Pens Can Carry Your Marketing Message

If you have a business that you are attempting to promote, you should consider purchasing marketing pens. Put your name, tagline, slogan or message on a pen and you will start to see the money pouring in. People LOVE free pens. It's natural, G. You can get a colorful pen, marker, ballpoint or soft tip, and all of a sudden--you'll see a real spike in business. It's an effective way to get your name out there in an inexpensive way that is proven. Check it out! Marketing pens are the way to go in 2008!

Wind Chimes

Now that the weather is getting nicer, maybe you should think about buying a set of wind chimes. Here is sunny (but windy) San Francisco, wind chimes are the best! Our neighbors have them and we can hear them every night and it's quite relaxing. There is a web site called www.gardenfun.com and they sell some really great wind chimes. I especially like their animal and bird wind chimes, including dogs, turtles, hummingbirds and all kinds of creatures. It's an excellent time for wind chimes!

Men's Jewelry

I don't wear jewelry. I don't have a watch or chains, even a ring (which will change when I get married) I just don't like the way it feels on me. But, I have found a great web site called http://www.jewelelegance.com/ that offers some really great deals on all kinds of men's jewelry. They have a lot of very high-quality items that are more than reasonably priced. Their experts can assist you in selecting the type of rings, necklaces and other jewelry that appeals to you. They also have a lot of really good specials going on all the time--check them out!

Cell phone repeaters

Do you know what a cell phone repeater is? I didn't until recently. A cell phone repeater is a device that can help you get better cell phone reception in a building. Many times, it's hard to make or receive a cell phone call in a building. They can be blocked and you'll get an intermittent signal, which causes you to get disconnected and dropped from the call. A high-quality cell phone repeater can prevent this type of annoying situation. Don't be upset by bad cell phone reception, Start considering purchasing a cell phone repeater today!

The SF Giant's First Shortstop: Ed Bressoud

Ed Bressoud was a very slick fielding dependable shortstop whose arrival in 1956 allowed the Giants to send Alvin Dark to the Cardinals in a deal for Red Schoendienst. He spent just two of his six Giant seasons as their regular shortstop, but was successful in three years with the Red Sox because he adapted his swing to Fenway's leftfield wall; hitting 20 HR for the Bosox in 1963. Made expendable by Rico Petrocelli's emergence in 1965, Bressoud concluded his career against the Red Sox as a Cardinal utility man in the 1967 World Series.

His one all-star appearance in 1964: “It was a wonderful experience for me. Luis Aparicio couldn’t make it, so I went in his stead. And I didn’t play, which has always irritated me – particularly after seeing that all-star game a few seasons ago when they ran out of players. The experience of that year just brought to mind the pain that I felt in that all-star game, because the manager for the AL, I forget his name – the White Sox manager (Al Lopez) – he played Jim Fregosi through the whole game, which he did with several players. There were a lot of players like me that didn’t get into that particular ball game. But, I think at that time, the American League had been beaten by the National League for something like 12 out of 14 times, and I think the manager decided that he was going to stay with his best lineup and try to win that game. And I think that’s fine, even though it was disheartening that I didn’t get a chance to participate.” (In that game, held at Shea Stadium, The National League won again, 7-4, on a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth by Philadelphia outfielder Johnny Callison.)

Playing in the Polo Grounds with the NY Giants: “With guys like Willie Mays, Monte Irvin, Bobby Thomson, Don Mueller, Johnny Antonelli—that club was absolutely loaded with talent. The only problem was that the National League was a powerhouse full of great clubs back then. Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh—those were some good teams. We didn’t play particularly well that year and then in 1958 the team left New York and moved to San Francisco. I remember seeing signs from the fans that said ‘Please Don’t Go.’ I never thought we’d move to the West Coast, but we did. It was kind of sad.”

His relationship with Willie Mays: “Willie and I never had a conversation that lasted more than a minute. Mays has always been kind of a loner, in my opinion and I can understand it, actually. The public is always pulling and tugging at him for one thing or another, and I don’t care who you are—that has to get old after awhile. So, he kind of stayed to himself most of the time. I did get the privilege of playing shortstop in front of him, though, which made my job a lot easier. He played such a shallow centerfield that I didn’t have to worry about going back for short fly balls or pop ups. He also caught a lot of line drives that would have been base hits against other teams. Batters rarely hit it over his head. I think I saw it happen maybe once or twice. He was the best player I ever saw or played with, no doubt about it.”

