“Don’t Let The Bastards Wear You Down”
I have a coffee mug that reads, “Don’t let the bastards wear you down.” It is proudly displayed in my bookcase. I don’t drink out of it. It just sits in a place of honor in my office. My grandfather, Guy Wilson Saunders gave me that advice when I was a young man, and he had that screen printed on a mug so I’d always remember it. The advice Pop gave me has served me well.
Many of the people I ran into this week — normally nice, reasonable people — had suddenly become short-tempered, crabby, and irrational. At first I thought all the rain we’ve had recently must be brining everyone down, but then a colleague told me the dire news: MERCURY IS IN RETROGRADE!!!
What? Say that again. According to news accounts, “Mercury in retrograde” happens when Mercury passes the earth in the solar system and something else happens with obscure pseudo-science, planetary allignment….blah, blah, blah and then WHAM. It happens. This is apparently why everyone will be in a foul mood until August 16.
Now I’m not one to believe in astronomy. I wouldn’t know a Saggitarian from a Vegetarian. So I did my own research on the interwebs, and it must be true. I read it on MNN (Mother Nature Network) and there was an article in Elle Magazine. And there’s this article written by the producer of ABC News‘ Good Morning America, a trusted news source.
What should we do? Winston Churchill’s advice “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” I think Winston and Pop would have gotten along famously.
Monday, July 30 – The Rossberg Era Begins
On Monday, we welcomed a new team member to our merry band of Main-iacs. Katie Rossberg has joined Madison+Main as our new Office Manager. Take a moment to connect with Katie on LinkedIn.
Monday was also very special (and we were all on our best behavior) because our COO Molly Whitfield was in Richmond for the week! If you didn’t know, Molly and husband Army Capt. Lee Whitfield are currently stationed in Kansas, so it’s always a treat for all of us when she comes for a visit to RVA. To welcome her back to the Old Dominion, I took Molly out for a lovely dinner at Rappahannock.
What does it feel like to work at Madison+Main? Just ask Katie!
Tuesday, July 31 – Hoarders: Main-iac Edition
If you aren’t a Jimmy Kimmel fan, you might have missed Richmond’s own Matt Paxton (the Hoarders guy) on the show last week. He helped one of Kimmel’s writers clean out his office “collection” of stuff and it was pretty funny.
Apparently, Molly saw that episode and was inspired to do the same at our office. Though we didn’t require professional intervention from Mr. Paxton, Molly was able to organize a massive clean up throughout the office, which lasted pretty much all week and required two trips from our new BFFs at 1-800-GOT-JUNK. Thanks Molly! I can see my desk again.
Thanks to 1-800-GOT-JUNK for helping us declutter our office this week.
Wednesday, August 1 – Baby Showers & Skee-Ball Showdowns
Wednesday was a day of celebration all around. At lunch, we held a surprise baby shower for Senior Account Manager Kaitlin Thomas where we played “Guess the Baby Photo” and enjoyed some amazing grub from Kaitlin’s favorite lunch spot, Big Herm’s Kitchen. After work, we enjoyed a company happy hour at The Circuit. Did you know that marketing folks can be ruthlessly competitive at Dance Dance Revolution? Just ask the bouncer at The Circuit. True story.
Can you be fashionable while slaughtering zombies and saving the world
one quarter at a time? Kaitlin and Erin Rebmann say, “Duh.”
Thursday, August 2 – Virginia is for Racing Lovers
On Thursday, Communications Manager Kent Brockwell and Janet Brooking, Executive Director of DRIVE SMART Virginia headed over to Richmond Raceway to hear some great news. The Virginia Tourism Corporation and RR have entered into a multi-year partnership to prominently include the “Virginia is for Racing Lovers” messaging as part of the Richmond Reimagined $30 million infield redevelopment project. I can’t wait to see all the track improvements at the upcoming race weekend on Sept. 21-22, which is presented by WhosYourDriver.org
Calendar!
Cards, Dice & Delights
Springdale at Lucy Corr
Thursday, August 23
Make a date with Lady Luck at Lucy Corr! On Thursday, August 23, Springdale at Lucy Corr is hosting a casino-themed afternoon of fun, food, door prizes, and fabulous games. Plus, when you need to take a break from the action on our casino floor, we’ll be offering tours of our spacious, maintenance-free apartments and cottages. Stop by for a fun-filled and informative afternoon and see what stress-free, active, independent living is all about!
NASCAR Race Weekend, Presented by WhosYourDriver.org
Richmond Raceway
September 21-22
Boogity, boogity, boogity! The fall NASCAR races at Richmond Raceway are right around the turn and we can’t wait! This year’s September race weekend is being presented by our client Who’s Your Driver? and race fans will finally get to see and experience the new $30 million infield improvements at the track. Tickets are still available.
Madison+Main’s 13th Anniversary
Virginia State Fair
Wednesday, October 3
The Madison+Main-iacs will be eating giant smoked turkey legs and deep-friend Oreos on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 3. We’ll be closing the office early and heading to the Virginia State Fair to celebrate our 13th birthday. How cool is that? If you’d like to join us, email brandys@madisonmain.com.
Friday, August 3 – CrossKeys Wins Big In Vegas
We heard some great news this week from our clients and favorite winery in the Shenandoah Valley, CrossKeys Vineyards. Six of their wines earned medals at the 2018 Global Wine Awards in Las Vegas last month! This new haul of awards brings their medals tally up to 92 since producing their first vintage of 100% estate-grown wine in 2006. Congrats!
We recently launched a new and improved website for CrossKeys Vineyards. Check it out,
let us know what you think, and buy a bottle or two of their award-winning wines (I’m a fan of the 2015 Meritage!)
And before I head out for the weekend, I want to encourage you to vote for our clients Adams, Jenkins & Cheatham in Richmond Times-Dispatch’s The Best readers’ choice awards contest. They are finalists in the “Best Local Accounting Firm” category but you can help them get the top spot in the poll. Cheers!