Last night, for the fist time, I grilled crab...and it was delicious. I was grilling steak for dinner and we had purchased 2 crabs for dinner, and for the sake of convenience I decided to try throwing the crab on the grill Turned out amazing. It had a smoky flavor that I've never experienced with shellfish again. If you like crab you have to try this:
Get a -steamed crab(s) from your local fishmonger/seafood department. To save time, have the crab cleaned and cut. Wrap the crab in aluminum foil and throw on the grill for 5-7 minutes. Unwrap the crab and splay out the foil over the fire and let it sit for another 5 minutes moving the legs/claws around periodically. No need for seasoning!
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Barry Bonds indicted? Its about time
Federal prosecutors formally filed charges of purgery and obstruction of justice against Bonds this morning. It isn't a question of whether or not Bonds took steroids; it's obvious he's been using them. No, the question is - why the hell did it take so long to get an indictment? Why did federal prosecutors wait until after Bonds broke Hank Aaron's home run record (which I personally do not recognize).
Maybe if Bonds wasn't such a douche bag; maybe if he wasn't' so arrogant, maybe if he didn't treat other people so poorly prosecutors wouldn't have tracked him down. I, like many, have a very poor opinion of Bonds as both a player and as a person. He doesn't take his position as a role model seriously and is the most overrated player since Cecil Fielder.
Bonds obviously needed performance enhancement drugs in order to remain competitive in the majors. The guy didn't deserve the recognition he received and I can't wait for the Hall of Fame to reject his nomination and nullify his unearned home run title.
You're getting what you deserve Barry.
Maybe if Bonds wasn't such a douche bag; maybe if he wasn't' so arrogant, maybe if he didn't treat other people so poorly prosecutors wouldn't have tracked him down. I, like many, have a very poor opinion of Bonds as both a player and as a person. He doesn't take his position as a role model seriously and is the most overrated player since Cecil Fielder.
Bonds obviously needed performance enhancement drugs in order to remain competitive in the majors. The guy didn't deserve the recognition he received and I can't wait for the Hall of Fame to reject his nomination and nullify his unearned home run title.
You're getting what you deserve Barry.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Hiring a Web Designer, NOW!!!
I'm looking to hire a full time in-house web designer / developer. My employer, Winnov makes some pretty incredible web casting, rich media streaming and video capture technology. The company has been around since 1992, has an impressive list of customers and I can say with confidence that our hardware technology is 3 years ahead of anyone else in the market. I'm in need someone to work with me to redesign the corporate site, our media player GUI, sales & marketing collateral, advertisements, etc.
There is so much opportunity for growth and the corporate culture fosters creativity and freedom of expression. I'm looking for a web developer who loves technology, media and video. Please pass this along if you or someone you know is interested in applying (and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area).
Click here to learn more about the position.
There is so much opportunity for growth and the corporate culture fosters creativity and freedom of expression. I'm looking for a web developer who loves technology, media and video. Please pass this along if you or someone you know is interested in applying (and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area).
Click here to learn more about the position.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The New Complete Marketer - Article
Here's a good article from the Strategy + Business, Autumn 2007 issue. It adresses how the role that marketing plays within the corporate structure is rapidly becoming the corporate driver for growth.
The New Complete Marketer: How the most successful CMO's are teaching management to drive growth
By GregorHarter, Edward Landry, and Andrew Tipping
The New Complete Marketer: How the most successful CMO's are teaching management to drive growth
By GregorHarter, Edward Landry, and Andrew Tipping
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Disingenuous Branding or Good Story Telling?
This week's brand debate on BrandChannel focuses on the ethical/(perhaps) legal snare of disingenuous branding. As per BrandChannel, "It's not surprising that corporations are willing to bend the truth to gain a competitive edge. But at what point does manipulating the truth undermine the consumer trust that successful branding requires?" They also pose the question of whether the government should step in to provide regulation. (See the complete debate intro and reader comments here: http://www.brandchannel.com/forum.asp?bd_id=84).
