My wife and I just got back from a mini vacation to Lake Tahoe, CA.  We went snowboarding at Heavenly Mountian.  It was a great time even with the lack of snow.  The " Tahoe " sun was out all 4 days.  A suntan was the last thing I was thinking about when I went snowboarding, so I was not prepared.  As lunch time rolled around.. I took a look at myself in the mirror and realized I was going to be in for a world of hurt.  I headed directly to the shop and picked up some promotional sunblock.  They were cool they were branded with the mountain logo and cool image of a snowboarder and they had a sport clip so I could clip it to my board bag and never be without it.  and of course I paid a premium being @ 10,000 feet.  The good news is they even threw in some promotional candy to help heal the pain of the sunburn.

This morning at Motivators was an exciting one!  We had a visit from John Cudahy, a representative from one of our warehouses.  He brought in many interesting promotional products that will sure be a hit with our customers.  We saw new promotional flashlights, promotional cutlery and many diffrent types of promotional drinkware.  The one item that really stood out was the hand blown glass pilsner mugs.  They were extremely light and gave the liquid inside them a "floating" look.  These are sure to be a poplular seller for a wide array of our customers.  I also think our whole team is looking forward to getting a few samples for the office! 

With yesterday being Valentines Day many treats were going around the office, and ofcourse many are hesistant on eating that 2nd piece of promotional chocolate, trying to hold onto their New Years resolution.  Well not my daughter! She indulged in Valentines Conversation Sweethearts, , chocolate truffles and cupcakes. What was even better is that she wanted to share these things with her little cousin, ( I believe that was partial to me telling her about the dentist and what happens when you dont take care of your teeth). All in all, we had a great day! We learned to share, try delicous treats, and learned about the dentist.

There has been a study that people get more depressed in the winter time due to the lack of sunlight but, this year I think I am getting depressed due to the lack of snow.  Who would have thought it would have been a gamble to book a trip in December to go snowboarding in lake tahoe at the beginning of February.. no one.  Mother Nature has not been too happy with the California ski resorts.  Washington state, Utah, and Wyoming have been getting killed with snow.  Wyoming just got 80 " of snow in 8 days!!!  but Heavenly ski resort got an estimated total of 70" for the season.  We will definitly not be getting in the white room as they say or having to break out our snorkel but they do have plenty of man made snow so we will be tearing down the groomers.  Good thing about South Lake Tahoe is the Casinos and the lively night life,  worse case scenerio we go around collecting logod beer glasses.

I, for one am not a big fan of football and this weekend coming up is just a regular weekend as far as I'm concerned. I certainly am aware of all the festivities and parties coming up and ofcourse I will not decline an invite to celebrate anything with my friends (yes, even if it is football). And even though my freinds are just having a small gathering, alot of people like to go all out for these superbowl games with promotional items such as logo beer glasses, football squeezies, and custom can coolers. Can't wait to see the new commercials!

I couldn't have expected a better season from the NY Giants. Eli Manning has proved to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. This super bowl will be a repeat of the 07-08 season, where the Giants (14-6) beat the Patriots (18-1) in a epic upset. Every year my friends and I always get together at someone's house for a super bowl party. This year will be no different. If anything, it will be crazier cheering on our hometown team. You can bet there will be plenty of Logo Beer Glasses and Promotional Stadium Cups. Besides the electrifying event, companies spend millions of dollars adversiting during the game. I have to say the best TV commerials come during the super bowl, so be sure to tune in. I will be anticipating a 21-20 victory for the G-men.

This past Thursday January 26th, Ken, Laura, Samantha and myself attended the SAAGNY winter showcase 2012.  The plethora of trade show items were amazing.  Any promotional product you could think of was there.  Any item you may want imprinted they had on display.  It really makes you think about how many of these items you come in contact with every single day.  We all had a great time walking the show and are looking forward to selling many of these item to our customers!

          Hello there my faithful followers. I hope you all enjoyed your weekends and are ready for another work week. And what better way to pass ones time in the office than to read one of my tales of wonder. Oh, and this one isn't for the squeamish.

          From reading my previous blogs, you may know that I love to take on challenges. I love to do things that test my strength, determination, will, and bravery. The crazier they are, the better. So when Dos Equis announced, in line with their ad campaign of "The Most Interesting Man in the World", that they will be having a "Feast of the Brave", how was I going to pass that up?

          In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, from mid-April to the beginning of May 2011, Dos Equis was launching the "Feast of the Brave". The feast involves a food truck that will be in various spot of the five boroughs of New York. It will be serving tacos to the public for free. However, these are not just ordinary tacos. They will have "the most interesting" fillings such as ostrich, cow tongue, veal brain, cricket, and scorpion. Mmmmm, just like the way momma makes them. Thrill seekers wishing to try this can follow their whereabouts via Dos Equis Facebook page (which is how I learned about it) or through their twitter account. Dos Equis would have also have people at the trucks taking photographs of those brave enough to try the taco concoctions.

          On the first weekend in May, I log into Facebook to check on the daily activities of all my friends when I notice a post on my feed from Dos Equis in regards to the Feast of the Brave. They gave their locations and I notice that in the afternoon, they will be in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which is close to where I live Queens. Perfect! I put on my Sunday's best, grab my lovely girlfriend, and we are off to the magical land of Williamsburg. The land of the interesting and eccentric.

          I park my car and start heading up Bedford Avenue, patrolling the streets, feverishly looking for the truck. I walk several blocks north, and there it was, in all her beauty. I see this burgundy food truck with a giant scorpion hanging off the side of it. I see young women dressed in promotional apparel with the Dos XX logo embroidered on trying to entice people to have a taco. As I get closer and begin to read off the menu in mind. Which one do I try first? I know! I will see which one puts the most disgusted face on my girlfriend first, and work my way down from there. However, to my dismay, I begin to see most of the choices up there are already sold out. All they had left was cow tongue and crickets. Damn!

          I go to the window and place my order. They ask for my name and tell me to wait by the side of the truck until my food is complete. This is the worst part, the waiting. I know it may have been only a few minutes in normal time, but it felt like hours to me. I am watching people around already eating their tacos. Some had the cricket taco, and some had the veal brain. Both didn't look that appetizing at all, but definitely would have been worth the try. Finally my name is called and I am handed my taco, along with a promotional napkin printed with the Dos XX logo. I take one last look at my meal, fold the shell, and begin to consume.

          It tastes.... well, I don't quite know how to describe it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but definitely wasn't as good as it could have been. It had a spongy texture to it, which felt weird to bite. However, the sauce gave it a  nice kick. All in all, I would say that it was palatable. I decided to go back and try the crickets, but the lady in front of me took the last cricket taco. It was fun to watch her try to eat it with the legs hanging out the other side. You can hear the crunch of the cricket several feet away from her.

          This was definitely a fun and "interesting" experience, as is all the Dos Equis events I have come across. They really know how to push the limits of "The Most Interesting Man" campaign, and it really shows. It keeps their audience engaged, and coming back for more. This will not be last encounter with Dos Equis and "The Most Interesting Man in the World".

The other night a few friends and I were sitting around trying to remember the restaurant that catered our previous years super bowl party.  We were a second from giving up as one of my friends raised his glass and said "uhhh I think I remember the name"!  Along with the hero, wings and keg we ordered, they gave us plenty of promotional items to remember there name, address and phone number.  The one in particular that solved our issue was the Logo beer glass.  Without this promotional product some other restaurant would of gotten our business!  It makes you wonder how much more business would your company of done, with a promotional item of any sort.

Back in my teenage years I remember going to numerous birthday parties, sweet 16's, and many other celebrations. Although it was many many years ago (sigh) I can tell you that certain parties made a lasting impression on me based on the customized party favors that were given out. My favorite was and still is the promotional 12 .oz light-up flashing glass. Another great idea is promotional candy, and I remember lots of it! My favorite was the take out carton full of candy, just like the promotional candy take out - Jelly Belly beans.