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. 

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!