Is It Geeky That I Want This? Reddit Soap

It's $9 and totally worth it! Comes in orange and bacon scent...... yeah bacon scent. I have no idea why one would desire to wash with bacon scent but to each his own I guess.

We Have Band Made A Really Cool Music Video.

We Have Band - You Came Out (Official Music Video) from We Have Band on Vimeo.

"It's Just Business" Is A Horrible Term and What To Do If You Hear It.

"It's just business" is a term that I hate. It means "I've done something bad and I'm not sorry because it's related to my career advancement". It means that the regular rules of interaction that you learned back in kindergarten are not applying right now. You will be able to tell because the term "it was just business" will come up to excuse whatever it was. Think about it, have you ever heard of something good happening and it being explained by saying "well, that's just business"?
Think about Kindergarten for a moment. Little kids dislike copycats, tattlers, and rule breakers without being taught. At a very young age, they know that there is a certain way to conduct oneself and as we get older, our friend circles reinforce that behavior.
The business world can sometimes seem like an alternate universe where anything goes making things hard when you are in your first few jobs because it's like watching your teacher cut in the lunch line. What is unnatural in Kindergarten can be acceptable at work. Granted, there are awesome bosses out there and amazing companies who are trying to change things but there are always going to be those companies and individuals that want to take advantage of the fact that you can say "it's just business". If you are working at or deal with these kinds of companies you should:

1) Listen more than you talk. There is no benefit to showing your whole game plan or ideas unless you really, really trust the person you are talking to.
2) Trust Slowly. Take your time getting to know new team members and bosses.
3) Know Your Industry. It's not against any rules to know what jobs are out there and how much they pay. It's not cheating on your company to keep a good knowledge of openings and your resume updated.
4) Fend for Yourself. No one will look out for the advancement of your career if you don't. Ask for raises and better titles - often if you must.

Just don't say "it's just business" while you do it.

Tellin' Time: Tape Measure Watch

By designer Alexandros Stasinopoulos. Via YankoDesign

The Nano Cage - These Are So Cool And Well Designed!

Troy Abbot's Nano Cage

These are so great - little digital birds in these cool cages. No birds to actually feed and you can shut them up when you need to.
I had a friend whose parents had about 5 parrots in the house and they can get really loud at night!

Starbucks' Via And Their Social Media Makes Me Realize I'm A Coffee Snob.

I am a slight coffee snob. By slight, I mean that I won't drink coffee from any gas station or place that doesn't specialize in coffee or on airplanes. I recently had a dream about going to Spain just to hunt down a cafe con leche. I sometimes order coffee from a Portland coffeehouse because a friend of mine brought me some once and I loved it that much. I suppose I have every right to be a semi- coffee snob since I mainline caffeine all day long. At 27 my doctor told me to "cut down a bit" which I ignored because hey, I'm not doing any hard drugs and I even quit smoking so if I want to drink coffee all day long that's exactly what I'm going to do.
So this week, Starbucks is launching their advertising campaign for Via with :30 second TV ads, newspaper ads, and some in store promotions with the concept that people cannot tell the difference between Via (instant coffee) and their regular brewed coffee in the stores. They are also using social media to promote sampling in the stores by inviting their Facebook friends to participate in their test. The whole premise of the campaign is taping people who can't tell the difference between the 2.
I felt almost giddy when I read that it will be available in some airlines.
Yet, I doubt I'll use Via unless I have to. I think they are a bit off when it comes to who their customer base will be. People that come into Starbucks go there because they like the Starbucks experience. Instant coffee has no experience tied to it so the people who come to a Starbucks may not be their target. In the commercials they show people drinking Via in places you would not find a Starbucks handy, like a civil war re-enactment. This makes more sense but if Via is a product we will only use when there is no Starbucks available then they should reach people when there is no Starbucks available. I feel like there's a better way to use social to promote this product than a Facebook invite - maybe they are planning to once the product is launched further.
Anyway, the trials are free in Starbucks starting on Friday, let me know if you try it and if you can tell the difference or not.

Listening To: Bad Fever - Asteroids Galaxy Tour

By The Asteroids Galaxy Tour

Post In Which I Display Poor Winnership And Have A Chicken Doughnut.

