The Less Desirables Invade City Beverage

Winston-Salem, NC – Happy New Year!  I’m not going to come out of the gate charging with a resolution to update this blog more often.  It’s not going to happen, especially with the advancement of The Less Desirables podcast and my return to the classroom this fall for an MBA at Wake Forest University.  I’m very excited about these two passions in my life as they will make for a fun, interesting, and wild 2012.

Now, let’s move forward with some notes about everyone’s favorite podcast, The Less Desirables.  When Tim and I sketched out the design of this podcast nearly two years ago – notably two friends talking about popular trends, but lesser known (undesirable) stories – one of our long term goals was to “take the show on the road.”  Last night, we accomplished that feat by broadcasting our first “remote recording” at City Beverage, the official beer sponsor of The Less Desirables.  Spencer Davis, co-owner of City Beverage, was gracious enough to allow us to record in his tasting room.  If you haven’t been to City Beverage (915 Burke Street, Winston-Salem, NC), I believe it’s a “must visit” if you’re a North Carolina resident.  Situated in a 1940’s-style (approximately) split level home, the store possesses hundreds of different beers (and wines) from around the world.  If you didn’t see the classy beer sign out front, you might confuse the building with a bank.  City Beverage also has a nice tasting room with an ambiance that would more resemble your living room, rather than a bar.  The Less Desirables are very thankful for this sponsorship as we not only get the opportunity to taste elegant beers each week, but also we’ve grown our listener base by meeting beer enthusiasts around town.  Last night, we allowed the audience to “chime in” on some key topics of our conversation.  It was a great way to take a break from the normal three or four opinions on the show, and allow others to engage.  The Beer Guru did a superb job providing information on this month’s beer topic, barley wines.  Kudos should go to our official third wheel Eugene for luring in members of the audience to participate in the show.

The Less Desirables broadcasting on beer barrels at City Beverage (Photo: Liz May)

I was asked last night if we would be doing more “road shows” in the future.  The answer to that question is a resounding “yes!”  In two weeks (1.18.12), we will be recording remotely from our official wine sponsor Barnhill’s, located at 811 Burke Street, Winston-Salem, NC – approximately 100 yards down the street from City Beverage.  We definitely gained a ton of experience about broadcasting to a live audience last night, and we’ll continue to refine and tweak our product to the benefit of our listeners.  It was great meeting many new listeners last night, and we hope to not only see you at Barnhill’s in two weeks, but also that you tune-in each week for a fresh podcast.  Here’s to a healthy and strong 2012!

The Growth of The Less Desirables

Greensboro, NC -- It's been quite awhile since I've whipped something up in the Bistro, so let's get down to business... as in, the business that has taken over my time in blogging.  As most of you know, I've been involved in a wonderful podcast (IMO) called The Less Desirables.  Each week, we discuss the latest news in movies, music, sports, technology, and a "beer of the week."  This past Wednesday, we just recorded our 92nd podcast, and we're quickly closing in on two years of production.  With nearly two years under our belts, the most frequently asked question has to be where do you see this going?

Tim Beeman and I launched the podcast on February 3, 2010.  During the first few months, we only had close friends and family tuning in each week, or once a month for that matter.  I'm not sure when, or if, there was a "turning point" that bolstered our listener-ship, but our newly redesigned website that launched in mid-November 2010 was a healthy start.  Armed with this new website and slick logo (below), the podcast eventually catapulted into a new realm.  The Less Desirables were now receiving website "hits" in the hundreds.  As 2010 began to wind down, other guests and gurus were introduced to the show.  By June of this year, it was rare not to have a guest on the show.  

In August and September of this year, when one sums the number of downloads from our website, iTunes, and other "aggregaters," we've surpassed the one thousand-download-per-month mark.  This milestone was achieved in a number of ways -- more guests, especially some fantastic musicians playing live songs, enthusiastic gurus, including the Beer Guru (C. Jay Platt), the College Sports Guru (J-Mac), and our TV Guru (Eugene).  We've also partnered ourselves with some superb sponsors, such as City Beverage, Cafe Roche, Bob's Big Gas Subs & Pub, Barnhill's, and Finnigan's Wake to name a few.  If you've been listening at all during the past two months, you've probably also heard our Official Third Wheel, Mr. Eugene Sims.  Eugene, like Tim, adds a ton of "color" to the show, and his knowledge of TV is unparalleled.  If we're a true pop culture podcast, we definitely need some insight into the tube world.  

This winter, Tim and I are looking to get out "on the road."  With our new recording equipment, we will be stopping in and recording live at our sponsors first.  Then, we'll hit up some new breweries as we did last January.  We will also be launching an "alternate" logo next month.  One popular idea that was presented to us was producing a CD of all of the artists during this past year.  Well, you're in luck -- available in December we will have the official The Less Desirables' "2011 Choice Cuts; Graded D for Desirable."  Be sure to pick up a copy when it's available!  All proceeds will be donated to Triad Information Reading Services (TIRS), a group that Tim and I both volunteer our time to once a month.


