Domo Does Vegas X2

This past month Domo went to Vegas not one, but two times! That's a lot of Vegas for Domo, or anyone! Vegas is like bacon, its great in moderation. Two 4-day trips to Vegas withing two weeks? Bleh, too much Vegas!

Las Vegas Strip at Night

Trip #1

For the first trip Domo, David, and Monika drove out to Vegas from San Diego. The drive was surprisingly fast, and took about 4 1/2 hours. Counting the time you waste at the airport before and after a flight, driving doesn't take that much longer. Domo recently read the book "Delivering Happiness" about Zappos and had signed up for a tour of the Zappos headquarters. The tour was really neat and ended with Domo feeling like royalty! (More about the book and tour on the blog: Delivering Happiness.)

Domo is Zappos Royalty!

King David & Princess Monika

Since Monika was in Vegas for a tradeshow, Domo and David had the days to themselves to party hard! Well okay, not really. But Domo and David did have time to walk around the strip and get to see Vegas during the day. Instead of staying at the host hotel/casino for the show, Domo decided to stay at a Marriott resort down the street from the show that was about the same price. Instead of staying in a smokey casino with an average sized room Domo got a HUGE suite with a full kitchen. And like all Marriotts, the place was smoke free! (Monika's review on Yelp of the Marriott Grand Chateau here.)

Domo at the Bellagio Fountain Show

After each day of the tradeshow Domo got to go out to eat in Vegas. He tried the Italian restaurant Trevi at Caesars (Yelp review here) and the churrascaria Pampas at the Miracle Mile shops. (Yelp review here)  

Monika & David at Caesars Palace

Since this trip to Vegas fell the weekend before Monika's *cough* 23rd birthday, Domo decided to take Monika to see the Beatles Love show by Cirque du Soleil! Domo has seen several of the Cirque du Soleil shows before and has really liked them, but heard that Love is totally different and a must see. It didn't disappoint!

Monika & David at Beatles Love

After three days in Vegas it was time to head back home. Domo and friends had fun, but were happy to escape the heat and head back to San Diego.

Trip #2

Two weeks after the first trip, Domo had to head back to Vegas again. Blahhh... Monika had another tradeshow but instead of driving out Domo and Monika flew out ... First Class! Whoo hoo! Domo has been doing really well on First Class upgrades this year. The airlines must know that Domo is VIP! Very Important Pocket-doll. haha

After setting up the tradeshow booth (alone!), Domo had all afternoon and evening by himself before the rest of the crew came in that night. Let Domo tell you this ... spending the afternoon in Vegas alone is BORING. Domo thought about going to the pool but realized he only brought his lap swimming suit and not his bikini. (Yeah, Domo wears a bikini! What did you think he wore?) 

Room View of the Bellagio Pools

Domo walked the strip, window shopped, and finally ended up at the Petrossian piano bar near registration where he hung out for an hour or so until his coworker arrived. 

Shrimp Cocktail at Petrossian (3 pieces? Really?)

For dinner Domo had sushi at Yellowtail in the Bellagio. Dinner was very yummy and one of the things Domo had to eat was a sushi roll that had Pop Rocks on it! Mmmm! Domo loves sushi. And Pop Rocks!

Domo Having Cappuccino at Yellowtail

The next day the tradeshow started and Monika spent the next three days pimping her product. Domo thinks that standing in a booth talking about wrinkles for three days sounds boring, but Monika seems to really like her job. Domo is glad he's a Domo of leisure and doesn't need to work.

Domo Having Breakfast in His Room

(BTW this is what $29 buys you... omg)

Domo went to two group dinners while he was in Vegas for the second time that were pretty fancy. One was at Olives and the other was at Prime. Both restaurants were in the Bellagio which was great for Domo. Domo's poor little feet hurt on this trip! No crazy dishes of note were ordered at Olives, but Domo's socks were knocked off twice at Prime when he first saw the seafood platter, and then when he saw the tomahawk steak for two. 

Seafood Platter at Prime Steakhouse

Tomahawk Steak at Prime Steakhouse

 (Domo didn't eat this. He had a petite fillet)

Good thing Domo always works on his fitness when he travels! Domo ate a lot on this trip! Domo and Monika went running each morning in Vegas even though it was about 90F out by 7am. 

