Intrigued by an observation made by our own Adam Thornton today regarding the drizzly weather in Orlando, we decided to dig a little deeper to see just how sunny "The Sunshine State" really is.
Turns out...The National Weather Service ranks Florida the 5th Sunniest in the US! Anyone want to take a gander as to which state is first?
a. Nevada
b. Texas
c. California
d. Arizona
e. New Mexico
That's right...it's Arizona, with Yuma, AZ, getting 242 days of sunshine per year.
Florida is considered to have "more days where between 20-70% of the sun is blocked by clouds than anywhere else in the continental United Sates".
Think it's time to pass some new legislature to rename Florida's nickname to a more accurate "The Cloudy & Humid as (fill in the blank) State".
For more interesting info, see the article below:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2004-06-21-fla-sunshine_x.htm
Here's to a reasonably sunny weekend! Match-Up out.
P.S. It is currently snowing in Minneapolis, MN...
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tomorrow marks the kick-off of the official holiday season. Millions of people will travel untold miles to visit family and friends, making it the busiest travel day of the year. Stores' insane specials across the country the following day make it the biggest shopping day of the year. Between running around to visit the family, eating enough turkey to knock you out the rest of the day...only to arise at 3 am the following day to get all the best deals for the next big holiday, it's easy to forget what it's all about.
While we won't go into an oration about over-commercialization, below are a couple of links from History.com that we thought would be a fun way to reflect about what tomorrow is all about-- being thankful for what we have and grateful for the people in our lives. For instance, Jess just learned that New Hampshire was the state that initially requested a Thanksgiving holiday back in 1782-- another reason to be proud of her home state! Or that Americans consumed approximately 690 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving in 2007!
Whatever your plans may be for the holiday, from all of us at Match-Up-- Happy Thanksgiving!
Do you know why Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday every year? Check out the quiz to find out why!
Thanksgiving Quiz from History.com:
www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-quiz
Want to know which state produces the most turkeys each year? Go to the fun facts link below!
Thanksgiving Fun Facts from History.com:
www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-facts
While we won't go into an oration about over-commercialization, below are a couple of links from History.com that we thought would be a fun way to reflect about what tomorrow is all about-- being thankful for what we have and grateful for the people in our lives. For instance, Jess just learned that New Hampshire was the state that initially requested a Thanksgiving holiday back in 1782-- another reason to be proud of her home state! Or that Americans consumed approximately 690 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving in 2007!
Whatever your plans may be for the holiday, from all of us at Match-Up-- Happy Thanksgiving!
Do you know why Thanksgiving is the 4th Thursday every year? Check out the quiz to find out why!
Thanksgiving Quiz from History.com:
www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-quiz
Want to know which state produces the most turkeys each year? Go to the fun facts link below!
Thanksgiving Fun Facts from History.com:
www.history.com/content/thanksgiving/thanksgiving-facts
Friday, November 20, 2009
word of the day: gratuity
Yesterday an article came up on Yahoo that told the plight of a young couple who was arrested in Philadelphia for not leaving a tip on their $16 bill.
The gist of the story was that there was a group of people that went to the bar, waited over an hour for their food, had to get their own utensils, and also had to get up to get their drinks refilled because their waitress was nowhere to be seen.
At the end of the meal, they refused to leave a tip. They explained it to the bartender, who took their money, and then called the police! They were then placed in hand cuffs and charged them with theft because the gratuity was part of the bill. *phew* Sounds like a great date night.
Now, the staff at Match-Up have illustrious backgrounds with a wide range of past occupations-- Disney staff, cruise line staff, campaign staff, etc. Half of us here have indeed been wait staff at one time or another. From our recollection...a tip is called gratuity for a reason-- it is a reflection of how well you took care of your customer. True, there is a sliding scale for what to give, and the common mentality is to leave the standard 15% no matter what, but there certainly is no law against not tipping or a right of entitlement on the part of the wait staff.
Dictionary.com defines gratuity as "something given without claim or demand". Hopefully the couple prints that off before their hearing next month!
So the lesson for the day, kids: tip no matter what! Even if it's the worst service you've ever had, you get food poisoning, everything goes wrong, etc., etc. Forget about trying to get the meal comped...because you might just wind up in handcuffs if you don't leave a tip...
Happy Friday!
To read the complete story: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Time-In-Prison--70426052.html
The gist of the story was that there was a group of people that went to the bar, waited over an hour for their food, had to get their own utensils, and also had to get up to get their drinks refilled because their waitress was nowhere to be seen.
At the end of the meal, they refused to leave a tip. They explained it to the bartender, who took their money, and then called the police! They were then placed in hand cuffs and charged them with theft because the gratuity was part of the bill. *phew* Sounds like a great date night.
Now, the staff at Match-Up have illustrious backgrounds with a wide range of past occupations-- Disney staff, cruise line staff, campaign staff, etc. Half of us here have indeed been wait staff at one time or another. From our recollection...a tip is called gratuity for a reason-- it is a reflection of how well you took care of your customer. True, there is a sliding scale for what to give, and the common mentality is to leave the standard 15% no matter what, but there certainly is no law against not tipping or a right of entitlement on the part of the wait staff.
Dictionary.com defines gratuity as "something given without claim or demand". Hopefully the couple prints that off before their hearing next month!
So the lesson for the day, kids: tip no matter what! Even if it's the worst service you've ever had, you get food poisoning, everything goes wrong, etc., etc. Forget about trying to get the meal comped...because you might just wind up in handcuffs if you don't leave a tip...