I'm not really a "sporty girl" and never have been. In college, I would go to the tailgates before the football games and then go home. I don't own one single piece of sports attire and I doubt I ever will.
I do, however, enjoy a good win by a sports team from my school (Iowa) particularly when there are fans of the other team around me. Then, I somehow become a rabid fan. I become their number one, yelling, screaming, born-with -a-jersey-on fan. My Mom explains that this is because I enjoy taunting people.....
Which was exactly what happened when Penn State played Iowa over the weekend. I went to Iowa and the New Jersey-ite went to Penn State and a bunch of his friends went there too so naturally I planned to watch it. My Dad tried to tell me that I should wear some "Iowa Gear" to which I replied that I had none. This made him shake his head sadly like he had gone wrong somewhere in my upbringing.
Let me just rewind a little bit to my house growing up. My parents are insane Packer fans. We did lots of cool things like going to plays and museums and went on nice vacations but we erased all of that healthiness on Sundays during football season when our nice home was turned into a mental institution for a few hours. My sisters and I would not invite friends over on Sundays because that was the day our parents lost their minds in front of the TV.
So anyway, Iowa wins the game and I start transforming into this person that's all into football. I begin taunting the New Jersey-ite about if he wished he had gone to Iowa or that "I just didn't understand the ranking system because, ummm...aren't you supposed to be good when you're ranked like that?" and things in that vein.
Looking back on it, I realize that I'm a horrible winner. I can only say I must have been possessed by some kind of demon because I did something else later that night that I would never do.
I ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut sliced like a bun with a fried chicken patty in it topped with a Kraft Single cheese slice. I never eat things like this. Ever. Really. I would say that the chicken doughnut contains roughly 9000 calories. I giggled on the way to the gym telling myself it didn't even matter, the chicken doughnut has won and I have lost. I would have to run a half marathon to balance that thing, maybe more.
I am thankfully back to my regular non sporty, non chickendoughnut self now.

ShoeLace Rug.

I think the deconstructed look is officially in. I love that this makes the room look just a little bit like a cartoon.

Let's Take A Moment For Cake! Little Debbie Is Coming!

Way to go Little Debbie! The company that I've seen very little from in the social media arena has arrived with cupcakes. And that makes them my new favorite brand to watch. They are tooling around the country in tiny cupcake cars giving away little bits of heaven. Here's a link to their schedule:
True, you can always just buy a cupcake but still, who can resist when it comes from a cupcake decorated car?
Social Media analysis:
website: good, it's faily engaging and clearly explains the program.
Facebook: check. They have around 5,000 fans and the content is pretty varied.
Twitter: check. Tweets are kind of lame though. All about the city they are in.

I'm not sure how else they are promoting this project, I'd be interested to see if it was purely online.

Want To See The Craziest House In Mexico? The Life Aquatic House.

This is the Nautilus, by Javier Senosiain of Arquitectura Organica and it's in Mexico City. It's part of a series of "organic" homes and this one is shaped like a shell (obviously). I just had to show it to you although I think it's been posted for a while. Wow. I mean, I'd live there but wow.

Staying Within The Structure..... Bookcase

by RS-life. I love the concept of the shelves not staying within the structure, this is such a cool design.

A Few Cool Sites For Guys.

Why do I know these? Because a lot of the time men's magazines have more interesting articles than Elle and Vogue. Guy's magazines and sites talk about cool gadgets and things, which I love. So anyway, check these out. Girls that have boyfriends or like tech stuff will like these as well.
ManMade - Lifestyle - plus cool articles you'll like (think Details Magazine).
Just A Guy Thing - Lifestyle
Valet - style, but not in a Gucci'd out way.
The Exceptional Man - Chicago based style and culture
Urban Daddy - lifestyle and events

Wafer Keyboard Stop Motion

do bem™ - Açaí Juice 100% fruit (Tic Tic Tac Wafer's Keyboard) from Hardcuore on Vimeo.

How To Tell A Hobby From Your Passion.

