Category: Tinker (Page 13 of 15)

My wife is in Las Vegas tonight with her boss, while I am relegated to pet sitting. I know she would rather be with me, since we were married at the Bellagio over sixteen years ago. (See Post #340). She was not enthusiastic about her business meetings there, but our dog Tinker ended up needing my attention with an ear infection, so it’s fortunate that I stayed home this time. In her absence, I had also planned to visit a friend’s house near the Oregon Coast, watch the I.U. vs. Duke basketball game with him, and take the dogs for a romp on the beach. Tinker’s ears are probably burning, not just from infection, but she probably knows that I’m writing about her, and that her health prevented our journey. Instead of Vegas or the Coast, I’m at my computer tonight, reminiscing about trips to Vegas, and killing time before the game.

My first trip to Vegas was in 1970, when I quickly passed through there as part of my “Blueberry Hill” adventure. (See Post #295). I was in college, underage, and traveling with a friend, but our interest was not Vegas but rather the Pacific Ocean. As a result, we did not go to the casinos, although fascinated with the lights, especially as we were approaching through the dark desert. Our funds were limited, so we only stopped for gas, a toilet break, and orange juice before continuing our route west. The ocean seemed to draw us like a magnet, and fortunately we could go no further. As my dad is credited with saying when I reluctantly told him where we were in a phone call back home, “thank God there’s an ocean” was his witty reply. He did not know that we were taking his car that far, assuming that we were simply going camping at the nearby Indiana dunes. Honestly, we did not even know where we’d end up, having packed for only a weekend, but the ocean was calling. I give him credit for maintaining his temper, but I’m sure he was simply in shock from discovering our whereabouts. The wise words he muttered were very true, since we surely would have kept driving if there wasn’t an ocean to stop us.

I got my first true Vegas experience in the late 1970’s as the result of a sales contest. I was selling advertising time for a radio station in my hometown, and was excited at the prospect of winning a group trip to Vegas if our sales team could achieve our annual sales goal. We all worked hard to make it happen, using advertiser credits to put us barely over the top. I think the station manager was stunned that we made it, and was not prepared to lay out the cash to send us all to Vegas and had to justify it with the owner. In retrospect, it was a very low budget trip, but we did get to take our spouses. We flew on an off-brand flight and stayed at the Westward Ho, right next to Circus Circus. We got to go to a show, had a group dinner, and each got a $100 bill to gamble away. I had a young son, very little in my wallet, and fortunately didn’t own a credit card. I lost all my money the first night, but put together a plan to earn some cash. In those days, each casino offered incentive dollars that you could claim each hour. I had to sign up for a time-stamped card and with each hour that passed could claim a roll of nickels. It was like Trick or Treating for cash. My wife and I set up a route down the strip and spent many hours using coupons to collect money. We found that by dividing and conquering, we could gather even more, and when we got back to the room placed all our “candy” in a big pile on the bed. I can’t remember how much we collected, but it kept us busy, bought a few cheap meals, and allowed us one last chance to potentially strike it rich. That did not happen. What I remember most of that first trip, was how thin the walls around our room were, and became convinced that there was a conspiracy among the housekeeping staff to keep us awake all night so that we had no choice but to go out and gamble. There were no clocks and the air conditioning system was not working properly, so I got very little sleep and got frustrated with the whole Vegas scene. I never wanted to go back – but have many times since.

I won another trip to Vegas while working at a radio station in Indianapolis in the mid 80’s, and remember my boss getting us all front row seats for a Sammy Davis show by tipping the host with a pile of poker chips that he had won. This adventure was a big step up from the first and second visits. We had tickets to several shows, stayed in a quieter hotel, and got more gambling money to lose. It was the prelude to several personal trips that we took over the next couple years, making Treasure Island our home base, but I was never as big of a gambler as my first wife, so I was never happy in Vegas. I do remember going to Hugo’s Cellar for dinner at the Four Queens downtown where the ladies each received a rose and we enjoyed our first encounter with a Sommelier and good wine.  My wife at the time would stay up all night playing Blackjack, while I often went to bed early counting my losses. I did enjoy walking the strip, observing the unusual people, watching the outdoor displays, and thinking about all the free money that I collected on the same route years ago.

