Random Thoughts brought to you by.....

Random Thoughts brought to you by .....me!

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately
clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you
realize you're wrong.

3.. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I
was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm
pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how
the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at
work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything
productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray?
I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it
asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper
that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?
), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to
voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run
away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know
not to answer when they call.

18. When your 4-year old asks you in the car the other day "What
would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do you respond to
that?

19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well..

20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or
Saturday night more kisses begin with Bud Light than Kay.

TRAEF Launches Culinary Competitions

Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation Launches Culinary Competitions
33 high school culinary teams to compete in regional competitions.

[Press Release] Austin, Texas - For the first time, students enrolled in Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation FS Prep culinary arts programs in high schools across Texas are eligible to compete in the ultimate high school culinary competition, the National ProStart Invitational.
Currently 26 teams have signed up to participate in the regional culinary competitions in Dallas, Houston and Austin in January and February. Seven management teams will compete at the same time the winning regional culinary teams are competing in the state competition at the Texas Culinary Academy in Austin in March.
Each year more than $1 million in scholarships is awarded to winning culinary and management teams by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, The Coca-Cola Company and many leading colleges and universities.
"We are very excited that Texas FS Prep students are competing for the first time in these competitions," said Dean McSherry, Preferred Restaurant Management Group and TRA Education Foundation chairman. "This is a great showcase for our outstanding culinary arts students and will be a wonderful experience for all teams involved."
Teams participating in the culinary competition must demonstrate their creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in only 60 minutes. Teams participating in the management competition demonstrate their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry by developing a restaurant proposal, delivering a verbal presentation, and applying critical thinking skills to challenges managers face in day-to-day operations.

Regional Competitions

Dallas - January 23 - Le Cordon Bleu, Dallas
Houston - February 20 - Westside High School, Houston
Austin - February 27- Texas Culinary Academy, Austin

Texas State Competition
Texas Culinary Academy - March 6 - Austin

National ProStart Invitational
Overland Park, Kansas April 28 - May 2

Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation:

It is the mission of the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation to serve as the resource arm of the restaurant industry by maintaining educational programs and enhancing the industry's image to benefit local communities, the state and the foodservice industry. www.restaurantville.com.

BMW Partnership with London 2012

German carmaker BMW became the latest Tier One partner for the London Olympics on Wednesday, joining an impressive list of major companies already signed up by the 2012 organising committee (LOCOG).

The deal is worth about 30 million pounds ($50.50 million) to LOCOG, mostly in the form of services provided by BMW who will supply 4,000 vehicles to transport athletes, officials and media during the Games and the Paralympics.

"Operationally, an automotive deal is vital for any organising committee and so I'm thrilled BMW is on board," LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

"They share our vision to stage a sustainable Games in 2012 and will be a valued partner. On a commercial level, signing another Tier One Partner in this challenging environment is a fantastic achievement but it goes to show the inspirational power of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games."

BMW, which makes iconic British cars such as the Rolls Royce and Mini, is also a sustainability partner and will provide low emission vehicles, electric cars, bicycles and motorbikes, as London aims to become the greenest Olympics ever staged. The German company is the seventh Tier One partner to be signed up as LOCOG moves towards its target of 650 million pounds in private investment.

The rest of the two billion pound budget for running the Games will come from merchandising, ticket sales, the International Olympic Committee and television rights. The other Tier One partners are adidas, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. Tier Two partners include Cadbury and Thomas Cook.

LOCOG has managed to attract major sponsorship despite the harsh economic climate but the Olympic Delivery Authority, which is responsible for building the venues, has struggled to fund some of the projects and has required extra government funding.

Golden Arches to Bring Winter Games to Life

Golden Arches to Bring Winter Games to Life


With the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver right around the corner—opening ceremonies will be held February 12—McDonald's, the official restaurant partner of the Olympics, announced its efforts to bring the Games to its customers all over the world.

The announcement was made via live Webcast and featured John Betts, McDonald's Canada president; Mary Dillon, McDonald's Global chief marketing officer; and U.S. gold-medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, among others.

McDonald's participation in the Winter Games is multifaceted and includes on-site restaurants, LTO menu options, promotional advertising and packaging, and charitable efforts.

"For us it's all about our customers," Dillon said during the Webcast. "The spirit of the Olympics is very consistent with that of McDonald's in that we're both organizations that can touch people of all ages and cultures all over the world, and we're excited to be associated with this great movement."