I am the type of person that gets really exited when I learn something new. I am also the type of person to learn something new and then do it ad nauseam until I have successfully educated and annoyed everyone around me with it. Just ask my friends about the "I want to be a DJ" idea of 2004 or the "Law School" thing I was doing the summer after (maybe I watched Legally Blonde too many times, I don't want to talk about it). Right now it's either upcycling or furniture building, I haven't worked it out yet.
In between there's always a few other, longer ones like the "Japanese Toy Collection" that's been ongoing until my sisters came over to my house, went into my bathroom (that's where my collection was), and forcibly made me move them into a closet.
These could be classified as phases. Or obsessions if you want to use the less politically correct but possibly more appropriate term. Anyway, the thing that all of these "phases" have in common is that they are hobbies and it has taken me years to figure out the difference between a hobby and my "true callings" .
Have you ever read the stories in newspapers and magazines where a woman who works in an accounting office suddenly quits to open a lobster farm in Maine? Or some version of it? That's the type of story that makes me start thinking "yeah, I should be a full time upcycler". Here are some ways to help you tell your hobbies from your passion.
1) Ask yourself honestly: Do I dislike my current job? This one is important because if the answer is yes then all you need is a career change. It's entirely possible that you can find a hobby that you like while you dislike your job and convince yourself that your hobby should be your new job.
2) Could you get sick of your hobby and still do it? This one is important too because every single career gets annoying or boring at some point. Even the lobster lady has to deal with cleaning lobster tanks every once in a while and that can't be a fun task. If you can't see yourself weathering the realistic downsides on a regular basis then keep it as a hobby.
3) Is it something you do to relax? Keep in mind that the minute you decide that your passion can be your career, you'll have to find something else to do to relax. People that own their dream cupcake shop don't go home and make cupcakes for fun.
4) What is it you like about your hobby? Finding the common denominator can help you determine if your hobby could be a career. For example, I like to make things and I have been a diehard magazine sifter since I was very young. Working in the social media field fits like a glove and speaks to the core reasons I like my hobbies (lucky for me since there's no real career path for "magazine browsers)

Everyone Can Be An Eco Warrior!

By Rezon, a product design studio in Tokyo. Totally funny, I'd use it at the Farmer's Market instead of stuffing garlic heads into my gigantic Urban Outfitters purse.

Listening To: Empire of The Sun - Thanks Australia!

Australian duo Empire of The Sun's new one "We Are The People". Nice!

The Coolest Pool Table Ever

Obscura CueLight from Gizmodo on Vimeo.

It's at Esquire's Ultimate Bachelor Pad in NY.

Scaffolding Floor Lamp

By Brooklyn-ite Rodger Stevens.

Is It Just Me Or Are There An Awful Lot Of Life Coaches Out There These Days?

I have been seeing a lot of people that want to tell us how to run things in our lives lately. They are Twittering like crazy, blogging like crazy, and releasing e-books every month and I'm confused. We all need coaches for every life decision?
It used to be all about shrinks. On Sex and The City, they said "everyone has a shrink, even the shrinks have shrinks" and having a qualified psychologist meant that you could tell things to someone in a healthy setting instead of on the phone to your friends at 3AM. I don't have a shrink so I'm still calling people occasionally at 3AM. Sorry guys.
Now, it's a life coach, a career coach, self esteem coaches, and financial coaches. Some are qualified, some maybe not. Some seem legitimate, and some want me to sign up for their $99 Webinar and learn how to get rich by staying home. Turns out, a lot of people are getting into the coaching business. Is life becoming so difficult that we need a team of handlers a la Britney Spears to get through our every turn? I'm not saying it's a bad idea just that it seems like we should be able to make some of these things happen ourselves.
Also, a lot of these coaches are using the internet to friend and follow us and give us our bite sized Twitter anecdote every day which still doesn't make them qualified to tell me how to run my career. It's funny because I have a huge online network but still call my best friend from high school when I have a problem I can't figure out.
Here's the interesting thing: I call her when I have a boy problem, a career problem, a medical problem, a family problem, or any other kind of problem because she knows me. I would have a hard time with any of these coaches because their solutions seem like a one sized fits all "life solution".
That's not to say I would never try a life coach of some kind. I think there are probably some very good career coaches out there just that the sheer numbers of them right now is a little ridiculous.
Have any of you tried a life / career / self esteem coach with any success?
My dream coaches:
writing: Bob Dylan or Diablo Cody (Juno)
working out: Jackie from SkyLab (remember that Bravo show?)
life: a lot of my favorite bloggers are unknowingly my life coaches. See blog roll.

