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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!
Thursday
March 6, 2008 Ball of FireHi Everyone – Well, we celebrated Ron Ball’s 30-year-anniversary with the company in fine fashion last week at a local bar restaurant called the Black Bull — which is perfect for Ron because black’s his color and for those of us who know and love him, no one flings the bull like Mr. Ball. See below for photos from the evening, and some classic Ron moments…
Friday
February 22, 2008 No Tools in this ShedOne of the questions I get asked most often from people in the industry, second only to the ever-popular, “You work for ASI?… Seriously???,” is “So, what’s Tim Andrews really like?” Maybe because people are accustomed to those holding the title of president or CEO at a company being aloof and unapproachable, many assume Tim is like that too. Well, if my employment at ASI (as well as Ron Ball’s & Christian Brandt’s, for that matter) isn’t proof enough of Tim’s sense of humor, I’m here to tell you — if you haven’t met him yet or don’t know him well — he’s a lot funnier and down-to-Earth than you’d think. Much like Jon Stewart (who I’ve decided is indeed the sexiest man alive), Tim’s got a whip-smart, razor-sharp wit, with hearty sides of snark and self-deprecation thrown in for good measure. He loves his Grey Goose chilled, his jokes racy and — as the Supreme Ruler of Michele World — I bestow upon him one of my highest compliments: He’s not a tool.
Friday
February 15, 2008 Come Fly With Me (Or Not)Hi from Philly! Well, after traveling to four shows in three countries already this year, I am thrilled to be home in PA for a few weeks. The great part of traveling, of course, is getting to spend time with friends, as I did this past weekend in Austin, TX. After the ASI Dallas Show, I went to hang out with my favorite industry family, the Lindermans — Michael, Jane and Matt. Austin, if you’ve never been, is a very eclectic, idiosyncratic blue reservoir of liberal cool in a big ‘ol red state. Its slogan, of all things, is “Keep Austin Weird” — which should tell you a lot about why I love it so much. Michael & Jane Linderman, who are not weird but definitely fun, took me to an awesome area of Austin called the Domain, where fantastic restaurants, fire pits and upscale shops like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co. reside. There are condos above the stores and don’t think for a moment that if I lived in Austin, I wouldn’t buy one just so I could say I live at Tiffany’s.
Friday
February 8, 2008 Get Yer Za-Za OutHey Y’all – The first day of the ASI Dallas Show was a good one, with lots of happy, friendly Texans and some awesome new products. My favorite? Selco’s new “Hardcore” watch line (see photo), which is hip, edgy and totally cool. After the show Christian Brandt, ASI’s executive director of catalog sales and my show “handler,” and I went out to dinner with Mark Hobbs from DeyRey Nuts and Nadine Panetti from PromoBiz at the sensationally swanky Hotel ZaZa. It was just awesome and it is definitely the place where the beautiful people congregate. Mark and Nadine are two of the industry’s pretty people and as a couple, they look like celebs. We should just merge their names together and call them “Mardine” — like Bennifer and Brangelina. (See photos)
Friday
January 11, 2008 Partying in Dusseldorf!Lest you think I’ve totally lost my luster and missed out on the social events, there were two of note. The World Advertising Gift Exchange (WAGE) celebrated its 50th anniversary with a festive reception that drew over 100 attendees. Polyconcept’s annual party on the boat they bring in especially for the occasion. Philippe Varnier and his team invite clients, friends and competitors, all of whom clearly revel in the open bar, sumptuous buffet and electrifying band. |
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