local commercials here in the philippines. most of them poorly made.
posted by Hitomi on 4-25-2009 at 12:27 am
I’d definately want to have worked for Reagan. In fact, I named my daughter Reagan because my husband and I both became interested in politics during the Reagan administration. We named our son Lincoln because we met at a Republican Lincoln Day Dinner. I did love West Wing though…
We recently moved to a small southern town and I can’t stand any of the commercials that have young children in them saying something like, “Call my Daddy when you need tires!” or “My grandaddy has the best furniture.” You aren’t cute. Your kids aren’t cute and it doesn’t make we want to shop in your store.
posted by Karen on 4-25-2009 at 12:35 am
1) This will probably make me unpopular, but frankly I’m sick of Take Your Kids To Work Day, or whatever it’s called now. It was originally created in the 1970s to expose young girls to potential careers in order to let them know that there are more choices than just being a housewife. Now it’s turned into “Free Babysitting Day”. At least some workplaces, like my husband’s(a defense contractor), have activities that are related to what they do. He walked by one, and at first he thought they were making bombs.
2) I’d rather work with one of the administrations, probably Obama’s. Some of my family has worked in politics. I plan on working in PR, and that would be impressive.
3) Products/companies whose commercials I want to punch in the face:
– FreeCreditReport.com
– Subway’s fatphobic ads
– GoDaddy
– ExtenZe(”You mean, like, bigger muscles?” “No, I mean, MALE ENHANCEMENT.” And that woman that won’t. Stop. Blinking.)
– Girls Gone Wild(Barf.)
P.S. My captcha totally says “John Reebok”. Awesome.
posted by scamps on 4-25-2009 at 4:09 am
1) I took the kids into work one day while I was in the Navy. They were 11 and 9. My job was working on submarine nuclear reactors. No I did not take them on a sub. I did show them some liquid nitrogen and we froze an orange in it. Took 2 weeks to thaw out! They still talk about it.
recaptcha: humping less
now that is funny.
posted by Owen on 4-25-2009 at 7:48 am
1 – When I was a kid we used to go spend a month each summer with our dad in Halifax. He was a falconer at CFB Trenton and at the Halifax airport — he had falcons, hawks, eagles and owls and would fly them around the airports to scare the little birds away. Since it was an outdoor job we went with him every day. It was the COOLEST. We got to talk to the control tower (who would always give us cookies when we visited) and would get to fly the birds around and play with them…it was the best.
2 – I’d rather be on the West Wing. Maybe I could finally get some ACTRA credits.
3 – I hate those toilet paper ads with the bears in the woods. They’re pretty graphic.
posted by Jenny on 4-25-2009 at 9:15 am
1. i went to my dad to work once, he worked in downtown dallas, electrical engineers, and he worked in a skyscraper and had a fabulous view with floor to ceiling windows. being a huge ferris bueller at the age of 8, i had to do the whole window lean look down thing
posted by avocadosandpink on 4-25-2009 at 11:47 pm
1.) i went to work with my aunt once or twice to a credit union. why i went more than once is beyond me. it was probably to get out of a day of school (fourth grade. ew.) i remember it being frightfully boring, and being asked to tidy up the breakroom. that’s where i found that adults in the work place can be awfully messy.
2.) obama, all the way.
3.) the J.G. Wentworth commericals. especially the opera one. that one seems to last FOREVER, and then the song gets stuck in my head. ugh. like right now.
“i have a structured settlement! and i need cash now!”
posted by em on 4-26-2009 at 5:06 am
1.I went to work with my dad as a kid, he was a truck driver and I loved feeling like i was riding on top of all the cars. He worked long days so I would fall asleep. My daughter is too young to come to work with me, she would probably play with my keyboard all day though.
2.I never watched either show, i would say Obama admin.
3.Ok, if you hate the Shamwow guy… please tell me you’ve seen his vegetable dicer commercial. He starts chopping vegetables and tuna, then he moves on to almonds ( i swear to god this is true) he says “YOU’RE GONNA LOVE MY NUTS!”, its hilarious.
My favorite commercial has to be the t-mobile where the wife answers the phone and says “oh, look its your butt, hi butt!”
posted by amber on 4-26-2009 at 3:12 pm
1) kids to young, dont remember ever going with dad to work
2)Ronald Regan
3) it’s a tie, either credit lock or J.G Wentworth, I really hate the “it’s my money and I want it now”
you know now that I sit here and type I think JG Wentworth just pulled into the lead
posted by Dean on 4-27-2009 at 12:11 am