Archive for November, 2008
Sayulita Life
Nov 29th
It’s about 30 degrees outside and I am snuggled in my comforter thinking about my favorite place on Earth – Sayulita, Mexico. I find myself thinking about Sayulita daily, longing for its beach-side restaurants and salty margaritas.
I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled to over 15 countries, but I haven’t enjoyed anywhere else as much as Sayulita. It could have been the company, or it could have been the fresh fish tacos, the surfing or the local Mexican reggae band that blasted its music throughout the town. Whatever it was, it stuck with me so much that I long for the Sayulita life.
Sayulita is a tiny little surfing town 35 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta with only about 2,000 full-time residents. It’s a secret spot that is unknown to many and loved by those who know the secret. I would like to keep it a secret, so SHH….. – don’t tell anyone.
Sayulita is home to many Mexican families that have lived there for generations as well as American surfers that have come there for everything that Sayulita has to offer. And believe me, it has a lot to offer.
While there, I surfed daily, rode quads through the jungle, fished for mahi mahi (we caught 20 and fed the entire village) and relaxed. The only thing that wasn’t relaxing was hiking the 200 extremely steep steps that led to our villa, but I would do that hike a million times over if I could spend more time in Sayulita. And the food–I could write an entire blog just on that! Fresh fruit smoothies, mahi mahi tacos with pineapple salsa, burritos so spicy that you have to take a break in between bites and homemade banana muffins are just a few of the mouthwatering bites that Sayulita offers.
Unfortunately, words do not do this place justice, and you just have to see it for yourself. And, if you do go, I hope you fall in love with Sayulita just as I did.
-Jackie Adam, advertising and editorial coordinator
My First Black Friday Experience
Nov 28th
I decided to join in the frenzy and attempt a Black Friday sale for the first time this morning. The lines, crowds and craziness always seemed so unappealing to me, but my boyfriend and I decided to set a price limit on Christmas presents this year, so when I saw a great deal on a digital camera, well within the price range, in a Staples circular yesterday, I decided to venture out.
The Kodak camera was on sale for $79.99, a savings of over $50, plus it came with a free 1 GB memory card and a free Canon photo printer! There were lots of cameras on sale all over, at all different stores, but with the added value of the memory card and the printer, this was a deal I couldn’t resist. So, I woke myself up at 5 a.m., threw on some sweats and headed over to the local Staples. I arrived just as the doors were opening and grabbed my spot in line.
I wasn’t too far back in line, maybe 20th, but it seemed like most of the people in front of me were grabbing up the HP laptops for $399 and the TomTom navigation systems for $99. I saw a few cameras and printers being carted out of the store, but as the line moved, and I was only three people away from the prize, I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw a big stack of cameras still left. Two people stood between me and the register – both of them were there for the camera deal as well. My heart sank as the man two spots in front of me grabbed a camera and printer and the salesperson announced he only had one more printer left. Of course, the lady in front of me snatched it up. They didn’t grant rain checks and without the printer, the deal just was not as appealing. After all that, I left empty-handed and with a bad taste in my mouth for Black Friday and a great feeling of annoyance at Staples!
Here is where I interject a few complaints. First, how can you stock 50 cameras and 20 printers? It seems to me that if you are offering a package deal, you should probably stock equal numbers of the products. In addition, Staples was offering free photo printers with any digital camera purchases for the entire weekend, so it seems to me they will have a lot of disgruntled customers this weekend. And, even if they get more, it wasn’t going to happen before 11 a.m., when the Kodak camera offer expired. Secondly, the lady in front of me was alone at the store and I let her get out of line to grab something and get back in line. So much for karma – I was nice and the lady got the last item. My new philosophy – you move out of line, you lose your spot! Of course, my holiday spirit will always win out and I’ll let people back in line. I know I’ll find a camera deal somewhere else.
So, after my first trip out on a Black Friday, I am just thankful I didn’t go to Best Buy or WalMart. I just don’t think I could handle all that. In the end, I don’t think the Black Friday savings are worth my sanity or the aggravation. Next time, I’m staying in bed!
-Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive
Happy Thanksgiving Global Travelers!
Nov 27th
Happy Thanksgiving Global Travelers! This year we are carrying on the tradition of having Thanksgiving at my parents’ house in western Massachusetts. This tradition began when my mother declared that you absolutely could not have rice with turkey, as we always had with my grandparents, who are native Filipinos like my father. As my mother grew up in Massachusetts, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy win out over the ‘ridiculous’ idea of rice for Thanksgiving. In my opinion, whatever brings the family together! I don’t know how she convinced a family of Filipinos to give up rice for even one day, but, regardless, my mother hosts a fabulous Thanksgiving at our house.
We usually have about 13-15 family members come over for turkey – all from my father’s Filipino side. I grew up with a pretty large extended family and have always appreciated the fullness of our holiday celebrations. Whether Thanksgiving is celebrated with family, friends, big groups or small groups, with or without rice, I think it’s safe to say we all face the traditional family madness over the holidays.
This year, my impulsive aunt will bring her new beau to the turkey table. This is always fun, expecially since my stern Filipino grandfather always voices his concerns to the table. As a retired surgeon of over 50 years, my grandfather, or as we call him ‘Pappy’, sees everything through medical eyes. Everything has a specific explanation with medical terms. If you are offended by what he is saying (if you can even understand through his thick accent), he won’t understand why, because, after all, what is so offensive about the truth? I grew up with this, so we always just chuckle when he makes one of his statements.
A few years ago my beloved grandmother passed away in a car accident, just after my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. My grandparents really had a very loving relationship. Pappy always referred to her as “baby” or “my one and only.” My grandfather is young and has a lot of life left, so I was happy when he started dating recently.
Last Thanksgiving, Pappy had just returned from a couple of months in India. While there, he met some woman that he could not stop talking about. My sister’s boyfriend joined us for the holidays, and we all had the fine pleasure of sitting through an hour slide show of India on Pappy’s laptop. The pictures were beautiful, but we had to hide our smirks as every picture led back to some story about this woman he had met. The best part was that there were three copies of every picture, and with each slide he would remember more information he had forgotten to include. It eventually got to a point where my Dad had to gently cut in and say, “Save the rest for next time, Pa”.
I look forward to whatever Pappy brings to the table this year!
Happy Thanksgiving.
-Courtney Centeno, account executive
Thanksgiving Traditions
Nov 26th
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. You know what that means – football! Not just the NFL games, which will dominate TV pretty much all day long, but also the cold, muddy fields where various forms of tag, flag or tackle football will be played all across America. For me, that means the young guys versus the more mature guys (okay, us old guys).
I have been part of this tradition for about 10 years. As I mentioned, I play for the old guys, which is basically my softball team. We are led by GT‘s own Louie Atsaves, who is as fast as any of the young speedsters. Unfortunately, the rest of us aren’t quite as fast as Louie (and when I say ‘aren’t quite’ I mean aren’t anywhere near). We rely on our veteran guile to beat the young’ens!
In theory, this game isn’t about winning, it is about friendships. However, once we get on the field, that philosophy goes out the window. It’s never a bloodbath (although one guy broke his nose on the very first play three years ago), but our competitive juices flow and we all want to win.
Back to the friendships – this game is sort of the off-season bridge. There may be an occasional call or email, but for the most part, most of us will not see each other until next softball season.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time for this game. Shortly after college, I moved from the far south side of Chicago to the near north suburbs. Most of my old neighborhood friends also moved, scattering themselves across the state and country. I had to develop new friendships and many of them are with these guys. On Thanksgiving, as I line up with and against these friends, I am reminded of how thankful I am for them and their friendships.
I am also reminded of my family, older friends and other new friends.
On Friday, as I gulp down some aspirin for the pain, I might question the decision to play, but I will still be thankful for all of these people in my life.
-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist
