Mile Hi - New Things

My fiancé's friend plays co-ed rec softball with some friends and didn't have enough players tonight so he invited Matt and I to play with them. The game was at Ruby Hill Park in southwest Denver. Ruby Hill Park has a Picnic Shelter, Picnic Tables, Benches, Playground, Outdoor Pool, Restrooms, Baseball/Softball Fields, Bike/Pedestrian Paths, Drinking Fountains, Flower Beds, and a Pavilion. Click here for a map of the park. The game started at 6:30pm and we played about 6 innings in 1 hour. We were the home team and lost 12-4. What did you do today?

My fiancé's work received some gourmet cookies from a client last week from Cheryl's . In 1981, Cheryl Krueger and her college roommate, Caryl Walker, opened the very 1st Cheryl’s Cookies in Columbus OH, selling 6 kinds of cookies with soda pop. Within just 7 years, the company broadened its offerings to include gifts and desserts. As the company grew, new desserts were added: gourmet brownies, cakes and fancy cookies, including seasonal cut-out cookies topped with a signature buttercream frosting. Today, Cheryl's is a multi-faceted business comprised of retail stores in Ohio, a high-traffic Internet business, and a successful Business Gift Division, all headquartered in the Columbus suburb of Westerville OH. A 2005 merger enabled Cheryl's to become a part of the 1-800-Flowers Family of Brands. I tried a Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie tonight and it was delicious! It tasted like a brownie! What did you do today?

I'm was vacation so I didn't have time to post the last few nights, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 1 days ago (Sun 5/27/12). My sister-in-law's younger sister got married on Saturday in Philadelphia. The wedding after party was down stairs below the Hyatt at The Bellevue at the Tavern on Broad , located in the heart of Center City (corner of Broad and Walnut Streets). We went down there from about midnight to 2:00am to have a few more drinks, dance, and socialize. I don't remember all the details of this tavern but I remember it was a good time! What did you do today?

I'm was vacation so I didn't have time to post the last few nights, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 2 days ago (Sat 5/26/12). My sister-in-law's younger sister got married on Saturday in Philadelphia. The wedding ceremony was at Tenth Presbyterian Church at 1701 Delancey Street (corner of 17th and Spruce Streets) at 4:00pm. It was a nice ceremony and at the end the couple walked through the Arch of Swords since the groom is a Marine. The reception was at Hyatt at The Bellevue at 200 South Broad Street starting at 6:00pm. Hyatt at The Bellevue blends old-world architecture with modern amenities. The hotel houses 172 of the city's largest guestrooms. The Bellevue building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cocktail hour was in the Conservatory on the 12th floor where we ate hot, cold, and passed hors d'oeuvres, and had a few drinks. The dinner and dancing was in the Rose Ballroom on the 19th floor where we ate salad,...

I'm on vacation so I didn't have time to post the last few nights, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 2 days ago (Fri 5/25/12). During my vacation, I'm staying at my brother and sister-in-law's house in south Jersey. They do P90X so I did the P90X Yoga DVD with them on Friday morning. The P90X Yoga Program is part of the famous P90X or Power 90 Extreme Home Exercise system, a program that helps individuals get fit through a dietary supplement and nutrition plan fitted with home exercises that can help you lose unwanted inches fast. The main feature of the P90X is it’s “muscle confusion” concept, wherein periodization and cross-training adjustments will yield better results in lesser training time compared to traditional exercise methods. P90X Yoga poses can be learned through a P90X Yoga DVD which is exclusively developed by the makers of the program, Tony Horton and BeachBody. What did you do today?

I'm on vacation so I didn't have time to post the last few nights, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 3 days ago (Thurs 5/24/12). We are in the northeast for a few days so we went to Atlantic City for a few hours on Thurday. First we parked at Trump Plaza and went out to the boardwalk. Then we went to Trump Taj Mahal where I lost $20 in roulette. Roulette is a casino game that players choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even. To determine the winning number and color, the wheel is spun in 1 direction, then spins a ball in the opposite direction around a tilted circular track running around the the wheel. The ball eventually falls on to the wheel and into 1 of 38 colored and numbered pockets on the wheel. Next we went to the newest casino, Revel . It officially opened May 25, 2012 with 6.2 million square foot on the beachfront on the boardwalk. It i...

