Monday night was the Zappos 7th anniversary party. We’ve done it three years in a row now and it’s always a wild and crazy time.
First up we had a private, employee only event at The Joint at the Hard Rock. This included unlimited food, drinks, and Carrot Top. Yes, that Carrot Top. I was pleasantly surprised, and thought his show was pretty funny. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but it was cool for the company to lay out like that for a private performance.
After the private event we open up the big party. The WSA shoe show is in town this time of year and so we invite all the vendors. Actually, we call it a “Vendor Appreciation Party”. It’s somewhere around 2000 people out at the Hard Rock pool, with an open bar and various forms of entertainment. This year The Spazmatics played the party. The pool was open for swimming unlike previous years (yes, I took a dunk). They also had a cool mechanical surfboard that worked much like a mechanical bull, except with less of a chance at breaking your neck.
Last Wednesday Tony asked me to put together a little Zappos logo video loop to play on the plasma screens sprinkled around the place. Here’s what I came up with. Yeah, it’s just a minor tweak of a couple of the default Motion themes, but I had never done a project with Motion before so it was pretty fun to put together. Only took a couple hours to learn and get everything just how I wanted it. Very cool program. So yeah, that video was playing for hours on the plasmas in the background. Apparently is was also playing in every room in the hotel if you went to the right channel. Crazy!
I had a good time; and paced myself well with the alcohol. It’s tough going nearly 8 hours with such a party crowd. But I messed up big time by smoking a cigar at the end of the night. Made me ill. And I don’t mean like 80′s hip-hop ill. Ended up sleeping on the floor of Marvin’s room. No, not the movie, the generous Zappos guy who had a reservation at the Hard Rock.
So yeah: I smoked a cigar. And a couple cigarettes. And I drank. And I swam and danced bare chested. I ended up sleeping on someone’s floor. It sounds pretty trashy. And perhaps surprising for those who know me from before I moved here. What has become of the old Jon? He’s still here. Really. I just think living in Las Vegas and not partying like a rockstar is kind of like going to Europe and eating at McDonald’s.
Stay where you are. I’m getting you an intervention.
I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
Remember when that was included in about 30% of all attempts at humor?
Or was the intervention to help with my approval of Carrot Top?
Hey, congrats on your woman and her ULV victory. I really must say I thought that she was the only person who would never win the competition, but look who’s laughing now!
I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
Remember when that was included in about 30% of all attempts at humor?
Still preferable to, “Talk to the hand!”
Hey, congrats on your woman and her ULV victory. I really must say I thought that she was the only person who would never win the competition, but look who’s laughing now!
Of course, like Roger Maris, her name is entered in the record books followed by an asterisk, indicating that she won in a year in which Jon did not compete. I think Billy Crystal may be making a movie about the whole affair.
Hey, I just noticed that you’ve started posting more to your journal. Sweet
Does this represent some slowing of the workload? Or are you just starting to be insubordinate and slack off?
I have photographic evidence
that kathy in fact DIDN’T win the long jump. I did. She cheated.
I also have photographic evidence of Mark’s heartbroken face when he scored dead last in the asthetics contest and realized that it would ruin his demolition score.
ULV
Hey, I still haven’t managed to win one yet, despite years of almost showing up.
I’m moving out to Henderson in a week or two, we should start a competing ULVLV to break the Brendan monopoly.
Wait, I can make a better bacronym than that. The “Vegas Ulimate Lego Vehicle Auxiliary Scrimmage” maybe? I know there are possibilities here.
Re: ULV
Wait, you’re moving to Henderson? Like we’ll be neighbors? Crazy. Cool. I’ll show you how to ruin your life sometime.
Actually, some geeks and geek-type events would be very welcome out here.
Nice bacronym, baby.
nice video. even if I’d have had the time mine wouldn’t have been that classy. I’ve got to get me this “Motion” of which you speak.
You, I think you’ll dig it. Hey, I’m gonna be in SF this weekend. We should get together or something? I’m free Saturday day. I could bring Motion for a trial run…
crazy. Imma have a meeting for work Saturday but I should be back by 2pm. I can give you a call when I’m back in the city.
what’s the deal with cigars anyways?
men seem to love chomping on big stinky ones – but they smell absolutely disgusting and do seem to make you sick. I get sick just smelling them.
Re: what’s the deal with cigars anyways?
Actually, I must admit that I have had positive experiences with cigars in the past. The key is that you don’t want to be drunk, and you want to smoke them very slowly. In my case, it’s not so much about the cigar, but about taking the time to sit and talk with someone else for the duration. Two folks sit with a cigar and the conversation takes on a little more weight. Absurd but true.
Also, they don’t smell so bad when you’re the one smoking them; your olfactory sensors are completely dead in just a few seconds. And so far it’s been mainly chicks that I smoked them with. Go figure!
Re: what’s the deal with cigars anyways?
I of course am famous for having never been drunk, though I have tried many many times. So chicks dig cigars, huh? Is it a phallic thing? Jon, how much is having a cigar in your mouth like having a penis in your mouth? You can tell me! And when did you stop beating your wife?
Re: what’s the deal with cigars anyways?
just for the sake of fairness I should point out tha personally I have had a penis in my mouth before.
and it wasn’t my own.
it was a pig penis.
it was grilled.
and I ate it.
you know, I wouldn’t worry about what kind of influence you’re going to be on them or if you’ll be any at all. Probably the surest way to not be an influence is to try to be one. Just be your curious, insightful, funny, thoughtful, intelligent, compassionate self. Remember where you come from and where they come from are two different worlds, (as you seem already to do through your posts). Just be honest with them and accepting of them. You’re the kind of person sho leaves an impression just being himself and it’s a good impression at that.