The brunt of the ethical questioning was placed on advertising & packaging and the lack of truth found therein. In my humble opinion, the debate question itself is fundamentally flawed. Branding is neither advertising or packaging alone. The brand is a company's personality, its emotional tie with consumers, the humanizing factor of an otherwise faceless corporation. It's the experience you have every time you go to Starbucks that helps you rationalize paying $4 for a cup of hot sugary milk. The brand is your friend. And much like your friends it can be prone to exaggerating a story now and again.
Advertising is one of many communication vehicles for a brand, and it's meant to engage and entertain, often through exaggeration. Yes, advertising bends the truth, but so do sitcoms and films. I'm about as likely to believe that Jason Bourne is a real ex-CIA assassin running around New York as I am that drinking Gatorade will help me throw a football out of a stadium.
There is a big difference between exaggerating and lying, and this is where the lawyers step in. If an advertisement expressly states that a product will do something or provide a benefit that it does not, then you sir are a liar, and thus subject to a class action. If a Coke spot claimed that by drinking Diet Coke you will lose 45 pounds, well that's unethical and illegal. But when we see an empathetic tow truck driver moving a VW away from a red curb because towing the 2007 VW GTI would deprive the car owner of an incredible driving experience. That's telling a story, not claiming that buying a Volkswagen will keep you from getting towed. Well, according to my interpretation of the commercial.
And that's why advertising can be such a powerful tool in brand marketing. It can tell a story, showing off the lighter, wittier, human side of a company. It engages consumers in ways that even the product isn't capable of doing. For me, a company that can make fun of itself says a lot about the confidence it has in it's brand.
The brunt of the ethical questioning was placed on advertising & packaging and the lack of truth found therein. In my humble opinion, the debate question itself is fundamentally flawed. Branding is neither advertising or packaging alone. The brand is a company's personality, its emotional tie with consumers, the humanizing factor of an otherwise faceless corporation. It's the experience you have every time you go to Starbucks that helps you rationalize paying $4 for a cup of hot sugary milk. The brand is your friend. And much like your friends it can be prone to exaggerating a story now and again.
Advertising is one of many communication vehicles for a brand, and it's meant to engage and entertain, often through exaggeration. Yes, advertising bends the truth, but so do sitcoms and films. I'm about as likely to believe that Jason Bourne is a real ex-CIA assassin running around New York as I am that drinking Gatorade will help me throw a football out of a stadium.
There is a big difference between exaggerating and lying, and this is where the lawyers step in. If an advertisement expressly states that a product will do something or provide a benefit that it does not, then you sir are a liar, and thus subject to a class action. If a Coke spot claimed that by drinking Diet Coke you will lose 45 pounds, well that's unethical and illegal. But when we see an empathetic tow truck driver moving a VW away from a red curb because towing the 2007 VW GTI would deprive the car owner of an incredible driving experience. That's telling a story, not claiming that buying a Volkswagen will keep you from getting towed. Well, according to my interpretation of the commercial.
And that's why advertising can be such a powerful tool in brand marketing. It can tell a story, showing off the lighter, wittier, human side of a company. It engages consumers in ways that even the product isn't capable of doing. For me, a company that can make fun of itself says a lot about the confidence it has in it's brand.
Back to the debate. I don't think its disingenuous to say that you've killed seven in one swat, you just have to make sure that in your message the listener sees seven huge flies.
It's important for brand managers to remain aware of the brand communication vehicles used and understand each vehicle's purpose and how it goes about creating impact. The retail experience, the packaging, the customer support must all be in line with the brand message, promise, vision, mission and all the other co prorate compass points - but it is also important not to stifle branded communications in the name of controlling the brand.