When I got remarried, we started going to Vegas for work-related conventions. We would stay at the Bellagio and go to meetings, shows, and cocktail parties. Through the years, I saw several different Cirque du Soleil shows, the most memorable being “O,” The Beatle’s LOVE, Avenue Q, and Mamma Mia.  I even got to meet Pete Townsend and The Who at a CBS party as part of introducing the television show, CSI.  I had talked my wife into getting married in 2001 as part of the TVB convention. She was reluctant because at one time she saw a VHS tape of my first wife and I getting humorously hitched by “Elvis,” and it left a poor impression of the Vegas wedding scene. We eventually settled on a much classier Bellagio ceremony in their rose garden, but after our honeymoon night, for business reasons, had to move to the less expensive Rio. She also reluctantly needed to get back to Indianapolis while I stayed for meetings, so even though the ceremony was unforgettable, some of the circumstances around it were less than desirable. Two of the most memorable moments were the limo ride to the courthouse to get our marriage license, and nearly missing the 12:30 p.m. ceremony because I had to wait to cash out on a winning slot machine. We had to scramble to get to the “chapel on time.” We had dinner at Delmonico’s where I presented her with a cake-topper Limoges of a bride and groom.

From 2001 through 2005, we traveled to Las Vegas each year, but haven’t been back since 2011 when we celebrated our 10th anniversary, with the exception of connecting flights. Her being in Vegas tonight is a distinct reminder that we need to go together soon. For us, it’s a romantic adventure that has been missing from our busy lives, even though the city is as accessible as anywhere we’ve lived. Our Vegas dining experiences have included Michael’s, Seablue, Bouchon, Joel Robuchon, Noodles, Aria, Fellini’s, Emeril’s, Aqua, 808 Ceasar’s, 3950 Mandalay Bay, Joe’s Stone Crab, Flavors By Alex, and Chinois, along with several visits to the fabulous Bellagio Buffet. I’d tell you more but, as we all know, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Ah-choo…ah-choo….My wife sometimes suffers from allergies, a trait she shares with our oldest schnauzer, Tinker.  While my wife sneezes and sniffles, the dog scratches and licks her paws.  I, of course, have my share of flaws, so I try to be more than tolerant.  Last night, as I was snoring, the sneezing and itching got everyone everyone stirred up.  I ran to the bathroom for Kleenex and Vicks between an empathetic “Bless You,” and just as things were settling down, the cat decided to have a hairball.  That’s when my wife discovered a couple of other surprises that the cat had left behind, and reluctantly got up to clean up the mess.  Fortunately, I did not get tossed out of the bed like the cat, and rolled over with no trouble getting back to sleep, while she remained wide awake and alone with her thoughts.

I dreamed about a hilarious story that absolutely had to be captured in this blog first thing this morning.  However, there is no story because it was only a dream.  Instead, I have to take a blanket to the dry cleaners, unplug a toilet, remove some cobwebs, buy an SSL certificate for this site, and deal with my sleep-deprived wife.  I woke up to an e-mail cancelling the Pints to Pasta half-marathon that I was going to run next week, and an unexpected change in flight plans to Los Angeles next month.  My breakfast egg, however, was a double-yoker, so my luck was about to change.

The dogs are due for haircuts today, and I should do some house cleaning.  I think the sneezes were an indication that I’ve neglected some dusting responsibilities.  Also, all the ash and smoke in the air from the nearby forest fires, that caused the cancellation of my run, is now settling on the surfaces of our furniture.  I know our dog is allergic to grass, house flies, egg, and wheat, among other things.  I doubt that she was tested for ash, although that’s one of the areas of her body that constantly itches.   With my wife, it’s typically cheap perfume and dust particles that make her sneeze.  She’s also dealing with a pinched nerve in her back and the daily stress of work.  Did I mention that I’m retired?  She threw in a couple of sarcastic barbs about that as she trudged out the door for the office.

I’m cooking dinner tonight, so she doesn’t have to bother with that after work.  It’s a flank steak done under the broiler, with mashed potatoes and creamed corn.  She was worried about her business trip to Washington D.C. tomorrow, and how Irma will affect her flight and meeting schedules.  I’ll be home with the freshly groomed and bathed dogs.  At least, she’ll get to have dinner with her daughter.  She also expressed concern about the expected rainy weather here in Portland, and how that will interfere with our plans to entertain her visiting niece this weekend .  In between worries and concerns, she urged me to resolve any financial needs for my son and his family down in Florida.   She obviously has a lot on her mind, and had been thinking about it most of the night.

I’m obviously not faced with that level of stress any more.  I think that overall she’s happy for me to be retired, but is occasionally envious of my status.  She still enjoys her career, but not necessarily after a sleepless night of restless animals, a snoring spouse, and dust in the air.  Gesundheit!

