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July 3, 2007

Stylin' in Boston

One of the nice things about working for Guru Labs is the variety. I get to see new places, try new foods, and drive a variety of cars. Which brings me to my ride in Boston a couple of weeks ago:

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Need I say more?

Posted by Stuart Jansen at 4:42 PM |

September 24, 2006

Eatin' Good In The (Tacoma) Neighborhood

Working for Guru Labs has allowed me to experience new foods on someone else's dime. I used to think that I didn't like sea food. As it turns out, I do like sea food, I just don't like cheap sea food.

Here's a tip for frequent business travellers: if your room has a refrigerator, hit a grocery store and buy food you normally wouldn't because of the price.

Last week while I was in Tacoma, WA I stumbled on a great little Japanese restaurant called Twokoi. (Unfortunately it doesn't have its own Web site yet.) The menu was printed without any prices. Based on the atmosphere and the food I saw on other tables, I was expecting to spend $30 to $40 before tip. Boy was I in for a surprise! Appetizer, entree and a delicious bowl of ice cream were just $15 before tip.

I decided to start off with an adventurous appetizer: calamari (squid), sea weed & cucumber in a light sauce. Amazing! Truthfully one of the best appetizers I've ever had.
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For the entree I decided to push the limits of my sea food tolerance. I can't remember what it was called, or everything in it, but I do remember my soup had clams, crayfish, lobster and shrimp. The small iron kettle it was served in was also fun.
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To finish things off I had two scoops of of ginger ice cream. And speaking of ginger...

This was actually my third trip to the Seattle area. During the last trip I discovered a rich-hippy organic grocery store with a great deli and surprising chocolate selection. Last time I didn't have the courage to try the chocolate, but this week I was determined to take the plunge. I bought two bars:
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the Black Pearl (ginger + wasabi + black sesame seeds + dark chocolate) and the Naga (sweet Indian curry powder + coconut flakes + milk chocolate). They didn't taste bad, and I did enjoy the experience, but I don't think I'd buy them again.

Hands down, however, the best food that week was the fruit. Here's a tip for frequent business travellers: if your room has a refrigerator, hit a grocery store and buy food you normally wouldn't because of the price. For example, over the course of just two days, I ate $20 worth of strawberries. Thanks to Bolthouse Farms C-Boost, I must have averaged ~3000% of my RDA for vitamin C. (Oh how I love Acerola!) I also had bananas, tangerines, plucots and awesome honeydew melon. (Apparently Washington is known not just for apples but also for its melon.)

Sound like fun? Guru Labs is hiring.

Posted by Stuart Jansen at 10:35 PM |

July 27, 2006

Stylin' in Cali

It's good to be a Guru (Labs employee).

As a business traveller, I've learned that rental cars and the lottery have a lot in common. Although my office always reserves economy cars, about half the time I end up with something different because the agency overbooked. I've driven sedans, vans, SUVs and even a PT Cruiser. So far my favorites are the Dodge Charger, the PT Cruiser and the Chevy Cobalt LTZ I'm driving right now.

I've discovered I prefer small cars over SUVs, so it's not too surprising that I like my economy car this week. (The only time I've ever disliked a small car was the week I had an under-powered Kia to navigate the cloverleaves on the east coast.) Of course, my car this week doesn't have the standard package. It has a sun roof, a Pioneer sound system and either real leather seats or very convincing faux leather. It also has my favorite steering column layout: two buttons for the cruise and five for the radio, all on the steering wheel within easy reach of my thumbs.

I'm in Sacramento, CA this week and the temperatures have been consistently going above 100°. I enjoy the heat. I'm having fun driving around California with my sun roof open, my windows down, and my stereo unreasonably loud. There are few better ways to celebrate summer.

One perk of this job is eating at expensive restaurants regularily. However, I've discovered that there's a limit to how much steak one can eat before wanting a little variety. Last night as I was tooling around trying to find the radio station that made best use of my car's bass, I stumbled across a Trader Joe's and blew $20 buying dinner there. (Oh, how I wish Utah had a Trader Joe's! And a Fry's, and a Cheesecake Factory, and a J. Gilbert's, and a Legal Seafoods, and a World Market. Okay, technically Park City has a World Market, but that doesn't count.)

I suppose you could argue that's not a perk but a disadvantage. Working for Guru Labs I've discovered Utah doesn't have very many great restaurants, nor does it have some pretty cool stores.

Each training center I visit is unique. Some have special perks like fresh fruit or warm cookies in the afternoon. The training center in Kansas City has home cooked lunches. This training center has a slightly more unusual perk: free classic arcade games. During the breaks, I've been playing Arkanoid. Also among the arcade machines are such classics as Asteroids, Pole Position and Zaxxon. When I saw the Lethal Enforcers machine, I just had to take a picture:

Yes, that's Richard Dean Anderson sporting a gun and a killer mullet. It looks like he and I are both stylin' in California.

Posted by Stuart Jansen at 1:47 PM |