DeBlog: Hug A Newsman!
When you send me a Good Question, you'd better be ready for me to answer it.
Jill Bjorn sent me an email on Friday: "Monday April 4th is 'Hug a Newsman Day,' so will you come to our work, Caribou Coffee Headquarters, so we can hug you??"
First, I did some research, and found out that today is in fact 'Hug A Newsman' Day. I'm sure you can hug a newswoman as well, if you're so inclined.
I was a little worried this was a publicity stunt by Caribou, but Jill works in the Sales Audit department, and although auditors are known for their crafty publicity ploys, Jill was sincere, and I thought it would be fun. So I wrote back and said: Sure -- I'll be over at 1 p.m.!
I posted about it on my Facebook page, where WCCO photojournalist Carly Danek saw it. Carly sent me a text that said it was her day off, but she'd come over to take some still pictures of the hugging.
That's Jill and me ... as she experiences the special thrill of hugging her newsman.
I thought it would just be Jill, a hug, and I'd be on my way, but it turned out there was a line of people, looking for a free hug from their newsman.
Even the CEO of Caribou came down, Michael Tattersfield, to get in on the hugging. I'd love to have a hug with the CEO of CBS sometime, but the CEO of Caribou will have to do.
It was a good time ... the people couldn't have been nicer ... and if you see me around today, feel free to ask for a hug. As you know, I'm big into "official days" seeing as I had my own DeRusha Day in the City of Minneapolis a couple years ago.
Here's a slideshow of the whole hug-fest at Caribou!