About contract negotiations and agents: “No one had agents back then. You were offered a contract and you either took it or you walked, basically. We were grateful to just be playing, to be honest. The alternative was a nine-to-five job, so playing a game and getting paid pretty decently for it was pretty favorable in comparison. The first time I heard of any player hiring an agent was when Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax got together and hired an agent and then held out with the Dodgers. I think they wanted something like $125,000 a year, something like that. In 1964, I was seventh in the league in hitting and made the All-Star Game, and I was very happy with the season I had. They paid me $27,000 the previous year and then sent me the same contract for 1965. I sent it back and they sent it back again. It traveled back and forth through the mail several times before they generously agreed to give me a $1,000 raise. But, that’s the way things were back then. The owners were in control and they knew it, so what could you do?”

Horsing Around

If you own a horse, you need to be aware of a web site called http://www.jeffersequine.com/. These folks carry all of the most popular horse supplements on the market today. They have great prices, offer prompt delivery and most importantly--they really KNOW horses. They have all of the stuff you'll need to properly take car of your horses--from Arthogen for Horses; Cosequin; HorseLic; Focus SR; CRS Equine Gold Powder; Grand HA Complex and Equinyl Combo. If you don't have a horse, you won't know what I am talking about. But, if you're 100% equine, then you know that you should check this site out. So, gallop over to your PC and visit http://www.jeffersequine.com/ today!!

Can the Lakers Get By Without Bynum?

The Los Angeles Lakers are on a postseason roll. They look pretty formidable right now, but the question on every Laker’s fan mind is—can this team win it all with out Andrew Bynum? The young center was supposed to be back from injury a month ago, but now it appears as though he might not be returning at all.
It hasn’t hurt them so far in the series against Denver. The Lakers have dominated every aspect of the series and shut down the Nuggets’ two big scorers—Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson. But, if and when they have to play teams like Utah, San Antonio or Phoenix, they’re going to have to play a team featuring a big man in the middle, and it will be tough without a large body to put up against a true center.
For those who aren’t familiar with the situation, Bynum injured his knee on January 13th when he landed on a teammate’s foot going for a rebound. He went to a knee specialist in New York on April 17th, but still hasn’t been cleared to practice.
The Lakers won’t comment on Bynum’s status and have been mysteriously quiet about the whole thing.
At this point, it might just be a better idea to leave Bynum out for the remainder of the season. To bring him in at this late date could disturb team chemistry. The Lakers are running on all cylinders right now, and the Lakers might just be able to win the NBA title without him, so why risk injuring a player with an obviously bright future by rushing him into the playoffs?
And then, if he is ready to play, how smart would it be to bring in a young player to go up against guys like Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and/or Tyson Chandler? If he fails, it could be extremely harmful to his psyche. Bringing him back this year might not be fair to the kid.
Or maybe when Bynum’s ready, the Lakers could use him sparingly in the playoffs, for possibly 10-15 minutes per game. If he vastly improves, they could play him more in the NBA Finals. He could just be the Willis Reed of the Finals and provide the Lakers with the missing piece they require to go all the way.
This is what the rampaging Lakers did in Denver yesterday:
Bryant scored 22 points and the Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-0 lead in their first-round series, routing the flustered Nuggets 102-84 on Saturday.
Game 4 is Monday night, and the Nuggets are going to have to get more out of their All-Star duo of Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson if they hope to take the series back to the Staples Center.
Anthony and Iverson were miserable from the floor, shooting a combined 10-for-38 and finishing with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
Bryant was quiet, too, at least in the first half, when he scored eight points on 3-for-8 shooting.
An air ball slowed Bryant's surge just when it looked like he was going to repeat his 19-point, 4½-minute surge in Game 2, but the Nuggets trailed 69-51 after Lamar Odom's two free throws.
Anthony drew a technical foul -- Denver's seventh in the series -- after he was stripped on his way to the basket, leading to a breakaway by Bryant that stretched the Lakers' lead to 78-61 with 2:33 left in the third.
Los Angeles took an 83-64 lead into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
Luke Walton added 15 points off the bench for Los Angeles, and Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher each scored 14.
By the closing minutes, the Lakers' bench was more interested in a fight in the stands that led to some belligerent fans being taken away by police officers. Even Bryant stuck a peek while teammate Jordan Farmar was shooting free throws at the other end of the court.
On his next touch, Bryant hit a 3-pointer from the right elbow for a 100-78 lead, then took a seat and acknowledged with a thumbs-up his very own cheering section that had drowned out the boo birds during the second half and continued the "MVP!" chants that serenaded him back in California.
The Nuggets, who have lost seven straight playoff games, not only wanted to keep their composure coming back to Colorado, but they also figured they could get to the rim and the foul line more than they had in the first two games in Los Angeles.
Nothing doing.
They limped to the locker room trailing 53-46 at halftime with 'Melo and A.I. a combined 5-for-21, pretty much negating the boost they got from forward Linas Kleiza's start.
Kleiza's insertion into the starting lineup in Game 2 in place of guard Anthony Carter was key to the Nuggets keeping up with the taller Lakers -- until he hyper-extended his right elbow on a hard foul by Gasol and the Lakers pulled away for another double-digit win.
Despite missing practice Friday, Kleiza scored 15 points, but he got little help.
With Denver missing jumpers, layups, committing three-second violations and not drawing any fouls, the Lakers began pulling away after Anthony's basket with 4:29 left in the second quarter had tied it at 42.
Bryant hit a sweet six-foot jumper, Gasol sank a free throw and Vladimir Radmanovic swished a 3-pointer, forcing the Nuggets to call timeout.
It didn't help. Gasol sank two more foul shots to make it 51-42 before Iverson hit four free throws in the final minute. Before that, the Nuggets had shot just four free throws all game.
Denver defensive specialist Kenyon Martin was the only one keeping the Nuggets from getting trampled early on. He hit four of his first six shots while his teammates were a combined 1-for-13 from the floor.
In the third quarter, however, Martin was the victim more often than not as Bryant got hot and starting hitting all kinds of shots over and around him.
(Portions of this article courtesy of www. cbssportsline.com and http://www.sportsonthestreet.blogspot.com/ reporter Matt Levine, Todd Axtell’s Sports Review and the Tom Shine NBA Report)

