Samsonite to Buy Tumi

Hello I'm "Still Working On Me" and I'm a gear whore. 

I feel like I carry more connectors and adapters than Amazon. However, my most important piece of gear is my luggage. I generally rotate between Red Oxx, Samsonite & TUMI, depending on the trip as well as its length. Just last week it was announced that "Samsonite and Tumi are joining forces" 

So what does this mean for both brands? I'm guessing not much, Tumi has always been perceived (valid or not) as a high end brand. With Tumi selling $400.00 laptop bags it's hard to avoid that label of high end, while Samsonite pushing sub $150.00 travel luggage is hard to be taken seriously for a true road warrior.

Your average traveler buying luggage at TJ Maxx isn't going to drop major dollars on luggage, no matter what name is stamped on it. Just as patrons at a Tumi store aren't going to feel like they got their moneys worth on a $150.00 carry on.

Will Samsonite have something to do with the future design of Tumi products? To an extent, I'm guessing yes, will true travelers put up with an inferior product? I'm guessing "Hell No". Tumi's warranty is second to none, destroy your bag after 10 years, more than likely Tumi will send you a new one. 

Staying Creative

Just some ideas......

My Latest Addiction

I spend hours and hours each day on the internet, sometimes work related sometimes not so much work related. I recently camE across Pinterest, wow think of it as a public cork-board where people post their motivation, favorite food, fitness or health. the topics are endless and limited to what people want to post.

Don't pull out the checkbook

Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison will make a fine commencement speaker at this year's Rutgers University graduation ceremonies. She will engage the students and inspire them with all the hard-earned wisdom of her 80 years. She also will leave the stage $30,000 richer. And that's a problem.

This is the first time that Rutgers is paying a commencement speaker. It's a bad precedent — not only for Rutgers but for other institutions that heretofore have shunned the idea of pulling out the checkbook to induce name speakers to address their graduates.

Read More

At first read I thought this was an Aprils Fools joke (it might still be) but I was amazed.......so decided to watch an episode of Jersey Shore this afternoon. After losing an hour of my life that I will never get back I must say "I'm impressed" apparently "Snookie" is/was smart enough to hire an agent that could land her a commencement gig that paid $32k.....damn.

Life In The Healthy Lane

After two years in the making, Albert Lea Hy-Vee rolled out its Blue Zones checkout lane in January.

While most checkout lanes are stocked full of candy bars, gum and sweet treats attractive to children and adults, the Blue Zones lane features a variety of healthy snacks, including granola bars, carrots, dried fruits, string cheese and flavored water.

Hy-Vee dietitian Amy Pleimling said since the Blue Zones lane opened, the store has seen an average of a 42 percent increase on sales of items featured in the lane. READ MORE

I remember when my kids were small and still fit in a grocery cart I never knew what I actually purchased till I arrived home and unpacked the groceries. The reason Clepto #1 and then Clepto #2 would wait till Dads back was turned and then they would drop a candy bar or two (or three) on the "Motion" belt and Dad was never the wiser, until he unpacked the groceries - Where the hell did this candy bar come from? Cut to Clepto #1 smiling :)
The grocery store marketers know what they're doing, you're done shopping, you're in the checkout line, you're exhausted Little Johnny has flat worn you down - You just want to go HOME.....all of sudden you look to your left and it's a chocolate, potato chip, cookie cornucopia.....ahhhh time for the impulse buy! It works every time and it has for years the bad thing is that it sets a bad example for Little Johnny - shopping = food treats. Marketing's job is complete.
Enter Hy-Vee and the Blue Zone. Checkout lanes stocked with some healthy alternatives. Child friendly and for that matter adult friendly. the best part is that the Marketing Dept. can still smile "the store has seen an average of a 42 percent increase on sales of items featured in the lane." We'd all like to see a 42% increase on a featured item.
We, as the consumer, are still faced with the impulse buy and as we all know those "Healthy Nuts" are very high in calories so you can still be faced with weight gain, but if nothing else it does show us and our kids that there are alternatives if you just take a moment to think about it.

Something I Saw Today

Via: Term Life Insurance

For all you soda drinkers.....

Random Stuff

I haven't spent much time updating this last week so here's a run down of some stuff I've come across.

Meet John Wallace III

You would almost have to know the thrill of committing to your own running streak to understand it…

I’ve run every day for the last 3,400 days.

I’ve logged a total of 11,500 miles at an average of 3.38 miles per day! My running streak has been a part of my daily routine for so long, that I can’t imagine a day without running; it really feeds itself once you get this far into it. I’m a proud member of the Running Streak Association of America, and currently hold the #135 spot on the active list of 257 members. The top four members have 40+ year streaks! At the end of October of this year, I’ll reach the 10 year mark. LINK

I'm not a runner, it's almost my mantra..I ran last night and my first mile clocked in at 10:20 is that fast or slow (the second two miles were over 12:00)? Who knows! The thing I don't like about running is the competition that I have with myself over time and distance - faster or further Ughhh. I think about John and his running each and everyday - what an amazing streak - I did 18 miles this week and I'm expecting someone to give me a TV show or something.

I've really become enamored with Tim Ferriss and his site. This afternoon I spent around $12.00 and built a T-bar handle for kettlebell swings. Not too bad for a trip to Home Depot and 5 minutes worth of work. I did order Tim's book The 4 Hour Body.. and look forward to it arriving this week.


I've followed Nate Green for several years and he's giving away a free download of The Hero Hand Book. It's 136 pages and you should be able to take away a few new nuggets of information. hey it's not everyday that someone gives something away for free.