I Like The New Wrangler Ad.

I'm not so sure about the whole "we are animals" bit at the end but I generally like how they shot these and the concepts that agency Fred and Farid brought to Wrangler. Kind of brings it out of the cowboy stuff and into a more mainstream audience. Check it out.

Tellin' Time

Temporary Wrist Tattoos by Art as Art ($4.5) showing presumably, your 15 minutes of fame.

Wild Optimism

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

Mick Jagger
via the impossible cool

My friend called me the other night really exited that he had met someone new over the weekend. I love the feeling of meeting a new person, all possibilities in front of you, no mistakes, no flaws. Granted, this perfect wonderfulness isn't meant to last but it's fun while it does. So he meets said new person for 2 nights and insists that he will probably marry this person. Then he drops this.
"I did something else."
"What? You didn't actually propose or anything did you?"
"No. Worse kind of. I bought tickets in another city for the symphony in 3 months so we can go on a weekend trip there together."

This is what I call "Wild Optimism". Some people have it, some don't. My friend consistently does this type of over the top planning when he meets one nice person for 6 hours despite the fact that in all likelihood, it won't work out. I was prepared to give him a reality check and tell him that this kind of thinking needs to stop.
But then I realized that I display this sort of behavior when it comes to my work. Relationships? Pretty realistic. My work? Ummm... Let's just say that I have some embarrassingly lofty daydreams from time to time that would fall in this category for sure. Like, maybe I have my INC. Magazine cover styled in my mind already. Whatever, you never know.
So I decided not to laugh at my friend for his gesture for his new "probably fiancee" because I guess when it comes to attaining goals we all have Wildly Optimistic moments.

Overheard: An Actual Conversation

In meetings in Chicago over the last week.

"They're like the hipster, tattoed, Cleaver family"

"It's like a junk park.... in a good way"

A Great Little Camera That I Need.

I need this camera for 2 reasons. 1) I lose cameras and phones like it's my job and this one is only $105 so I wouldn't have to completely lose my mind if I misplaced it. 2) It takes pictures like a polaroid which I love!

Are You A Horrible Boss?

I've had my fair share of horrible bosses in my life, as everyone has I'm sure. The kind of boss that makes you dread going to work, hate going to meetings, and especially hate the days when it's his/her birthday and you have to stop your workday for their cake.
And you vow to never be that kind of boss.
I once had a boss when I was around 22 that didn't really like women very much and consistently told me that he really preferred to hire men but there wasn't anyone good available right now so that's why I was there. Thanks.
So I've worked pretty hard in my career on being good to anyone working below me. I try to thank them a lot, give credit where it's due, and if they need off to get a haircut or something then I don't give them a hard time for it (we all know that most people's business hours are the same as ours so getting a haircut might need to happen during the day, plus a haircut can change your whole life which is another post altogether). I do, however, have a really hard time teaching people things because I'm not patient.
There, I said it.
I like to teach someone to do something and have them execute it to perfection the next time. Unrealistic I know but I've been doing some thinking on why this happens in the workplace a lot and here's what I've come up with.
Generally, you teach someone to do a job that you used to do because you no longer have time to do it. You're so busy, in fact,that you don't really even have time to teach it. This means that the training is much shorter than it probably should be.
Since the new person is now doing the job, you move on to other pressing things thinking/hoping the new person is taking care of their new task. When they make a mistake, you are behind and must fix an error and stress builds. This is right about where I have to really stifle the urge to yell at: the person, traffic, the UPS guy, the bank line, or an innocent bystander.
Since all of that, I've made a sort of system on teaching people something new.
1) Take the time to explain. It will be annoying because you have other things to do but this is the single most important way to head off issues. If you think it will take 3 hours to teach a new designer something allocate a whole day for it.
2) Help them. Check in a lot in the beginning. This easy job you're teaching is new for them. I am now going so far as to make checklists or walking them through the first project in order to make the task feel more comfortable.
3) Mistakes are probably your fault. This was really hard for me to accept. This mistake is MY fault? What? It's true. Next time ask "what hindered you on this? Was it difficult to get something you needed? Where were you confused?" When I turned the question around I found that my new person was confused about who to ask for different elements on the project so things got really slowed down. I realized that the breakdown was not with the new person but with my short training. Since I knew everyone in the building, I didn't even think twice about who to harass for different deliverables.
Not having time is, in my opinion, the easiest opportunity to be seen as a horrible boss so making sure that you hire before the train comes off the track is essential. Oh, and not yelling helps a lot too.

