C'mon over to our new website and blog... we'll be waiting for you. All of the same posts are there so you won't miss any of the fun.
July 01, 2011
The Kitchen Sink blog has moved - www.eatmywords.com/blog
Please visit us at our new location:
http://eatmywords.com/blog/
May 10, 2009
Literally Eating My Words at Spoon Me
In town for Spoon Me founder Ryan Combe's wedding over the weekend (see next post), thanks to the GPS in my rental car, I managed to hit two Spoon Me locations (and eat Spoon Me at the wedding) in less than 8 hours. Spoon Me is the name that Eat My Words is the most proud of creating. Ryan and his partners David and Wayne have built a cult brand that transcends frozen yogurt and has become one of the hottest franchises on the planet, with projections of 100 new stores within the next 18 months. Spoon Me is a stellar example of how a brand can take a name and run with it. (That's why we call them names with "legs".) From the best-selling "Shut Up and Spoon Me" t-shirts to the "No Spooning on Sundays" hours sign, to the Spoon Me movie quote graffiti ("You had me at Spoon Me") in the bathrooms, there are endless ways to extend the brand through wordplay. Here are photos from my afternoon visit to the original store in Salt Lake City and my late night visit to one of the new super mod locations in Sandy, Utah. Thanks to everyone at Spoon Me for treating me like a celebrity. Can't wait to come back!
With this ring, I thee spoon.
I spent a fun weekend in Salt Lake City, where I was a guest at the wedding of my good pal and Spoon Me founder, Ryan Combe. Great to finally meet Ryan in person, as well as his business partner, David Jaynes, who was one of the key decision makers in choosing the Spoon Me name, which of course was created by Eat My Words. I met so many nice Spoon Me peeps including the infamous Bub and Craig, as well as some of the key franchise owners including David and Ryan's dads. Ryan and his stunning bride, Alicia, are the international poster children for spooning. (And yes, Spoon Me frozen yogurt was served at the wedding.) Check out these photos from the reception... dig those sexy blue stiletto heels, Alicia!
May 01, 2009
Did you see me "slumming it" in the SF Chronicle's Travel Section?
Gerald Miller and Alexandra Watkins use the iconic Taj Mahal
as a backdrop for a postcard-pretty photo from their vacation.
I'm just now getting around to posting this... it's somewhat work-related as I was taking a vacation from work.
Two Sunday's ago, the San Francisco Chronicle featured this photo of me and my boyfriend, Gerald, in front of the Taj Mahal (yes, the same one from Slumdog Millionaire), along with some highlights of our India vacation. I sent the photo to the paper in hopes that they would print it to show people that India was still very safe for travelers... Here's the link to the whole feature. Want to see more? Here are two pages of spectacular photos of my trip to India.
What's really cool is that the "On The Couch" writer, Louise Rafkin, saw the feature and interviewed us last week for her column on interesting couples. That one should be really fun.
February 04, 2009
Wake up and smell the Amsterdam Coffee House.
Have you ever been to a bazaar in Morocco? I haven't, but I have been to bazaars (also known as "souks" or "markets") in Libya, Egypt, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and countless other countries, and I can assure you that the overwhelming scents of these bazaars, should simply not be bottled.
Here are some of the more memorable scents from my travels, and what I would name them:
Egyptian Camel Breath
Zanzibar Fish Market
Vatican Tourist
Fiery Ganges Breeze
Amsterdam Coffee Shop
Indian Milk Market
Rustic Serengeti Jeep
Peruvian Llama Spray
New Zealand Hostel
Mildewy Rain Forest
Durban Bunny Chow
Smokey Chinese Railcar
Okay, I can say it. But please don't spray it.