I'm on vacation so I didn't have time to post the last few nights, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 4 days ago (Wed 5/23/12). We are in the northeast for a few days so we went to New York City all day on Wednesday. First, we ate at a little diner and I had a bacon, egg, and cheese on a jumbo sesame seed bagel. Then we walked to Times Square then down to Empire State building and stopped to get a Dunkin Donuts Coffee Coolatta. We stopped at Crumbs Bake Shop for a Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake on the way. Next we took the subway to 9/11 Memorial  that opened on 9/11/11 (10 year anniversary).  There are twin reflecting pools are each nearly 1 acre and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in the North America. The museum is scheduled to open 9/11/12 and 1 WTC  (Freedom Tower) is still being built (104 floors when complete). Next we walked down to Battery Park to look at the Statue of Liberty and got a sandwich from Champs Gourmet Deli ...

I'm on vacation so I didn't have time to post the last few nights, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred 4 days ago (Tues 5/22/12). We are flying east from Denver to Philadelphia. We were in the Denver International Airport for dinner. I grabbed a turkey sandwich and salad from Woody Creek Bakery and Café .Woody Creek Bakery and Café is home to a wide variety of fresh-made sandwiches, soups, and salads for breakfast, lunch, or dinner combos or treat yourself to a freshly oven-baked cookies served throughout the day. The sandwich was good, maybe not $9.00 good, but what are you going to do when you are at the airport. What did you do today?

I watched previews for 10 new ABC Shows tonight. They are posted on this  Advertising Age website .They are about 2 minutes each. ABC's new shows including "666 Park Avenue," a multifamily version of "American Horror Story"; "Mistresses," a drama for Alyssa Milano; "Neighbors," the latest aliens-next-door sitcom; and "Nashville," in which Connie Britton from "Friday Night Lights" plays a fading country star struggling to hold on to fame, amongst others. Honestly, I'm not a big TV show watcher so none of them really caught my eye to set my DVR. I will probably wait to hear or read reviews about them and then decide if I will watch any of them. Check them out for yourself and enjoy! What did you do today?

We watched a movie entitled X-Men: First Class with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, January Jones, and others, that came out on June 3, 2011. It is an American superhero film based on the X-Men characters appearing in Marvel Comics. The 5th installment in the X-Men series, the film acts as a prequel for the X-Men trilogy, being set primarily in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is before the mutants had revealed themselves to the world, they were young men and women discovering their powers for the 1st time. They were at 1st the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants, to prevent nuclear Armageddon. I'm not a big sci-fi or comic book fan but it had a few good action scenes. IMDB gave it a 7.9 out of 10 and I would give it a 7.0 rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Sat 5/19/12). I had wine with my chicken past dinner last night. I drank Arrow Creek Pinot Grigio . It is made in California fields of the San Joaquin Valley. This wine has rich aromas of tropical fruit balanced with a hint of natural grape sweetness. The palate reigns with rich, crisp flavors that do homage to its European roots. The finish is elegant, delicate and long. It has also won some awards such as Double Gold Medal at San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in 2012, Silver Medal at World Value Wine Challenge in 2011, Silver Medal at Jerry D. Meads New World International Wine Competition in 2011. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 5/18/12).   There is a new eatery next to Matt's place of work that is opening soon. They had a soft opening this week and since they are next door, they gave Matt a free sneak peak where he could invite friends to come as well. The place that is opening is Red Robin's Burger Works . It is the 3rd restaurant opening of its kind. Burger Works is a fast-casual concept with a simplified, lower-price, limited-service of burgers, beer, and wine, basically a smaller Red Robin. These burgers are priced at $5.99 and are 1/3 pound, the same as regular-size Red Robin burgers. Burger Works will offer customers a Build Your Own Burger customization option. Free burger add-ons include mayonnaise, chipotle mayo, thousand island dressing, house bourbon BBQ sauce, thai chili ketchup, red’s relish, pickles, lettuce, Roma tomatoes, jalapeños, raw, or grilled onions, beer mustard ...