In the end it comes down to consumer. The moment I hear Tom Shane's droning voice in a Shane Co. radio ad I turn the dial; when a Budweiser 'Real Men of Genius' radio ad comes on I turn up the volume.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Hard Things to Do - #47: Maintaining Objectivity
You know, it's very difficult watching others make bad decisions, well, what I think are bad decisions. We all have had the friend who was in a relationship with the wrong person for the wrong reasons and no matter how much logic you threw at him/her and no matter how many obvious red flags are presented, the friend chooses to stay.
Having recently seen my girlfriend go through this with a friend of hers, I was able to remain somewhat removed from the situation, giving me a chance to examine this situation from a more objective standpoint. Admittedly, I was against the relationship myself. She sold her successful business and moved to the Midwest for a guy who appears to be an all around douche bag. Nearing his forties, he's acting as if he's never left the frat house. During a recent trip back to the Bay Area her friends hit her with concerns, arguments and support for leaving. Although she appeared to 'see the light' she disappeared suddenly, refusing to return phone calls and text messages. She cut her trip short and returned to the flat barren, boring midsection of America.
Did we push her too hard? Maybe we were so busy talking at her that didn't stop and listen to her. Maybe what we see as a soon-to-be domestic train wreck is something completely different in her eyes. Maybe she's afraid of running out of opportunities...or time. Perhaps the situation will play out exactly as we fear, but it's a lesson that she needs to learn the hard way.
All I know is this: It's impossible to see clearly when you're too close to a situation, no matter what side of the fence you're standing on.
Having recently seen my girlfriend go through this with a friend of hers, I was able to remain somewhat removed from the situation, giving me a chance to examine this situation from a more objective standpoint. Admittedly, I was against the relationship myself. She sold her successful business and moved to the Midwest for a guy who appears to be an all around douche bag. Nearing his forties, he's acting as if he's never left the frat house. During a recent trip back to the Bay Area her friends hit her with concerns, arguments and support for leaving. Although she appeared to 'see the light' she disappeared suddenly, refusing to return phone calls and text messages. She cut her trip short and returned to the flat barren, boring midsection of America.
Did we push her too hard? Maybe we were so busy talking at her that didn't stop and listen to her. Maybe what we see as a soon-to-be domestic train wreck is something completely different in her eyes. Maybe she's afraid of running out of opportunities...or time. Perhaps the situation will play out exactly as we fear, but it's a lesson that she needs to learn the hard way.
All I know is this: It's impossible to see clearly when you're too close to a situation, no matter what side of the fence you're standing on.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Happy Feet
By some serendipitous twist of fate my sweet, bless-ed Reef flip flops have come home to me!!! It was miraculous: I was at home slaving away on my next blog post when the sky opened up and a chorus of angels spewed forth some form of angelic host-like musical number (mostly "aaah, aaaahh, aaaaaaaahhhhhs") and my sweet flippers descended from heaven into my awaiting (heaving) bosom.
Or the person who ended up with the flip flops gave them to Cynthia... who then brought them home for me, where I was most likely drinking beer, sleeping or a combination of the two.
Either way I'm walking comfortably again with a renewed sense of tanned masculinity, which is then quickly snapped away when my sweet Cynthia reminds me with her dark Mexican (unfair advantage) skin that my hard earned farmer's tan reminds her of the backside of a postage stamp. Thank you Love.
Or the person who ended up with the flip flops gave them to Cynthia... who then brought them home for me, where I was most likely drinking beer, sleeping or a combination of the two.
Either way I'm walking comfortably again with a renewed sense of tanned masculinity, which is then quickly snapped away when my sweet Cynthia reminds me with her dark Mexican (unfair advantage) skin that my hard earned farmer's tan reminds her of the backside of a postage stamp. Thank you Love.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Support for Those Who Support You
Are you ready for a winding rollercoaster of a blog loaded with tangets, non-seqitors, explative laden paragraphs and completely biased opinions? Alrightie then, let's do this.