Super Bowl Sunday

Being the huge football fan that I am...not...I am one that's always ready for a party, Welcome Super Bowl.
As Mr Chicken relaxes in his hot tub, it'll start boiling in a few minutes, I'm readying the ingredients for Homemade Chicken Nachos (more of those damn carbs), beer and cheese dip and a huge veggie plate.

As I cut down on beer consumption my "Beer Love" does not lessen.
I picked up a 6 pack of Michelob ULTA (95 calories and 2.6 g of carbs) last night for the game. I've been down this light beer low carb road in the past, but I'm holding out that this time the taste might be different.....besides if Lance likes it, it can't be all that bad.

Germ-a-phobe?

The Seven Germiest Places

By April Daley

Using your local ATM is like sticking your hand in a public toilet, a recent British study finds.

Researchers from BioCote, an antibacterial product coating company, swabbed keypads on ATMs and the seats of nearby public restrooms. They found both contained bacteria that caused diarrhea and other illnesses—and the ATMs carried more bacteria than the toilets. Nasty.

Here are six other spots that are dirtier than you’d expect.

The Self Checkout at Your Supermarket

100 percent of the stands in supermarkets tested by germ expert, Chuck Gerbra, Ph.D. of the University of Arizona, had bacteria on them. More than 70 percent had coliform, commonly found in feces and aquatic environments.

Touch Screens

iPod, iPad, and tablet touch screens are covered with more contaminants than anything else tested, Dr. Gerba found. A simple solution: Spray a damp lint-free cloth with sanitizing spray made specifically for electronics—regular disinfectant products can damage your screen. Use a dry cloth to buff the screen until all fingerprints and smudge are gone. READ MORE

Enough to scare you? Me, not so much..I make sure that I participate in the normal hygiene routines - washing before meals, after certain normal body functions and I try not to put my fingers in my mouth much, my Mom helped me with that one when I was two years old. I've never really gotten into the hype of the germaphobes. I shake hands with people several times a day, I use public restrooms and water fountains without giving it a second thought. I sleep in hotels, drive rent-a-cars and fly on planes several times each week and I never really give it a second thought about the cleanliness of the things I touch...Now I'm not running my fingers across the dashboard of a rent-a-car and then rubbing my eyes but I generally don't go out of my way to avoid germy situations.

I see lots of people carrying those small bottles of hand sanitizer and for some reason those are the people that always seem to be getting sick. I have a theory about the hand sanitizer people...these folks have totally jacked around their immune system with that slimy clear gel that as soon as the little bit of a crazy germ comes in contact with them BOOM they get sick because their natural immune system is so out of whack. I take my vitamins, try to get enough rest and exercise and every year I get a cold, some years worse than others but every so often the germs win.

The article is informative I never would have thought about washing my reusable grocery bags until I read the story.

So till next time and by the way I like the hand sanitizer with the sparkles in it, nice touch....

A Fan Of Design

I'm actually a huge fan of design. From something a simple as a pair of Chinese Tranquility Balls to the beauty and simple lines of a Chrome Prowler, I appreciate functional and beautiful and simple and original design...all in one item or or individually.

Years ago I can across Tom Peters and immediately felt this connection with his ideas and the way he wrote. In the past I've used him for ideas. Tom has his own ideas on design as well.
OK all that to get to this....Over the weekend I came across this interview with Scott Summit of Bespoke Innovations.
Here's a bit of it: "We recently caught up with Scott Summit, the industrial designer behind San-Francisco-based Bespoke Innovations, at AU 2010, where he was one of the keynote speakers. Bespoke Innovations has a clear mission: Apply good industrial design and rapid prototyping techniques to make kick-ass prosthetics. They don't do off-the-shelf parts--they interview amputees, find out what makes them tick, and design some seriously cool custom limbs based on their interests and tastes."
I'm fortunate no one in my family or for that matter no one that I know of has a prosthetic limb. I've seen some of the interesting designs of athletic prosthetics, but I figured that the cool design was based on it's function not what it looked like.
Why shouldn't someone have a prosthetic limb that reflects their personality? I have ink on my body, my ear is pierced, my head shaved and I have a goatee..so my personality must say that I want to look like everyone else. That aside, it's pretty damn cool that someone designs outside the box (I really dislike that phrase) but it's cooler that people have recognized it.

2011 Central Florida Scottish Highland Games

Loaded up the sled yesterday and headed North to the 2011 Central Florida Scottish Highland Games in Orlando FL. The weather cooperated and stayed cool and slightly cloudy.

There were traditional Scottish crafts such as iron and leather working.

Scottish Country Dancing was also represented.

You also had a variety of Noggin Knocker sticks if you needed one.

Then onto the events.......there was weight for height. We saw some near weight for skull smashes as the competitors bodies started to fatigue.

The crowd favorite was the caber toss.

I, of course, had to try a few kilts on just for size...does this make my butt look big?

Saturday Beers....

With the latest 52DC fast approaching it was time for some last minute carb loading...off to Fresh Market I went to build my own six pack....ahhh the joys of being an adult.

The picks went down as follows... rated * to *****

Left Hand **
Cool label, the taste less than middle of the road.







Stella *****
Always one of my favorites, one that I usually drink as a dinner beer.






Guinness*****
A great anytime beer






Milk Stout ***
Still not crazy about fruit flavored beer







Harp Lager ****
A good beer to drink when I'm grilling out.






Woodchuck **
Again another fruit flavored beer, but one that I'd always wanted to try. Not totally impressed



So in a few days it will be healthy exercise, not as much carbs or beer...so all in all not a bad way to spend a kid-less Saturday night.