# So, I'm gonna be on ER tomorrow- sort of. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836 "2003-11-12T16:26:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/1 "2003-11-12T16:26:47Z")
So, I work for a big-ass greeting card company as a cartoonist. About a year or so ago, I wrote/drew a Christmas card that’s finally coming out this Xmas. Coincidentally, I’ve just been informed that the show ER is going to use the card in tomorrow’s episode. I have no idea whether it’s going to be in the background as someone walks by or is someone going to come in with it stabbed in their eye (it’s a big card and it _is_ ER, after all…) Cool either way. Though, I wish it was going to be on a show that didn’t give me the heeby-jeebies when I watch it. :eek: Anyway, if you happen to watch ER tomorrow (the 13th) keep an eye out for a big (12" x 6") predominately green Christmas card. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/2 "2003-11-12T17:24:24Z")
**serious** : let us know, for those of us who tape the show. We could keep our eyes peeled for that specific moment. Wow, my first direct contact with a ‘celebrity’ on a message board… 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/3 "2003-11-12T17:33:38Z")
I was shown on national television while attending a WWF event some ten years ago. On hindsight, I wish they would just have used a greeting card. Congrats. ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/4 "2003-11-12T18:55:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > \*\ ***serious** : let us know, for those of us who tape the show. We could keep our eyes peeled for that specific moment. Wow, my first direct contact with a ‘celebrity’ on a message board… 🆒 \*\* 😃 Well, make my day, why don’tcha… Can anyone tell me where the show is month-wise? Usually, current TV shows correspond with the season they’re shown during. So I’d expect maybe to see a thanksgiving card displayed, if anything. Kinda weird to have an Xmas card on now… I’ll be sure to return with a full report after the show airs. ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/5 "2003-11-12T19:48:07Z")
Here’s the episode description: \*\*Kisangani In a special episode, Carter travels to the war-torn Congo as part of a voluntary medical program. He finds primitive Third World facilities, a few heroic staffers and woeful patients overflowing the tiny hospital while a bloody civil war threatens to engulf them all. After Carter ventures deeper into the jungle to reunite with Kovac, they risk their lives manning a crude outpost used for a vaccination campaign–and soon find themselves in the line of fire between the warring tribes.\*\* ??? Nothing screams Christmas cards like war-torn congo, primitive Third World facilities and a bloody civil war, huh? It’s a big card. Could be used as a tourniquet, I suppose… ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/6 "2003-11-12T19:51:42Z")
I’m a RM for the same big-ass company. Did you do the birthday one with the “bitchin” car? That’s my favorite! (Of the Xmas cards this year I like the “brother” card that says “merry christmas poopyhead” on the inside.) ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/7 "2003-11-12T21:30:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voguevixen \* > \*\*I’m a RM for the same big-ass company. Did you do the birthday one with the “bitchin” car? That’s my favorite! (Of the Xmas cards this year I like the “brother” card that says “merry christmas poopyhead” on the inside.) \*\* Well, I’ll be darned… As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, I did do the bitchin’ car. Didn’t write that one, but I did the art for it. Glad you liked it. I thought it was pretty funny copy, too. Too funny. Small world, eh? ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/8 "2003-11-12T21:45:11Z")
Small world indeed. Who woulda thunk? Getting back to the synopsis, haven’t we seen those episodes yet. Are we **already** in rerun heaven?! ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/9 "2003-11-12T21:54:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > \*\*Small world indeed. Who woulda thunk? > > Getting back to the synopsis, haven’t we seen those episodes yet. Are we **already** in rerun heaven?! \*\* Turns out I goofed. The real episode is as follows: November 13, 2003: Death and Taxes: Lewis’s busy workload threatens to keep her from an important date with Hollander; Kovac and Corday clash over the treatment of a patient with questionable symptoms; and Sam’s son spends a day underfoot at the ER. Meanwhile, Chen gets bad news from China about her parents. How a Xmas card figures into all this is anyone’s guess. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/10 "2003-11-12T22:35:19Z")
November 13, 2003: Life at the ER takes an unexpected turn when a slightly oversized green Christmas card arrives, addressed to no one in particular. Tensions mount as staffers try to discern who the mystery card is for. Also, some other stuff happes involving life or death situations and stuff like that… ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/11 "2003-11-12T23:38:41Z")
November 13, 2003 Show synopsis: Life in the Chicago-area ER takes a strange turn when a large green Christmas card arrives, addressed to no one in particular. Susan Lewis takes it upon herself to open it, and reads the cryptic phrase, “Hi, Opal” inside. Also inside are the mysterious letters, “SDMB.” Staffers ignore their regular duties as they try to figure out who Opal is and the meaning of those odd letters. Jerry the desk clerk just smiles and nods knowingly when he sees the strange letters “SDMB.” He knows who Opal is. A strange patient arrives, babbling the odd phrase “It’s taking longer than we thought!” over and over, and claims his name is Cecil. Luka Kovac spends hours with the poor man, trying to figure out what he means. Once he starts shrieking about “the third ‘-gry’ word,” he is promptly transfered to Psych. Several staffers of a message board run by a local Chicago-area newspaper are brought in suffering from extreme exhaustion. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/12 "2003-11-12T23:43:53Z")