It's a Bed In a Box!

There's a great site out there offering some of the best deals you'll find anywhere on bedding and bed accessories. It's called www.bedinabox.com and all I can do is give it 5 STARS! My fiancee and I got a new bed, because the one we had was lumpy and uncomfortable (the bed, not the fiancee) and when we got it, our lives changed dramatically. Suddenly, everything was better, because we were getting a better night's sleep. Check out www.bedinabox.com next time you're online. You'll love their selection, their quality and the fact that they can get you the bedding fast and efficiently.

What's Happening to the "Top Chefs" of San Francisco?

We enjoy watching the show Top Chef (BRAVO), because it pits young chefs against each other and features some of the leading culinary kings in the world as guest judges. Now in its sixth season, it is the most popular reality cooking show on TV. Every season, they do the show from a different city and this year it’s in Chicago.
San Francisco initially featured four chefs (out of a total of 16) on this season's Top Chef. As a food lover's/top restaurant town, it just seemed fitting to see that The City by the Bay was so well-represented.
Well, the only problem is--the San Francisco chefs are falling off the board like flies. They are being sent back to their Bay Area kitchens like bad entrees. After six weeks, three are gone and the one that remains may not be around much longer.
The first to go was Erik Hopfinger, the executive chef at Circa in San Francisco. During the first episode, the bald, barrel-chested chef was cocky and seem self-assured--until they asked him to make a soufflé, at which point he looked like a rank amateur.
Making a soufflé is not easy; but surely it’s something an executive chef should be able to pull off. What Hopfinger created was a disaster. One of the judges described it as "glorified nachos." He actually put tortilla chips on top of the savory soufflé. It was like something you might find at Hooters or Chevy’s. It was disgusting.
Then, in episode number three, Guest Judge Rick Bayless (considered one of the world's top experts on Mexican cuisine) asked the contestants to create an upscale taco. Interesting variations included a vegetarian taco wrapped in a jicama tortilla from the challenge's winner, a non-San Francisco chef named Richard Blais.
Bayless' least favorite tacos included attempts by Hopfinger and fellow San Francisco Chef Ryan Scott (a Chef/Consultant at Myth Cafe in SF). Hopfinger's taco looked like bad street food. Think Taco Bell meets Roach Coach. Instead of being humble, Hopfinger later commented. "I don't think fine dining and Mexican go together," not something that was terribly smart to say in front of Bayless, a man who has successfully introduced high-end Mexican food to the United States. Hopfinger lost the challenge.
Then, in the elimination round, chefs were split into two teams and had to go door-to-door in the suburbs of Chicago and ask to raid their kitchens for ingredients that they would later use for a neighborhood block party. All four San Francisco chefs ended up on the same team.
It was a sad day for the SF chefs, three of whom were responsible for the worst rated dishes. When questioned about their menu choices, Zoi Antonitsas (an SF chef/restaurant consultant and Jennifer Biesty's--another SF contestant's-- lover) (see photo) said, "We just decided it was Middle America..." Another stupid thing to utter. Like people in Chicago are unsophisticated and won't enjoy the cuisine we consume in foodie-town San Francisco? She came off as pompous and stuck-up.
