Tennis Gods

Since I grow up with Tennis as a kid which started about 30 years ago, I had the luck to see many greats on the Tennis court. The first match on TV I remember clearly was the final of the Roland Garros in 1984 between John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. Lendl beat McEnroe in five thrilling sets and slowly changed the guard: Lendl became no. #1 in the world for years to come and took over this spot from McEnroe. Before that we had Tennis stars like Jimmy Connors, Borg, and further back Rod Laver. After Lendl players like Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg dominated the mens circuit. Than Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras came across and had many close fights on the courts. Nowadays we have Roger Federer and Nadal!

Lately, there are many discussions who is the best player ever? Most people say it’s Federer. Nadal has an opportunity to beat the Grand slam record of Roger which stands now at sixteen titles. It’s difficult to say who is the best Tennis player I think. When I look back in time, the game looks slower that time, but current equipment for example also made the game faster. Lendl beat in his top days Agassi more than the other way around. Sampras and Federer played only once which Federer won in very close five setter, this was Wimbledon 2001. You would say that Federer is the best one ever, since he has won most Slams right now, but back in the days of Lendl, Becker, Edberg, etc. the competition was more fierce if you ask me.

Nobody talks anymore about the heroes from the past, even though many of them play now on the senior tour. For example, Lendl returned after many years to play again (he had to retire professional Tennis because of a back problem). Great things happened in the past! Talking about Tennis greats from the past and present, making comparisons between both time periods where possible is interesting stuff, besides reading the latest news in Tennis world. Supporting this kind of Tennis posts with great videos, pics and more makes it even more cool. Also Social Media places like Twitter and Facebook are very useful for Tennis readers, this way they can even interact with other people interested in the sport of tennis and talk about their Tennis stars. It’s fun to talk about tennis stars, how they approach things in the Tennis arena at this time, bring back to life the tennis gods from the past, how things were back than…

With modern times also comes modern ways of becoming engaged. Many women now prefer to propose to their boyfriends rather than be the one to get proposed to and many jewelers have now designed engagement rings to suit this kind of occasion. However, it is still best to approach your man with this kind of idea and whether he is comfortable with wearing an engagement ring before you go ahead with the proposal.

Men’s engagement rings do not have the same settings such as rings with prongs or other features that highlight the ring. They prefer rings that are understated that can be worn daily and casually. These are mostly designed with few embellishments and decorations unlike the typical women’s engagement ring. A good suggestion for women that will present a ring to their loved one is to have it engraved with a thoughtful message, or a date that means something to both of you as a couple.

There are also more elaborate engagement rings that have two-toned designs. Yellow and white gold are frequently used, but bronze is also a good use of color that can add distinction to the ring without using precious stones as decorations. There are also textured ones with lattice patterns with engravings of messages. Titanium is also a popular choice in men’s rings because of the different hues of the metal such as blue, purple and many others.

Most engagement rings for men also include diamond embellishments. However, there is no center stone that is accented by smaller stones like in women’s ring designs. A central diamond can also be used but it is subtly set in the middle of a wide band. If you prefer several diamonds in the ring, a channel set is arranged on one edge of a ring, which is mostly square in shape. This design is less prone to damage and is a more practical design for men’s rings.

You can also choose colored gemstones instead of diamonds, and birthstones are mostly preferred by many women. This is easily incorporated into an engagement band. Pearls are not typically used for men’s rings because it is not easy to set and can be easily damaged as compared to gemstones. The wedding ring design is quite similar to the engagement ring that is used mostly for men. In the future, you can have the engagement ring and the wedding band solded together into one ring that your man can wear in the future.

Engagement rings for men are also similarly priced to women. The diamond may not be as big or as expensive, the metal weight in a man’s ring is heavier which increases its value greatly. Two-tone rings as well as rings with patterns and intricate designs will also be more costly as well. Even if the ring designs are different, the symbol for it will still remain the same – it is to publicly announce the love that is both shared by the couple for the rest of their lives.

As anyone who knows me can attest, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I begin shopping for gifts on December 26, scooping up bargains throughout the months. By late summer, everything on the gift list has been purchased, allowing me to relax. Some of my best Christmas ideas have come to me while out cruising the mall looking for that perfect gift.

