A Christmas Card "imPRESSes" Me
I make a point to be here in the USA each year for a special observance on the King Day Weekend. I look forward to sharing more about this event next year. I hope that many of you will have the opportunity to join me in an extremely meaningful use of a “day off” on MLK Day, 2008.
Of course, because I am home now, one of the wonderful things I get to do is catch up on all the beautiful correspondence I‘ve received, and respond to as many people as possible. Even in a world where e-mail follows me around the globe, there are some benefits to papers and pictures that friends handle and write on that you can pick up and touch and even see smear marks sometimes! Some people like carrying and using cash for their transactions. I like receiving cards and letters. So, keep them coming!
My good friends Bob and Ana sent me this wonderful holiday card! It was literally “right off the press”, as they produce these wonderful papers right in North Kansas City. (I keep thinking I need to work a little harder to bring their company, Skylab Letterpress, to Raytown. I think this would be a brilliant fit with the Applied Technology niche that we are developing.) Anyhoo, the texture on this card is perfectly exquisite! When you receive a card from Skylab Letterpress, you’ve truly got something in your 
hand that was “crafted”, not something that was nonchalantly “produced”. As soon as Ben and Sarah open the coffee shop, I am certain that we will have some of their great papers around from time to time. As a writer, I can tell you first hand that they are inspiring.
By the way, now that I have shared this card with you, I feel somewhat obligated to elaborate on the Stockholm story. As you might imagine, I am a diehard soccer fan. What do you expect from a guy whose father is from Italy and whose mother is from Costa Rica? And once every 4 years, I get to experience the privilege of attending the FIFA World Cup games. It’s a great opportunity to keep in touch with some of the wonderful people around the world I’ve met. Think of it as a month long international homecoming where you get to hang out with wonderful people, do business, and
watch the 48 best soccer teams in the world play to the finish. Now, that’s truly a “World Series” of “Super Bowl” proportions.
So, the USA Team didn’t turn in their best effort, and went home after their first round this time. Still, the USA was able to shock the Italian Team to a 1-1 tie match. Then, the Italians went on to win the entire tournament. So, that says something for the USA Team. By the way, the 2010 Tournament will be hosted by South Africa. Anyone care to join me?
So, what about Stockholm, the capital of Sweden? Not to give a geography lesson here, but Stockholm is located a short 3 ½ hour trip by air from Nuremburg, Germany (including the brief layover in Copenhagen, Denmark). I was in Stockholm in between the rounds of World Cup play. One of my favorite café mochas is served up at a cozy little restaurant called Petite Östermalmstorg, which has been an
inspiration for the upcoming coffee shop. (Check it out at: http://www.petite.se/ompetite.html).
It was there I had the opportunity to meet Bob and Ana. There were also some American Embassy guards who were out for an evening of fun and great food. About 9 PM, some of the USA Team showed up, enjoying some well deserved rest. Apparently some of the team was a bit dehydrated from their exhausting 2-1 loss to Ghana. So, when a couple of them got ill, the guards from the Embassy were able to get them right back to see the Embassy Doctor. I hope you guys are back to normal now!
I see that my New England Patriots are about to kick off against the San Diego Chargers, so at the risk of ending this session abruptly, I must sign off. I wish Marty Schottenheimer all the luck of the world—next year. Go Patriots!
Of course, because I am home now, one of the wonderful things I get to do is catch up on all the beautiful correspondence I‘ve received, and respond to as many people as possible. Even in a world where e-mail follows me around the globe, there are some benefits to papers and pictures that friends handle and write on that you can pick up and touch and even see smear marks sometimes! Some people like carrying and using cash for their transactions. I like receiving cards and letters. So, keep them coming!
My good friends Bob and Ana sent me this wonderful holiday card! It was literally “right off the press”, as they produce these wonderful papers right in North Kansas City. (I keep thinking I need to work a little harder to bring their company, Skylab Letterpress, to Raytown. I think this would be a brilliant fit with the Applied Technology niche that we are developing.) Anyhoo, the texture on this card is perfectly exquisite! When you receive a card from Skylab Letterpress, you’ve truly got something in your 
hand that was “crafted”, not something that was nonchalantly “produced”. As soon as Ben and Sarah open the coffee shop, I am certain that we will have some of their great papers around from time to time. As a writer, I can tell you first hand that they are inspiring.By the way, now that I have shared this card with you, I feel somewhat obligated to elaborate on the Stockholm story. As you might imagine, I am a diehard soccer fan. What do you expect from a guy whose father is from Italy and whose mother is from Costa Rica? And once every 4 years, I get to experience the privilege of attending the FIFA World Cup games. It’s a great opportunity to keep in touch with some of the wonderful people around the world I’ve met. Think of it as a month long international homecoming where you get to hang out with wonderful people, do business, and
watch the 48 best soccer teams in the world play to the finish. Now, that’s truly a “World Series” of “Super Bowl” proportions.So, the USA Team didn’t turn in their best effort, and went home after their first round this time. Still, the USA was able to shock the Italian Team to a 1-1 tie match. Then, the Italians went on to win the entire tournament. So, that says something for the USA Team. By the way, the 2010 Tournament will be hosted by South Africa. Anyone care to join me?
So, what about Stockholm, the capital of Sweden? Not to give a geography lesson here, but Stockholm is located a short 3 ½ hour trip by air from Nuremburg, Germany (including the brief layover in Copenhagen, Denmark). I was in Stockholm in between the rounds of World Cup play. One of my favorite café mochas is served up at a cozy little restaurant called Petite Östermalmstorg, which has been an
inspiration for the upcoming coffee shop. (Check it out at: http://www.petite.se/ompetite.html).It was there I had the opportunity to meet Bob and Ana. There were also some American Embassy guards who were out for an evening of fun and great food. About 9 PM, some of the USA Team showed up, enjoying some well deserved rest. Apparently some of the team was a bit dehydrated from their exhausting 2-1 loss to Ghana. So, when a couple of them got ill, the guards from the Embassy were able to get them right back to see the Embassy Doctor. I hope you guys are back to normal now!
I see that my New England Patriots are about to kick off against the San Diego Chargers, so at the risk of ending this session abruptly, I must sign off. I wish Marty Schottenheimer all the luck of the world—next year. Go Patriots!
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