Let's just get this out of the way: My juice fast lasted 2 1/2 days. I proved to be more of a juice bastard than a juice master. I'm gonna go ahead and blame my timing of the diet as we had just adopted a puppy and Cynthia wasn't ready to commit that length of time. So, I now officially shift the blame (mid-paragraph) from my poor timing to Cynthia, in which I will now receive no love and a verbal beating of unprecedented porportions. What's surprising to me is how easy it was to not eat for over two days. The lemonade is actually very tasty and it kept the hunger pangs away. We plan on attempting it again later this summer. Now, on to other matters.
I'm annoyed. Scratch that, I'm pissed. And I'm pissed at just about everyone. And what I'm pissed about is people's apparent lack of decency when interacting with individuals who serve in supportive, serving or subordinate roles. I've seen receptionists berrated by visitors, vendors no less; I've seen servers at restaurants take abuse from angry customers; the barrista at every Starbucks on the planet, the girl working at the Bath & Body Works who can't adjust the price of an item just for you. These individuals work to serve us, yet we somehow feel entitled to get what we want from them exactly how we want it exactly when we want it - and damnit, they never get my order right. On the other hand, maybe the treatment is justified. I mean, these people must be less intelligent than myself if this is the only work they could find, right?
Most us us have worked in retail or waited tables or answered phones when we were younger and we should remember how it was to perform menial tasks & deal with ungrateful customers (internal and external). I like to think that the support role is a temporary condition. It's a summer gigfor some, and for many it's a means to supplement their income or a way to work between career-relevant jobs. Many of those who bring us our dinners hold graduate degrees. However, I tend not to put much credence in the theory that a college degree equates a high-intellect, high-quality output from an employee. I've met too may MBA's who couldn't tie their shoes. They were just lucky enough to have a mommy and daddy wealthy enough to buy them their education. Real life experience, natural intelligence, the ability to get along with others and the desire to grow are, to me, what what makes for a great employee. But I digress.
Why do we neglect, abuse or completely ignore those who work to support us? Why do we take what we can from them and give back little (outside of waiters, for whom, tips are the only reason for putting up with us)? Are we all so wrapped up in ourselves & our own image of self-importance that courtesy goes bye bye?
Try saying thank you, or smiling or maybe even participating in a little idle chatter with the kid behind the counter as you wait for your incredibly sophisticated sounding venti.* (see, I can make DOS jokes too) latte. A little bit of courtesy goes a long way. Everyone needs to feel appreciated. These people are making a lot less than you and I'm willing to bet the stress levels are fairly relative to what you'd experience in a given workday.
Here's one way to see it: Be nice to those who serve you in a supporting role, they're doing the bullshit menial tasks that you could easily do yourself, but are very much above doing.
Let's just get this out of the way: My juice fast lasted 2 1/2 days. I proved to be more of a juice bastard than a juice master. I'm gonna go ahead and blame my timing of the diet as we had just adopted a puppy and Cynthia wasn't ready to commit that length of time. So, I now officially shift the blame (mid-paragraph) from my poor timing to Cynthia, in which I will now receive no love and a verbal beating of unprecedented porportions. What's surprising to me is how easy it was to not eat for over two days. The lemonade is actually very tasty and it kept the hunger pangs away. We plan on attempting it again later this summer. Now, on to other matters.
I'm annoyed. Scratch that, I'm pissed. And I'm pissed at just about everyone. And what I'm pissed about is people's apparent lack of decency when interacting with individuals who serve in supportive, serving or subordinate roles. I've seen receptionists berrated by visitors, vendors no less; I've seen servers at restaurants take abuse from angry customers; the barrista at every Starbucks on the planet, the girl working at the Bath & Body Works who can't adjust the price of an item just for you. These individuals work to serve us, yet we somehow feel entitled to get what we want from them exactly how we want it exactly when we want it - and damnit, they never get my order right. On the other hand, maybe the treatment is justified. I mean, these people must be less intelligent than myself if this is the only work they could find, right?
