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Showing posts from May, 2013

Help Soldiers - Send Coffee to Afghanistan!

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Dear Friends! Welcome back from the long Memorial Day Weekend! We are interrupting the Monday Music because very coincidentally we got a true reality check a few days ago that made us think about Memorial Day in a very different way. Our Production Manager Carolyn Vasi shared her nephew's news with us last week. Tony - bottom right in the photo - is a Staff Sergeant in our Armed Forces and he just got re-deployed to Afghanistan where he and his dozen comrades are working the night shift in a camp near Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh Province. It's a hot, dry, very uncomfortable place and Tony asked his family for one thing: GOOD, STRONG COFFEE! Carolyn and her sister sent a big package this past weekend and we will keep sending care packages to Tony to help him stay awake with a good cup of strong java. We checked with an experienced Colonel to find out what else we should send. Here his reply: "Anything that doesn't melt in the heat! Beef jerky is really good. Che

Monday Music: Check Out The Current # ONE Dance Floor Hit

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Dear Friends! We Facebook-stalked Matt this past week as he jet-setted through Latin America, and asked him what gets the guests moving in Peru. Turns out that the top tune is from Sweden, clear polar opposite to Matt's geographical location; truly global! Get up and dance: here is Icona Pop with "I Love It". I've just returned from a very exciting action packed week dj'ing a global incentive trip in Peru and had the pleasure of playing for the most internationally represented dance floor ever. As usual, there always seems to be one stand out song that works for everyone, and in this case, everyone from around the world! This year's international dance floor filler goes to Swedish Pop duo "Icona Pop" with their song " I love it " featuring British recording artist "Charli XCX." "I Love It" is textbook pop perfection: a track so mood-transforming, so replayable, and so endlessly gratifying that anybody who dared

Monday Music Goes Live!

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Dear Friends! It feels a lot like summer and we are in the mood for fun. While discussing musical memories we all got nostalgic about seeing our favorite bands live. DJ Matt agrees! Nothing tops swaying to the beat in front of a stage, surrounded by like-minded fans. One of the best summer festivals, Hangout 2013 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, is coming up this month! The line-up includes many top names. Here one of the headliners to rock your Monday: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "The Digital Age. Surely more than a few record execs have wept mulling over that phrase. Streaming services and YouTube have taken over. One-hit wonders of past generations have sold more albums than some of today's biggest artists. Indeed the times they are a-changin. But guess what's standing firm in the midst of rampant music piracy? It's live music! It's irreplaceable in my opinion. Even with our fancy 3D, HD TV's and our thundering surround sound systems, it doesn't matt

For All the Moms: Floral Design Secrets Revealed!

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Dear Friends, 6 days to go before it's time to spoil the mothers in our families - we thought it's a good time to check in with our floral designers to get some tips to create something fresh and easy for May 12th. Kate Brack and Michael Alvarado were happy to oblige! And we love their suggestions: work with what you have got! Rummage around the kitchen for utilitarian containers such as canning jars, simple vases and candy jars. Look in the garden for fresh blooms and greens. Put together a simple arrangement of your own. Adding herbs such as mint turns the bouquet into aromatherapy. Simple buds add interest, green leaves fill the bottom layers. Work steps: select your flowers, trim and clean them up, get organized. Select your container and be creative: let a single gorgeous flower float, mix flowers and foliage, Consider potting a few succulents for a long lasting gift. And voilà, your personal gift is ready.