    My company has Town Hall meetings once a quarter where all corporate employees sit in a room and listen to the executive team speak about how business went the prior fiscal quarter. Q1 isn't quite over but we discussed our progress. Our meeting was at in the United Club Level of SA Field ( Sports Authority Field at Mile High ). This field is the home of the Denver Broncos (football team in NFL) and Denver Outlaws (lacrosse team in MLL). The stadium can hold 76,125 spectators for games. On August 16th, 2011, The Metropolitan Stadium District announced Invesco would immediately transfer the naming rights to Englewood, Colorado based Sports Authority in a 25 year agreement worth $6 million dollars per year. Invesco paid $120 million for the original naming rights, before Sports Authority claimed the naming rights last year. What did you do today?

I went to a happy hour with the  CO AMA  (Colorado American Marketing Association) tonight after work at Coohills  in the LoDo neighborhood. My happy hour drink was a Twenty-3 ($5 for happy hour, $9 regular price) with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, Dr. Pepper Reduction, Lemon Juice, and Angostura Bitters. I'm not a fan of bourbon but the drink was ok. CO AMA is a professional member organization that helps individuals become better marketer with education on emerging marketing trends and networking events. The CO AMA is a chapter of the AMA (American Marketing Association).  AMA  has approximately 40,000 members, with about 76 professional chapters, and 250 collegiate chapters across the United States. I have been to AMA events in the past in Chicago and in Denver. It is a good organization to be involved with. What did you do today?

Since I'm in the marketing world, I enjoy trying new products. We were in Walmart this past weekend and I happened to see a new sweet and salty snack on the end cap from  M&M's . Sweet and salty snacks are my weakness (chocolate covered pretzels, kettle corn, rice crispy treats, crackers w/ cream cheese & jelly, etc). It was M&M's Snack Mix . The press release claims a there is a marketing campaign supporting the launch that includes digital advertising, consumer promotion, sampling, and in-store displays. I haven't seen this yet.   It is made in 3 varieties: M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies Snack Mix includes M&M’s Brand Milk Chocolate Candies, mini chocolate chip cookies, peanuts, and mini pretzel twists. M&M's Dark Chocolate Candies Snack Mix features M&M’s Brand Dark Chocolate Candies, raisins, almonds, and mini pretzel twists. M&M's Peanut Chocolate Candies Snack Mix includes M&M’s Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies, ...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Mon 5/14/12). As I mentioned a few days ago, I've recently been thinking of starting my own retail store. I met a fellow DU MBA alumni that owns a retail store to chat last week. Her advice was to start with a business plan so I downloaded some Business Plan Word Doc templates this past weekend and started to write my plan last night. Some sections of the business plan include Company Description, Products and Services, Marketing Plan, Operational Plan, and Financial Plan. I started with the Company Description. I think Operational Plan and Financial Plan will be the most difficult. Just like signing up for a marathon, I know starting to write a business plan isn't really an exciting 'new thing' to do, but it is to me. It also means I made the 1st steps to making this a reality. I haven't told many people about my retail store idea because I don't wan...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Sun 5/13/12). I enjoy a nice run outside about once a week. It is nice to get fresh air, sunlight, and enjoy nature. I also enjoy running in races. I've ran in multiple 5ks, a few 10ks, and 2 21ks (1/2 marathons). The next step is the marathon. A marathon is is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards), that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon (the namesake of the race) to Athens. The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes. Larger marathons can have 10s of 1,000s of participants...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Sat 5/12/12). Our friend's birthday was on Friday so his parents were in town from Georgia. They wanted to cook a delicious birthday meal so they made Low Country Boil. This is a traditional Southern recipe that stems from the southern regions of South Carolina and Georgia. From what I read in an  Atlanta blog , it sounds like it is a spring/summer meal when you go to the beach or lake. The recipe is easy and can be adapted to feed as many people as are in attendance. It can be cooked outside on a gas burner for party settings or cooked inside on the stovetop. This particular recipe was made with smoked sausage, shrimp, corn on the cob, onions, and red potatoes, all boiled in crab boil seasoning for about 20 minutes. Then you drain the water and dump the ingredients on a table covered with newspaper. I would like to try to make this myself one time. I think I would add cr...