Happy Friday!
To read the complete story: http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local-beat/Time-In-Prison--70426052.html
Monday, November 9, 2009
food for thought
While none of us feign to be doctors, each of us at Match-Up certainly have our own opinions about health.
An interesting article appeared earlier this week on MSN: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32762148/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Our staff is graced with an assortment of allergies-- thus far Jess is allergic to cockroaches (no wonder she moved to Minneapolis), Kristen says she's allergic to Mondays (who isn't these days, right?), Michelle is allergic to suntan lotion (not so conducive to Florida living), Nikole originally said that she was allergic to red things then recanted-- but she does have a strong aversion to leather and dry hands. Listing Adam's "can't eat" items would take all day-- let's just say he isn't too pleased that several of his favorite foods are listed on there (not Diet Mt. Dew, thankfully).
Anyways, hopefully the article will enlighten everyone about the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance. Happy Friday the 13th!
An interesting article appeared earlier this week on MSN: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32762148/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Our staff is graced with an assortment of allergies-- thus far Jess is allergic to cockroaches (no wonder she moved to Minneapolis), Kristen says she's allergic to Mondays (who isn't these days, right?), Michelle is allergic to suntan lotion (not so conducive to Florida living), Nikole originally said that she was allergic to red things then recanted-- but she does have a strong aversion to leather and dry hands. Listing Adam's "can't eat" items would take all day-- let's just say he isn't too pleased that several of his favorite foods are listed on there (not Diet Mt. Dew, thankfully).
Anyways, hopefully the article will enlighten everyone about the difference between a food allergy and food intolerance. Happy Friday the 13th!
Happy Monday!
In starting off the week on a light note, here are some fun facts to make you chuckle and wonder how in the heck they did the research:
- The Falkland Isles (pop. approx 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person-- try counting that!)
- When the Titanic sunk there was 7,500 lbs. of ham on it (not sure how they left that out of the movie)
- The United States Treasury Department maintains a fund known as The Conscience Fund, which accepts money sent in anonymously by taxpayers who think they've cheated the government. The money is used for miscellaneous expenses. (oh, if only it were the other way around)
- The United States minted a 1787 copper coin with the motto "Mind Your Business"
And lastly:
- The creators of a new model of Chevys couldn't figure out why their car, the Nova, wasn't selling well in Hispanic countries...until someone pointed out that "Nova" means "no go" in Spanish.
From all of us at Match-Up, Happy Monday!
- The Falkland Isles (pop. approx 2000) has over 700000 sheep (350 per person-- try counting that!)
- When the Titanic sunk there was 7,500 lbs. of ham on it (not sure how they left that out of the movie)
- The United States Treasury Department maintains a fund known as The Conscience Fund, which accepts money sent in anonymously by taxpayers who think they've cheated the government. The money is used for miscellaneous expenses. (oh, if only it were the other way around)
- The United States minted a 1787 copper coin with the motto "Mind Your Business"
And lastly:
- The creators of a new model of Chevys couldn't figure out why their car, the Nova, wasn't selling well in Hispanic countries...until someone pointed out that "Nova" means "no go" in Spanish.
From all of us at Match-Up, Happy Monday!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
it's all relative
This is Jess here, blogging from Minneapolis. It's officially been a month since I packed everything up, said a tearful goodbye to sunshine, and courageously crossed the threshold that I swore I would never return to-- The Great White North.
On that early October day that I successfully made it to Minneapolis, the weather was a crisp 49 degrees. Considering it was around 80 when I left, it was a bit of a challenge. I remember complaining profusely of how cold and windy it was, and received rolled eyes as a response-- not a lot of sympathy here. The common response is "just wait until January". The following day it snowed 5 inches, much to my chagrin. Did I mention that I had discarded all winter clothing two years ago and only had sneakers for "proper footwear"?
Fast forward a month, and when one of my Florida friends this week commented how they were finally getting a break from the intense heat in Jacksonville, I responded by saying how it was 49 degrees and felt so nice! Today it is 62 degrees and sunny, and I'm going to spend every minute I can out there. With winter coming...you have to fully enjoy those "warm" days when they come! Like I said...it's all relative. So wherever you are, make sure you enjoy the sunshine when you get it!
On that early October day that I successfully made it to Minneapolis, the weather was a crisp 49 degrees. Considering it was around 80 when I left, it was a bit of a challenge. I remember complaining profusely of how cold and windy it was, and received rolled eyes as a response-- not a lot of sympathy here. The common response is "just wait until January". The following day it snowed 5 inches, much to my chagrin. Did I mention that I had discarded all winter clothing two years ago and only had sneakers for "proper footwear"?
Fast forward a month, and when one of my Florida friends this week commented how they were finally getting a break from the intense heat in Jacksonville, I responded by saying how it was 49 degrees and felt so nice! Today it is 62 degrees and sunny, and I'm going to spend every minute I can out there. With winter coming...you have to fully enjoy those "warm" days when they come! Like I said...it's all relative. So wherever you are, make sure you enjoy the sunshine when you get it!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Labor Day
Shouldn't it be called "Non-Labor Day"? Anyhow, Friday brings the end of a week that has seen a completed RFP, contract renegotiation, sponsorship summit, 4 new clients, Jess' trip to parts unknown in the Northeast, Heidi's trip to Atlanta (so she said), Michelle's trip to Memphis...yes, we know what you are thinking- "How many vacation days do people get at Match-Up?" Answer- WAY TOO MANY. From all of us here- we wish our clients, vendors, and staff a safe and happy holiday!
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