Many of us have more products than we know what to do with, making it difficult to create a wish list. Homemade gifts are often more used and cherished than those purchased in a store so I make gifts for people I know best. I make soap in cute shapes for the children in the family, baked treats for grandma and grandpa, and beautiful ornaments for my aunt who seems to have everything.

Wrapping often makes even the most basic present more elegant. All of my packages feature tissue paper with designer patterns and ribbons with custom messages. Recipients love the cute messages I get inscribed on the ribbon and they often save the decoration to reuse the following year. When I organize the work holiday party, I wrap favors in boxes with our corporate imprint. Everyone is always impressed by the quality of the container and imprinted logo.

Holiday parties are always a fun time and I learned that activities sometimes make the event more fun. When it is my turn to hold the holiday festivities, I bake a gingerbread house and let everyone decorate it with candy canes, gumdrops, and frosting. Decorating the Christmas tree is another event that guests enjoy and since we have our holiday dinner on Christmas Eve, the ceremony is particularly meaningful. Guests string the lights, outfit the tree with my ornaments, and delight when the tree is lit.

Though I do not claim to be a creative genius, I have learned to make my own Christmas wreaths and garland and often sell these at local school or charity fairs. People seem to love the different styles and colors, purchasing several items to give as gifts. If they realized how easy these were to make, they might think twice about buying from me!

One idea I plan to implement this coming year is a neighborhood decorating contest. We live near the town center so it should not be difficult to get some retailers to donate prizes. Everyone already seems eager to participate and our neighborhood will look so fabulous that this event should become a tradition.

You’re used to analyzing your trade show display from the front. You can hide many things in back, like a disorganized pile of literature or a staff schedule. Yet this kind of design makes a very important assumption: that you’ll be able to put it against a wall and that three of the four sides will be enclosed. While space allotment often works out such that those conditions apply, there are many venues where the design permits, or even favors, trade show displays that can be viewed from any angle.

A Trade Show Exhibit Inspired By Theatre In The Round

For many years, some of the most artistic and innovative theatre companies have been putting on performances in the round. In the round means that there is no ‘back’ to the stage; your audience is all around, so you have to be certain that you’re always presenting an appealing visual from every side of the stage. This becomes even more complicated because the design must be a good setting for the telling of a story.

Remembering the roots of the total visibility trade show exhibit often helps first-time designers with their initial conceptualization. Your information is like the plot of the play, unfolding against the backdrop of your trade show displays. When you have the unit out in the open, the stakes of good display practice are higher, but there’s a lot more potential reward as well. Like the set designer for a major production, you must always remember that you’re promoting a product or the unit itself can take over.

Square Or Round Trade Show Display?

The first choice you will make will be to decide what shape you’d like the unit to take. Theoretically (and budget permitting), you could make it any shape you desire. Some of the companies with the largest budgets will create highly personalized shapes that further represent their company or offer particular advantage for showcasing their products. While this might be a good option for your next trade show display, your first exhibit in the round can be a bit more simplistic. Simply decide whether you’d like the strength and hardness of a squared-off unit, or the curved form of a circular version. Like with so many other questions, there isn’t a wrong answer; it’s simply a matter of which you feel best suits your company.

Remember That Your Trade Show Exhibits Have No Back

Whenever you design one object for an exhibit, you need to plan what will be put in back of it. When you have true total visibility, people will literally see things from every angle. If you’ve chosen to put a sign high above your exhibit, you need to think about how you’ll hide the supports so people passing on the other side can read it as well. In some cases, adjusting for this is as simple as creating a mirror image of the front on the backside. In other cases, it can be much more difficult. One way or the other, the key to success here is to simply plan out all sides of the unit and its components.

Creating a cohesive and visually dynamic freestanding display is an art that takes time and practice to master. Once you have some experience under your belt, you’ll have a substantial advantage because this type of unit looks like no other. Many companies and visitors consider it to be the pinnacle of modern trade show displays. Your first attempt might not win any awards, but with additional experience you’ll be able to create even more outstanding designs that will impress visitors at every angle.