A World of Anonymity

The rise of the internet and social networking has given everyone the opportunity to have access to more information and meet more people than perhaps we have ever had in the past.  For 95 percent of the world this is an amazing thing. I have met people that just five or ten years ago I may never have been able to meet.  I have learned things that I may never have known.  It has helped me in my career, it has helped me develop friendships, it has given me a platform that I would have never had.

That said, five percent of the people on the internet decide to use their online anonymity to spread hate in a way they would have never done in the past and still would never consider saying to a person's face.

Why do I say this? Because I've spent the last few years reading hateful and harmful comments on The Sacramento Bee website (and many others) about nonprofits, churches and companies who are doing great things, but for some reason people, seeking anonymity, continue to lash out at them mainly because they are ill informed. Today was the proverbial "straw that broke the camels back," when one of my friends, who is a mom, a blogger and home school teacher was accused of not spending enough time with her kids.  I was shocked, she is an amazing mom, her husband is an amazing dad, they both spend hours upon hours with their children everyday.  The mom, since she home schools is rarely away from her children, in fact, just last week she took them with her on a trip to Southern California.

It is anonymous, hurtful and harmful comments that quickly serve to devalue the positive power that the internet provides.  Yes, everyone has the right to an opinion, but I ask that before you make a negative comment you make sure you have the facts. Most importantly if you wouldn't say it to the individual in person don't say it online. If you're still going to say it, make sure that you are willing to put your real name (and contact information) on the line, don't cowardly hide behind an alias.

I Want to Fly Kulula Airlines

Normally I don't enjoy getting forwarded e-mails, but when I looked at the pictures and noticed that this was a real plane complete with hilarious captions, I had to read on and share it with everyone.  Kulula Airlines is the Southwest of South Africa from what I can tell, but in lieu of the "Shamu planes" or Horizon's "Oregon Duck's plane," they went for comedy.  Below are some quotes from the flight crew.

On a flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."

On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have."

"Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business   as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."

From a Kulula employee: " Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth .  To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."

After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo, a flight attendant on a flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."

Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember,  nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines."

"In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."

As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"

"Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."

"As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."

 And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

Heard on a Kulula flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing. If you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."

Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town: The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."

Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal."

Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of Kulula Airways."

Filming a Pilot Episode

The Meritage Resort and Spa - Photo Credit | Rex Gelert

Last Friday I got an e-mail from a television host asking if they could film a pilot episode for a new show at The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa (client). Throughout the week I worked with the show's producer and staff members at The Meritage to set everything up and make sure we would all be ready to film on Friday.  Thursday evening Trish and I met with the producer of the show to be called "Behind the Vine" to take her on a tour of the majestic property. The tour gave us the opportunity to show her where they would be filming, the opportunity to meet key Meritage staff members and of course do some wine tasting.

Friday morning came and we started the day off in Spa Terra, North America's only full service spa in an underground cave, it really is amazing.  After a couple hours of filming in the Spa, we headed to Siena to film the cooking segment and sample some great food.  Chef Thomas Hartwell showed the host how to make everything from pizza to steak, while explaining that he is a "localvore" (locavore) meaning he tries to source many ingredients for the restaurant locally.  We finished off the day back in the Estate Cave (where Spa Terra is located) at the Trinitas Tasting Room.  The host learned all about the wines and the story behind the name Trinitas and one of its wines, the RatZINger, which was hand delivered to Pope Benedict XVI (born Joseph Ratzinger) by the winery's owner.

My company, AugustineIdeas, also does work with the Napa Downtown Association and it just so happened that they had a meeting Thursday and Friday as well.  This meant that not only did I have three tasty meals at Siena (Eggs Meritage, a Porchetta Sandwich and The Meritage Cheese Burger), but I got to have drinks at Fish Story and Morimoto's (Iron Chef) and enjoy a fantastic dinner with the team at Tyler Florence's Rotisserie & Wine (for more on dinner, check out my co-worker's blog)

25 runs in 4 hours at Bear Valley

My dad and I might have set a personal record while skiing at Bear Valley on Saturday, 25 runs in less than four hours.  Evidently we have a need for speed when going down the mountain and we both had a great time during our first visit to the slopes for the season.  After our skiing adventure we headed back to the Bradley Lodge where we spent time with my mom, grandma, Jim, Shirley, Erin, Eric, Emmy and Elsie.

A New Office

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that my company, Augustine Ideas, has been in the process of moving over the last few weeks.  We started out by packing up hundreds of blue tubs at our old office and they magically reappeared at our new office this week.  I was able to go into the new office a few days this week to unpack my office, connect about 20 staff computers and dust (in the move we seemed to have brought a lot of that with us), while of course decorating my office and getting everything ready for work on Monday (we had the week off technically).  After many trips to World Market, Target, Walmart and of course IKEA, my office is decorated.  The centerpiece is a huge picture of London's Piccadilly Circus with not only a few double-decker buses, but GAP in the foreground.