June 03, 2008
Alexandra featured speaker at City Club of SF "Secrets of Success" series
Next Tuesday afternoon. Alexandra will be the featured speaker at the City Club of San Francisco for their "Secrets of Success" series. She was invited to talk there after someone on the board heard her speak on how she broke into the naming business through some quick thinking on a Match.com date. Alexandra will be telling this hysterical story and many others (writing letters to prisoners in high school, launching the first line of retro greeting cards with Paper Moon Graphics, a juicy story of poetic justice for a boss who fired her 23 years ago, and more). Below is the copy from the announcement that the City Club sent out...
Alexandra Watkins is the creative visionary behind Eat My Words, an innovative naming firm known for developing brand names that generate buzz and revenue. While she started out specializing in things that make people fat and drunk, her clients quickly discovered that she also had a talent for naming things you don't put in your mouth. Since then, her firm has generated countless evocative names and taglines for clients including Frito-Lay, Altec-Lansing, Guthy-Renker, Glu, THX, Clorox, The Sydney Opera House, Del Monte, and Stanford University. Her recent successes include a chain of frozen yogurt stores called Spoon Me, a home cleaning robot named Neato, a social networking site for investors called Cake Financial, and a nationally-advertised bacon cheeseburger, which ironically must remain nameless. (Hint: it was inspired by a Schwarzenegger movie.)
Throughout her colorful 20+ year career in branding and advertising, Alexandra, whose education includes an entire semester of community college, has used her unabashed creativity, charm, and fearless attitude to open doors, scale walls, and create endless business opportunities for herself. Her highly entertaining stories of success and perseverance will inspire you to tap into your own creativity and try bold and unexpected approaches to any personal or professional challenge you face.
$35 for members/$45 for non-members
San Francisco City Club
155 Sansome Street
The Stock Exchange Tower
San Francisco, California 94104
RSVP to 415.362.2480 or [email protected]
April 20, 2008
Oriental Mildew - a taste of Zimbabwe
If you have ever sucked down a mouthful of African river water like I did in Zimbabwe, where I nearly drowned in the Zambezi and ended up in Zambia, you will be delighted to know that that delicious taste has now been replicated (or at least it sounds like it has) in a new Zimbabwe juice brand, ORIENTAL MILDEW. The product has already flooded most of the retail outlets in Harare where it is high demand. (Okay. And Mugabe won the last election.) I can't track down a photograph of the Oriental Mildew bottle, but the taste sounds so hideous that surely dictator Mugabe's mug graces the packaging. I know all of this sounds adventurous and exciting, but by all means, do not go to Zimbabwe, which from what I've seen is the most corrupt country on the planet. If you must see Victoria Falls on your way to the Okavango Delta, do it from the kinder, gentler Zambian side. And if you just want to live vicariously through me, here are photos of the mighty Vic Falls, the churning Zambezi below and what it looks like when your raft flips over on top of you in a class 4 rapid.
January 08, 2008
Ghana: Heaven for Namers
Before I went to Ghana, I had read that I could expect to see the country's passion for Jesus reflected in the names of their businesses, but I didn't expect 75% of shop names to have some kind of religious reference. Some of the more unusual names included included Blood of Christ Restaurant, Holy Canteen, and Jesus Loves Fashion. Unfortunately, while Ghanaians love the Lord, they hate cameras, so I didn't get photos of most of the signs I saw as we whizzed by. Here are some snaps of some of my faves... there's more in the official album.
January 07, 2008
Back from Ghana with a new name: Borley Atiaku
Little did I know when we booked our trip to Ghana and requested to take part in an African naming ceremony ($125 per person), that it would be a serious all-day affair that the entire village showed up for! We were adopted into the Royal Borketey Larweh family of the Ga tribe. My Ga name is "Borley Atiaku." The naming rites were performed by the Head of Family-Dr Sam Bortei-Doku (on right) who is a dead-ringer for Nelson Mandella. (Despite looking like my groom, the man in blue is our guide, Sam.) We spent a few days with the family and even went to church with them on Christmas where we danced by the collection box. Twice. More colorful photos here in the official trip album....