Sabre Corp. - Blog - There's No Accounting for Taste

Winter can be depressing. It's as simple as that. As soon as you tuck away your crystal nutcracker ornaments and eat the last slice of chocolate-orange marble cake, reality sets in. There are several long months ahead of gray skies and heaps of snow tinged with muck (or Packer's urine unfortunately if you live near his sales route). It's like living in the movie Eastern Promises, without all the nudity and murder. However there's a lot you can do to stave off winter blues, especially in the office.

One way to boost happiness is to exercise. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but you should take a cue from Michael and walk around whenever you get the chance to help boost endorphins. I understand things like navigating the new facebook layout can keep you sitting for hours (I know -- I hate it too), but try to get up when you can. I also can't believe I'm going here, but you should try to be as social as possible (yes, like Michael...) Connecting with people will help elevate your mood. No need to delve into all the details of your loveless marriage or your cat's dental braces; just a little casual banter will do. If you want to spruce up your skills, I recommend reading through The Art of Civilized Conversation by Margaret Shepard. Lastly, stay away from carbs and fat! We all tend to be drawn to comfort foods during wintertime, but you should explore healthier options. Weight gain only leads to misery. Case in point:Val Kilmer. Instead of picking up a large order of French toast sticks on your way to work, try making some lemony asparagus or a vegetable meatloaf to bring in. Delish and nutrish! I hope you find this helpful, and whenever the winter blues come knocking on your door, you're able to slam that door shut and say woe doesn't live here anymore.

Why do people have to play music at their desks? Be it the Grass Roots, or the "Before He Cheats" ringtone that blares when the person beside you gets a call from their bookie - it's always annoying. You don't hear me loudly playing my favorite El Divo song (although if you did it would be better than the Amy Grant played by the person that sits across from me). There's nothing worse than coming to work on a Monday morning and having to hear the office redhead sing along with Fiona Apple, "I've been a bad bad girl..." We don't need to be reminded. I also don't want to hear the antiquated "You Got Mail" greeting from those of you who are living in the past with your dated AOL.com accounts; the greeting might as well be, "You're obsolete and irrelevant." Gmail, ever heard of it?

What can one do to counter the aggravation caused by irritating colleagues? Some people credit seatbelts for saving them. Some people credit Jesus. I credit my noise canceling headphones. They're like air to me, because I couldn't live without them. Sometimes I'll pump a little El Divo through, just to get "Before He Cheats" out of my head. I just slide them on and I'm in a safe place far away from the annoying music and sounds of the office. It's bliss...

In modern society the point of view of the gay Latin male often goes unnoticed. Sure you can find it in Pedro Almodovar films and in the upcoming autobiography by Ricardo Martinez (AKA Ricky Martin), "Me." But for the most part our voice gets lost in the pop culture shuffle. Online, the only gay Latin's blog that I'm aware of is by Perez Hilton - which I personally find offensive and in extremely bad taste. My hope is to counter this trashy viewpoint with a blog of refreshing class, There's No Accounting For Taste. Here I will not use words like "Maniston" or "Gayken," rather just talk about politics, art, meditation, and office life.

My name is Oscar Martinez, I'm a gay Latin male, and this is my blog.