It's been 11 months since I've been to my last MLB game. It's been 14 months since my last NBA game. But what seems like an eternity if the fact that it has been almost 3.5 weeks since I have been to my last concert. 

This weekend, I will be attending not one but two concerts. And while many just make sure that the gas tank is full and that the tickets are on-hand, it is promotional products that are helping me plan ahead.

On Saturday, I will be making the trek to New York City for my first Summerstage show of the year in Central Park. The billing includes Kurt Vile & The Violators and Dawes. I am reviewing the concert as part of my freelance work so I needed to know as much as I could about both groups. While I was rather confident in my knowledge of everything Dawes, I could not identify a Kurt Vile & The Violators song if it was played by the band themselves in the same room. Luckily, my girlfriend is my +1 to the show and can belt the discography in her sleep. So I used a large promotional USB Flash Drive to exchange the Dawes discography in exchange for anything Kurt Vile.
Central Park's Summerstage is a great area but the surrounding trees do little to shield from the elements. The sun can be rather blinding (as it was at the Friendly Fires and The xx shows I attended) and the torrential downpour of rain is sure to have you sick for days to come. (as was the case at the Vampire Weekend and Pavement concerts) I will surely be bringing both my promotional Companion Umbrella and sunscreen. I should also have a promotional pen/jotter combo on-hand.

On Sunday, after preparing for Father's Day festivities, I will be making the 2 hour trek to Bethel, NY to the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The venue and museum is the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. I will be seeing a little known band called The Beach Boys. It is their 50th Anniversary tour with Brian Wilson taking a break from Gershwin and Disney reworks to join Mike, Al, Bruce and David as the original line-up. From the reviews of their set at Bonnaroo and on Good Morning America this morning, I am in for a great night of all their pop classics. I just hope they play anything from Pet Sounds. I opted for lawn seats at Bethel because lawn seats allows me to pick and choose which side of the venue I want to sit on and the opportunity to stand, sit or even lay down. I simply bring my promotional blanket, a nice custom imprinted hoodie and relax. 

So if you have any plans this weekend or any weekend, be sure to rely on promotional products to set your mind at ease.

As a kid, I loved getting crayons, art sets, and different colored custom pens. It was always exciting to write in a color other than blue or black ink. Writing in red, purple, or green ink always just looked better...more exciting. One of Motivators staff favorites is the custom imprinted Uni Ball Jet Stream pen that happens to come in blue, black and red ink. Who doesn't love red ink? Red ink feels official and/or pretty, depending on the context. For Sophie, one of our favorite followers, it is used for both. She uses the red ink Jet Stream to write in her diary (both official and fun). Sophie, we hope you get your Monkey (long story) or your bowling party! Keep using the Jet Stream, and if you need anything else, just give us a call!

I wish I had an iPad to bring with me whenever I had to cover a concert or live event. I'd be able to take great photos, edit them in Adobe Photoshop and even post a completed, written article to the Intenet without waiting for my internet connection at home. Plus, I'd have a very sweet looking custom imprinted iPad case.

In the meantime, I have a camera, a promotional pen and a promotional jotter that I bring with me to each show. The pen fits perfectly in my pocket (Item #56894) without the threat of it exploding ink in my pocket. While my jotter also fits in my pocket, it means that I have less room to write. I tend to use acronyms that are so obscure or nonexistant that I will even forget what I meant the next day. Jotters are great for almost every occasion but if there is a lot of things going on, I find myself using more paper than I'd like.

Now, I have grown accustomed to bringing a promotional backpack and fitting a larger custom imprinted notebook inside of it. The backpack holds everything I could have ever needed and then some. 

Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries are a match made in heaven.

That's what I thought when I watched the encore of Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event. My mother and I were just two of the 4 million who tuned in on a Monday airing earlier this month, not to mention the 4.4 million that tuned in to see the Sunday premier. Sure, they had their dicey moments on-camera (or so I'm told) but everyone who must have the woes of paparazzi and celebrity/sibling rivalry must face some bumps in the road.

Then there were reports that E! representatives went to another basketball player first to ask for a date arrangement. Within a week or so, Kim announced (unbeknownst to Kris) that she was filing for divorce after 72 days of marriage. The promotional pen hit the paper.

Kardashian made $17 million on the wedding alone, an average of $651 for every minute she stayed married.

But for those of us who have weddings to plan where the only "investment" involved is time and love, there are promotional items on sale on the Motivators website that make great party favors. From custom imprinted stemware to custom imprinted electronics, the savings will have you feeling like a million bucks. (or 17 million)

Vacations are supposed to be stress-free. The majority of my time away was smooth sailing but finding a good restaurant on a Saturday night was like jamming a square peg into a triangle hole.  

The town of Nanuet, NY is rather small and is surrounded by towns that are well-known for bringing in tourists while retaining a more quaint feel. (Nyack, NY; Congers, NY; Piermont, NY) Tourists will visit the same one or two areas of interest inside a town and will fill up the one good restaurant in each of these towns, leaving the other lesser restaurants as the only option for a bite to eat.

I begged and pleaded with several restaurant hosts and hostesses but after an hour of tense negotiations with getting a restaurant reservation, I finally bagged a reservation for later in the evening. I immediately scoured the room for a promotional pen to write down the name of the restaurant and the details of the reservation.

But the hospitality and food of X, a restaurant in Congers, NY, completely overshadowed any stress felt up to that point. The owner opened up a bottle of wine at our table using the custom imprinted Wine Companion and chef Peter Xavier Kelly (who beat Bobby Flay on an episode of 'Iron Chef') came out to greet us and give us complimentary custom imprinted food products. It was the most personable dining experience I've ever had and the promotional products used on hand made for a more memorable evening.

Packing a promotional bag is an art - an art that I have come to accept that I won't ever master.

Despire the fact that I will only be gone for a weekend and I don't leave until tomorrow afternoon, I've been packing my bag since Wednesday morning. I have a tendency to either bring too much, not bring enough or forget some essentials such as custom food products for in-between meals and a custom imprinted poncho for those days that it may rain. 

Being surrounded with promotional products has helped me become a better traveler and better planner when it comes to packing a bag. How? Look below.

• Having a hard time remembering what you put into your bag? Instead of constantly opening/closing your bag, use a promotional pen and custom imprinted notepad. Some pens and notepads are small enough to fit easily in your pocket, perfect for vacation and business. 
• Worried about losing your bag? While we can't threaten any airlines, we do have many promotional luggage tags. These are perfect for leaving your contact information with your bag - even if you're not with your bag. Luggage tags are great to have, even if you're just driving!
• Promotional travel chargers are superb for keeping connected while on the go. Whether it's local or international travel, there is an item that will be perfect for you. 
• Do you have a custom imprinted umbrella? Even if the weather calls for sunny and warm, it's better to have than to have not. This is always the item I forget or remember at the last possible minute.
• Do you have a neighbor feeding your pet, taking care of your plants or housesitting while you're gone? Adding a custom imprinted keychain to your spare key is a great way to make sure he/she doesn't lose the key.

There are infinite ways that promotional products help make tasks easier. Start browsing and shopping today.

Somtimes a seemingly simple order can go very wrong. Who thought a pen order could have so many problems? A very nice customer places an order for a promotional pen that he needs this Friday. Unfortunately the pen he chose is limited to a one color imprint only, and he needs two. The other hurdle, is that, for the most part, a two color imprint takes longer to produce. So I found him a custom imprinted pen that can print two colors in one day. He gives the OK and we are done! Nope...the order got to the factory and they ran out of stock! Luckily we have many items that have a free rush availability and I was able to switch him again to another custom click pen. So the order is now fixed, for the 2nd time, and he will get his pens for Friday!

If you have nothing to do this weekend, I recommend taking a plane, train or automobile (or start walking) to the Jacob Javits Center. 

It feels like an eternity since I posted about New York Comic Con on both this blog and the Tradeshow blog and I know it certainly won't be the last - after all, I want to tell everyone what I thought of it.