Most us us have worked in retail or waited tables or answered phones when we were younger and we should remember how it was to perform menial tasks & deal with ungrateful customers (internal and external). I like to think that the support role is a temporary condition. It's a summer gigfor some, and for many it's a means to supplement their income or a way to work between career-relevant jobs. Many of those who bring us our dinners hold graduate degrees. However, I tend not to put much credence in the theory that a college degree equates a high-intellect, high-quality output from an employee. I've met too may MBA's who couldn't tie their shoes. They were just lucky enough to have a mommy and daddy wealthy enough to buy them their education. Real life experience, natural intelligence, the ability to get along with others and the desire to grow are, to me, what what makes for a great employee. But I digress.
Why do we neglect, abuse or completely ignore those who work to support us? Why do we take what we can from them and give back little (outside of waiters, for whom, tips are the only reason for putting up with us)? Are we all so wrapped up in ourselves & our own image of self-importance that courtesy goes bye bye?
Try saying thank you, or smiling or maybe even participating in a little idle chatter with the kid behind the counter as you wait for your incredibly sophisticated sounding venti.* (see, I can make DOS jokes too) latte. A little bit of courtesy goes a long way. Everyone needs to feel appreciated. These people are making a lot less than you and I'm willing to bet the stress levels are fairly relative to what you'd experience in a given workday.
Here's one way to see it: Be nice to those who serve you in a supporting role, they're doing the bullshit menial tasks that you could easily do yourself, but are very much above doing.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Will I Become the Cleanse Master?
Today I embark on a perilous 10 day journey that I have never before considered possible: a fast. In fact, I'm not just fasting, I'm doing the Master Cleanse diet/fast/detox program. Although the master cleanse isn't a true - starve myself to prove a point or fight injustice - type fast, it is kind of a fast as I am not going to eat anything. My diet will consist of a drink mixture of filtered water, grade B maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper. I'm also going to take vitamin supplements during this time as well. I don't know if that's considered cheating, but vitamins aren't on my menu of things I enjoy eating.
In my research I found a fair amount of positive as well as negative reviews of the fast. But out of all that I read, fatigue seems to be the most serious side-effect. Well, I don't plan on being fatigued. Do I plan on taking the advice of "taking it easy" while on the fast? Hell no! I'm staying the course baby, just not in the Iraq-stay-the-course way.
Fist of all - yes mom, I researched this topic and the positive feedback appears to outweigh the negative. And yes, mom, there are nutrition experts say that this is safe. I decided to try the fast to see if the concept of body detoxification holds any water. I've been feeling as if I've been gaining a lot of weight lately (I'm at 153 lbs). Those who know me are sure to think that I'm nuts, as I am not anywhere near approaching the overweight mark, but I believe that weight gain is for most of us something that sneaks up on you. I also want to push myself physically and mentally, just to see what I'm made of.
Here's my plan: I will fast for 10 to 15 days, eating nothing but the vitamins, H2O and the lemon juice concoction, yet continue to stick to my regular activity regimen of soccer everyday at lunch, pick-up soccer on Wednesday evenings, training on Tuesday evenings and teaching on Thursday nights, which consists on holding pads and maybe light sparring.
So, can I go without food for two weeks and still exercise five days a week during that period of time? Will I master the cleanse or will the master cleanse kick my ass? We'll find out.
Have you done the Master Cleanse diet? Let me know how it worked/failed-sent to the emergency room- for you?
In my research I found a fair amount of positive as well as negative reviews of the fast. But out of all that I read, fatigue seems to be the most serious side-effect. Well, I don't plan on being fatigued. Do I plan on taking the advice of "taking it easy" while on the fast? Hell no! I'm staying the course baby, just not in the Iraq-stay-the-course way.
