Sushi = crowd pleaser?

I LOVE SUSHI. I think I *need* to have sushi a minimum of once every 2 weeks. And I could easily have it 2-3 times a week :)

As much as I love sushi, for some reason when I'm going out to eat with a crowd I am hesitant to suggest Japanese. I generally offer up more traditional crowd-pleasing options like Italian or Mexican. But I'm not really sure why... Of course, there is the whole raw-fish thing - but there's lots of sushi that is fully cooked, plus there are other things like teriyaki and tempura.

I think maybe in the back of my mind I don't want to suggest Japanese because that's what I really like and it seems too selfish?

But really that's absurd because:

1. I am constantly surprised at how many Japanese/sushi restaurants there are in just about every city I have been to in the US


2. Sushi is even carried in at least 50% of the grocery stores I have been in (even though it may not be the greatest)


3. Any cocktail party/food station-type dinner I've been to where sushi has been served it has always been very popular


4. The other day I asked my two colleagues (one from France, the other from small-town Massachusetts) if they liked sushi and they both said they LOVED it. If these two people from very different backgrounds (age, hometown, job type) could both like sushi - it obviously has some widely-enjoyable attributes


5. There are sushi bars in many US airports and even in a prototype Wal-Mart

Even though I have so rationally (read: nerdily) analyzed the mass-appeal of sushi, I'm not sure this will make me more likely to offer it up as a dining choice for a group meal. But if you like sushi and we have plans to go out - feel free to suggest it :)

Phone down!

This week I am in Orlando for CTIA Wireless - the largest wireless trade show in the US. The biggest booths are occupied by the major handset manufacturers, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Nokia, LG, Samsung, and Motorola. These booth designs are probably the most eye-appealing I've seen compared to other trade shows I've been to. The LG booth featured a prominently-displayed DJ spinning tracks. I guess it makes sense since the mobile market is ruled by both technology and handset form-factor.

One interesting point to note is that my T-mobile phone was pretty unusable today. I have a voice and data device and it was unable to send/receive any e-mails after noon today. When I talked to T-mobile customer support they told me that 16 data towers had crashed in my area and that their engineers work working hard to get things back up and running.

I can't help but think that 50,000+ conference attendees concentrated in the Orlando area, ~90% of which are heavy users of PDA voice and data devices might have had something to do with it - hmm....

On the the road again...

An excerpt of "The Littlest Hobo" theme song:

There's a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road is where I'll always be

Every stop I make, I'll make a new friend
Can't stay for long, just turn around and I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

So if you want to join me for a
Just grab your hat, come travel light
That's hobo style.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll want settle down,
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep moving on.

I've been travelling a ton this past month. Way more than usual. I'll probably be in the office for 3 days in all of March. I have to say, I don't really mind it since Christopher isn't around. But the doggie daycare bills are starting to get a little out of control and I haven't seen the inside of my gym in what seems far too long...

Last week I was in DC and NY, and this week I'm in Denver. There was originally supposed to be 7 cities in 2 weeks for this tour that we're doing, but due to time constraints it was cut down to only 3 - I can only imagine how messed up my time zones would be if that were the case! Next week I'll be in Orlando for a big wireless show. I'm looking forward to that - there's several good restaurants near the Orange County convention center and a mall and outlet mall nearby as well. I probably just jinxed myself and there will be no time to eat nor shop at all next week!

PS. While I was in NY last week I enjoyed one of the best Vietnamese sandwiches I've ever had in my life from the Saigon Bakery. Highly recommended!

Tucson, AZ

Is it Tuscon or Tucson? I never seem to know which is the correct spelling. Just for the record, it is TUCSON. But funnily enough, Tuscon gets 1,530,000 hits when you Google it.

Last week I enjoyed the balmy weather of Tucson, Arizona for work. We stayed at the Starr Pass Marriott, which is a super nice resort that I would recommend to anyone. In fact, Bill Clinton also stayed there for one night. He was the keynote speaker for some convention that was taking place there. Hey, if it's good enough for Bill, it's good enough for me :) Several of the folks from our group even got to shake his hand!