Three new McDonald's restaurants are being built to accommodate the 10,000 Olympic athletes and crew and 3,000 media members that will descend on Vancouver through the Games' end on February 28. Two of the units are located in the Olympic Villages—one each in Vancouver and Whistler—and one is in the Main Media Center in Vancouver.

"Athletes love McDonald's food, and we've seen and heard this over the years," Dillon said. "We know we feed more than their appetite—we feed their spirit."

The three new units will be staffed by the McDonald's Olympic Champion Crew, which includes 300 McDonald's employees from around Canada. Each unit includes energy efficient lighting and equipment that can be reused in Canadian McDonald's after the Games.

"We're also proud to participate in the Vancouver Organizing Committee's efforts to assure that these are the first-ever carbon-neutral games, by supporting their carbon offsetting program," Dillon said, referencing the Committee's Carbon Partner program.

To promote the Winter Games around the world, McDonald's is releasing market-specific commercials and packaging that feature Olympic athletes.

The promotions are most prominent in the Games' home country. Betts said in the Webcast that Canadian marketing includes six new commercials, Olympic-themed store decorations, and even LTO menu options.

"We're bringing the games to life for our customers inside the restaurants with images of world-class Canadian athletes," he said. "We want them to know that McDonald's is their Olympic headquarters."

The new menu options to be offered for a limited time at Canada McDonald's include a S'mores Pie, a Crème Brulee Crunch McFlurry, and a Parmigiana Chicken Snack Wrap.

Two McDonald's programs that will correlate with the Winter Olympic Games follow in the company's efforts to both give back to the community and maintain its commitment to children.

The McDonald's Champion Kids program, which was first held at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, brings select kids from all over the world between the ages of six and 14 to Vancouver to attend Olympic events and meet the athletes. The kids will blog from the games and report back to their hometown news outlets.

McDonald's is also helping to fund the construction of three accessible playgrounds in the Vancouver area.

"In the spirit of our commitment to children, three world-class accessible playgrounds will be built in Vancouver, Richmond, and Whistler," Betts announced in the Webcast.

"To create them, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada has partnered with the province of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation, and the 2010 Legacies Now organization."

Betts said that though McDonald's efforts to promote the 2010 Olympic Winter Game are extensive, the opportunity to connect the quick-serve chain with Canada and the rest of the world is worth the trouble.

"The return in terms of the financial investment is just one part of it," he said. "The opportunity to connect with millions of Canadians here in our home country and folks around the world, I think, is just immeasurable in terms of what the returns are.

"Our customers are very excited about it, and our employees and owner/operators are just thrilled to be engaged with the games. It's almost priceless."

Nissan Announced as the Official Vehicle of Team RadioShack

Nissan Announced as the Official Vehicle of Team RadioShack - Lance Armstrong's New Professional Cycling Team

Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today announced an agreement with Lance Armstrong, seven-time winner of the Tour de France and founder of the LIVESTRONG Charitable Foundation, to sponsor his new Team RadioShack pro cycling team. The multi-year partnership includes the use of a variety of Nissan products as the official vehicle of the team.

Team RadioShack consists of 25 professional riders from around the world, including Armstrong - many of them considered among the strongest competitors in cycling today. The team will compete in an extensive schedule of professional cycling races worldwide in 2010, including the Tour de France and the Tour of California.

"There's a powerful alignment between cycling enthusiasts' interests and Nissan's in terms of performance, durability and sustainability - whether their favorite ride has two wheels or four," said Christian Meunier, vice president, Nissan Marketing, NNA. "It is a solid platform to launch many exciting products here in the United States and around the globe."

Nissan, which already enjoys a strong presence in the health, wellness and personal fitness arena with its Sports Illustrated College Football and Rodale Fitness partnerships, also plans to actively support Team RadioShack at the Tour of California, Tour of Missouri, Tour de France and other major Pro Cycling events around the globe. The company views the partnership as a way to connect with the more than 21 million cyclists in the United States and the 40 million cycling fans that attended live events around the world in 2009.

"We're very excited to have Nissan join as a partner of Team RadioShack. Team vehicles and new technologies play a key role in the success of any professional cycling team and we look forward to using Nissan products as we race around the world," said Armstrong.

"We know that Nissan has some cutting-edge product launches on the horizon and we look forward to an excellent and winning partnership with our new Nissan friends for many years to come," he continued.

"The connection between health, wellness and sustainable mobility, such as Nissan supports with the upcoming Nissan LEAF(TM) electric vehicle and our Green Program 2010, is a natural. Nissan has been a proud supporter of the LIVESTRONG Challenge and looks forward to working together with the LIVESTRONG Foundation and their fight against cancer," added Meunier