Compared to other weeks, my fifth week was one of the quieter ones; it was indeed Father’s Day weekend, and many of my friends actually traveled to their respective hometowns to spend time with family. There isn’t much to report, but I can at least shed some light on some of the activities that happened on campus.
“Pitching” the Laptop for a Surface Pro 3
Surrounded by the excitement of the release of the Surface Pro 3, employees campus-wide flocked to The Mixer, a central mall that serves as a meeting hub for employees company-wide. Microsoft sponsored an entire event dedicated to show off the new tablet that can replace your laptop. But more importantly, every attendee receives a free t-shirt!
I headed over to The Commons with two fellow interns; all of us were extremely excited to try out the new Surface – as excited as a commentator shouting “GOOOOLLLLL” during a soccer game (The World Cup was on at the time). Right away, we could see a sea of blue and white – balloons, shirts, lights, you name it.
After acquiring our t-shirts, we parted through the ocean of people and found a fun activity where people can practice making a sales pitch about the new Surface Pro, and win a prize. 45 minutes of waiting in line, and I was finally up.
Time to put my COM 114 skills to the test… I chose to go the “college student” route of course, and explained the many usages of the Surface for not only the typical engineering student, but also to other disciplines – art, science, health, et cetera. I couldn’t quite recall exactly what I said since it sounded so natural at the time, but I just spoke about how it would make lives so much easier. This could also be because I desired to have one for myself…
The employee executing the activity explained to me that my pitch was excellent, and sent me to another gentleman sitting at a computer. I was told that my sales pitch was so strong, coming from a college student, that I could be featured in a Microsoft publication (video, article, or something…)! My name and email was recorded for future use… hopefully they get back to me!
A $2.99 Lunch?
On Sunday, I was researching for local restaurants to have brunch at. It’s been a family tradition to have brunch on Father’s Day, but being 1,000 miles away from Indiana, I wouldn’t be able to spend it with family this year. Instead, I went to Google Bing, and searched for best brunches in the area. I came across Lunchbox Laboratory in Bellevue, which was perfect since I was in the mood for burgers.
Turns out that they were giving out free lunches for fathers with mustaches. It was Father’s Day, it made perfect sense! I ordered what was called the Dork – duck and pork mashed into a patty. It was probably the best “American” food I’ve had since I’ve been here. When the waitress handed me the bill, she told me that she gave me the Father’s Day special – on the house. They’ve found a returning customer, no doubt!
My father had always persisted for me to shave my mustache any time a trace of hair grew; looks like “forgetting” to do so today had paid off!
