Wednesday, April 11, 2007

EDM Challenge #114:Draw Something Ugly That You Love

This week's challenge is to draw something ugly that we love or feel sentimental about - and therefore keep. Here's my entry: a rubber chicken. This ugly, dusty old thing has lots of good memories attached to it.

This was a going-away present from friends in the College of Nursing at The University of Iowa. I worked in student services there for 7 years. We started a tradition of giving "rubber chickens" for various occasions.

When I left that job in 1992, it was a bit difficult for me. I really enjoyed the university and the college and the people there. But it was a college town without alot of job prospects. My husband got a new job out in Portland, Oregon, so we moved away from the midwest.

My co-workers signed this chicken with funny things like:

You're no turkey
Stay abreast of your friends in the College of Nursing
Stick your neck out and enjoy
Spread your wings
We will miss you Chicken Little
Don't forget your old hens
Good luck to a good chick
Hope things end up well (on the butt of the chicken)
Just kiss them on the lips and leave (on the beak)
I guess you'll need to "wing" it for awhile
Run for your life! (on the leg)



For my going-away party, they decorated the room with nursing lab stuff like rubber butts, arms, torsos and legs and Halloween costumes! It was pretty funny. Here are a few shots

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful story. You rubber chicken sketch is delightful.

caseytoussaint said...

I think you win in the ugly object category! You've done an awfully good job of portraying it too.

Lin said...

OH MERCY!!! The chicken story is hilarious -- your story -- wonderful!!! GOOD GOOD JOB!

Brenda Yarborough said...

Fantastic job, wonderful detail!! Love the story, ha ha. Casey is right, you definitely win the category. There's nothing quite like medical humor, and the lunch room is no exception (from the voice of one who KNOWS).

Deborah said...

Great job on drawing an ugly chicken. You've got some talent if you can make a rubber chicken look good!

platitudinal said...

I should applaud you for capturing the ugliness of that rubber chicken so supremely! (big grin). It is not hideous ugly though, but funny ugly.

I can see how difficult it must be to leave that job. Your previous co-workers sounded like great people, and what made them even greater was they had awesome sense of humor!

Emma Pod said...

Thanks everyone for looking at my ugly chicken! It's been fun to look through old pictures again...I hadn't taken them out for quite awhile. The people I worked with there were so nice - and funny. We always had great Halloween parties and fun staff pot-lucks. Folks at my current college are also fun-loving, but I can't get them into costumes! As Brenda said, there's something special (grotesque??) about medical humor.

Linda said...

What a HOOT! I like the rubber chicken tradition so much that I'm going to keep it in mind ...
:-D

Margaret McCarthy Hunt said...

I just think rubber chickens are a hoot...guess i better go back and read the story....

laserone_ said...

OMG that is just a riot! Those dummy parts are creepy! LOL

Anonymous said...

I love your ugly chicken. Medical humor huh?