do you groupon?

i am a skeptic by nature, so when i hear about sites offering great deals, or 'private' sales, it's my nature to assume they are crocks.  but, when the buzz about groupon started getting louder and louder, i decided i'd dip my toes in the water.

i signed up for my free account, still waiting for a catch, and after a couple of weeks of checking the daily deals, i purchased fashion tape (trust me, it's a miracle worker when it comes to gappy buttons and shirts with necks just a little to0 wide). that first purchase was all of $7 and included shipping (the 'regular' price would have been $20+shipping).  it was a positive experience, and i started paying even closer attention.  and because i travel so much, (and often to the same cities) i 'follow' the deals for multiple cities, knowing that i will have up to a year to cash in the groupon.

case in point: while i was in vegas last week, i was checking the vegas deals, and came across one for spa services at the vdara hotel.  this peaked my interest for two reasons; the first, that it was $35 for $75 worth of spa services (of your choice), and the second, because next month, i'll be back in vegas for another event, and happen to be staying at vdara (not that that was mandatory).

one tip i will offer here is that, if you are purchasing a groupon for services that require an appointment, don't expect to get that appointment for a couple weeks, or sometimes a couple of months,  otherwise you may be quite frustrated.

in the case of this vdara groupon, since our dates weren't flexible, we (my co-worker and i) actually called the spa first to make the appointment, then bought the groupon.  and now i have a hot stone pedicure and lash tinting to look forward to next month for $35 at an upscale spa!

it's safe to say that i'm now a groupon addict.  i' also recently purchased and eagerly anticipate this:

and tonight, i'll be purchasing this:

i know it will sound cheesy, but where once these things were 'too expensive', the site is allowing me to indulge a little, check off bucket list items, do some exploring, and try some new and unexpected things.

the types of deals run a broad spectrum, and you can select your interests in order to get more targeted deals.  so if you haven't signed up yet, and i've now convinced that you should sign up RIGHT NOW, do me a favor and use this link:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu11183781

it doesn't cost you anything, and i'll get $10 if you ever purchase something, which, i'm sure i'll be able to put to good use!

vegas, baby!

oh how i loathe vegas, and oh how surprised i was to have had such a great trip there last week!

even before i left, i was excited.  first and foremost, i was excited to be staying at THEhotel.  while it's technically a part of mandalay bay, it has a seperate entrance, no casino, no smoke, and every room is a suite.  i was optimistic that this would help keep me more healthy and more sane for the SEVEN DAYS i would be in sin city.  and let me tell you, it did!

my living room

i was also excited about the booth.  this is our second biggest show of the year, and the second showing of our new booth.  i had made a lot of 'improvements' after our january show, and was really hopeful that the changes i had implemented (and fought for!) would be as successful as i thought they could be.

things definitely got off on the right foot when setup began, and i spent the day having FUN!  setup days are usually quite difficult.  for me, they mean standing around all day to be available for the one or two questions that, if not answered correctly, will have hugely negative impacts on the setup of the booth.  they are ALWAYS long days that feel even longer. until now.

the first burger bar visit

our new exhibit house is a breath of fresh air.  they are consummate professionals who also know how to have a good time.  after months of blood, sweat, and tears with them, bringing this booth from inception to actualization, i can say that i genuinely enjoy their company and appreciate their good work.

it was a team effort, but the booth was a huge success, tripling the number of leads from last year, and exceeding the number from our 'bigger' show in january.  the success was made even sweeter by the fact that several members of our executive management team were on hand to see it.

and that was just the work stuff!

on sunday night, after setup was complete, i headed to the airport to pick up a new friend.  we met online and i was excited to get a chance to meet and hang out with him.  i knew whether or not that 'spark' was present, we would have a good time. and i wasn't wrong.

after a delicious meal at burger bar

in between my work commitments over the next couple of days, i educated him on the ways of burger bar and the nutella milkshake, and had my own vegas first: the stratosphere.

the stratsophere is the third largest tower in the western hemisphere after canada's cn tower, the sears (willis) tower, and before the space needle.  luckily for a thrill junkie like me, there are RIDES there.