But with New York Comic Con starting tomorrow and lasting through Sunday, there's quite a bit of planning I've made.
I've put together a promotional backpack full of useful items. Everything from a custom imprinted poncho to a promotional pen and custom imprinted notebook in case I happen to run into some of my idols at the convention. After all, Fred Armisen, Seth Green and animator Mike Judge are only some of the people expected to be there.

I also packed a promotional hand sanitizer and promotional t-shirts in case I find myself sleeping in Penn Station each night. I prefer my bed to the railroad terminal but if I get caught up in the nightlife New York City has to offer, I need to look presentable for the next day. I also have a promotional badge holder for both my 3-day NYCC pass as well as my train tickets on the Long Island Railroad. This will be vital for cramming in a few more minutes of sleep each day.

These promotional products have proven themselves to be useful and beneficial time and time again. For this reason, I know I will have a fun time at New York Comic Con and I will have everything I need for the three days.

I love Flight of the Conchords. 

The short-lived HBO show has everything I love in a show. Witty humor about girls and music, hilarious co-stars and an original soundtrack made for the perfect show. 

Two of the funniest secondary characters on the show was Mel, (Kristen Schaal) the psychotic "fan" of Bret and Jermaine, and Eugene, (Eugene Mirman) the creepy landlord who is always making suggestions. 

Ever since the show ended after only 2 seasons, seeing either comedian on a regular basis has been rather difficult - unless you live in the Brooklyn-area.

Both Mirman and Schaal, who have been friends for quite sometime, regularly put on stand-up shows in the area they call home. But since the show, Mirman's biggest project has been his comedy festival.

Appropriately called the "Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival by Pretty Good Friends" this festival features a wide variety of comedians, musicians and even experts of various topics. Each night has a pre-determined theme. 

The 4th annual Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival by Pretty Good Friends starts tonight with an evening of science. Special guests Kristen Schaal, Scott Adsit, (30 Rock, Moral Orel) and Neil deGrasse Tyson. (Director of the Hayden Planitarium, Astrophysisist at the Museum of Natural History) Tickets for any of the shows are found here.

I will be attending that show tonight, taking photos and reviewing the show. I will be sure to have a promotional pen and promotional notebook on-hand to recall large, scientific terminology Tyson decides to use. I will also bring a custom imprinted charger because I plan to film a lot of the jokes and don't want my camera to die in the middle of the show.

As someone who has a great appreciation for the arts and pop-culture, it's rather strange that I've only attended two or three tradeshows - two of which involved the music industry and the last one being the ASI Show in New York. I've always longed to go to something where I can be around some of the brightest minds in film, television or even videogames. 

And that's why I am attending the 2011 New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits Center in October.

It all started when I got into a small (but public) debate with a friend on the importance of certain superheros. Before the debate got any more heated, I told him we would discuss it further at a later time. That time never came - but I bought 3-day passes for the tradeshow for his birthday. If there is any place to continue the debate on whether Superman is really as great as people deem him to be, it's at a Comic Convention.

Now, before I continue, a little bit about myself. I don't own a mint-condition copy of The Goon or dress like Thor at movie premiers. I don't spend my time LARPing on the weekend and anime is only a Japanese cartoon as far as I'm concerned. I do have an appreciation for the impact the pop-culture icons have on our society. But the New York Comic Con is more than just comics. As of a matter of fact, I look forward to seeing the exhibits, panels and special guests dedicated to video games, toys, movies and television above all else.

But one thing I will have in common with the other 100,000 fans expected to grace the Jacob Javits Center in October 13-16 is their love for tradeshow giveaways. I am sure there will be plenty of promotional pens on hand for the countless amount of signatures that could be collected over the course of four days as well as promotional incentives when buying comic books, posters and video games. I know that I will be bringing a promotional tote bag with me for all the things I might be interested in taking home with me. Maybe I will print Professor X or a Space Invader on it so I don't feel incredibly left out while people are dressed up. (and no, I won't be dressing up in costume)