I've laid out the history and trends of The Less Desirables up until now.  To answer the question, where do I see this going -- well, we're a national podcast with a local North Carolina flavor.  Obviously, we want this show to hit the national stage at some point.  It's going to take a ton of hard work and dedication, and maybe a little luck.  However, we need to expand beyond the Piedmont Triad area, but with baby steps.  We'll continue to interview people (from anywhere) who are involved in the topics that we discuss; i.e. musicians, artists, brewers, wine makers, sports figures, etc.  However, I think most of all, we're going to need YOUR support in order to succeed.  The average listener who downloads the podcast weekly, and maybe tells a friend or relative, will be the primary factor in expanding this podcast exponentially.  When you comment or submit a mailbag question, you have no idea how much you're augmenting the show -- it shows that you're listening, and in turn, it builds our confidence.  On the same token, we love your feedback and suggestions on how to improve the show.  We hope that we can provide you with some weekly entertainment that you can listen to at your convenience without the interruption of boring commercials.  Further, rather than just reading newspaper articles like your typical morning DJ's, we want to have a conversation and expand on those topics.  The podcast is a conversation among friends, and hopefully you can relate to our conversation as we touch on topics that people enjoy -- music, movies, sports, technology, TV, and beer.  Is there anything else that we're missing?


Tim, Eugene, and I hope to see you on the road this winter.  Drop us a line anytime or request a TLD sticker for your ride, but above all else, we appreciate your support of the show!  We're expecting big things this winter and beyond.

New Look to B's Bistro

Winston-Salem, NC -- Out with the old, in with the new!  It's time for a sleeker look to the Bistro!

We have some great upcoming shows to The Less Desirables!  Joining us this Wednesday will be the legendary Jerry Chapman.  Jerry's last album in 2008, "Sweet Impossible" features the hit single, "Josephine," which hopefully, he'll play live in studio.

A short post, but wanted to say "hello" to anyone who may be reading.  Cheers!

LA Dodgers Slide Into Bankruptcy

Winston-Salem, NC -- Some fans have asked me to comment on the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the crown jewel franchises in baseball, filing for bankruptcy this past Monday.

The Dodgers filing for bankruptcy should be seen as no surprise if you’ve been following this fiasco. The owner (Frank McCourt) bought the team mostly on borrowed funds and shaky real estate ventures. As we all know, real estate was at a premium in 2004 when he bought the team. With the collapse of the financial markets, coupled with an ultra expensive divorce, McCourt ran out of money pretty quickly. It’s so bad that he probably won’t be able to make payroll on June 30th. By filing for bankruptcy, McCourt is hoping to use this ploy to hold on to the team for as long as he possibly can.

Aside from this incident, and Bernie Madoff and the Mets, I don’t think the league is struggling by any means. They could allow a deal with FOX to front McCourt $30M (future TV deal), but MLB is wisely nixing this deal, so that they can usurp the team from McCourt when he misses payroll. In a nutshell, MLB made a mistake selling a crown jewel franchise to this fool. If MLB went liberal and sold it to Mark Cuban, the only worries would involve Cuban blasting the umpires or something like that.

I will be discussing this topic in this week's podcast (6.29.11; #74) on The Less Desirables. Please tune-in to the show as we host Sound Lizzard Productions.

2011 MLB Predictions

Greensboro, NC -- I'm very late in posting my picks for the 2011 MLB season as made on The Less Desirables podcast on March 30th.  As you can tell, I'm not cheating (i.e. altering picks) since some of the picks appear to be foolish.  Here's a question for you -- would you still pick the Red Sox to with the AL East with their massive amount of talent yet 5-10 record?

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Yankees

NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Giants (could go with the Rockies, but they're too risky)
NL Wild Card: Braves

ALDS:
Red Sox over White Sox
Yankees over Angels

ALCS:
Red Sox over Yankees

NLDS:
Phillies over Cardinals
Braves over Giants

NLCS:
Phillies over Braves

WS:
Red Sox over Phillies

AL MVP: Adrian Gonzalez
NL MVP: Albert Pujols

AL Cy Young: C.C. Sabathia
NL Cy Young: Ubaldo Jimenez

AL ROY: Jeremy Hellickson
NL ROY: Freddie Freeman 

International Civil Rights Museum Review

Greensboro, NC -- I finally had the opportunity last night to visit the new International Civil Rights Museum in downtown Greensboro.  This beautiful edifice, appropriately located on February One Place on the main drag of Elm Street, opened on the 50th anniversary (2.1.10) of the famous Greensboro Sit-in's.  I'm not going to conduct a history lesson in this space, but more so, just comment on the museum itself.

We took a guided tour of the museum, which lasted about 45 minutes.  Beginning downstairs, the tour began with a quick video of the Civil Rights movement, followed by the "Walk of Shame" -- graphic images of the victims of violence during the protests -- using 21st century technology.  The tour was treated to another video; this time, it was a reenactment of the planned "sit-in" by the four NC A&T students (actors) themselves.  Following the video, the tour fed in to the actual counter (F.W. Woolworth's) and location where the Sit-in's took place.  A video display replayed the events that occurred on that February day in 1960.  To wrap up the tour, we finally viewed some artifacts, such as propaganda, signs separating whites and blacks, and other artifacts.  One artifact that explicitly caught my attention was the dual Coca-Cola machine.  The vending machine was placed in the Greensboro train station; one side dispensed Coke to whites at 5 cents, while the other side dispensed Coke to blacks at 10 cents.  Following the Civil Rights movement, I'm sure Coke quickly attempted to collect these machines to prevent risking their image.  As our tour guide noted, "this is one machine Coke will not be getting back!"