Moody Tuesday Music - Marina And The Diamonds: The Outsider

I'm really liking this.

Wheaties Updates Itself. Finally Admits It's Targeting Men.

Everyone is familiar with the orange cereal box with the Olympian of the year on the front but now, the 85 year old cereal (General Mills) is producing a Wheaties line called Wheaties Fuel that is aimed specifically to men.
This is a great idea, and probably one that should have been done years ago. With all of the niche foods these days it's a natural fit and it will be interesting to see if others follow suit. What I've been seeing a lot are foods targeted to women particularly in the weight loss industries so this is somewhat novel and the site is well done. It's complete with interesting and user-gen feel videos, Facebook and Twitter links, and a way to pre-order the new boxes so congrats to Wheaties.

Renegade Craft Fair Chicago

Over the weekend I had the chance to stop by the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago. There's one every year in Brooklyn, San Francisco, and Chicago. I was looking for some affordable art to put up in our incredibly white apartment but didn't want to spend a fortune, which is exactly what Renegade offers along with A LOT of magnets, things made out of books, and T-shirts (I got some of all of those groups too).
This was my favorite buy.
Want to go on a little online version of Renegade?
Here are some of the booths I liked:
Folded Pigs - Coffee cups
HaHa Press - T-shirts
Spaghetti Kiss - Hoodie and T-shirts
Seattle Show Posters - Posters / Prints

I've also decided to make magnets this week after I saw how easy it was, I'll post on how to make beer bottle top magnets on Thursday.

Something I Saw In Chicago.

It's stuck on Erie Street and has been there a month or so now. It makes me smile every time I head to get a coffee.

A Creative Person You Should Know About: The Shoot Factory

The Shoot Factory is a full service location agency in the UK, which means they can make your home, office, building, look great for a shoot or event. The guy who founded it came from the advertising industry (not surprised) If you are looking for great inspiration for your own house or apartment go to the site and browse their work. Could you even think of a cooler job?

Fruit Slice Post- Its Almost Too Beautiful To Use

These are so cool, just try getting them though. You can get them at $20 per fruit through Rinya (I think!)

You Don't Need To Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone

I recently had to break up with a routine that I loved. The Sunday New York Times. Every single Sunday for the last 6 or 7 years, I get the Times and spread it out and take several hours to read it. It's relaxing and it's something I look forward to on Sundays. Then the New York Times decided to thin itself out. A lot. Really thin, like Tuesday thin. At the same time, they decided to raise their prices to $6 a paper which is ridiculous because they weren't giving us more or making anything better. So I stopped my Sunday paper reading a few weeks ago.
We talk a LOT about changing things up, breaking out of ruts, trying new things, meeting new people, etc. Our ruts should be broken out of like chains and going to the same places every day is to be avoided. There are countless excellent blog posts and articles to help us do these things and I'm not saying that you shouldn't read them. However, lately my comfort zone has been, well, absent. I have been a model of the "try new things constantly" method and to be honest, I don't really like it. This post is in praise of everything comfortable.
First, a little research.
Kids and Dogs: I have a dog in the house with me and not kids but my mother has been giving me a lot of kid raising tips. Additionally, everyone has dog obedience ideas for me and it all involves "creating a routine". There are hundreds of dog training sites out there that agree with this. Creating a routine allows dogs (and kids?) to know what's coming next so they act more predictably such as set walk times, meal times, etc.
So what about adults? What level of routine do we need to feel comfortable?
I think routine is a little bit unpopular right now because of all of the cool new great stuff out there but don't forget to show your routines a little love this week.
My favorites:
New York Times Reading
Coffee every morning
Movies at Sundance once a week
Taking a walk Saturday mornings
Watering my plants once a week
New shoes every fall

New Kid Cudi - Soundtrack To My Life with MGMT and Ratatat

and this one with MGMT and Ratatat.

