The final test for the class was for us to search the internet and find ten pieces of information. Can't remember most of them, but the last one was: "A recipe for Voodoo Chicken"
The actual recipe is a Louisiana Bayou spicy Chicken. But along the search I found this quote from a computer technician, "When I have done everything possible to resurrect a crashed computer system and NOTHING will work, but the client is convinced there must be another trick in my toolkit, I pull out the Voodoo Chicken. It is an old Rubber Chicken that I got at a gag shop. I wave it over the computer and mumble something unintelligible. After a weird look at me, the client finally believes that I have exhausted every possible venue to fix their computer!"
After laughing until I had tears rolling down my cheeks, I did find the cooking recipe and aced my test.
Years later, I was the sponsor for a club at Smithville High School and we had to decorate a "float" for homecoming. The theme that year was motion pictures and "Chicken Run" had just come out. It seemed like a natural to make a float for a football game. I went in search of Rubber Chickens. I found them at a party store. Purchased a dozen, which were used on the float. Afterwards, I gave one to each of the club officers and then tried to figure out what to do with the rest.
One of the small ones went on my rear-view mirror in my van. Got some odd glances in the parking lot, but it made it easier to find my van. I put another in my husband's toolkit for computer repairs, yes, he was a computer technician. He actually used it once or twice like the guy I quoted from the internet.
The last ones I gave to my kids. One of my sons was a communications tech in the military. He and his unit had a specialized vehicle in the field that they used for following the troops and monitoring communications. It kind of looked like a mini-tank. It kept breaking down. Soooo, he hung the Voodoo Chicken inside. And voila! The vehicle stopped breaking down. Other similar vehicles had breakdowns, but not my son's.
When he was transferred to a different location, he went to pack his things and get his rubber chicken. Oh Noooooooo! The rest of the guys wouldn't let him take it! It had become their mascot/protector and it had to stay with the unit!
So, fast-forward to my mission in Argentina. I work in the Employment Resource Center in a tall building, on the 13th floor (yeah, I know, foreshadowing doom!) On the 14th floor they are doing a major renovation. Unfortunately whoever is doing this, and has been doing it since we got here 9 months ago, keeps breaking the pipes, cutting through the pipes and so forth, causing water to drip, dribble, gush and inundate our floor!
After the fourth or fifth time I was out shopping in Barrio Chino (Chinatown) and I saw...you guessed it! A Rubber Chicken! I had to get it. Took it to the office as a joke. Told Claudio, our manager the story of the Voodoo chicken. He laughed too. But you know what? We had several months without getting water in the Center. So here is our Rubber Chicken hanging out in different places at the CRe
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| In our classroom |
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| In Sister Mayo and Sister Casos' Office |
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| Among the computers |
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| In the foyer |
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| In the kitchen |
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| And, of course, at the water cooler! |
Last week, we had another water event......maybe I need a new chicken?
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