Running the Strip by the Bellagio

Running the Strip by Circus Circus

Running the Strip Approaching Paris

Domo ended up leaving Vegas a day before the show ended because Monika needed to be back in San Diego early since she had a triathlon on Sunday. Domo had fun while he was in Vegas but has probably had enough Vegas for the year now. Next up? San Francisco! Domo and friends are heading to San Francisco this weekend to see the NKOTB/BSB concert! YES REALLY! Domo is so excited! More on that next week.

My First Guest Blog Post

Recently I was asked by Vanessa Runs to write a guest blog post about Girls on the Run, Solemates (the GOTR charity program), and Glam Runner tutus. Through a friend of a friend Vanessa found out about the tutus we were making to fundraise for Solemates, and ran her first ultramarathon in one with a few other friends!

Vannessa Runs in Green

 

Vanessa & Friends Running the Mind the Ducks 12 Hour Run

After running the race she was interested in finding out more about Girls on the Run and our fundraising efforts, and asked me to write a guest post on her blog.

Check out the post "Running with a Purpose: Girls on the Run"

Everyone Loves Domo

As you know, I write my travel blogs in the voice of Domo Domo blogs about his worldly travels on my blog. Domo's first blog started as a joke after Domo came with me on a trip to Chicago and I sent cell phone pictures back to David about "Domo's Trip". David and other seemed amused enough (and no one seemed to think I was *too* crazy), so Domo's blogging continued.

Domo's Travels

So far this year Domo has traveled to Phoenix, Boston, Paris, and Vegas, and still has trips planned to Vegas, San Francisco, San Francisco through the rest of the summer. (And several other trips after that.) Last year Domo traveled a lot as well. He went to Chicago, DC, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas, Paris, San Francisco, and Orlando. As my love for Domo grew, I started to pick up Domo collectibles.

Domo Shirt from Disneyworld

Birthday Domo Cookies

My friends also seemed to take to my love of Domo and showed their love for Domo as well. I recently came across a blog post about Domo cookies on a blog I follow called Hawaii Kawaii. The recipe seemed like a lot of work and since I'm (1) lazy and also (2) weird and grossed out by seeing the ingredients that go into food, I thought I'd place a hint with my friends Christine and Todd to see if they would make the cookies. I really didn't think they'd actually make them, but .... they did! For my birthday!

Christine Slaving Over Domo Cookies

 

Domo Cookies!!

I've always loved having birthday BBQ's but haven't had one since I moved to San Diego. My dad was going to visit for our birthday (we have the same birthday! I love it!) and I had thought about getting a grill so we could have a small BBQ (me, Dad, David) at home, but when I found out that he wouldn't be able it come for the weekend I thought what the heck, maybe I"ll have a 'bigger' BBQ party instead! 

Ben Picked out Flowers For Me!

The Only Picture I Took - With Devika & Ben

Little did I know that when Christine and Todd accepted my invite to come over to BBQ, they'd be plotting to bring Domo cookies with them! I was amazed and thrilled! They were soooo cute, and I knew they were a ton of work. As Christine mentioned on her blog, she SLAVED over them. :o) haha

Wearing the Domo Shirt from Todd & Christine, Holding Domo + Domo Cookie

I was busy playing hostess throughout the BBQ and somehow forgot to take many pictures. Bad Asian girl!  Bad! Oh well, you can see more pictures on Christine's blog here.

Domo "Fan" Photos

Prior to posting my Paris blog, I had googled "Domo Dress" photos thinking I might find some Domo couture photos I could borrow to start telling his story of going to Paris. I came across someone's photostream on Flickr and realized that I'm not the only person who takes pictures of their Domo doll!

And then ... last week I found out about a third person! Someone emailed me last week saying:

"I loved the Domo Photos.  I am in the springs, taking a job here some 500
miles from home.  I regularly take Domo photos and send back home to my kids.


Thought you may enjoy some my Domo's adventures."

With that he included three pictures of HIS Domo that he'd taken on his many adventures. I LOVE IT! Maybe I should start a I-Travel-With-My-Domo Meetup Group? Haha.  Here are some pictures of Ed's Domo. 

Domo with Hello Kitty!

Domo and Dinosaur

Domo and Pike's Peak

This Tuesday Domo will be heading back to Vegas for another tradeshow. And yes, of course you will read about his adventures upon his return!

