Starbucks Millionaires Club

All this week I have been on a bit of a coffee binge. You see, I pretty much gave up coffee a few months back and switched to tea. I did it because tea is supposed to be healthier for you than coffee. It wasn’t that I felt I was drinking too much, or had health problems; I just thought it would be a healthier choice and help me to maintain my “relaxed state” after my morning yoga. I love the taste of coffee though, so even when I wasn’t drinking it as my morning beverage, I would still have a cup every now and then.

Anyway, this week I got the hankering for the taste of coffee, so I was stopping by my local Starbucks every morning on my way to my client site visits. I would order a doppio (aka double) espresso and a Venti (aka large) Coffee Of The Day. I joked one day with the Barista that I was ordering the coffee equivalent of a shot of tequila with a beer chaser. I would drink the espresso immediately and then sip the drip coffee the rest of the day after it cooled off for about 20 minutes. I find their drip coffee too freaking hot when it’s first handed to me, but that’s another story.

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When Did I Become Old School?

I’m only 35, but in the past few weeks I’ve noticed more and more that in some aspects of my life, I’m a bit old school. Some might call it being a fuddy duddy, old fart, or even a stick in the mud. Call it what you will, but in my book, I’m simply old school.

What strikes me as funny about this is that I’m a computer consultant by trade so I’m always involved with new technology on a consistent basis. Everyone has heard of the cutting edge, but in most things related to technology, I’m considered on the bleeding edge. For example, I have close to 30 handheld devices and typically carry at least 3 with me at all times. In my office I’m running Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networks. The 802.11b network has been up for over a year and the bluetooth network for close to 6 months. Both my main workstation and my laptop both dual boot to Windows XP Professional and Red Hat Linux and as I type this I’m downloading Red Hat 9.0.

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Speaking Of Marketing Nightmares

At the end of my last post, regarding Maximus Herbal Blend, I made the comment that ‘I’m just glad that I don’t run a company like Maximus Management Services.’ To me, it would be a bit of a marketing nightmare to have your company name used for a male libido supplement. Can’t you see walking into a potential customer’s office and when you go to introduce yourself, you have to explain that your company isn’t the same company as the one that gives you, “improved stamina.”

Well, that got me to thinking about some other marketing nightmares. One of my early jobs was as a clerk for Eckerd Drugs. I worked in the pharmacy department, and I remember a diet suppressant that was designed to be a small chocolate like candy. The concept I guess was for you to eat a little piece of candy that no only gave you a candy fix, but suppressed your desire to eat as well. The name of this little wonder? AYDS.

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Snake Oil Is Alive And Well

Recently, I’ve seen a bunch of infomercials and even received plenty of spam on the subject of ‘boosting the male libido.’ I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it. Since when do men need a bigger libido? If I took something like that I’m afraid Holly would make me sleep outside.

There’s a product called Maximus that I’ve seen advertised on TV in an infomercial. According to their web site, this is an herbal supplement, which also means that it’s not regulated by the FDA. I looked at some of the ingredients: Muira Pauma Stem 4:1 Extract, Stinging Nettles Standardized Extracts, Avena Sativa are just a few of the “active ingredients.” My favorite part is one of their warnings, “If you experience any discomfort reduce dosage.” Ok, so let me get this straight, I’m taking a pill to make me horny and if I feel discomfort just reduce the dosage? Oh that sounds like a wicked cocktail if I ever heard one (pun intended).

Who is taking this junk? I can understand why some guys would find a growth hormone appealing, or some other snake oil promising some other enhancement, but libido? I guess I should be reassured that the company selling it is called Alpine Cosmecuticals. That’s a name you can stand behind.

I’m just glad that I don’t run a company like Maximus Management Services.