Wow, There Really Is Good In The World.

I work at least one day a week out of Chicago which as you might guess keeps me running around a lot.
So last night, I am carrying 3 or 4 bags and parking the car and I'm exhausted so I'm swearing to myself about having to park on the lowest floor (which means 3 flights up with all that stuff) and use the remainder of my energy to get myself to my friend's house and I sleep like a rock.
This morning, I wake up and realize that in my haul I have misplaced my wallet. It's not in the apartment, in my bags, or on the countertops. I run out to my car having decided that it's got to be in the car under a seat. But it's not there.
I realize that I have no clue how I will pay to get out of the parking lot, get gas to go home, or anything else. My pulse starts to race. I think of who I can call, how I can fix this, and what I had in there.
And then I see it. Under my windshield wiper is my wallet that someone found and put there. All of my cash and cards are accounted for. In downtown Chicago. Wow.
This made my morning feel blessed and destined to be a good day and I never say things like that.

Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who's The Baddest Of Them All?

This is Snow's Revenge from Vinylville's Etsy shop. $13. I must have this.

Amazing Or Creepy? Cattle Bone Chair.

Fall always gets me in the mood for a little bit scarier stuff - here's my first find. Anyone know who made this? It's from a slideshow in the NY Times.

A Few Things You Might Want This Fall

University of Phoenix Spends More On Advertising Than Cheerios and Revlon?

I read an article at Adage this morning that just about made me fall over. The University of Phoenix is one of those part time and online schools so that people can get their degree and still work. It offers a flexible schedule to its students (online, once weekly classes, etc.) but I always sort of thought it was kind of a scam. I thought this because they send out representatives to events and direct mailers like... well..... a spam-ish kind of company.
But it turns out that the University of Phoenix spends more on advertising and marketing than huge brands (reputable) like Purina, Cheerios, and Revlon. I'm going to give you a moment to let that sink in.

How is it humanly possible that a brand spends that much in marketing and isn't perceived the same way as Cheerios or Revlon? Where are the models and the well shot ads? Where are the "kids snack recipes"? Where are they spending their marketing dollars? Who is telling them that direct mail and cheesy representatives will win people over? Their new concept (via billboards) appears to be a new "I am a Phoneix ad", very reminiscent of the "I'm a Mac" ads.

Here's what they appear to have in the social space:
Facebook - a page with 16,000 fans and no one moderating.
Twitter - feed with around 1,300 followers (Cheerios has 224)
YouTube Channel: Some fairly well done videos. 1,200 subscribers.


Has anyone ever seen any marketing from them other than direct mail and really irrelevant advertising?

Setting Goals

When Rebecca at Modite asked if she could use me as part of her Sept. monthly goal meet-up I wanted to laugh. I was trying to think if any of my written down goals had come to fruition this month, or last month, or in the last year and came up blank.
"What are you going to highlight as my accomplishment?" I asked via Gchat.
She sent me a mock up of the picture and accomplishment and it said "started my own consultant business".
I had done that this month.
Since it wasn't one of my "written down goals", I hadn't seen it as an accomplishment. I hadn't celebrated it or crossed it proudly off of any list and as I went over my actual written down goals last night I realized that the ones I had were ridiculous.
"Own a condo in Las Vegas?" Really?
"Pay off all debt?" In this year?

Now I am a huge advocate of writing down goals and looking at them frequently. Keeping those goals in the front of your mind helps you accomplish them. Lance Armstrong says so and so does Harvard. The act of thinking about them, planning for them, and writing them down actually makes it more likely that you will accomplish them. So why am I not writing this post from my Las Vegas condo?
What I had done was, write down a list of my grandiose dreams and tack them to the refrigerator where I could see them every day. I hadn't crossed of ANY because they weren't real goals. This is what I like about what Modite is doing because after last night I started thinking that acknowledging the goals you have reached is pretty important too.
So I'm changing this list up.
1) Set goals that are realistic. I'm still putting in the condo goal but I'm sprinkling in some more attainable goals as well, like hiring one person to work for me by the end of next year.
2) Set specific life and career goals. My goal list was pretty nebulous. If I had thought about it, "start my own consulting business" would have probably been on there.
3) Set small goals, even daily goals. Making a goal list is no fun if you NEVER get to cross anything off. Dieters are encouraged to set small daily goals so they are feeling a constant stream of positive and encouragement as they get to the big goal. I'm going to apply that method to all of my career goals as well.
4) Celebrate accomplishment.