Delivering Happiness

I finished reading a great book a few weeks ago when I was in Paris on vacation visiting my mom. It is only the second book I have *ever* finished reading in one sitting. The first book? TWILIGHT! The second? Delivering Happiness: A path to profits, passion and purpose - by Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos.com, Inc.

I was given this book at the Stay Classy awards last year where Tony Hsieh was a speaker. I've had it on my shelf for a while and kept meaning to read it 'next', and finally decided that this trip was the time to go for it. I try to alternate between business books and fun books, and since I had read a Marketing book and then a chick-lit book while in Paris, next up was a business book again. (Side note - when I came back to work after my vacation my boss and I were talking about books and I excitedly recommended this book to her .. and as it turns out she had just read it the prior week as well! And loved it of course.)

As I started to read the book I found myself turning pages down constantly. The more I read, the more I wanted to share parts (or all) of the book with someone. This hasn't happened since I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which I also blogged about last year. Overall the book Delivering Happiness is GREAT! Its a great story, it is insightful, funny, and inspiring. It seriously made me want to do more with my life!

I'm not a big online shopper and actually have never shopped at Zappos.com, nor did I know much about the company. By the time I finished the book I felt like a Zappos junkie who just wanted more! (On a side note, did you know that Zappos.com was purchased by Amazon.com for $1.2 BILLION in stock in 2009?!?!)  In the book they talk about how their department Zappos Insights offers company tours of their headquarters in Vegas. Guess who was going to Vegas a few days after returning from Paris?   ---> This girl!<--- I quickly requested a tour spot online for one of their three daily tours, and was SUPER excited to have made the cut! Barely! David hadn't read the book (yet!!) and seemed indifferent to the tour, but being the great sport that he is he was happy to go along with me.

A couple Thursdays ago David and I drove out to Vegas for one of my tradeshows and stopped at Zappos along the way. As we waited in the lobby I had deja-vu of some of the Bay Area start-ups that my friends had worked in back in the day. The funky, casual lobby was interesting and eclectic ... as was the rest of the building. The place was VERY 90's start-up if you know what I mean. Decorated cubes everywhere, casual clothes, games, themed meeting rooms, free food in the cafeteria, costumes, social events, random perks, etc.

The tour lasted about an hour and started with a video telling the history of the company (which I knew from reading the book), continued with a walk through the various departments, and ended with a photo session at the Zappos Royalty chair. I had a great time on the tour and though that Zappos looked like a really fun place to work. Not sure its somewhere that I would personally want to work (the cube clutter bothered me a lot and the super casual dress is not my first choice), but I like their culture and what they are trying to do as a company. 

I don't want to give away too much in the book because I really want you to read the book yourself, but here are a some of my favorite parts of the book that give you an idea of how Zappos has been successful.

Top 10 Ways to Instill Customer Service into Your Company

1. Make customer service a priority for the whole company, not just a department. A customer service attitude needs to come from the top.
2. Make WOW a verb that is part of your company's everyday vocabulary.
3. Empower and trust your customer service reps. Trust that they want to provide great service ... because they actually do. Escalations to a supervisor should be rare.
4. Realize that it's okay to fire customers who are insatiable or abuse your employees.
5. Don't measure call times, don't force employees to upsell, and don't use scripts.
6. Don't hide your 1-800 number. It's a message not just to your customers, but to your employees as well.
7. View each call as an investment in building a customer service brand, not as an expense you're seeking to minimize.
8. Have the entire company celebrate great service. Tell stories of WOW experiences to everyone in the company.
9. Find and hire people who are passionate about customer service.
10. Give great service to everyone: customers, employees, and vendors.

Zappos Core Values (more here)

1. Deliver WOW Through Service
2. Embrace and Drive Change
3. Create Fun and a Little Weirdness
4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded
5. Pursue Growth and Learning
6. Build Open and Honest Relationships with Communication
7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit
8. Do More with Less
9. Be Passionate and Determined
10. Be Humble

"No matter what your past has been, you have a spotless future." - Author Unknown

Interested in reading the book now? Check it out and let me know what you think! I'm curious to see if you'll find it as inspiring as I did.

