The Mash Up is over. It is no more. It has ceased to be. It is an ex- Mash Up.
I thank Monty Python and a paraphrased version of their dead parrot sketch for my lead-in, and wish to thank everyone who worked so hard to make the Evanston Business Mash Up a success. We had over 300 people attend, and I can safely say that a great majority of them had a good time. Thank goodness the next one will be next year. Next!
Since Mash Up was not just any regular event, I needed to spruce up my ensemble. I think I succeeded. This TdJ is the penultimate bow tie in my collection, so far. There’s one left, and it, my friends will be hideous. Hide your children now. If you don’t have kids, wait until the next bow tie is published before attempting to conceive. Well, maybe it’s not THAT ugly…go ahead and give it a shot.
I have owned this Bow Tie du Jour for several years, and I can’t at all recall where I got it. There is no tag, so that gives me no help. I do dig it…bright yellow with the cool blue circular pattern. It looked very peacockish, especially since I put it under my seersucker suit and had white/brown saddles on.
Southern man better keep your head–Neil Young
Of course, since Mash Up was a business networking gig, there were gobs and gobs of GWT there. I managed to snap a few pix, so Welcome to the Crew, fellas!
Greg
Greg Clarke is a new friend, whom I met a couple of summers ago while waiting for our kids’ camp to be dismiss. Last night, he admitted that he chose his tie with the knowledge that I would be at the event, and would notice his tie. Well, that kind of forthrightness gets your picture taken, buddy! Greg and his wife Belinda (who works for Medill School of Journalism) volunteered at the event, and were very helpful to the other guests as they chose their wrestling names.
Next on the GWT agenda…oh, should I explain that wrestling name thing? We had a blank line on the name tags that allowed for one to choose a professional wrestling name. A lot of people had fun with it…I was “Hunk of Junk.” One guy chose ‘Brooke Saucier’ as his (hilarious, Will S.), and I’m sure he didn’t frighten many people.
Erik
Erik Cascio here is the operations manager at Best Buy Evanston. He and his crew set up a 65″ HDTV so we could show off our sponsors. They were at our Annual Meeting earlier this year, and they are a fun group of folks. Erik will soon start at the Algonquin Best Buy…good for his career, and sad for Evanston.
Greg
Greg Allen is a friend of some former neighbors of mine. He and his wife Susan are simply two of the nicest people. Funny story about one of their sons, Will. I am pretty sure I mentioned that I recently sold a scooter that I had won from Panino’s. If I didn’t mention it, I recently sold a scooter that I had won from Panino’s. The Allens were dining in the restaurant at the time of the drawing, and Will picked my name out of a bin with several hundred entrants.
Herbert
Herbert Rivero is the owner of Minuteman Press, on Sherman Avenue right across from our offices. Herbert was gracious enough to donate printing services to the Mash Up. They printed up a few hundred of our program books. Thanks, Herbert.
Uncle Ironstorm
And last, but certainly not the cliché about least, we have Jonathan Liss. He owns his own design firm, Jonathan Liss Identity + Design, and he did all of our artwork, web design…you name it. He did everything except keep his eyes open for this photo. Oh, and his wife does a lot of resale shopping/reselling. She actually bought Jonathan’s Yves Saint-Laurent tie at one (dang memory…she told me which one, too. Giiiiiingkoooooo!).
Well, that’s all, folks. Thanks for reading…Brooke
100 Days, 100 Ties 
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