This was my first trip to Arizona. I have to say, the landscape was stunning. It was crazy to see those huge cactuses everywhere. And while I love the all the trees we have in New England, I was actually surprised at how much I liked the look of Arizona.

The balcony off my room overlooked a 27-hole golf course that had lush green grass. And not the Bermuda grass or the bluegrass that they grow on courses in warmer climates, but 'real' grass like we have back home. The juxtaposition of the green fairways and the desert made the course look super impressive. And while it was impressive, I couldn't help but wonder in the back of my mind how much water they use to keep grass that green in the middle of the desert.

While we were enjoying the wonderful warm weather, back home they were enduring highs of 0F - yikes! Naturally, this being a sales meeting, there was plenty of good food and drink to go round. One night at the restaurant they had set up a bunch of food tasting stations. And you just spent the entire evening running around to sample little appetizer-sized portions of dishes. They even had an oyster bar and it was here that I rediscovered my love of raw oysters!

The resort as a beautiful patio with chimineas, outdoor firepits, and gas heaters. It became the natural place for people to congregate after a long day of meetings to enjoy a few drinks under the clear night sky.

Amazing Race: Family Edition

There was a little excitement returning back home from our family ski vacation.

Saturday, February 24th
The Parents: flying direct from Denver to Toronto
Christopher: flying to Toronto, connecting through Montreal
Nancy: flying to Hartford, connecting through Lincoln, Nebraska & Chicago (it was cheap!)

Check-in: We were greeted by some of the longest airport check-in lines I have ever seen. United was experiencing some power outages with their computer system and having great difficulty checking passengers in. Fortunately we had arrived at the airport in plenty of time (we were worried about the road conditions after a storm that didn't end up materializing), plus Christopher and I had dropped off our parents and their luggage before returning the rental car, allowing them even more time to make it through the check-in line. So when we got back from dropping off the car, we just hopped in line with them.

Amazingly enough, we all made it through check-in and security in time to make our flights - not that it mattered...

The Parents: we dropped them off at their gate as boarding had started
Christopher: his flight to Montreal was delayed, meaning he would miss his connection. But he managed to phone Air Canada and secure a seat on the next flight out
Nancy: the flight from Lincoln, NB to Chicago was cancelled (bad storm in Chicago), so I decided to stay in Denver in hopes of getting on something else out. I didn't think Nebraska was exactly the hub of airline activity either...

The Parents: mechanical problem with plane - flight cancelled. Everyone was re-booked for a flight the next day and given vouchers for a hotel & meals
Christopher: made it home - luck boy!
Nancy: although the first confirmed seat that I could book back to Hartford wasn't until Monday (two days later) I made it on standby for a flight to DC, and could standby for the connection from DC to Hartford. However, the flight to DC was held on the ground for over an hour as 2 marshalls removed 3 passengers from the plane and they also had to dig through all the baggage to remove their checked luggage. Needless to say, I missed my standby connection to Hartford and was forced to spend the night in DC

Sunday, February 25th
The Parents: were scheduled to leave at noon, their flight was delayed, and delayed, and eventually cancelled. Apparently someone ordered the wrong part to fix the mechanical problem.
Nancy: though I did not have a confirmed flight from DC to Hartford until Monday, I went to the airport first thing in the morning to try and get on a flight via standby. Unfortunately DC was hit by a brutal storm and no flight were getting out at all. So Christopher booked me another room on Priceline and I went back to the Holiday Inn to wash my clothes in the bathroom sink - nice!

Monday, February 26th
The Parents: finally made it out on their flight, with an extra 50,000 Aeroplan points to compensate them for the delay
Nancy: managed to get on an earlier flight to Hartford on standby and didn't have to wait in the airport until 9pm, thank goodness!

The whole time this was going on I kept on thinking that this is what it's like to be on the Amazing Race. Running around through the airport, trying to get booked on flights, get on standby lists for other flights, wear the same clothes for days. Although it doesn't seem nearly as fun and exciting as it does on TV, I think I could do it. Rob & Amber - look out for Nancy & Christopher!

I also can't believe that our parents spent over 48 hours straight with each other without Christopher or I to 'manage' them. Apparently my dad was teaching Christopher's mom some tai chi in the airport to help calm her nerves. Oh to be a fly on the wall...