Domo Does Paris (Again)

Bonjour tout le monde! C'est Domo! Guess where Domo went last week? Paris! Domo went to Paris! Domo has a very busy summer of travel this year: Boston, Paris, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and San Francisco. No, Domo doesn't stutter. Domo is going to Vegas twice in June for work, and home to San Francisco twice in July for personal reasons. But now back to Paris.

Day 0 - Monday

Domo was on an early flight to Paris. A 6:25am departure time meant a 4am wake up call. Domo was very tired. Luckily Domo was upgraded to first class on his flight from San Diego to Philly which meant Domo had a nice big comfy seat to sleep in! After getting to fly first class about half of the time Domo travels, he has a hard time flying coach and always feels cramped.

Domo Doesn't Like Crowds

Domo's day of travel from San Diego to Paris was very long. 5 1/2 hour flight to Philly, 3 hour layover, and a 6 1/2 hour flight to Paris. During this travel time Domo read two magazines, half of a book, posted a blog on the GOTR Sparkle & Shine 5K, watched the movie Due Date, and slept. By the time Domo had arrived in Paris it was 7am local time. Domo was tired!

Domo Loves Monika's Mom's Microcar!

Day 1 - Tuesday

Domo had arranged for Super Shuttle to pick Domo up at the airport (super easy to book online!) and was hoping to be at Monika's mom's place by 9am. For some reason though the shuttle appeared to drive around the city multiple times while dropping people off. By the time Domo was dropped off it was almost 10am! Domo was even more tired than before. Domo unloaded his bags, had lunch, took a nap, woke up for dinner, caught up on work emails (Domo is so dedicated!) and then called it a day. Yes, Domo wasted his first day in Paris. Domo was tired! Back off!

Domo Enjoying the View of Paris

Day 2 - Wednesday

The next day Domo wanted to be productive and make the most of the day. Domo got up early to swim laps at the local pool.

Domo at La Piscine (the pool)

Uh Oh - Domo Doesn't Have a Speedo

Afterwards Domo was excited to be meeting his friend Devika down by the Eiffel Tower. What are the chances that Domo AND Domo's friend were in Paris at the same time?

Domo at the Eiffel Tower

Domo Took a Picture of Monika & Devika

Domo and Devika walked around by the Eiffel Tower taking pictures, sat at a sidewalk cafe and had a glass of wine and les moules, and spent the afternoon at the massive department store Galleries Lafayette. Domo loves to shop!

Domo at Galleries Lafayette

Day 3 - Thursday

The next day Domo got up early again to swim. Domo is so good about working on his fitness! Domo had to hurry to get his swim in since Monika's mom had a full day planned for them. First up was a trip to the American Cathedral in Paris to watch a harp concert (random, I know).

Domo at the American Cathedral

After this Domo and Monika's mom drove up to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur to see the cathedral and to check out the view of the city. The cathedral was really pretty and was perched at the top of a hill with a view across all of Paris! People were hanging out on the grass and street performers were keeping the crowd entertained. Domo liked Sacre-Coeur!

Domo at Sacre-Coeur

View of Paris from Sacre-Coeur

The final plan for the day after Sacre-Coeur was a dinner party that Monika's mom had arranged at a restaurant near her house. Yes, Domo does a lot of eating on his trips.

Day 4 - Friday

On Friday Domo got up early yet again to go swimming! Domo must be half dolphin! Monika's mom must not have thought that the view from Sacre-Coeur was impressive enough, because on Friday Domo was taken to Montparnasse to go up the tower to get another panoramic view of the city. It turns out that the very top viewing deck isn't open at this time of year (although you still had to pay to go up) so Domo didn't get to see his second panoramic view of Paris. Oh well, Domo doesn't think it could have been that much better than Sacre-Coeur.

After leaving Montparnasse Domo headed over to the Arc de Triomphe. As luck would have it, you couldn't go up that either! The workers were on strike and the monument was closed for the day. Darnit! Domo was pretty bummed about this since he hadn't made it here on his last two trips. Oh well, maybe Domo can see it next year.

Domo at the Arc de Triomphe

On the streets leading to the Arc de Triomphe are several high end shops. Being the big baller that Domo is, he picked up souvenirs at Cartier, Mont Blanc, Swarovski... err wait. Domo didn't buy anything at these stores but did drool over some of the items through the window.

Domo Does Cartier

When Domo got home that night Domo finished reading his first book of the trip - the Harvard Business Review book on Brand Management. Domo liked this book and recommends it if you are in Marketing.



