I would have to say my favorite promotional item is a t-shirt! I don't know why wearing a shirt that has nothing to do with anything I belong to, root for or even work at, just makes me happy.

Recently we had a bunch of t-shirts in the office that went unclaimed. I grabbed a few for my girlfriend and me. It was some company I have never heard of with no address on the t-shirt. We both wore them a few times and found it funny.

About a month later, we were in Seaford stopping at a Dunkin' Donuts.  After we grabbed our coffee, we walked to the car and BOOM right across the street on Merrick Rd. was the company whose name we have been representing for the past month! We got a good chuckle out of that, and I thought to myself, promo tees are the way to go. Even people who don't know who you are will promote your brand!

It's graduation season! Whether you're celebrating the little ones' moving up ceremony or congratulating those headed off to university, you're going to need a good gift. Let's go over what's hot right now.

1. Hoodies & t-shirts

Students love wearing their school pride; that's nothing new. But don't you want to buy apparel that's fashionable? Motivators offers trendy promotional clothing that your recipients are sure to fall in love with.  

2. Electronics

Kids these days are more tech-savvy than ever. If you want to give the graduating class something they'll really use, shop for popular electronics products and accessories. For example, at Motivators.com you'll find everything from iPad cases to microfiber cloths.

3. Kitchen & houseware

Need a little something to give to college graduates? Help them get started on life after school with gifts for the home. There are lots of options to choose from, including drinkware, measuring utensils and even ornaments.

Once you've chosen the perfect graudation present, be sure to add your school's name and logo. Students will hold onto your gift for the rest of their lives!

Flickr is an image-hosting website that's hugely popular with photography enthusiasts (for obvious reasons). But in a new collaboration with Busted Tees, an Internet-based t-shirt brand, it's now entering the retail arena!

What are Flickr's designs like? They're photography-themed, of course! Take a look: 

Best of all, the images are printed on promotional American Apparel t-shirts, so you know they're high-quality.

At just $17 per piece, these tops are a real steal!

Ever since last week's presidential debates, Mitt Romney's comments about cutting back funding to PBS, even though he loves Big Bird and Sesame Street, have sparked a lot controversy and talk on the street. Many anti-Republicans immediately started attacking back, using images of Sesame Street characters on social media, as well as on promotional products. Everywhere you turn, you can see promotional t-shirts referencing Romney's comments about Sesame Street and mocking his remarks from the debate. 

Of course, even though this may seem like a direct attack on some of our favorite childhood characters, I believe it was intended as an example of cutbacks (to government subsidies for public broadcasting) that would take place if Romney were elected. I am not sure if this was such a good direction for him to take though, taking into consideration how much he emphasizes the importance of education. Considering the value of educational programming PBS offers, you would think that Romney would want to keep Big Bird on the air. However, as of last week, it has come down to a matter of "choose Romney, lose Big Bird". 

 Finally, I would like to add, I am still undecided who to vote for in the 2012 elections. Though I am sure Romney's comments have made MANY people think - do we want to say farewell to some of our favorite childhood characters? I don't think so - though is this what we should base our election decision on - I hope NOT.

This being customer service appreciation week, Motivators is celebrating by encouraging all staff members to participate in Spirit Week. As a part of this celebration, we are having a different theme every day of the week. Yesterday was pajama day, which is perfect considering Monday's are the toughest days to get out of bed and get into work. Today is tie-dye day, tomorrow will be sports jersey day, Thursday will be multiplicity day, and Friday will be band t-shirt day. It is always fun and exciting to come into work to see who is wearing what. However, this morning when I woke up and was getting ready for work, I realized, I don't have any tie-dye shirts!! I came into work, and seeing how colorful everyone is in their bright colored shirts and sweaters, I felt completely left out. Luckily, one of my lovely co-workers (Rebecca) had brought in an extra t-shirt with her, so I was able to borrow it for the day. Of course, the first thing on my to-do list today is going to be to order a promotional tie dye tee. From what I see, it looks like tie-dye is the NEW black this year.

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     So as some of you may know from my previous posts, I love New York City. Given the chance, I spend my free time in the "City That Never Sleeps." There is so much culture and diversity on that island of Manhattan, you are sure to always be entertained and amazed. Between the free theatre in the parks, to the extensive variety of museums, you are sure to see things in a new way and possibly learn a thing or two. So with that being said, it should be no surprise that I spent this past weekend in the city.

     Last year, as a birthday gift, I received a gift card from parents that entitled me to partake in excursions or adventures from a predetermined list. Finally getting time to do an excursion, I decided to stay local and find something that I can enjoy with my lovely lady. After perusing through the list, we settled on a lovely boat ride in the Hudson River. There was a few we could choose from, but the one we chose the Adirondack Schooner Sailing, located at the Chelsea Pier 62.