Corner Light. Brilliant.

I love love love this idea!
"Why is lamp shade cylinder? Why do we put stand light at the corner?
Eliminate space eater but keep lighting more than before.
I add wit on this design by just chopping into 4 pieces of lamps from conventional stand lamp design.
And now we save material, package, logistics and space as well"
Ji Young Shon. Designer

Post In Which I Develop Allergy Pimples.

I am convinced that the universe is against me on this moving thing. That has to be it.
Because this morning I discovered yet another symptom of my allergic progression that began when I started staying over at the New Jersey-ite's apartment. The new symptom? Tiny hives that look like the adult onset of acne on my face. Awesome. Great. I'll just go ahead and add that to the "pink eye" puffiness, runny nose, sinus headache, and sneezing that starts about an hour after I get home every night.
Those things I could kind of handle but my vanity just will NOT be ok with this new pimple symptom.
The truth is, I'm allergic to the New Jersey-ite's dog but have convinced myself that I will not be the reason that the dog has to go.
I am not, to my knowledge, allergic to dogs. Then again, I've only had dogs that don't really shed and this one does.
My solutions are as follows:
move back into my apartment
determine that I am allergic to something else and ignore it for a few more months
tell him that the dog needs to go
new routine where the dog gets groomed on a weekly basis, vacuum like crazy, pray it goes away
start taking boatloads of Claritin

did I miss anything?
Also, isn't this plant thing great? I'd love an office like this.

Bravo To Coke Zero For The Hong Kong Can. When Will We See Branding Like This In The US?

cokezero story via hypebeast
Bravo to Coke Zero for this. They have teamed up with a young denim company in Hong Kong called Neighborhood Denim for the design on this can. Neighborhood Denim gets some much needed exposure to the masses and Coke Zero gets some street cred. Why oh why, have we not seen more of this in the US?
Pop up stores have been huge for a few years and recycled restaurants are in now, so we obviously get it that short run products and services are working well. Why not do more with product packaging in this vein?

Have You Seen The People Of WalMart Blog?

Because it's amazing. People send in photos of other customers at Wal-Mart that would rival some of the fashions at State Fairs, prisons, and backwoods hideouts. Go look!

Scholten & Baijings Makes Great Stuff - Thanks Netherlands!

Wow, something about these blankets and pillows is just amazing! It's like western blankets with modern colors from the Netherlands group Scholten and Baijings. Since these are incredibly expensive, I'm going to try to dig up a cheaper stateside version (they'd look great in a home that's mostly white).

Nixon Headphones

These are cool - nixon

Let's Play A Blog For Everyone!

One of the things that I love is when someone tells me that they don't like blogs. Or that they don't have time to read blogs. Or that blogs are like online journals and they don't care about what other people think.
It's lead me to start playing my favorite game called A Blog For Everyone. Now, I've written about my love for this game before but if you're new it's basically where I put the smack down on said "busy, uninterested" person when I tell them about a blog that would be perfect for them and they read it and love it and they can't tell anyone that they "hate blogs" anymore.
It's like a brain challenge for me and a surprise new hobby for them so it's a win/ win. Also, I get to smugly feel like I'm a super smart blog recommender afterwards.
So here's how I'm going to play online. I'm going to give you a real blog hater and my top 2 blogs that they will love. You can help in the comments if you have a good answer by sending a link. Then I'm going to send the list to the person so they can spend all future free moments checking them out.
Ready?
Guy. 29. Lives in the Southwest and is an avid photographer and street art afficionado. Currently dating around. Likes hip hop and classic rock. Hikes. Likes simple, clean design.

My answer:
Attorney Street - blog out of Chicago with great new hip hop, mostly local stuff.
Streetsy - daily street art photography.

Marc Jacobs Has Some Recession Items!

Boots - $28
Bracelets - $6
Star Bag - $25
I couldn't believe how cute some of the affordable items were at the Marc Jacobs site! I have a whole bunch of people with birthdays that I'm late on for August, this star bag would be perfect!