Yesterday’s post #200 was another milestone for this blog.  I pledged from the start to post at least one article a day about my transition into retirement.  Some of those posts have drifted off into sports and pets, but each tries to capture the experience of keeping busy and relevant without holding down a job.  I got off to a slow start, achieving the 100 milestone (See Post #100) on May 31st, while only averaging about 20 a month since my December 31 retirement date..  I then went to the other extreme, averaging 50 articles over the last two months.  I enjoy writing, but I also don’t want to burn myself out, so I hope to catch up to and maintain that One-A-Day pace.

I can’t mention “One-A-Day,” without thinking about my dad.  He worked for Miles Laboratories, makers of One-A-Day multiple vitamins, Chocks, Bactine and Alka-Seltzer, to name a few of their most popular brands.  “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is!”  The world headquarters, at the time, was located in my hometown of Elkhart, Indiana.  One of the job perks was the company store, where employees could stock up on these and other items.  Every once in a while, he’d bring home some test products.  One of those was a headache remedy called Focus that was very effective, but never launched nationally, due to the high cost of market entry.  Ironically, the company was eventually bought by A.G. Bayer Corporation, and perhaps the Focus formula was incorporated into Bayer Aspirin, the market leader at the time.  Alka-Seltzer was heavily marketed, with the animated character, Speedy.  A badly faded Speedy Alka-Seltzer piggy-bank sits on my office shelves next to some of my dad’s service pins of 15, 20, 25, and 30 years.  There was a later television campaign, “No matter what shape your stomach is in,” and featured a jingle done by a band called The Meatballs.  I wish I still had the vinyl album that he brought home for me, featuring that catchy tune.  Because of the merger with A.G, Bayer, my dad was able to take early retirement at age 57.  He struggled in retirement, always looking for something to keep him busy, so this became a big concern to me as I approached leaving the job market.  He had no hobbies other than reading and doing crossword puzzles.  I, at least, have my writing to keep me entertained.

I think that it was these Miles products that peaked my interest in advertising.  One of my dad’s best friends was the marketing liaison between the company and its advertising agencies. The very first of these agencies was Wade Advertising in nearby Chicago.  The brand was launched with a print campaign in 1917, inviting people to get a free sample at their local drugstore.  This eventually led to radio in 1932 on WLS (World’s Largest Store) and a sponsorship of “Saturday Night Barn Dance.”   The tagline, “For prompt, pleasant relief” was used to establish the Alka-Seltzer brand.  Miles was the sixteenth rated national radio sponsor by 1939, with catchy slogans like “Be wise – Alkalize with Alka-Seltzer!”  Radio also helped establish the unique sound of the effervescent tablets – “Listen to it fizz!”  By the mid-1950s, the agency had creatively evolved “Action in a Glass!” into the more memorable, “Relief is just a swallow away!”  Red-headed, Speedy Alka-Seltzer was born the same year I was, 1951, and was a key in becoming the top commercial of the that decade.

The 47-year relationship with Wade Advertising ended in 1964,  in favor of Madison Avenue based Jack Tinker and Partners.  Wade quickly went out of business.  Tinker developed the iconic “Stomachs Montage,” campaign, and sales purportedly increased 64% compared to the previous year.  “Alka-Seltzer on the rocks” soon followed, and after a  migration of creative talent,  the account soon shifted to Doyle Dane Bernbach in 1969.  The new Alka-Seltzer Plus was then launched as competition in the antacid category increased.  Award-winning, humorous TV campaigns like “Groom’s First Meal” and “Mama Mia,” plus the “spicy-meatball” catch-phrase, became popular but apparently did not drive sales, so Wells, Rich, Greene became the agency of record. Partner Mary Wells was formerly with Tinker, and influenced the need to change the creative approach.  “Personalities,” “Try it, you’ll like it” and “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing!” became pop culture favorites through her direction.

In order to remain competitive, Alka-Seltzer Plus eventually extended  into Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medication, and “Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz” could relieve both headaches and stuffiness due to colds.  By this time, 1978, the German-based A.G. Bayer Corporation had taken control of the company, and my dad and his marketing buddy, among many others,  were shown the door with full benefits.  He was able to live comfortably for another 36 years, thanks to his association with Miles Laboratories,  His career took him all over the world, and gave me every educational opportunity to achieve my own success.  Selling creative ideas through advertising was a key part of this success.  I’m glad that I met Speedy and had an inside track to some of the greatest adverting campaigns of all time.