All in all, I thought the museum was very well constructed and aesthetically pleasing.  The exhibits flowed nicely, and one can tell that much money was sunk into the building.  While there were rumors that the museum lost money in its first year, I believe the museum will be profitable in years to come.  For that statement to ring true, Greensboro needs other landmarks, museums, or tourist sites to lure potential visitors.  The problem today is that the museum is isolated downtown -- there are only restaurants surrounding the building.  One can only do so much eating during a day trip to Greensboro.  If you live in Greensboro, or are planning a trip to the Gate City, be sure to include the International Civil Rights Museum on your agenda!

Orioles' Roster should have been 2004 Roster

Greensboro, NC -- That snazzy little summary that follows this blog's name in the top left corner, "... your daily serving of genius" might as well be changed to "your semi-annual serving of genius."  Yes, I know it's been way too long since I've written in this space, but The Less Desirables podcast has completely consumed my free time.  This space should be used for random thoughts, which it will be from now on.  I think, in the past, when I was an active blogger, this space was used to tell a well thought-out story, or something that intrigued me to write something about it.  Let's trim down the length, and just get some thoughts published in this space!

One of my favorite times of the year is the end of March/beginning of April.  The NCAA tournament is wrapping up, the long NHL and NBA seasons are coming to a close, but most importantly, it's the start of baseball!  Thanks to DirecTV's free MLB Extra Innings preview (for the next two weeks), I've been able to check out each team's early season roster.  After scanning the Orioles' roster this season, I had to check my notes from the infamous 2003-2004 offseason.  During that time, the Orioles were able to expunge the expensive Albert Belle contract (5 years/$65M), and finally dip into the free agent pool.  The Orioles signed Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro, Javy Lopez, and Sidney Ponson to multi-year deals that offseason.  While it appeared to be a major splash at the time, I felt the Orioles didn't make a cannonball-sized splash.  Vladimir Guerrero spurned the Orioles, and took less money from the Angels, while Derrek Lee balked at the O's offer in an exclusive trading window (he was eventually traded to the Cubs) with the Marlins.  Let's check out this season's lineup:

• Brian Roberts, 2B -- On the 2004 team.
• Nick Markakis, RF -- Drafted in 2003; probably could have played on the '04 team due to a lack of prospects in the O's farm system at the time.
• Derrek Lee, 1B -- should have been on the '04 team.
• Vladimir Guerrero, DH -- ditto Lee.
• Luke Scott, LF
• Adam Jones, CF
• Mark Reynolds, 3B
• Matt Wieters, C
• JJ Hardy, SS 

Ok, so the similarities might not be as strong as you think.  However, it's interesting that this team signed two players -- 7 years later -- that they swung and miss the first time around.

An Audio Summary of the Redskins' Woes

Greensboro, NC -- Another NFL season, another disappointing Redskins season.  A few weeks ago, the Redskins hit a season low on Monday Night Football.  A 59-28 trouncing by the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles led to this brilliant rant by (Washington, DC) 106.7 FM The Fan's Chad Dukes.  

Chad Dukes Rant on the Redskins

And for the record, I completely echo Dukes' sentiments!

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Greensboro, NC -- So, you probably thought that this blog was extinct.  It's been three and a half months since I've last invaded this space.  Did I get sucked up into the corporate world?  In married life?  In fall sports (i.e. The World Series, College Football, etc.)?  Yes, it's partly true.  While I've been an active blogger since early 2007 to coincide with my move to North Carolina, I've been an inactive blogger this year.  I got married, but I've also launched an exciting new podcast with my good buddy and co-host Trivia Tim Beeman.  His blog can be found in the left column.  As you can tell by his blog entries, he's as eagerly excited about this new expedition as I am.  The podcast, called The Less Desirables (www.TheLessDesirables.com), looks into the "leftover" or less desirable information that's not usually found in mainstream media.  Further, the podcast wraps your sporting, music, movies, and technology news from the past week into a 60-minute segment.  To ice the cake, we have a "beer of the week," hand selected by Tim and me ourselves.  

So, before you start complaining about the lack of blogs, and ergo, my lack of Redskins' rants, my heart and soul has been poured into this shiny, new podcast, The Less Desirables.  Give us a listen, tell your friends, try one of our beers, kick back, relax, and enjoy the latest podcast available every Wednesday evening from www.TheLessDesirables.com.  Cheers!

Married Life

Greensboro, NC -- Today marks the first blog as a married man.  Hooray!  Does it feel any different being married?  No.  But, I do feel a sense of obligation and responsibility to my new, beautiful wife.  I'm already getting slapped on the wrist for not check with her about planning a trip to check out a SEC game next month; Oregon-Tennessee.  