at the top of the stratosphere

despite assurances that that there were no fears of height or rides, after the first ride, the big shot, my companion opted to be the photographer while i tried out the other two.  hence the video of my favorite ride, insanity, below:

despite his wimp out, we enjoyed a couple of really fun days together before i dropped him back at the airport, and headed back to the hotel to meet up with my girls.

in fact, it was quite a special evening as we all decided to head to the palazzo for dinner at zine - a truly yummy dim sum restaurant.  what i love about zine is that, somehow, in the chaos of vegas, it somehow feels like an oasis of silence and calm.  and the food is pretty delish as well.

another fun night with mike and his harem

we had the whole gang with us, but what made the evening truly special was that almost exactly three years ago, in that very place, a new friendship was forged, which has continued to strengthen and grow.

2009

2011

i had only been with the company for a few months, and melissa was responsible for 'selling' me booth space in a trio of conferences we participate in every year.

she had asked if she could take me to dinner during this event, and my response, i believe, was 'sure! do you mind if my friend vicki tags along?'  and, though i didn't know it yet, that question, and it's answer, would result in a bond that i expect to last for a very very very long time.

as it was our anniversary, it was far too early to call it a night, so we headed back to the hotel, enjoying the water show in front of bellagio along the way, and eventually made our way to the roof top restaurant/bar, mixx, on the 64th floor of THEhotel.

the views of the strip were spectacular, as was the company.

and what makes this place truly unique, are the bathroom stalls.

yes, that is the toilet, and those are windows.  let's just hope the folks at mandalay can't see IN!

eventually, after many more laughs were laughed, and photos were photoed, it was time to call it a night, and ultimately bid a fond farewell to vegas.  only two more trips there this year...hoping they're at least 1/8 as fun!

kindle lover?

it's no secret that i adore my most constant companion, the kindle.

today, kindle news infiltrated the geek blogs, and if you happen to be a kindle owner & lover, consider this my psa to make sure you don't miss it.  i mean, yeah, yeah, yeah, the software will eventually be pushed to all kindles, but if you want it now, you can have it now!

the update doesn't come with too many features, but there are a couple that are absolutely download worthy as far as i'm concerned:

1. real page numbers - while i think real page numbers have many glorious uses, i'm just excited that i can appropriately update my goodreads status

2. public notes - you know that really cool feature where you can highlight quotes or make notes?  now you can make them public.  that means you're friends can find you and follow you and see what quotes you're loving and notes you're making.  obviously this goes both ways (assuming you both make your notes public).  the other truly great advantage for me is that i have always been a quote collector, and i keep my quotes in one giant file.  currently i have had to manually enter any quotes collected into my db, but now i can copy/paste....which, trust me, makes my life a lot easier.

if you're interested in the update, you can get detailed instructions here. and if you want more information about making your notes public, seeing your collected annotations, etc., click here.

let me know when you get your public groove going, so i can follow you!

tribute to a good dog

i don't know why but this month seems frought with losses of four-legged friends, and i've just learned of another.

julie and colby rescued this pure-bred pit bull about three days before i moved in with them in virginia a little over 10 years ago.  she had been found at a truck stop, and no one could ever determine whether it had been on purpose, or by accident.

one thing was certain, however, and that was that riggins (so named for the former quarterback of colby's beloved football team), was a good dog.  a REALLY good dog.  in fact, the kind of dog that you don't come across all that often.

she was endearingly sweet, and remarkably well trained.  she loved people and other dogs, and was always a welcome snuggle buddy.

last year riggins had a stroke.  and while the recovery process had gone better than expected, she was old, and her body had starting deteriorating again.  it became obvious that her time had come, so, julie and colby said goodbye to their decade long companion.

i lived with her for about three years, and though i had my own dog, i truly loved riggins. her loss is deeply felt.  rest in peace riggins...see ya on the flip side!

365 days - update

my friend melissa recently posted about a blog project she had discovered, involving posting a daily photo to match a randomly generated word, each day of the year.  since my travel often interferes with my motivation (or energy level) to post regularly, i thought this might be a good project for me.  admittedly, i'm late, but there is no time like the present.

**update**

i'm moving these posts to their own home.  if you are viewing the 'actual' blog, simply click the tab at the top for '365 Words'.  if you're using a feed reader, you can add the link below:

http://t-mobil365.blogspot.com/