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Monday
May 19, 2008 No Sex (But Lots of Fun) and the CityHi Everyone — The week of May 5th week was the first-ever ASI Show in New York City and it was a blast! This year’s Counselor Top 40 banquet was held at the quintessential New York hot spot Cipriani, and it was fantastic. At my table were my pals Jo-an Lantz from Geiger, Scott Siegel from R.S. Owens and Gemline owner Jonathan Isaacson, who is this year’s Counselor International Person of the Year. Jonathan’s knowledge on the topic is so vast and his passion for conveying the widespread impact that pricing issues in Asia will have on our industry is so contagious, that he actually has me saying things like this to my girlfriends over cocktails: “Prices on items imported from China have been so cheap due to its government’s refusal to let the yuan float against the U.S. dollar; that’s going to change as China is now exporting its inflationary markets to the U.S.” It would be at this point, if my life had its own soundtrack, that you’d here the crickets chirping over the Grey Goose, as my friends gaped at me, slack jawed.
Wednesday
April 23, 2008 Rising Product Prices: Big Trouble in Big ChinaFiled under: Asia Hi Everyone — For those of you who know me, despite my immense capacity for snark and sarcasm, I’m a pretty glass-half-full kind of girl when it comes to my outlook on life. That said, I certainly don’t revel in being the bearer of bad news — but here it is: The prices of promotional products imported from Asia (which is most of them) are going to rise, and soon (and by “soon,” I mean “in the next few weeks”).
Friday
April 4, 2008 Holy Frak!I have a confession to make: My name is Michele and I’m a sci-fi addict in all its dorky variations. Yep, I’m a full-blown geek from way back: Give me your Wonder Woman, your Lost in Space, your Star Trek: The Next Generation, your Buffy the Vampire Slayer, your Angel— pretty much anything by creator Joss Whedon, the uber-cool leader of the nerd herd. I’ll take them all.
Friday
March 21, 2008 The End of the Roadshow… Out with a Bang, Not a WhimperFiled under: ASI Shows, Fun, Travel Hey there Everyone! My apologies for just getting this final blog installment from last week’s Advantages road show through the Midwest to you now. Frankly, it took a few days for my internal organs to stop quivering. Some people may leave their hearts in San Francisco, but my lungs and liver are in Des Moines and St. Louis.
Friday
March 14, 2008 St. Louis & $250 worth of fireworks is a felony waiting to happen…Hi Everyone — So because we had a 4 1/2 hour bus ride from Kansas City to St. Louis, we pulled over at a rest stop and bought $250 worth of firecrackers (thank you Tom Vann, aka “Tommy T-shirts,” Eddie Roth, aka “E” from Aunt Beth’s Cookie Keepers and Tom Ngo!) Yes, fireworks are legal here and yes, we totally realize this is a recipe for disaster. Tim Andrews , if you’re reading, call a good bail-bondsman and keep your cell phone on!!! Stay tuned for the photos and mugshots!!!
Thursday
March 13, 2008 Kooks Invade Kansas City; Locals Flee in FrightFiled under: ASI Shows, Fun, Travel Hi from Kansas City, where it is day four of the Advantages Roadshow though it feels like day 8, 895. You’ll all be happy to know that Kansas City has been a blast and today’s attendance at the show was 199 — suppliers are freaking ecstatic. “The quality of the attendees has been really good across the board,” says Tom Ngo, director of sales and marketing for Key-Bak and the person who has been my handler on this trip. Tom has also been the bartender extraordinaire on the bus — he is like “Isaac the bartender” on The Love Boat.
Wednesday
March 12, 2008 Imaho in OmahaWell, now that I have your attention, hi from Nebraska! Thanks to all of you who are reading my blog, which I can tell from the many e-mails I’ve received. First, yes, I do have the most fun job ever and second, yes, there really were two awesome gay bars in Des Moines. The consensus among my Merry Band of Revelers is that no one remembers the name of the first bar, but the second one was called “Blazing Saddles.” It was a blast, and if you’re ever in Des Moines I highly recommend it!
Tuesday
March 11, 2008 Advantages Roadshow — Day Two: Des MoinesFiled under: Travel Hi from the show bus in Des Moines! So last night my new friends and I went out in downtown Des Moines looking for some fun, and found it in spades. After cocktails at the aptly-named “Doozies” bar in the hotel, we started the evening at a “rustic” place where Dan Burke from Avaline took music requests from the group. Dan regaled us with Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” not once, but twice. Then, we found ourselves in our first gay bar of the evening. Who knew that downtown Des Moines was so cosmopolitan? |
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