     The day couldn't have been more perfect. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, a lovely breeze blowing in, and the temperature was in the mid-eighties. We get to the pier just as they begin letting passengers aboard this mighty sea vessel. The boat looked absolutely stunning, with masts that had to be close to forty feet tall. As all forty of us board the boat, we begin to stake our spots. Just as the last one of us gets on, the captain welcomes us aboard, introduces us to his crewmates (both were wearing khaki shorts and promotional t-shirts with the sailing company's name on the left chest), and then began to back out of the pier and onto the open water.

     Even though the boat did have a motor, it was only used to get us to and from the dock. Since we had such a nice breeze, once we were out in the open waters, the sails came up and were off, heading south toward Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It was nice that the drinks were complimentary as they were much appreciated as we sailed past the new Freedom Tower and past Governor's Island. The crew was knowledgeable and very accommondating, offering what they knew about landmarks to anyone who asked. As we made our way past the Statue of Liberty, the boat turned around, getting nice and close to the statue and Ellis Island, and we began heading back. The entire trip was a nice, relaxing, two hour excursion, which was one of the best ways to spend a day in the city. I recommend it to anyone looking to make a day in New York City.

     Last week, I posted an entry about my friends and their recent acquisition of an unorthodox pet.  Little did I know that this will not be the only time I would hear of someone in my circle getting an unusual pet. Last week, my girlfriend's cousins got a pet that I have heard about, wanted to play with, and even contemplated owning myself. It's exotic, not too many people own one yet,  and once they get to know you, they get very attached and you pretty much have a friend for life. I present to you Nika... the sugar glider.

     Now look into those eyes and tell me you aren't already in love with her. She sits in the palm of your hand, with her body only being about four inches long and her tail nearly doubles her length. Her diet is fifty percent insects, twenty five percent fruits, and twenty five percent vegetables. I began to look up the sugar glider online to see what else I could find out about the animal. Did you know that they originate from Australia, are marsupials and not rodents, and also feed off gum and sap (typically from the eucalyptus), acacia trees, nectar and pollen, manna and honeydew? Me neither. My favorite part of this animal is that it has a patch of skin that connect the front leg to the rear on each side, making the animal capable of gliding! How cool is that?

Now I must confess, I have not seen the pet yet. She is a bit skittish around her new family right now, and it may take a few months to acclimate to her new surroundings. So I will be patient and wait. But I will see her, and when I do I will make sure to wear one of many knock-around promotional t-shirts...just in case. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's just about baseball season. Not quite there yet officially, but spring training has begun.  It is a wonderful time for baseball fans of all teams. That is because spring training is a fresh slate and means everyone can have hope. Remember, the World Champion St Louis Cardinals were 10 games back at one point last season and rallied back to win it all.

Yes, all fans can have hope....except for maybe the Mets fan. For the Mets fan it has been a very long offseason. The Mets have lost a face of their franchise and one of the best players in baseball, they didn't do much else to make up for that either. All of this, while every team in their division have stocked up on big time baseball weapons. You don't have to be a big time baseball expert to have the Mets tagged for last in the NL East.

So with all of the team in camp, and certainly hearing the doom and gloom from the media around them, one of the team's owners Jeff Wilpon, swooped in to try to save the day. He chose to do it with customized t-shirts.

The logo you see there is the logo from the classic cartoon called "Underdog". The idea was for the team to embrace the "Underdog" theme and to show everyone not to count them out. In about 29 other Major League baseball camps, this would be a non-story. Unfortunatly, this is Mets camp, and everything is a controversy or news story.

Fans complained about ownership calling the team an "Underdog" saying that they should have higher expectations of the team they built, and there were rumors that certain players didn't like the statement the shirt was wearing. This all lead to a press conference by the manager....about the customized t-shirts.

Terry Collins, Mets manager said "he is embracing the notion of team being ‘underdogs,’ and says if any player has an issue with the shirt they are missing the point. Collins said he has a certain set of expectations for the way this game is supposed to be played."

In all likelyhood, this will be a dead story by the end of the week if not by the end of the day. It does go to show you though the power a statement on a t-shirt can make.

The long awaited Football season kicked into affect this past sunday. I am so ecstatic to be watching football on sundays and monday nights now. Next to basketball, football is my number 2 sport. Every years my friends and I get together for a fantasy league. This year I was lucky enough to pick up Tom Brady and few other top picks. Brady had a monster game this past sunday, with a win against the Dolphins. Support our local team by wearing a Jets, and Giants Promotional T-shirt. If you are home, try one of our custom can cooler to keep all your beverages icy cold. I will be rooting for the Giants as they play the Rams on the 19th.