The big, iron spotlight has now fallen.  It's kind of sad now that it's all over, but there's also a sense of relief.  Each weekend, my life was consumed by some wedding appointment, or my bank account was constantly being drained over frivolous needs.  I also have more free time, which means more blogs and better analysis on the weekly podcast, The Less Desirables. 

The wedding party, wedding emcee and TLD co-host Trivia Tim, our parents, and Graylyn all did a spectacular job with the wedding festivities.  Despite the rain, the events were not altered too badly.  We had to move the cocktail hour inside, but other than that, nothing else was affected.  I had a little snafu with my tuxedo rental (missing pieces), but that's what a best man is for.  Great job to everyone involved, and thank you to our guests for coming.  I'll touch on the honeymoon in the next blog.

Yadkin River Valley, Day 2

Greensboro, NC -- We returned to the Yadkin River Valley on Sunday to snap more photos of vineyards signs with us in them.  Since we're having a "wine themed" wedding, each of our guest tables at dinner will be named after a North Carolina vineyard.  A photo of that vineyard with us in it will be displayed in the center of the table.  The other reason, and perhaps more important, is to taste more local wines.  Here are the places that we visited, but did not try any of their wines:

• Westbend Vineyards
• RayLen Vineyards (closed on Sundays)
• Brandon Hills Vineyard
• Allison Oaks Vineyards
• Shadow Springs Vineyards
• Sandy Ridge Vineyards

We did stop, interact, and taste several wines from two vineyards; Misty Creek Vineyards and Hanover Park Vineyard.  The proprietor for Misty Creek must have been one of the nicest people that I have ever met.  With a gentle demeanor, the owner provided a dazzling display of his finest wines.  He even offered us a free puppy after his dog recently gave birth to five puppies.  A true gem of a winery with first class service.


On our second stop, we tried a generous tasting of wines crafted by the owners themselves.  At this place, the husband and wife ownership concocted several blends by mixing various wines (similar grapes but different ages) together.  The "HP Reserve," a $42 bottle, was perhaps the best wine that I tasted all weekend.  A power couple of art instructors, the owners' marriage brought them to the south of France on their honeymoon where a dream of owning their own vineyard became a reality in the Yadkin Valley.  Just another treat along the Yadkin River trail.
 

A Late Spring Trip to the Yadkin River Valley

Greensboro, NC -- I had the distinct pleasure of taking a day trip to the Yadkin River Valley, which is an area in the northwestern part of North Carolina.  The area rests about 25 miles northwest of Winston-Salem.  The climate boasts superb conditions for the growing of wine grapes, complete with red clay mud (soil), sufficient sunlight year-round, and cool breezes from the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby.  While we didn't get to try all of the vineyards on our agenda, we made two pit stops; Shelton Vineyards and Stony Knoll Vineyards.

Shelton Vineyards is a well-known vineyard in NC where you can find a good selection of their wines in your local super markets.  Their red wines are very flavorful; even their Merlot didn't have that typical dry-out taste.  We had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Ed Shelton personally during our last leg of the wine tastings; the "sweet" wines.  As Mr. Shelton told us, the land in Dobson, NC used to be a large dairy farm, and in the early 1990's, he and his brother got the idea to grow grapes.  While the rest remains history, Shelton Vineyards has exploded into one of the top 5 (I believe) wine producing vineyards in our state.  The area of land was magnificently maintained -- a crown jewel in this rural area of the state!

Stony Knolls Vineyard was a much smaller producer located on the banks of the Yadkin River.  Again, we had the opportunity to chat with owner Mr. Van Coe over his prized possessions.  In this area of the state, you make the land work for you.  It's your source of income since there are no office buildings or other edifices to produce revenue.  Mr. Coe was very proud of his investment, and rightfully so.  He had a 6 year old tasting room that captured the environment of the rest of the property.  I was impressed with the vineyard's output considering its size and staff.  Mr. Coe explained to me that he's working on getting his wines to commercial mainstream since you can only consume them at select hotels at this time.

If you haven't had the chance to venture to the Yadkin River Valley, I highly recommend a day trip to the area.  The muddy waters of the river slice through the best land to grow grapes and produce eloquent wines.  As Mr. Shelton said, "Let's start a wine party!  People would never fight or disagree, unlike tea parties, coffee parties, or 'beer' parties."  Well put.

NFL Draft Tweets

Greensboro, NC -- The NFL Draft has come and gone, but yet, I still couldn't resist posting these tweets from the weekend despite the 3 weeks that have elapsed. 

• "Patriots collecting draft picks like Larry King collects wives.''

-- @LASportsAgent, sports agent and attorney Mark Slough, in the midst of the Patriots' tradefest on the Friday night of the draft.

• "Ohio U has pick before Ohio State.'' 

-- @Coach_Eck, Ball State offensive line coach Jason Eck, after the Patriots took Ohio University wide receiver Taylor Price with the 90th pick, before the first Buckeye went in the draft.

• "LenDale White traded for a ham sandwich, which he ate.''

-- @adbrandt, former NFL executive Andrew Brandt, now of National Football Post, after Seattle acquired the disappointing (and sometimes overweight) White and defensive lineman Kevin Vickerson simply for swapping draft spots in the fourth and sixth rounds Saturday.