“patient arrives with questionable symptoms. Claims skin condition is leprosy, and staff becomes alarmed when it seems to spread to other patients. Condition turns out to actually be glitter from giant Thomas Kincade themed card leaving a coating on all surfaces.” ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/13 "2003-11-12T23:44:08Z")
November 13, 2003 Show synopsis: Life in the Chicago-area ER takes a strange turn when a large green Christmas card arrives, addressed to no one in particular. Susan Lewis takes it upon herself to open it, and reads the cryptic phrase, “Hi, Opal” inside. Also inside are the mysterious letters, “SDMB.” Staffers ignore their regular duties as they try to figure out who Opal is and the meaning of those odd letters. Jerry the desk clerk just smiles and nods knowingly when he sees the strange letters “SDMB.” He knows who Opal is. A strange patient arrives, babbling the odd phrase “It’s taking longer than we thought!” over and over, and claims his name is Cecil. Luka Kovac spends hours with the poor man, trying to figure out what he means. Once he starts shrieking about “the third ‘-gry’ word,” he is promptly transfered to Psych. Several staffers of a message board run by a local Chicago-area newspaper are brought in suffering from extreme exhaustion. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/14 "2003-11-12T23:46:29Z")
Hah! You win. Can George Clooney make a cameo appearance to say “Gotcha Ya!” though? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/15 "2003-11-13T00:42:09Z")
A paper cut epidemic turns out to be all interconnected, traced to a shipment of this whalin’ HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE Christmas card done by a stunningly clever and artistically gifted Internet Message Board Addict. Hilarity ensues as Carter attempts to patch up the paper cuts with eliminated pages from his last movie contract. 😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2003, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/16 "2003-11-13T00:42:41Z")
The part of Cecil is played by Carrot Top. TV critics are of two minds regarding the quality of Mr. Top’s performance, his first foray in the dramatic realm. ---
**Author:** ![omni-not](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8dc957/32.png) [@omni-not](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omni-not)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/17 "2003-11-14T15:13:24Z")
WELL???!!! (_Tapping foot lightly_) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/18 "2003-11-14T17:33:13Z")
I think this would fit well into an ER episode: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by seriousart \* > **…someone going to come in with it stabbed in their eye (it’s a big card and it _is_ ER, after all…)** They are running out of new and different injuries to parade into the emergency room. And it is right up there on the gore scale. The ER docs are at a loss to come up with the correct card-removal procedure, as Kovac yells: “Damn! Why did I have to sleep through the “Injuries by Inocuous Seeming Paper Products” lecture in Med School! A life is at stake here!” (or however it would translate into Croatian). ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/19 "2003-11-14T18:03:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by omni-not \* > \*\*WELL???!!! (_Tapping foot lightly_) > > 😃 \*\* 😕😕😕 I only wish I knew. So there we are- me and the wife. Taping the show, anxiously awaiting the big reveal. We speculate on every scene… Maybe he’ll give her a card… HERE? Maybe he’ll have a card… THERE? Nothin’. Watched it twice and nothin’. My company even put on all our little TV news monitors all over the building “ER to feature us on it’s show tonight!” And then, nothing. --------------------------SPOILER------------------------ At the very end, the nurse who was arguably responsible for Bob Newhart blowing his brains out put some sort of chart or something at the foot of his death bed. Unless THAT :eek: was my Xmas card, I dunno where it could’ve appeared in the episode. -------------------------END SPOILER------------------------------------------- The folks around here specualte that somebody screwed up the date of the episode. That’ it’ll obviously appear on a later, more Christmas-oriented episode. A very special ER if you will. ---------------------VERY MINOR SPOILER FOR NEXT WEEK’S EPISODE------ By seeing the commercals for next week’s episode, I just hope my card has nothing to do with the hellicopter crash. Hey pilot, here’s a card. Merry Christmas. Ha ha ha. My tears are welling up with laughter. Oh no, I can’t see! Ahhhhh… Boom. * * * My appologies to anyone who went out of there way to watch for the card. I’ll post again if I get more concrete evidence of it’s appearance. -Sorry… ---
**Author:** ![Magnolia\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Magnolia\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magnolia_B)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836/20 "2003-11-14T18:12:38Z")
slightly off topic, \*\*seriousart[b/], do you frequent the digs board? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-im-gonna-be-on-er-tomorrow-sort-of/212836.md?page=2)