Summer in Sacramento is hecka H-O-T! We’re talking days and days of triple-digit heat. Well, get ready for some of that hotness to invade the Merlot offices, ya’ll!

Merlot’s “Sizzlin’ Summer Cube” contest is back! For those who don’t know, we like to decorate our work spaces periodically throughout the year. It’s a creative outlet and a telling form of self expression (how else would we have come to know about Matt’s dress-up box?). The entire office is invited to participate and the theme this time around is summer - convenient, I know.

The rules are simple: Each person has from June 1st until judging day on July 16th to decorate his or her work space in the summer theme. On July 16th, the judges (who are TBD, but will be non-Merlot in affiliation to avoid bias) will judge each design and a winner will be announced on Friday the 18th. Of course, the super sweet decorations can remain up until the end of the summer.

It’s a lot of fun, so stay tuned because we’ll post designs and updates along the way!

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Matt’s moving up the ranks here at Merlot. And for good reason as he is awesome at what he does.

However, he left his desk unattended yesterday and that never ends well. After returning from his Eric Estrada-filled trip to PCBC, Matt encountered a small barrier this morning.

*Please note that the conspiring individuals (who shall remain nameless) waited until after hours to execute the above scene.

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In a recent visit to PCBC in San Francisco, we had the opportunity to meet with a true American hero. Everyone else laughed at me, but I took advantage. I grew up watching CHiPs with my dad and nothing will make me happier than to show him that I finally made it to the big time. A trade show with the Latin crime fighter himself. What a day!

And for the record, Eric Estrada is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet.

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Found ‘em!

George and Sid are lurking between cubes, trying to blend in with their best “business professional”-ware. (Thanks goes to Charlene and Matt for supplying the Playdough clothing.)

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Ok, I’ve come to the conclusion that almost everyone in this office loves SYTYCD. Sadly, I am not one of those people.

Not that there’s anything wrong with SYTYCD, I’d just like to introduce a different dance competition to the Watercooler… Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC). If you haven’t watched this show, you have to give it a try. While I’m not a big fan of MTV,  the station has (in my mind) officially redeemed itself with ABDC.  Almost every Monday at 7:00PM you can find me glued to the TV studying the dancer’s every move as they “pop-lock and drop-it” to reality stardom.  The competition is pretty straight forward: 10 dance crews from all over the country come to “battle it out” and claim the title of “America’s Best Dance Crew”…along with $100,000 cash prize. This is their second season and the dance crews this season are insane! Last year’s winners, my personal favorite, were the JabbaWockeeZ and yes, their dance moves are just as unique as their name. Take a peek: http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1583841&vid=216109 

I’m not sure who gets my vote this season. Right now I’m floating between A.S.I.I.D., Super Cr3w, Supreme Soul and SoReal Crew.  It’s seriously way too early to pick a favorite “crew,” only time will tell.

BTW, thanks to this show, I’ve decided to learn how to break dance:   ((Give me a week and that will be my signature move.))

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And by “Times” I mean the The Los Angeles Times, the Seattle Times and even the Roanoke Times. According to another Times, this one from New York:

Papers Facing Worst Year for Ad Revenue

“For newspapers, the news has swiftly gone from bad to worse. This year is taking shape as their worst on record, with a double-digit drop in advertising revenue, raising serious questions about the survival of some papers and the solvency of their parent companies.

Ad revenue, the primary source of newspaper income, began sliding two years ago, and as hiring freezes turned to buyouts and then to layoffs, the decline has only accelerated.

The primary long-term threat to newspapers is the Internet’s siphoning away of ad revenue, a trend that has been under way for more than a decade, but one that has picked up speed in the last year. Advertisers have vastly more choices online than on paper, so newspaper Web sites win only a fraction of the advertising that goes digital, and it pays much less than advertising in print. (more…)

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Some of life’s lessons can only be learned the hard way. Like the time I stuck my hand in the weedwacker to see what it felt like, or the time I tried to convince my high school English teacher that I was a ten gallon blood donor.

But it’s rare that we can truly learn from the mistakes of others, unless of course, you have the distinct privilege of calling Robert Cook your friend. In a recent conversation, Robert regaled me with a tale of his culinary prowess. Specifically, the time he tried to BBQ on his kitchen stove. Apparently, he brought in the grill from his BBQ, set it on the gas stovetop, and turned the gas on high. Needless to say the man I call my friend not only didn’t consider ventilation, he also didn’t consider the mess it would make on the stovetop from the dripping chicken juices.

So the next time you ride your bike into the American river, try to catch fish by hand at the Natomas Fish Hatchery, or compliment your girlfriend by telling her that she is ”rugged”, remember that the man who BBQs indoors, will be left with a mess.

Stay tuned for more life lessons from Robert Cook in the coming weeks. But in the meantime, keep your head above water and your BBQ on the patio.

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 Enough said!

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They always say that bad things come in threes. Well, the loss of Tim Russert was #1, and now the loss of George Carlin is #2. I awoke to horrible news this morning: George passed away yesterday from heart failure at the age of 71.

I’m a firm believer that the meaning of life is to laugh, and George certainly helped us do that. He pushed the envelope and when it pushed back, he pushed harder. And in the process, he helped create comedy for multiple generations. He was one of the greatest comedians to ever live and I think today, the art of standup has lost a God among its men and women.

When I think of George, I know I’ll always hear his scruffy voice, but whether the mental image is of Rufus or of a much older George with long white hair remains to be seen. Surely both are stellar visual representations. Regardless, I always think of George performing his explanation of the differences between football and baseball. This is truly my favorite Carlin bit. The best way to grieve this man is to laugh, so please enjoy the video below.

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There’s no denying it. We (some more than others) are geeks. But that’s OK because geeks are totally in right now!

Please enjoy the latest White Board question: Would you rather be Superman or Spiderman? (I think we all know Rob’s thoughts on this…)

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