Jackpot!

Shoko and I were at Gameworks the other day. After a while of racing each other and shooting at enemies, we decided to go to the ticket game area.

We randomly selected games to play, since we weren't expecting anything from any of these games. The one that left us happy was one where a platform is filled with holes that have different ticket values. The 100 and Jackpot holes were raised up from this platform about half an inch, preventing the ball from just rolling in. I randomly hit the button for this game, the ball drops down, bounces around, and settles down and rolls around. At this point, I had given up on any big winning from the game.

The next moment, the ball gets stuck between this little piece of plastic sticking out of the glass and the raised Jackpot hole. The platform stops. And a half second later, the platform starts rotating and the ball cleanly drops into the Jackpot hole. JACKPOT!

We won 339 tickets on this single turn. We were ecstatic, especially because the little kids around us were looking at us very jealously. Awesome.

I also won two Disney characters from the claw game that day. It was very successful indeed.

Thank You Glaceau!

I sent the makers of Vitamin Energy an appreciation email for making an energy drink that actually tastes good. So they sent me a nice response and a care package consisting of a Vitamin Energy hat and the following letter:

dear bob,

we know how busy people are these days, and to take time out of your day to contact us well that's just great. you obviously know a good thing when you see it and we the makers of glaceau (vitaminwater, smartwater and fruitwater) really appreciate you for doing this. as a matter of fact, we live to get these letters. our ceo and founder, darius, reads them to the internal staff on hawaiian shirt day, which is usually the fourth friday of the month. afterwards, we talk about our favorites and celebrate with a luau in the parking lot.

your email was truly appreciated. to show my appreciation, i have chosen to make you our "consumer of the day" and send you this special care package. i hope that you enjoy it and that you continue to enjoy our products.

...

thank you again, and remember to drink better water!

sincerely,

mike averell
glaceau

What an awesome surprise on dead week! Thanks Glaceau!

Where have I been?

Ive been busy with EVERYTHING so here is a picture of ramen from Ken's Noodle Shnp in Boston. Oh delicious ramen...

Boston, Where The Food is Ridiculously Amazing

Although it might not look it, this is one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had.

Last night, my girlfriend and I made our way to the North End of Boston. It is literally "Little Italy" over there. Streets are narrow and crowded with people. Gelato shops every so often, accordion and violin players make music to the night, and even Italian gift shops claimed their place. For being in the United States, it was a great, European atmosphere.

After much researching, we decided to go to a restaurant called "Giacomo's" on Hanover Street. We read their food was great, but don't take reservations in their 30 or so seat restaurant. Waits can be nearly an hour at times, but we decided to go for it. I'm glad my girlfriend understands why I can wait for good food!

The calamari, put simply, was great. The crispy breading and fresh squid made for an unbeatable dish.

The ziti with shrimp and clam in a garlic white sauce that my girlfriend ordered was just as satisfying. Great garlic flavor with an abundance of seafood flavorings blended together very, very nicely.

My order, one of the specials of the night, the 1/2 lobster, mussels, and clams over linguini with their "Giacomo's" house sauce was honestly the best pasta dish I have ever had. Of course, the seafood was fresh and generously served, but the sauce was incredible. They use lobster as a main flavoring for their house sauce and once you get a bite of that in your mouth, the lobster flavor takes off in all directions and massage your palates like no other. Seriously, this is a wonderful sauce. Mix that with fresh seafoods and you will truly understand what I am talking about.

We definitely had leftovers with the order above...and you know how much I can eat good food. The cost is very, very reasonable for what they give you too. That always leaves that after-dining satisfaction.

If you are ever in Boston, make sure to make your way to "Giacomo's". Just be ready to wait in line a bit. Don't worry if you get extremely hungry during the wait: their portion is LARGE.

Boston Career Forum

It was an interesting weekend for me here in Boston. I got a good glimpse of what is expected from Japanese companies and it turned out to be a lot different than I expected. To word it differently, Japanese companies really want to accommodate to you and help both you and the company grow. To word it symbolically, American companies are restocking shelves whereas Japanese companies are trying to solve a puzzle.