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 5/11/12). We watched a movie entitled Horrible Bosses with Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, and Jamie Foxx, that came out on July 8, 2011. It is black comedy (gallows humor, dark comedy) film about 3 friends that have intolerable bosses where quitting is not an option. One night, after a few drinks and some advice from a ex-con, they decide to murder their respective overbearing, abusive bosses. So they devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers...permanently. There's only 1 problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them. It was entertaining, but not super funny. It was 1 of those men acting stupidly movies. IMDB gave it a 7.0 out of 10 and I agree with that rating. What did you do today?

I didn't have time to post last night, therefore I'm posting this late as this occurred yesterday (Fri 5/10/12). I was at my work's photo shoot again today and we ordered food from Modmarket Catering. Modmarket is a quick-serve restaurant that offers daily offers fresh salads, brick oven pizza, gourmet sandwiches, and made-from-scratch soups in 3 locations in Colorado. Founders, Anthony Pigliacampo and Rob McColgan, left successful careers to strike out on their own. Pigliacampo, had his own mechanical design firm, creating everything from medical-device components to outdoor recreational equipment, before he sold the company. McColgan, worked in private wealth management at Goldman Sachs in New York. The 2 decided to join forces on a restaurant venture, choosing Boulder as the launch site. Modmarket’s founders are skillful practitioners of cutting edge restaurant marketing techniques, but one of their most successful campaigns comes from an innovation all their own: usin...

At my company, there is a photography department and photo studio where they take pictures of the products we sell either on models or as lay-downs. A few times a year, there are photo shoots offsite, most of the times in Denver, but other times in different states. A photo shoot is generally when a model poses for a photographer where multiple photos are taken to find the best ones for the required brief. A few examples that photo shoots are used for are: advertisements for a newspaper, magazine, or billboards; advertising a company's product, where the product is generally used by the model; modelling a new range of fashion designs for a store. This week is our fall photo shoot that is taking place at City Park and East High School . I was invited to attend today. This was my 1st Photo Shoot. There were 2 female models in the morning and 1 male model in the afternoon. What did you do today?

I've kinda recently sorta began dappling into maybe imagining of starting to think about opening my own retail store, perhaps, haha. Obviously, it is just a thought that I would like to consider sometime in the future. So I reached out to a DU MBA alumni that owns a retail store for some background, help, advice, and ideas on running your own business. She suggested we go to Vinue Food and Wine Bar in Cherry Creek, down the street from her store for happy hour. Vinue offers a world wine tasting experience set in a warm inviting atmosphere and small plates of food. Vinue caters 68 different wines from around the globe including champagne, ports, and dessert wines They offer a very unique experience by allowing the guest to self sample all our wines in 3 different amounts, 1.5oz, 3oz, and 6oz, all of which are dispensed in portion-controlled pours using the Enomatic wine system that range from $2.75 to $19 for 1.5oz, depending upon the wine. Vinue also had house wines on happ...

I started reading a new book that I got for graduation, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Steven K. Scott . The book speaks of King Solomon’s breakthrough strategies to achieve a life of financial success and personal fulfillment. It book reveals Solomon’s hidden treasures, the often-overlooked wisdom for achieving breakthrough success in work, health, marriage, and relationship with God. In his book, Scott encourages the reader to read the Book of Proverbs , 1 chapter each day of the month since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Proverbs is a book in the Hebrew  Bible  in the Old Testament. It is a collection of Solomon's sayings to teach people how to live right in poetic form. This makes them easy to memorize and apply to daily life. Proverbs teaches the importance of fairness, humility, loyalty, and concern for the poor and needy. Since May just began not too long ago, I read chapters 1-7 of the Proverbs since today is May 7th. Some of the chapters themes were...

I watched the documentary/reality-TV style new series on AMC called The Pitch today. AMC's new original series offers viewers a never-before-seen glimpse inside America’s top ad agencies. Each week 2 agencies compete to win a new client by going head-to-head in a winner-takes-all showdown. They only get 7 days to prepare, so there is whining, brainstorming, and blue-sky thinking, as the teams work around the clock and pray for the moment of inspiration that will win them the job to keep their companies alive. IMDB gave it a 4.3 out of 10 and I probably give it an 5.3 rating so far after seeing 1 episode. Episode 101 featured the sandwich franchise, Subway , looking for a new advertising campaign for breakfast. CMO (Chief Marketing Officer), Tony Pace, wants the campaign to convince 18-24-year-olds to eat breakfast at Subway. The 2 rival ad agencies pitching to for the project are McKinney and WDCW. McKinney is a medium-sized agency based in Durham NC. CCO (Chief Creative Off...

