I was intrigued to learn that cosmetics powerhouse L'Oreal increased the spend in the first half of 2010 in promotions and advertising, specifically around the premium and luxury category. While I am watching the fluctuation in the marketplace along with everyone else, this appears to be a good indication that consumer goods are moving.
Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-08-26/l-oreal-shares-climb-most-since-may-as-operating-margin-advances-to-record.html
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
And back to our scheduled programming...
Have I mentioned my love of Aldi? FANTASTIC food market with exceptional prices, great seasonal produce and snackies galore. German chocolate bars for $1.29? You betcha. Extra virgin olive oil at $4.99? Yup Yup. Not to mention the cheapy decent wines that rival Two-buck-Chuck.
I talked to an Aldi insider a few days ago who gave me the background on this German company. Did you know they are also involved with Trader Joe's? Who knew!
That's where I'm spending my dollars, at Aldi down on Old Denton Road. That is, until a TJ's comes into town.
I talked to an Aldi insider a few days ago who gave me the background on this German company. Did you know they are also involved with Trader Joe's? Who knew!
That's where I'm spending my dollars, at Aldi down on Old Denton Road. That is, until a TJ's comes into town.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Super Gus the Hippie Bus Jams
Here's what I'm listening to at the mo, cruising around town in my CUBE.If We Ever Meet Again – Timbaland
Boy – Ra Ra Riot
Tonight I Have To Leave It – Shout Out Louds
Misery – Maroon 5
Our Deal – Best Coast
All Summer – Best Coast
Where I’m Going – Cut Copy
Only Exception – Paramore
Windstorm - School of Seven Bells
Dilly - Band of Horses
TAOS - Menomena
Sunday, August 1, 2010
My Birthday Cake
Those that get the joke have a special place in my heart. Right there, a little loving bit of teh awesomeness.The cake was delicious and moist.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Red Mahogany Gel Stain, $10. Explaining that you aren't a sociopath, PRICELESS!
The Great Master Bathroom Remodel of 2010 has begun! What have I learned so far?
1) Keep a notepad & pencil with you at all times. This is for your master list of things to purchase, measurements, ideas and ANYTHING else that you will need to reference at Home Depot.
2) Speaking of Home Depot, this is great for lumber and supplies. Not so varied on the fixtures, accessories and pretty-pretty stuff. Shop around. Go to Lowes for the lighting and cabinet handles.
3) BEFORE you leave the store, call home. Make sure that you have everything that needs to be bought; check in that something new hasn’t happened or ask if soda/lunch is needed. Because when you get a call 2 minutes from home and your hubby needs Red Mahogany Gel Stain, it’s not that much fun to flip a U and go back to the store again.
4) And when you get back to that store you’ve already visited 5 times in one day, this is KEY! Make friends with the cashier and floor people. You’re going to be seeing a lot of them, and it helps when a relationship is built (pun intended.) Fifty customers will all be vying for Ryon the Paint Guy’s attention… then you walk over, give a wave, and he drops it all to help you find that dang Red Mahogany Gel Stain. You’ve just saved 20 minutes.
5) Think ahead. If you’re going to be working with Red Mahogany Gel Stain, it would make a heck of a lot of sense to purchase that paint thinner and acetone in the same trip, right? Otherwise, you’ll be driving BACK to Home Depot in a few hours, covered in what looks like blood, and Ryon will be laughing his ass off while he hands you a can.
6) Which brings me to appearances: Walking into Home Depot covered in red bloody paint stains may get a look or two. But hey, it’s Home Depot! Everyone is working on projects and this is your badge of honor as a Weekend Warrior. But you may want to rethink how it’s going to look when you walk into CVS and ask the Manager, “If I was a box cutter, where would I be?” He's going to take one look, believe you have murdered someone, and need to cut up the body parts. Pretty difficult to explain to him why you are covered in Red Mahogany Gel Stain and need a utility knife to cut up carpet at 9pm on a Saturday. I’m just saying…
1) Keep a notepad & pencil with you at all times. This is for your master list of things to purchase, measurements, ideas and ANYTHING else that you will need to reference at Home Depot.
