pep talk

Has anyone ridden the trolley these past few weeks as part of the “Holiday Express Trolley” service? We did a big push last year to get ridership up, and the city, UTMB, Strand merchants and others  brought the promotion back again this year. I like the trolley; I like to see it clanging its way up Market, letting loose a whistle in front of John Sealy. Maybe it takes me back to my Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood days. Do I ride it? Not often. Usually it takes too long to get me anyplace, or, as is the case now, when they run the trolleys hard, they seem to break down. In their place, Island Transit is running its “rubber wheel trolleys,” a cute name for a bus dressed up to look like something old, not unlike the shuttles you seen running around downtown Austin and the San Antonio Riverwalk. The bus-trolleys are probably a quicker and smoother ride to the Strand, so if you want to get a group down there for lunch or to do a little shopping, this is the last week of the special holiday promotion. Check out the special offers if you get one of the “doubloons” the trolley/bus drivers are handing out.   

First, I promised to share Dell Computer’s December offer for UTMB employees, part of its Employee Purchase Program. I’ve been posting these for about a year; this program allows us an opportunity to share the benefits of volume pricing. Dell_Great_Holiday_Gift_Upgrade-December.pdf.

I’m not sure I’m actually doing anyone a favor with this next one, but we do have a Whataburger right next to campus and I know people frequent it. I am not guilty for what this may do to anyone’s pre-holiday diet . Bon appetit.   Scratch the Whataburger deal. I recieved a polite note from the burger chain’s PR people this morning: “It has come to Whataburger’s attention that an unauthorized, unreleased version of a proposed internet coupon promotion called the ’12 Days of Whataburger’ has been circulated via email. These are NOT valid coupons and will not be honored at Whataburger restaurants. As a result of this unfortunate incident, please be informed that the proposed promotion will not be rolled out. Thank you for your understanding.” The web strikes again.

Remember the Houston Rockets are offering another UTMB Night in the Toyota Center on Dec. 12, as they take on the Detroit Pistons at 7:30 pm. Discounts range from $15 to $40 per ticket, and tickets are purchased directly from Rockets. See their flyer (PDF) for more information.

There’s a holiday free parking offer from the City of Galveston to support a Strand shopping habit they’d like many people to adopt.  The deal: free downtown parking Thursdays and Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., now through the end of December. See the release.

Or, you might choose to take advantage of the special holiday trolley service being offered, and take advantage of special offers from Strand Area merchants. Details are here… 

Miramax contacted the folks at IMH about a special free screening of the new film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly  for UTMB faculty, students, and staff at Premier Cinema 11, 8902 Seawall Blvd., on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. Free passes are available on a first-come, first-served basis to those who reply by e-mail to Donna Vickers by 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 10.  Passes will be emailed to those who RSVP; you’ll need to print them out for admittance to the theater.

This film is based on the true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who, in 1995 at the age of 43, suffered a stroke that paralyzed his entire body, except his left eye. “Using that eye to blink out his memoir, Bauby eloquently described the aspects of his interior world, from the psychological torment of being trapped inside his body to his imagined stories from lands he’d only visited in his mind. Tapping into the limitlessness of his memories, fantasies, wit and wishes, he finds a way to race through experiences of wonder and grief, sex and love, fatherhood and childhood, faith and questioning, ecstasy and absurdity – and touches the very essence of what it is to be human.” I hear the book was incredible and the movie trailer looks good, and there’s likely insight to be gained for those of us who often work with broken bodies.

I have more “deals & steals” to post, including some holiday offers from Dell that are part of the Employee Purchase Program. Check back later this week.