Today is the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo so I went to the 25th Anniversary Cinco de Mayo Festival downtown Denver at Civic Center Park. Cinco de Mayo, celebrated by Latinos and non-Latinos across the country, commemorates the victory of a heroic people and their struggle for freedom. On May 5, 1862, in the town of Puebla, the outnumbered Mexican army defeated French forces providing the momentum and national confidence to drive foreign power from their country. Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of freedom and culture. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the tradition of freedom and acknowledges the beauty of Latino culture. The festival had food, drinks, music, activities, vendors, and exhibitors. I had a Coyote Gold Margarita (on the rocks) and a beef taco & chicken taco (from Sandrita's II tent). It was a lovely afternoon in Denver about 83F with sun, clouds, and a nice breeze. What did you do today?

After a long week of work, I went to The Spot Bar & Grill  for happy hour with 2 friends tonight. The Spot is an neighbohood joint in West Wash Park. Their happy hour special is every day 3:00pm-7:00pm and 10:00pm-12:00am. Their special is $2 Domestic Drafts, $3 Micro Brew & Import Drafts, and $3 Wine & Well Drinks so I had 2 drafts of Strongbow Cider (crisp, premium imported cider from the UK which delivers maximum refreshment in an authentic, traditional English recipe). It was nice out this evening so we sat on the patio (Denver set a record high temperature of 88F today). Only problem was that there were a lot of smokers outside on the patio so it made it less enjoyable. What did you do today?

I went to The Irish Snug tonight with a friend for a Snug Run. The Irish Snug is an Irish restaurant and bar in the Cap Hill neighborhood of Denver. What is a Snug you may be asking yourself? The history of the "snug" began in Ireland in the late 19th century. It was typically a small, very private room that had a frosted glass window, set above head height, accessing the bar. You paid a higher price for your beer in the Snug, but nobody could see you. It was not only the well off visitors who would use these rooms. The snug was for patrons who preferred not to be seen in the public bar. Ladies would often enjoy a private drink in the snug in a time when it was frowned upon for ladies to be in a pub. The local police officer would nip in for a quiet pint, the parish priest for his evening whiskey, and lovers would use the snug for their clandestine visits.   Snug Run is part of The Irish Snug Run Club that meets Under The Snug every Thursday night. Sign up begins at 6pm ...

We went to dinner at Pasquini's Pizzeria  with a friend tonight. She is in town from Chicago for work. Pasquini's is a pizzeria and Italian restaurant that began in Denver CO in 1986. Here's what they have to say about themselves "At Pasquini's we feel we have a special place, a place where customers and employees alike come and are treated with respect and friendliness." Pasquini's has one many local awards for best pizza, best subs, best garlic bread, and 5280 Magazine Best Place for a First Date.   I had an house Sangria along with Eggplant Rotoli (breaded eggplant wrapped around fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil, baked and drizzled with lemon juice), Spinach Feta Cheese Stuffed Portobello (with artichoke hearts and garlic), and Garlic Bread for our appetizers. For our main meal, Matt and I split a Chicken Pesto Calzone (pesto, roasted chicken, artichokes, tomato, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella). The place was moderately busy for a Wednesd...

As I stated a while back, I am a previous subscriber of Self magazine (who is under the  Condé Nast  umbrella).   The Good Life  has emailed me today asking if I would take a survey. The Good Life is an exclusive members-only community designed to help shape the Condé Nast brands and partners’ brands through meaningful feedback. Members have the opportunity to share opinions to help improve their services, strategies, and offerings by answering short surveys. After completing surveys, members are eligible to receive cash prizes, free samples, discounts, and more. This particular survey was a political survey. They wanted to know about my involvement and opinions regarding business, politics and community. It asked questions about what I watch and read, my community involvement, my career industry, and my political involvement. It probably took about 5 minutes. At the end, I was registered to win $100 Amazon Gift Card. What did you do today?