Grand Day for Winston-Salem

Greensboro, NC -- At long last, after three and a half years since the idea was first proposed, Winston-Salem is opening their new ballpark downtown tonight.  While I am not attending the game, and the game is being played during this writing, the park's beauty is nothing but magnificent.  I pass by the 610,000 bricks twice a day to my "day job."  The park currently holds 5,500 spectators, but the key to the park is that it's accessible in 360 degrees.  When I attend ballgames, I like to walk around the park and coddle my beverage in the outfield (at minor league games).  However, it's always a pain to walk in a "U" to get from the entrance (right side of the field) to the left field area.  In this park, you can walk in any direction around the field.

The Winston-Salem Dash (get it, Winston "dash" Salem) are hosting the Potomac Nationals amid cloudy skies, but it's currently 75 degrees.  It wasn't easy to reach this day -- there were many setbacks along the journey.  There was strong citizen opposition out of fear of raising taxes and ultimately, using the monies for more needed expenditures, such as schools and roads.  The team and the city ran out of money in November 2008.  In April 2009, B's Bistro blogged about the ballpark progress.  It wasn't until September 2009 that BB&T stepped in to bridge the financial gap, and work on the park resumed.  It was sad to see a 70% completed park sit there for 10 months untouched.  With a tight deadline of Opening Day 2010, the workers and the city finished the park in the nick of time.  It's a beauty with the city's unique skyline sprinkled across the asymmetrical outfield wall.  I plan on taking in a game this month; I guarantee it'll be worth the wait.

The "Great" Offseason Trade

Greensboro, NC -- If the Redskins aren't going to dab their hands into the slim free agent pool this year, they might as well make a splash with a cannonball-sized trade.  This deal isn't necessarily about money, but it's still Snyder politics at its core; bring in the best player available and start selling jerseys.  While I do believe the Redskins offense will be much improved both at the quarterback position and overall coaching, the team is not one player away from a deep run in the postseason.

This trade will forever forbid our eyes from seeing Sam Bradford don the burgundy and gold.  I believe that it would make more sense if the new regime built their team from the ground up, as in drafting a quarterback and rebuilding the offensive line.  These quick fix patches -- like potentially signing Flozell Adams -- provide very little depth and stability at critical positions.  While most sources and fans believe that the trade will work out well for the Redskins, including my trusted source Peter King, I don't believe that it'll bring long term success or improve the team by several wins.  Jason Campbell probably wasn't the solution at quarterback, but most of his dropbacks that resulted in sacks were not his fault. 

Games are won in the trenches with your offensive and defensive lines.  If your offensive line is stable, any capable running back can find the holes, and any professional quarterback that has sufficient time will eventually find the open receiver.  If your defensive line can apply pressure to the quarterback, and force the offensive into doing things that they don't want to do, then the defense will be successful.  Until the Redskins realize that games and championships are not won at the skill positions, it won't matter who is coaching the team or calling the shots from the front office.  Drafting Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung would be the next best step for this franchise.

I believe that we can get a year or two of good quarterbacking from McNabb.  He's mobile, he still has a strong arm, and he's smart.  It's going to be difficult rooting for him at first because I've cheered against him since I was in high school.  These intra-divisional trades are always odd and unusual.  They usually don't occur because one or both teams are fearful of looking foolish, and aiding the opposition, if the trade doesn't pan out in their favor.  It'll be interesting to see what the Eagles do with the 37th pick in this month's deep NFL draft.

Opening Day

Greensboro, NC -- In the greatest sport of them all, we all know that time begins on Opening Day.  When every team has a sense of hope, this first Monday in April should be a national sports holiday with all of the day games and the NCAA Championship to cap off the night.  But in today's space, we're here to make our predictions for the upcoming baseball season, so here goes:

Division Winners
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Red Sox


NL East: Phillies
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Rockies
NL Wild Card: Braves


Playoffs

ALDS: Yankees over Twins; Red Sox over Angels
NLDS: Phillies over Rockies; Braves over Cardinals


ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees
NLCS: Phillies over Braves


WS: Red Sox over Phillies


MVP's
AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, 1B, NYY
NL MVP: Albert Pujols, 1B, STL


Cy Young's

AL Cy Young: Felix Hernandez, SEA
NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, PHL


Rookie of the Years
AL Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson, DET
NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward, ATL

The Secrets of Fine Dining & Relationship Growth

Greensboro, NC -- In addition to writing and podcasting, I read a ton of different blogs, sites, and books, as well as listen to several newscasts, mainly NPR.  How else do I gather the information that I scribble here without being interested in the news?  I recently crossed the path of this social, economics-driven blog, called "Relationship Economics" by David Nour.  Nour, an Emory University graduate (like myself!) poses some interesting economic questions with a social bend to them.  I like this post from last year, named "Change Our Questions."  I'm going to re-post Nour's blog entry from last April below because I occassionally experience this situation with my fiancee when we're "fine" dining.

My wife and I were at a great local restaurant recently and noticed that they were doing terrific business, while many others are suffering. I couldn’t help but wonder why?