2) Speaking of Home Depot, this is great for lumber and supplies. Not so varied on the fixtures, accessories and pretty-pretty stuff. Shop around. Go to Lowes for the lighting and cabinet handles.
3) BEFORE you leave the store, call home. Make sure that you have everything that needs to be bought; check in that something new hasn’t happened or ask if soda/lunch is needed. Because when you get a call 2 minutes from home and your hubby needs Red Mahogany Gel Stain, it’s not that much fun to flip a U and go back to the store again.
4) And when you get back to that store you’ve already visited 5 times in one day, this is KEY! Make friends with the cashier and floor people. You’re going to be seeing a lot of them, and it helps when a relationship is built (pun intended.) Fifty customers will all be vying for Ryon the Paint Guy’s attention… then you walk over, give a wave, and he drops it all to help you find that dang Red Mahogany Gel Stain. You’ve just saved 20 minutes.
5) Think ahead. If you’re going to be working with Red Mahogany Gel Stain, it would make a heck of a lot of sense to purchase that paint thinner and acetone in the same trip, right? Otherwise, you’ll be driving BACK to Home Depot in a few hours, covered in what looks like blood, and Ryon will be laughing his ass off while he hands you a can.
6) Which brings me to appearances: Walking into Home Depot covered in red bloody paint stains may get a look or two. But hey, it’s Home Depot! Everyone is working on projects and this is your badge of honor as a Weekend Warrior. But you may want to rethink how it’s going to look when you walk into CVS and ask the Manager, “If I was a box cutter, where would I be?” He's going to take one look, believe you have murdered someone, and need to cut up the body parts. Pretty difficult to explain to him why you are covered in Red Mahogany Gel Stain and need a utility knife to cut up carpet at 9pm on a Saturday. I’m just saying…
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I will never forget the look on that chicken's face
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VMF3R2-zxM
So many peeps have asked about 'Digest This', the original masterpiece from Adam Holmes, where I lent a hand in the creation process. Adam will be working in Pixar in the near future, I have no doubt of that. But to catch a glimpse of his beginning, where Mrs. Rosenburg was a nervous Matzo Mummy and my vocal skills were all a-twitter... wait no longer.
Simply click the link and be magically transported away to the animated solution to end world hunger.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Peaches, Ikea and Cubes... OH MY!
Learned quite a bit this week. And let's face it, if you aren't learning something new, then you aren't living, you're just surviving. And what fun is that?
According to NPR, the Peach business is going to boom this year. Due to rain and good seasonal weather, the word of the day is PEACH. Now how to make that payoff in your daily business, since I don't think Peach Farmers are on the NASDAQ... with the exception of baking up some nom nom noms Peach Cobbler, perhaps the overarching point is that The South is going to be profitable. And we're all going to be enjoying the fruits of their labor (pun intended).
Moving right along, I had a head-smack moment on my commute home. Driving by the Ikea on the 121, I noticed that the building was in blue and yellow. Sweden's flag's colors. Was this a DUH moment or what? Did you know it was founded by a 17 year old Swede? I knew it was Scandinavian, but didn't connect the dots. It was almost like the day I realized that Kay Jewelers tagline "Every kiss begins with Kay" was a double entendre for the letter K in kiss and the brand Kay. Why it didn't hit me until recently? I am embarrassed.
Speaking of driving, I have finally found my new car replacement for Gus the Wonder Bug. After test-driving a few this weekend, I've happily decided to purchase a Nissan Cube. No, I don't think it's homely or boxy. I dig it. It's a fun ride and has an intelligence chip. Being able to cruise around DFW, getting 30+ mpg, blue tooth and iPod downloads into the stereo's memory are freaking awesome. Not to mention, it's just fun to drive. (Insert Hitchhiker's Guide quote here.)
Alright peeps... make it a great day!
