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Hola, Buenos dias from Mexico!

Hi there newsletter crew, thanks for joining me! I am currently working from yet another new DC Rainmaker HQ this week. I left the cold and windy Rock I call home (Newfoundland) and traded it in for a week of sun and sand… sans kiddos! We are residing in Cancun, Mexico for the week, and it’s been so good! The luxury of having a few nights sleep, without having to keep one ear open, if you know what I mean has been amazing. The first night here I slept 15 hours straight! I guess I was more tired than I thought? Funny how quickly I started to miss my little peanuts though, even the furry one, but this moment of bliss won’t last long, so I’m going to type as fast as I can and get back to my spot nearest the pool.

I don’t yet know what I will jabber on about in the Girl’s In-Depth Thoughts section, so if you’re as curious as I am, don’t forget to keep on scrolling after all the tech talk!

As always, if you’re new around these parts, welcome and where have you been for the last year? You can start by doing your homework here via the Newsletter archives. Happy Reading!

First up. I probably have to do some back tracking and clarifying of my comments last week. With regards to my comments about the whole Spotify integration into the Fenix 5 Plus. I DO think it’s cool technology and there is definitely a place/ need/ want for it! And, I think it’s super cool to remove the middle man (the phone) to listen to music while out and about. I will admit that I had no idea the reaction from a lot of people would be like “What about Google Play?”, “What about Apple Music?”… you guys are like the Mouse and the Cookie. I have a secret, it was not I (nor Ray) who sat down with Garmin and said, “choose Spotify”, although Spotify does happen to be our household’s choice in music provider. But finally, the main point I was trying to get across was simply a reminder to people to use music and headphones wisely if they choose to use them outside of the gym for running, cycling, etc. Male or female, when you put ear buds in your ear canals and turn on the tunes, you are greatly minimizing the awareness of the world around you. Please practice safe music.

Okie doke? Cool.

Last week, in the Artic North, Ray visited Canada for the Annual ANT+ Symposium. For the eighth year now he delivered the Keynote Speech. I think this is quite an honor for Ray year after year. The ANT+ Symposium in my opinion is the coolest, under the radar, event of the year. Maybe because there are no big announcements tied to it, or because the general public can’t buy a ticket to it, that it seems like a quiet event. But it is not quiet! Unlike most industry events, companies generally aren’t trying to slip products to Ray, and Ray isn’t trying to write insane amounts of tech gear reviews and hands-on posts before the break of dawn.

At this symposium, all of the companies get together, call a giant truce, and get down to business on how to move the industry forward on all of the things tech-geek related. That’s the best way I can describe it. Oh, and then there is always some sort of themed “last supper event” night planned. The level of shenanigans are usually high...but, what happens in Canada stays in Canada. Anyways, if you want to have a listen to Ray’s thoughts on the current state of the industry, you can find Ray’s keynote speech and all of his years past here.

For a little bit more insight into what all happens for Ray at the ANT+ symposium, check out his 5 Random Things I Did in Banff. Pretty sure I need to get myself on that attendees list somehow next year…

Next up, you’ll see that Ray and I were super prepared for our trip to Mexico! We had some posts pre written and ready so you wouldn’t have a boring week with nothing to read. First up was Ray’s Gear I Use post, then the following day was mine. The Girl’s: Gear I Use post, I promise is filled with a lot less technology and a lot more stylish banter. Even if you don’t need to buy any gear at the moment, it is always fun to poke around in someone else gym locker to see what they have! Also, if you need or want some buying ideas for your significant other, this could be a good idea sparker!

The final post rounding out the week was the Garmin Instinct GPS Watch In-Depth Review. From what I understand, if you’re in the market for an outdoors hiking sort of watch, this is a solid deal for all the features it includes. It’s also a little retro looking, which is kinda cool. Or, if you’re sitting there thinking “its Friday, and I don’t have the mental capacity to read one of Ray’s in-depth reviews right now”, then here’s the handy dandy link to the Everything You Need to Know video.

Which leads me to all of Ray’s DCR YouTube videos. If you want to be the first to know when a new video has surfaced, then be sure you check out the DC Rainmaker YouTube Channel and click the subscribe button!

The very last thing of note is the final reminder about the DC Rainmaker Cycling Kits. The ordering window closes tonight, October 12^th. So if you wanted to go for it with a kit, get your move on. Here is the direct link to the DCR kits ordering page. We are trying our very best to have some other gear-esq stuff available before the end of the year, so if you’re not a cyclist hang tight.

As always, if you made it all the way through that pile of tech talk, then you probably need a brain break. To see what else is new in the Maker Fam, keep on scrollin’.

In-Depth Thoughts from The Girl

Hiiiii,

Yeayyy, two days later I finally made it down here to the fun section. I was about half way through the newsletter yesterday when my vision started to waiver and I knew I had just shy of 10 minutes to find a cool, dark corner to hide in. WHAT am I talking about? Well, if you are a migraine sufferer, you know exactly what I’m going on about, if you are not a migraine sufferer, I want to be you.

Thankfully I get about 2-3 migraines a year. Some unfortunate people are plagued by them, so if that’s one of my only “health issues”, I’ll take that and deal with it. Next time, I would just appreciate if the migraine could hold off for one of the rainy days while on vacation?

Sorry, that’s more than you needed to know. So, what else is happening here in Mexico? Well, let me tell you, this has been a GREAT decision!

We have been running, and swimming, and lounging.

I have been stalked by a giant iguana! We have eaten a bunch of delicious mole dishes, guacamole, and ceviche! Thus, maybe why the iguana wanted to be my friend?

And I might have drank a little bit of wine and did a little bit of dancing!

I will have you know, every now and then, I can get Ray to have a little fun too. He will probably never sashay down the road singing ridiculous tunes out loud, and even if he did, he usually holds all the video recording devices - to which now I understand for good reason. But every now and then he does let his shoulders down and stows away the laptop! And this week has been one of those times. A long awaited, much needed break! With his biggest decisions each day limited to "what t-shirt to wear" and what's for breakfast. Thanks Mister Ray.

On which note, I’m getting the eyeballs from you know who about my grannie like typing speeds, as it is time I stowed MY laptop!

Thanks for reading, until next week.

~The Girl.

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