Through a closer lens, I noticed:

• Seemingly loyal customers (you can tell, because they know the menu without having to look at it!) created by great past service which reinforce strong personal and business relationships;
• Extremely attractive ambiance where people want to hang out (casual, comfortable with an understated elegance);
• Appeal to diverse age groups (our favorite three categories: just married – still gagah over each other, married with kids – typical conversations about school issues and concerned about the babysitter back at the house, and empty nesters – free at last!)
• Diversity of menu items (notice I didn’t say quantity of menu items!)

Which made me think about some of the companies all around us: when any organization reduces staff, cuts back on travel and entertainment, minimizes its marketing or advertising campaigns, and generally shrinks its market presence, it is in a doom loop. A critical part of any company’s reputation is its brand equity – a fundamental contributor to that brand equity, is the organizations portfolio of relationships. In many companies, those relationships (within as well as external to the organization) are being ignored!  You simply cannot cut your way to growth!

How are you preparing for the market recovery?

Arizona Wrap-up

Greensboro, NC -- It took me a over a week to recover from my travels out west, specifically to Scottsdale, Arizona for a couple of days of bachelor debauchery and catching a glimpse of some Spring Training baseball games.  The weather was absolutely perfect; 84 degrees, sunny, and skies as pristine as the Scottsdale streets.  Since it hardly ever rains, the roads and concrete throughout the greater Phoenix area are as clean and smooth as glass.

Day 1, A's at Cubs -- The Cubs offense looked very strong with Derrek Lee hitting a bomb during his first at bat.  Geovanny Soto looks more comfortable with the bat.  There was no sign of Alfonso Soriano, but maybe the hitting magician, Rudy Jaramillo, the Cubs' new $800,000/year coach was working his magic on "Sori" behind the scenes.  I'm not sure if the Cubs have the explosive offense that they think they do, but don't count out Jaramillo's influence.  I smell another 3rd place finish in the NL Central with Sweet Lou hanging them up at season's end.  There's not too much to say about the A's, other than their pitching and defense must make-up for their dreadful offense.  I saw Rickey Henderson in the dugout, who I'm sure was brought in to teach the youngsters some baserunning skills.  They'll need to steal some bases -- and contradict the Moneyball rules -- in order to generate some runs this year.

Day 2, Rockies at Giants -- In a beautiful park in downtown Scottsdale, the Giants and Rockies squared off in an intra-divisional, ace-pitching match-up of Jeff Francis and Matt Cain.  I'm always suspect of the Rockies pitching playing in the thin air of Denver, but they have some hurlers with excellent make-up; Francis, Hammell, Jimenez, and Cooke.  Conversely, I feel the same way about the Giants' offense -- putrid.  It's tough to manufacture runs when it's cold in the middle of the summer at your home ballpark, and the ball doesn't "fly out" of the park in the hot summer air.  But, it's difficult to generate runs when you don't have a masher or two in the middle of the lineup.

I had the distinct pleasure of residing in the W Hotel during my stay in Arizona.  On my final night, the Phoenix Suns hosted a Celebrity Event in the pool area of the upscale hotel.  I met Amar'e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson, and Leandro Barbosa.  All nice guys out on the town for the evening. 

So, what's the point of flying out to Phoenix to report on some Spring Training games?  It's fun, it's an escape of the cold weather for a few days, it's drinking beer at 1:00 in the afternoon, it's a surreal scene in anticipation of the opening of the greatest sport of them all.  Plus, it was my best friend's bachelor party.  Amen.

Muse and their Uprising

Atlanta, GA -- The level of sound produced at The Arena at Gwinnett Center last night almost tore off the roof in this suburban area.  Opening their first show together for their North American tour, the Silversun Pickups and Muse put on a raucious performance for the sold-out arena.  The SIlversun Pickups opened the evening with a groovy 30 minute set, closing out with a lethal performance of "Lazy Eye."  By their sound, dress, and style, one can easily conclude that this band came from alternative doldrums of New York or Los Angeles.  LA it is.

Standing on three pillars that spanned from the stage floor to the roof, Muse opened their show by opening the pillars at the equator.  With each member launching into the group's newest hit, "The Uprising," the crowd went into hysteria.  The set list included all of their major hits, including "Undisclosed Desires," "Maps of Problematique," and "Starlight" over a 19-song, 2-hour performance.  Trying to master the sound and acoustics within a closed building requires a great amount of skill.  Muse and their technicians certainly mastered the volume levels.  Taking a page out U2's book, whom they recently opened up for on their tour last year, Muse utilized an impressive array of laser lighting, stage props, and sound to put on a stellar performance last night.  The sound itself is a fusion of mid-90's artist Our Lady Peace and early 2000's artist System of a Down.  The rifts and melodies topple the hard, grunge rock sound, which is a good thing when you're looking for a distinctive sound.  Based on this performance, I'm looking for Must to be the "breakout" artist for 2010.  They've been around for quite awhile (mid 90's), so maybe they're just "late bloomers."  This breakthrough North American tour could be the key to the band's uprising.