In the end, the worst dish was Hopfinger's corn dogs. They didn't transport well and ended up being cold and soggy. Erik was eliminated from the show, having failed to win one single challenge.
The other two worst-rated dishes were Scott’s mushy Waldorf salad and Antonitsas’ oily and bland pasta salad. (Come on --how hard is it to make a pasta salad?)
Pretty soon, it was Zoi’s turn to pack her knives. She failed to put salt on a mushroom dish she said was properly seasoned, and the Top Chef judges told her it was bland and flavorless, which meant she had to go. Antonitsas was not going to last that long anyway—her incessant complaining was getting old and she always seemed put-upon throughout the first four episodes.
When Zoi got the axe, it did not sit well with her lover, Jennifer (an executive chef at COCO500) who blamed team member Spike Mendelsohn (a NYC chef who cooks at Mai House) for the problems that existed with the dish. Spike wasn’t asked to season the dish-it was Zoi’s screw up and she blew it. Making excuses and blaming another chef just made her (and her girlfriend) look silly.
Zoi was visibly shocked when she heard the news, but anyone who was watching the episode could see it coming. Antonitsas was not plating impressive dishes. Seasoning food is one of the first things they teach you in culinary school.
When asked what went wrong with her dish, Antonitsas replied, “Sun chokes are tubers grown in the earth and mushrooms are very earthy.” Yes, but they still need to be seasoned. It’s Cooking 101.
The next San Francisco chef to get the cleaver was Ryan Scott, who should have been eliminated back in week one when he couldn’t even make a chicken piccatta. What he served was a breaded piece of poultry without capers or a butter sauce.
Luckily, someone else made a scampi dish that was worse, so Scott survived, until last week.
The challenge in week six involved feeding 80 football fans at a Chicago Bears’ tailgating party. But, instead of serving proper tailgating faire, Scoot made what he called “California Tailgate.” It included a bread salad and a poached pear dessert. It didn’t go well with the football fans or the judges. Scott was the third San Francisco chef to hit the long road home.
So, now after six episodes, three of the four Bay Area chefs are history. Jennifer Beisty is the only one left. How long will she last? I give her three weeks.
It just goes to show you—you can be a fancy chef with a lot of tricks and frills, but in the end, it all comes down to knowing the basics. Real chefs know how to do it all—including making soufflés, chicken piccatta and seasoned mushrooms. And that’s why the San Francisco chefs of Top Chef have been bottom feeders this year.

Thermal labels

Why pay tons of hard earned cash for labels when you don't have to? Save each and every time you buy manufacturer direct from LabelLiquidators.com. Label Liquidator's top-selling, mega-popular and super high-quality brand labels are compatible with Dymo Labels, Zebra Labels, Thermal labels and Primera Labels. All of which come fully guaranteed and compatible with your Dymo LabelWriter® printer. Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Their Dymo compatible labels are safe for your LabelWriter printer using glueless core release and roll closure methods. This means no glue on your labels that could potentially damage your print head. At LabelLiquidators.com, these folks pride themselves on the fact that they manufacture these high quality labels for the lowest price available anywhere. If you're new to LabelLiquidators.com, please give them a shot at your next order. Take it from LIFE ON THE EDGE -- these professionals won't disappoint you. Count on it!!