Need some relaxation

WOO HOO! New product in from #BirchboxMan today. I got an English Laundry 3-in-1 shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. I LOVED their cologne that I received in the Birchbox subscription box last month, so I have high expectations for this wash. 

This came on a great day since I needed a little bit of good news. On Tuesday, Feb 4, I celebrated my six year anniversary with my employer Rackspace. It's a neat company to work for as it's a place where you're rewarded for actually taking care of customers and not just stinging them along. A place where customer service is still an action and not a marketing ploy. We've gone through some major hurdles and now we're in competition with the likes of Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. 

Our CEO Lanham Napier guided us through thick and then. He defines charismatic. He is so motivating and influential to listen to, and I've told myself I'd follow Rackspace to the ends of the earth as long as he was at the healm. But today on our quarterly earnings call, he surprised us with his retirement announcement. To say the least, it was a shitty day. 

So now I'll relax with a new body wash (that I can already tell you smells fantastic since I spilled some on my iPad as I was writing this post), enjoy a good Belgian beer, and I'll post a review on the English Laundry in about a week or two. 

Super Bowl’s ‘Merica

I have to admit that I’m not a huge sports fanatic. I just wasn't raised around it.  And in my house the roles are reversed: my mom is the sports fan and shops for the big TVs while my dad is happy in the other room watching History Channel or SyFy.  Nevertheless we all gather for the big game every year with all the junk food you can eat.  This years game was one of the most uneventful I’ve ever seen.  Not even the commercials were great.

One of the top highlights of the whole game was a beautiful performances of our National Anthem by Renee Flemming.  Her rendition was classy, and her interpretation was so beautiful and simple that the pop divas who have sung our anthem in the past few years should take lessons.  Her performance set the stage for a very nationalistic feel for the next few hours.  

I think in lieu of great game high points, the internet went a buzz with the Coca-Cola commercial in which America the Beautiful was sung in multiple languages.  And of course Facebook went crazy with differing opinions on the subject.  Frankly, I think it was bad marketing by Coke and shows us our nation is still so far from acceptance of different cultures.  If you’ didn't see the commercial, you can view it here: http://bit.ly/1cPqcF6

If Coke marketing wanted to relay the message that many cultures make up our America, they failed… in my opinion at least.  The backdrops for all of the scenes were obscure and didn’t show off any of our recognizable landmarks.  As I was watching live, I asked why people from other countries wanted to sing OUR second National Anthem.  If they wanted to show different nationalities making up our America, I would have set it in front of obvious American landmarks.  

What’s the internet in America with a good controversy? Of course everyone with an opinion took to Twitter and Facebook.  The ones most angered by the commercial were those with the least education - based on spelling, grammar, and syntax of their posts.  Ignorance isn’t bliss when they’re posted to a public forum.  This ugliness against other cultures isn’t the national identity we want while walking into the Olympics.  I hope we’re can join as one over the next few weeks to root for the ideal America instead of the racist America we've seen online.

Birchbox

Two months ago, I stumbled across my very first "unboxing" YouTube video.  Until that day, I hadn't heard of the term unboxing, and it opened up a whole new Pandora's box of online shopping.  Specifically the world of subscription boxes.  You see... to me, shopping is fun.  Shopping gives you endorphins and endorphins make you happy.  I can hit up a local dollar store and always find something I didn't really need, but even spending a small amount of money in retail therapy makes me feel better.

Subscriptions boxes put online shopping into a new plane of existence.  Online merchants offer a monthly or quarterly subscription where they will assemble a care package based on your size and preferences and mail it conveniently to your doorstep.  This care package is filled with sample sized (or full sized) goodness that make you look forward to receiving the package in anticipation.  A prime example is the Dollar Shave Club.  If you haven't seen their commercial, you should visit YouTube and laugh your ass off.

Back to the unboxing videos, once the package is received, users are setting up their cameras and opening their packages on film with explanations of what they received.  I just sat there watching video after video of users unboxing their subscriptions.  I guess it's the voyeur in me that wanted to get a glimpse of their surprises.  I finally found http://www.subscriptionboxes.com/ that displays a collection of these subscriptions with consumer ratings.  I finally took the plunge and ordered Loot Crate and Birchbox.  Loot Crate for the geek in me and Birchbox for the gentleman in me.

I haven't gone so far to do an unboxing video, but I did Instagram my boxes with explanations of what I received.  Two days ago, I received the following email from a Birchbox employee:

We've singled you out as a quintessential Birchbox Man—that is to say, you're curious, you're tapped into digital tools and trends, you've got an open mind, and most importantly, your taste is impeccable. (We know, we follow you on Instagram.)
We'll get right to it—we're excited to be launching a network of digital influencers—smart, sharp guys who know what's good in the grooming and style space—and we want you to be part of it. 
You'll have access to a host of Birchbox Man exclusives like full-size products to review and giveaway on your blogs, early access to our content, content sharing opportunities to grow your channel's following, and tons of other things we haven't even thought of yet.

So this is a pretty awesome opportunity to get back into blogging for a purpose.  If I get just two readers I'll feel like John Grisham!

Once upon a dream

I can't get enough of this song!

A crowning jewel of history

I shouldn't be posting this picture, but it’s an interesting story.  The Majestic Theater, first opened in 1929, is one of the crowning jewels of the San Antonio Arts community.  but like all institutions this old, it had its segregation history.  My grandma told me she used to go watch movies here when she was young.  there was the “white” entrance and the “colored” entrance.  Today, only three of the floors are used in the theater (main floor, mezzanine, and balcony), but there is a fourth floor that wasn't remodeled in the 80s which was used by minorities and completely segregated from the white audience.  For the past 8 years, during every rehearsal, I’ve looked for how to gain access to the fourth floor balcony… and found it today! It had its own entrance from the street level behind the theater, its own box office, and six flights of stairs to get to their door into the theater.  I took this picture from up there today.  

I took the second picture from what looked to be a bullet hole in a window on the 6th floor in the stair case.  Great view of the Tower Life building.