Thoughts on the Olympics

Greensboro, NC -- I believe that I've tuned in more to these Winter Olympics than any of the prior games in my life.  Coincidentally, the USA is performing mightily at these games between hockey, skiing, speed skating, and ice dancing.  At every Olympics, an American star is born -- somebody who we either never heard of or heard very little about prior to the games.  I must admit, as a sports junkie, I've never heard of Apolo Ohno before.  The only reason I've heard of Bode Miller was that he was an alcoholic, and it costed him heavily in the Torino games.  The wonderful ice skaters on TV last night have been non-existent until they took the ice this week.  There is very little exposure on these athletes, yet the way that they're able to perform certain tricks, fly down a mountain or ice luge at 90 mph is not only very brave and breathtaking, it is commendable.  The boundaries of their comfort zones must have no limits, or they were shattered at an early age.

With either the Russians or the Canadians being eliminated tonight in hockey, the Americans have an excellent shot to capture Olympic gold.  Germany has begun to catch us in the medal count, but there's only a week left.  I'd love to see the gold for men's hockey -- it would show just how far the team has come from the pitiful performance at the 1998 Nagano games.

Welcome 2010

Greensboro, NC -- Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year since the last time that I formally checked in. I have many updates to provide you -- the first being the most important. On October 2nd, I proposed to Ms. Kaylin Murphy. We will be getting married this summer in nearby Winston-Salem, NC.

Second, as you can tell, the blog posts have been non-existent since last summer. I have embarked on a new project that have taken my musings and thoughts through audio waves. Along with my partner "Trivia" Tim Beeman, we have started a weekly podcast called "The Less Desirables." Our website is up and running at: TheLessDesirables.com. We touch on everything -- music, movies, sports, beer, technology, economics, and pop culture. It's a little bit of your world dolloped on a 30-minute platter every Wednesday evening. Be sure to check us out on our website, or by downloading the podcast on iTunes (available every Wednesday night).

I will still be blogging frequently, but the substance in the blogs may be less verbose. The writings and preparation that goes into a blog post will go into the production of the weekly podcast. In essence, you'll still be getting my same blogging material, but just in a different format. With NFL free agency, Spring Training, and an upcoming trip to Atlanta to see MUSE, a lack of material won't be a problem. Cheers.

Quibbling about the Braves

Greensboro, NC -- Unlike the past couple of years, the Atlanta Braves have a bevy of starting pitching. With the rotation finally stable, the focus now shifts to the offense, which has bee lackluster at best. I love the acquisitions of Nate McClouth and Adam LaRoche. LaRoche brings some much needed power to the lineup. McClouth has played great defense and solidified the centerfield position, but the offense has been average at best. With very little money to spend this offseason, my primary question is such: who is going to bat cleanup? While Brian McCann is a solid hitter, he's best suited for the 5th or 6th spot. Every playoff team has a solid 3-4-5, and the Braves are lacking in that category.

The answer may just be in AA-Mississippi. Jason Heyward, a top outfield prospect, has been smoking the ball since his promotion to AA. He may be the next Miguel Cabrera, in that, he's the best offensive solution on the market, he's cheap, and he has the potential to put up huge offensive numbers. Like Cabrera earning the late call to the show in 2003 when he was with the Marlins, Heyward could easily slide into the 5th or 6th spot, play some LF, and contribute mightily to this sagging lineup. Look for his call before September 1st rolls around IF the Braves are desperate for offense. Otherwise, we'll see Heyward penciled in the Opening Day lineup in 2010.

San Fran in a nutshell

Greensboro, NC -- My short time is San Francisco was phenomenal, sans the plane ride home to North Carolina via Atlanta. Here's a short summary of what I saw and did out west:

Wednesday, July 8th -- Landed around 2:30 p.m. local time and took the BART up to our hotel, which was located just west of the financial district downtown. After gathering some information from fellow tourists and hotel staff, we walked up and down the steep hills of Chinatown to the east side of town. "Ice" met up with us and per his co-worker's recommendations (Note: Since Ice was on business travel, his company picked up his tab, no wonder the cheapskate wanted to go there!), we ended up at the swank "Gary Danko's" just south of Fisherman's Wharf. After blowing a large sum of money on carefully prepared meals that were about the size of a quarter, we called it a night after a quick walk through Ghiradelli Square and 22 consecutive hours awake.

Thursday, July 9th -- After a good night's sleep, we awoke to take the bus north towards the Golden Gate Bridge. We foolishly thought that the bus would drop us off closer to the bridge, so a 3-4 mile walk along the bay dumped us at the base of the bridge. Thinking that the friendly trolley bus on wheels would take us up the bridge, we jumped on a tour in mid-session, which took us all the way back to Fisherman's Wharf. Nevertheless, we were able to soak in some hidden facts, saw where Joe DiMaggio got married, where Nancy Pelosi, Danielle Steele, and John Madden lived in the posh Pacific Hills neighborhood. A short walk over to a very the steep hill brought us to Coit Tower. We were able to obtain a 360 degree sight of the city and the bay. To fill up our empty stomachs, we ate at the famous "The Stinking Rose" because their food stinks (pun intended). After lunch, we checked out the famous Russian Hill, aka the most crooked street in America and proceeded to walk to the top of the hilly street. A real, rail riding trolley car greeted us at the top, and we rode the vehicle hanging on the sides back to the hotel for some R&R. The ballyhooed ferry ride to Alcatraz capped the day off... the tours didn't primarily focus on the famous residents themselves; more so, on the prison and life on the island.

