I'm a Red Sox fan.  I'm a member of the Red Sox Nation, and have been long before it was cool to be an official "member".  I grew-up watching and playing baseball, and some of my fondest memories are sitting up late at night with my parents watching the Sox play. Pictures of Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio hang in my Dad's office.  Above any other sport, baseball is my favorite.

I was an avid fan in the late '80s and early '90s.  I could name every player on the team and knew who was who on rival teams.  My baseball card collection was pretty sweet. In the early 90s, I even (gasp!) liked the Yankees - it was a team filled with passionate players, from Don Mattingly to Paul O'Neill to Bernie Williams. 
 
Now, by nature and by loyalty, I don't root for the Yankees.  My heart broke when Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, and Johnny Damon traded in their Boston sox for Yankee pinstripes.  I ask my cousins what went wrong in their lives to turn them into Yankees fans.  I cried with pure joy when the Sox came back from a 3-game deficit and beat the Yankees to win the ALCS in the 2004 World Series battle.  Their victory meant so much for Boston and more to me, as it carried me through my Dad's heart surgery saga.    

In simple words, I love the Red Sox and despise the Yankees.  I uphold the age-old rivalry and respect it in more ways than I can describe.  Yet with that respect, comes a greater one for those who keep the spirit of baseball alive.

I, like many, was not a fan of Steinbrenner, Yankee owner or not.  And while it's easy to criticize him, today is a day to respect him and the empire he built, as he passes into another life.  He kept baseball alive for many years, when the strikes, ridiculous salaries, and drug scandals could have buried it permanently six-feet under.  He built an amazing team of star players, who, at the end of the day, love their game: Jeter, Rivera, Posada, and yes, even the over-paid A-Rod.  He fiercely wanted to win and did what he could to build a team loved by many.  Steinbrenner re-energized a team, a sport, a nation of fans.

And, as we head into tonight's All-Star Game, I'm sure baseball players and fans - former, current, and future - will bid him a fair adieu.  

  This is a case study on single men in the Southpoint Barnes & Noble on Tuesday nights.
 
I'm about to go on a vacation, and last night, I visited my local B&N to purchase some books for the trip.  As I'm walking up & down the fiction aisles, I passed a few people here and there.  But then I started to realize that I'm passing a lot of men.   And they're single or at least appear to be.  And well, they're cute.  I chuckle to myself because I find it funny that on a Tuesday night, Barnes & Noble is apparently a hot spot.  Who knew?
 
But, because I'm in advertising and because I'm human, it also made me wonder: are people here on a stormy Tuesday night to look for books or to see if they can meet someone?  Does that man really like Pablo Neruda and Nietzsche or is he hoping to look impressive to a potential new mate?  Is the woman sitting in the tiny, impersonal café really there to read or is she checking out who walks in the door?

I'm sure it's all of the above in varying degrees, but I did come to two conclusions:
1.      If you're single and want to meet someone who likes books, visit Barnes & Noble on a Tuesday night (preferably when it's raining)

2.      If you're trying to reach late 20/early 30-somethings, advertise in Barnes & Noble on Tuesday nights

*Special thanks to CPA, JP, & CB for their input & discussion about this lovely topic.  Photo credit to JP.

McKinney boasts an incredible collection of furniture - all very modern, mostly comfortable, and quite stylish.  I often wonder if there is a way I can convince Joni or Renee to permanently loan me one of the leather chairs for my apartment, the way collectors permanently "loan" artwork to museums.  I don't think there is.

One piece of furniture is distinctly unique compared to everything else: the air-conditioning turbine-turned table.  No matter your purpose at McKinney - interviewing, working, or visiting - you will encounter this table.  The turbine is an official stop on the McKinney tour; a pseudo meeting place; and the location where books, photographs, awards, and odd items are placed for agency review. 

What you don't know, however, is that this air-conditioning turbine-turned-table is also a modern-day Sit 'n Spin / Merry-Go-Round.  It's been my secret for 4 years and I'll probably be killed by Office Services for publishing this fact.  But think about it...an agency with an air-conditioning turbine-turned table that secretly functions as a modern-day Sit 'n Spin / Merry-Go-Round?  Now that's pretty cool.

Let me set the scene for you:

It is December 2008 and Christmas is less than two weeks away.  Seven people from McKinney and two people from Sherwin-Williams travel to L.A. to shoot a new TV & print campaign. All of us are exhausted, only Debbie has completed her holiday shopping, and it is freezing cold in L.A. How cold? 30 degree weather cold AND it snows while we are there.

But none of this matters because we're excited to be there. We're about to shoot some great spots, the McKinney team loves the Sherwin-Williams team, there's been some serious karaoke, a scary sighting of Tommy Lee, and best of all, Jenny Nicholson is going to turn 30 during the shoot.

You may think we had some sort of elaborate birthday party extravaganza planned for Jenny, but we didn't. Instead, we opted for something really simple and delicious for Jenny.

Watch, enjoy, and then you'll understand why Jenny Nicholson pretty much rocks.

There are a lot of causes out there.  And each one of them, I'm sure, has affected someone you know personally.  I'm typically not a vocal person about causes.  I tend to think that what you support should be very personal and that you don't need to tell everyone about it.  And of course, this blog entry 100% screams just the opposite.  But, well, tomorrow, Friday, 2.6.09, just happens to be an important day for my cause.

Friday, is Go Red for Women Day.  It's an organization created to build awareness about heart disease and strokes among women, the former being the number 1 killer of women in the United States.  And when you wear red and support this cause, you're helping to fight a nasty, nasty disease.  It's not fun, it's not pretty, but in many cases, you can prevent it. 

So check it out for yourself, for the women in your life, and just to help those that you love. 

I love movies.  Really love them.  But I usually end up renting movies versus going to the theater...which normally suits me just fine.  Except for when the Oscars roll around because I unfortunately have no clue as to what's what aside from the hype I've heard.  But over the holidays, I started to go to a lot of movies.  An accidental resolution of sorts.  And the goal was to see as many movies as possible before the Oscars so I feel somewhat knowledgeable when watching the awards that night.

One of those was Slumdog Millionaire.  And it was amazing.

If you can only see one movie this winter, pick this one.  Not because it won Best Picture at the Golden Globes or will probably steal the show at the Oscars, but because it's simply brilliant.  Slumdog is one of those rare movies that beautifully tells a story while making you stop & think; think about the world you live in and how lucky many of us are.  For everything that's going on in America right now, it pales in comparison to the world Slumdog paints, where the characters worry every day whether or not they'll be able to eat, have shelter, and above all, survive.  But don't get me wrong, this is not a doom/gloom sappy movie.  If anything, it's a movie that shows how one person's hope can carry so many through tough times and how, at the end of the day, happiness is possible.

Check it out - you won't be disappointed.