Day 5 - Saturday

Guess what Domo did as soon as he woke up the next morning? Domo went swimming! Again! Yay Domo! Domo isn't sure if he was so tired because he had finally worked his way up to 2000 meters in the pool, or if he just had delayed jet lag ... but Domo was really tired again on Saturday! Domo has fun sightseeing and being out and about, but sometimes Domo just wants to stay home and do nothing. Domo is extremely busy at home between work, Girls on the Run, and marathon/triathlon training. By Saturday Domo was getting tired of being busy on vacation too and just wanted to stay home and read.

Domo started AND finished his second book of the trip on Saturday - Cocktails for Three. (Written by Madeleine Wickham, also known as Sophia Kinsella who wrote the Shopaholic series.) Monika's mom didn't accept Domo's tiredness as an excuse by Saturday afternoon though and dragged Domo out for one bit of sightseeing.

Domo at Les Frigos

About a 15 minute walk from Monika's mom's place is a large building called Les Frigos (The Fridges) which was an eclectic building full of artists studios in what used to be cold storage rooms. Once a year the artists in the building open their doors and invite people inside.

Fridge Door Entrance to a Studio

 

Graffiti Staircase at Les Frigos

What a weird and interesting place! The walls of the hallways and stairwells were covered in graffiti and murals, there were funky art installations everywhere, and each studio was totally different from the rest. Domo got to see studios of painters, sculptors, musicians, and jewelry makers to name a few.

Domo Likes Art

Painter's Studio

Another Painter's Studio

Day 6 - Sunday

On Sunday Domo did not swim. Sunday is a rest day! Instead Domo ran! haha! Domo can't seem to rest. For Domo's last full day in Paris he had a nice easy day planned. First Domo went to see a matinee showing of Midnight in Paris (Loved this movie! And Domo doesn't usually even like Woody Allen films) and then Domo went to a lunch party for Monika's uncle.

Monika's Uncle's Family

Monika and Cousins

After lunch Domo relaxed around the house a bit before going out to dinner with Monika's mom for La Fetes de Meres (Mother's Day) which occurs a few days later in Paris than in the US. For Mother's day Domo and family went out for Thai food at a place near Monika's moms. By the time they got home it was time for Domo to pack and get ready to leave the next day. Where did the week go? Domo was sad.

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

Day 7 - Monday

Monday morning was another early flight day for Domo. Super Shuttle picked Domo up at 7am and took him to the airport. Last year Domo felt rushed by only arriving at the airport 2 hours in advance. They really  mean it when they say give yourself 3 hours for an international flight. Do they really need to check your passport 4 times? Anyways, upon getting on the plane Domo was faced with two pieces of bad news. 1 - the plane was older and didn't have individual TVs. 2 - the flight back to Philly was 8 1/2 hours instead of the 6 1/2 like it was on the way out. Nooooo! Domo was going to be so bored! :o(

LOVE the French Cigarette Warning "Fumer Tue" (Smoking Kills)

Domo managed to sleep a little bit on the flight but not much. He tried watching the Chronicles of Narnia but got bored. Instead Domo finished a few magazines and then start and finished the book Delivering Happiness.

Domo LOVED the Delivering Happiness book and thinks everyone should read it! Its the story of Zappos.com and is an easy and insightful read. Domo doesn't want to give away too much of the book, but if you want to read a summer check it out here. 

Domo felt like he was on the first flight FOREVER and was so sad to be getting on another long flight. Luckily the second flight had internet so Domo was able to waste time catching up on emails online, reading articles, and Skyping with David! Unfortunately the connection wasn't fast enough for video to work, but Domo got to instant message with David for several hours on the flight. How fun!

Skyping on the Plane

Domo got back late Monday night (after being up for almost 24 hours) and was back at work the next day. Domo sometimes thinks you need a vacation from a vacation. Domo was stressed out the days approaching his vacation because he was trying to tie things up at work to enable him to take a few days off, and then once Domo was back at work he was all stressed out trying to catch up on things. Vacation seem to mean stress, fun, stress. Bleh! Anyways, after two days back in the office Domo was back on the road and headed to Vegas for a tradeshow. Viva La Domo! More on that trip in Domo's next blog.

Want Your Own Domo? Make One Here!

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