Friday, July 10th -- Our last full day in San Francisco. We had the best idea yet -- rent bikes! We were able to see many places, get around easy, and it was cheap! On the bikes, we rode across the Golden Gate Bridge and back -- yes we finally made it across -- we had lunch on the infamous Union Street shopping district, we rode down to Alamo Square park where the famous "painted ladies" row houses reside. It's also where the opening theme song of "Full House" was shot. Speaking of "Full House," we rode past the fabled Tanner abode on Broderick Street. After returning the bikes, and riding the bus through downtown Beijing... err San Fran, it was time to head to the ballpark. AT&T Park easily slips into my top 5 parks visited. However, the night was about the game itself, which was odd considering when you're on the road to see a new park, you don't really pay much attention to the game. On my "To See and To Do List Before I Die," there lies one bullet point: "To see a no hitter live." CHECK!

Saturday, July 11th -- We departed San Francisco for the day, picked up a rental car, and drove up to Napa Valley. The main drag was just as I pictured, large wineries and vineyards, grape trees, and eloquence abound. We toured the St. Clement, Beringer, and Sutter Homes wineries. The winery structures were meticulously crafted; however, one disappointment was the servers themselves. Not a lot of personality and not a lot of wine wisdom. We ditch Napa in the late afternoon and connected to the sweeping Pacific Coast Highway, navigating the winding and curvy streets overlooking the ocean. The scenery was surreal. A picture perfect spot enveloped as we reach the hills overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the city to the south. A contemporary, authentic Chinese food meal closed out the evening in town.

Sunday, July 12th -- We woke up, we left the hotel and the city, had lunch, and then jumped on a plane. Details of the plane ride will be chronicled in another blog.

The best line that I heard to sum up San Francisco is, "you can't take a bad photo anywhere." The statement is true as evidenced by out 660 shots in less than 5 days. I would highly recommend San Francisco to anyone -- it's packed with sights, plenty to do, it's unfortunately expensive, but the food for the most part, is worth it!

Westward Bound

Greensboro, NC -- I'm headed out to California tomorrow morning until late Sunday night, touring around the greater San Francisco area, as well as a day trip to Napa and Sonoma. With Pearl down in Uruguay and Monty in Aussieland (hey, I'll be closer than NC), I had to take some adventurous trip even if it was within 'Merica's borders.

According to my itinerary, the highlights of the trip will be the Alcatraz night tour, the Giants-Padres game at AT&T Park, and a wine tasting bonanza in Napa Valley. Colored in between the lines are riding the famous cable cars, checking out China Town, Ghiradelli Square, the Coit Tower, Fisherman's Wharf, a stroll across the Golden Gate Bridge, and riding bikes down the crooked Russian Hill. Last, but not least, I will be stopping by the infamous Tanner house in Alamo Square and running like a clown that was Uncle Joey in "Full House."

I doubt that I'll have time for a blog due to limited internet access out there, so full coverage of my trip to San Francisco can be found right here next week. Enjoy your week, folks!

We Have Liftoff!

Greensboro, NC -- The U2 360 Tour has officially kicked off in Barcelona, Spain. Unlike the past couple of tours, U2 beginning the tour in Europe, unlike the Vertigo (San Diego), Elevation (Miami), and Popmart (Las Vegas) tours. Thanks to the time zone difference, we're able to obtain the set list at this evening hour since they were probably playing around 3:30 p.m. local time. Here's the list:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Angel of Harlem
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
-------
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Let's breakdown the album selection:
Boy: 0
October: 0
War: 1
Unforgettable Fire: 3
Joshua Tree: 3
Rattle & Hum: 1
Achtung Baby: 2
Zooropa: 0
Pop: 0
All That You Can't Leave Behind: 3
How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb: 2
No Line on the Horizon: 7

I'm not sure how much weight you can put into the first set list of a tour. However, what can be derived from here is your skeleton list; those core songs that will be played every night. The core songs usually compose 75% of the list, leaving 25%, or 5-6 songs switched in and out depending on the night. I am surprised that 2/3 of the new album was played, but maybe that's about right compared to other bands with new material. The 2000's (last three albums) dominated the set list. Boy, October, Zooropa, and Pop were all shut out tonight, but we can't rule out that we won't hear "I Will Follow" this summer.

As far as surprises go, the one rarity in the list was "Ultraviolet," with the very catchy chorus of "Baby, baby, baby, light my way" from Achtung Baby. All of the usual suspects were present... "Where The Streets Have No Name," "Pride," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," and "One." "New Year's Day" was the one usual tour song that was expunged. Anyways, let's see if the list changes slightly or dramatically on Thursday night. There are, of course, other important factors of the show, such as how did the band sound? One cannot take into account the commenters and fans' remarks on the web site because they have amateur ears. I'd like to hear a musical expert's take on the show. It couldn't be any worse than the disaster in Las Vegas for the opening of the Popmart tour. Rock on!