Fist of all - yes mom, I researched this topic and the positive feedback appears to outweigh the negative. And yes, mom, there are nutrition experts say that this is safe. I decided to try the fast to see if the concept of body detoxification holds any water. I've been feeling as if I've been gaining a lot of weight lately (I'm at 153 lbs). Those who know me are sure to think that I'm nuts, as I am not anywhere near approaching the overweight mark, but I believe that weight gain is for most of us something that sneaks up on you. I also want to push myself physically and mentally, just to see what I'm made of.
Here's my plan: I will fast for 10 to 15 days, eating nothing but the vitamins, H2O and the lemon juice concoction, yet continue to stick to my regular activity regimen of soccer everyday at lunch, pick-up soccer on Wednesday evenings, training on Tuesday evenings and teaching on Thursday nights, which consists on holding pads and maybe light sparring.
So, can I go without food for two weeks and still exercise five days a week during that period of time? Will I master the cleanse or will the master cleanse kick my ass? We'll find out.
Have you done the Master Cleanse diet? Let me know how it worked/failed-sent to the emergency room- for you?
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
My Flip Flops: The Loss of a Dear Friend
Few things in life are as comfy and familiar as a pair of well worn flip-flops. Much like a fine wine, it takes time to cultivate a flip-flop with an aged look and feel. A look that says "Yeah, I've had these since college, so what?!" Once they're broken in and those flippers are perfectly molded to your feet alone, few things match that level of pure comfort.
My flip-flops are an integral component of my wardrobe (ask my girlfriend) and part of how I brand myself-style outside of work. Its critical to my laid back lifestyle and my just rolled out of bed look that I prefer to wear on weekend afternoons...and weekday evenings...and weekdays, when I get a chance. Yeah, a sandal does that much for me: think about somtething you wear often and how that item or style is part of your outward self-image.
I always have a hard time tossing my flip-flops when their time has come. The rubber is a brownish-grey, the soles are slick and rounded upwards from years of wear, the straps are hanging on by a thread, and yet I convince myself that these bad boys can last me at least through the coming winter (Luckily, living in California allows me to wear flip-flops year-round).
This last weekend I lost my Reef flip-flops of 3 1/2 years. My girlfriend and I were visiting some friends Saturday. After a few too many chavelas wedecided to spend the night. When we prepared to leave the next morning, my flip-flops were nowhere to be found. They had completely vanished. I'm guessing that someone slipped on my flips flops mistaking them for his/hers.
How do I pick up the pieces and move on? I plan to go out and get a replacement pair of simple black Reefs (I'm loyal to that brand), but in the meantime I'm wearing a pair of Mossimo pre-molded flip-flops. Pre-molded? That's heresy! Definitely not the same.
My flip-flops are an integral component of my wardrobe (ask my girlfriend) and part of how I brand myself-style outside of work. Its critical to my laid back lifestyle and my just rolled out of bed look that I prefer to wear on weekend afternoons...and weekday evenings...and weekdays, when I get a chance. Yeah, a sandal does that much for me: think about somtething you wear often and how that item or style is part of your outward self-image.
I always have a hard time tossing my flip-flops when their time has come. The rubber is a brownish-grey, the soles are slick and rounded upwards from years of wear, the straps are hanging on by a thread, and yet I convince myself that these bad boys can last me at least through the coming winter (Luckily, living in California allows me to wear flip-flops year-round).
This last weekend I lost my Reef flip-flops of 3 1/2 years. My girlfriend and I were visiting some friends Saturday. After a few too many chavelas wedecided to spend the night. When we prepared to leave the next morning, my flip-flops were nowhere to be found. They had completely vanished. I'm guessing that someone slipped on my flips flops mistaking them for his/hers.
How do I pick up the pieces and move on? I plan to go out and get a replacement pair of simple black Reefs (I'm loyal to that brand), but in the meantime I'm wearing a pair of Mossimo pre-molded flip-flops. Pre-molded? That's heresy! Definitely not the same.
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