According to NPR, the Peach business is going to boom this year. Due to rain and good seasonal weather, the word of the day is PEACH. Now how to make that payoff in your daily business, since I don't think Peach Farmers are on the NASDAQ... with the exception of baking up some nom nom noms Peach Cobbler, perhaps the overarching point is that The South is going to be profitable. And we're all going to be enjoying the fruits of their labor (pun intended).
Moving right along, I had a head-smack moment on my commute home. Driving by the Ikea on the 121, I noticed that the building was in blue and yellow. Sweden's flag's colors. Was this a DUH moment or what? Did you know it was founded by a 17 year old Swede? I knew it was Scandinavian, but didn't connect the dots. It was almost like the day I realized that Kay Jewelers tagline "Every kiss begins with Kay" was a double entendre for the letter K in kiss and the brand Kay. Why it didn't hit me until recently? I am embarrassed.
Speaking of driving, I have finally found my new car replacement for Gus the Wonder Bug. After test-driving a few this weekend, I've happily decided to purchase a Nissan Cube. No, I don't think it's homely or boxy. I dig it. It's a fun ride and has an intelligence chip. Being able to cruise around DFW, getting 30+ mpg, blue tooth and iPod downloads into the stereo's memory are freaking awesome. Not to mention, it's just fun to drive. (Insert Hitchhiker's Guide quote here.)
Alright peeps... make it a great day!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
If we tweeted to Keanu to become a WWOOFer, maybe he wouldn't be so sad.
Couple of wacky/intriguing things I found floating on teh internets today.
New meme stemming from a Paparazzi shot of Keanu Reeves sitting on a bench alone, eating a sammich. He looks just a wee bit depressed. Not the - I’m going to pull a Heath Ledger - (too soon?) but more along the lines of the Sad Clown from the Circus. (Speaking of which, I haven’t mentioned clowns or zombies in a while… are we due for a G rant on Clombies?) Digression aside, Happy ‘Cheer Up Keanu Day’ everyone.
Next we come across a fun Twitter/webcam stunt involving a recruiter out of Chicago Ad Biz. Apparently, if you tell David what to do for the week, he’s going to do it (within legal limits and reason of course.) 24 hours a day, 7 days… whatever you tweet him, he’s going to do it. And in return, his boss is going to send him to Cannes. Not too shabby an idea if you ask me!
Finally… the WWOOFers. What is a WWOOFer, one might ask? Welp, basically it is traded labor for room & board on an organic farm. No money changes hands. You learn about working on an organic and sustainable farm for a few months, work minimum hours on the farm each day, and your hosts feed and shelter you. Want a getaway to New Zealand? Here’s a way to do it.
Later Gators.
New meme stemming from a Paparazzi shot of Keanu Reeves sitting on a bench alone, eating a sammich. He looks just a wee bit depressed. Not the - I’m going to pull a Heath Ledger - (too soon?) but more along the lines of the Sad Clown from the Circus. (Speaking of which, I haven’t mentioned clowns or zombies in a while… are we due for a G rant on Clombies?) Digression aside, Happy ‘Cheer Up Keanu Day’ everyone.
Next we come across a fun Twitter/webcam stunt involving a recruiter out of Chicago Ad Biz. Apparently, if you tell David what to do for the week, he’s going to do it (within legal limits and reason of course.) 24 hours a day, 7 days… whatever you tweet him, he’s going to do it. And in return, his boss is going to send him to Cannes. Not too shabby an idea if you ask me!
Finally… the WWOOFers. What is a WWOOFer, one might ask? Welp, basically it is traded labor for room & board on an organic farm. No money changes hands. You learn about working on an organic and sustainable farm for a few months, work minimum hours on the farm each day, and your hosts feed and shelter you. Want a getaway to New Zealand? Here’s a way to do it.
Later Gators.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Talkin bout Meh Generation!
Technically, I fall at the tail end of Gen X, which is considered the 13th Generation in the United States (1961 - 1981; directly following the Baby Boomers, this is the 13th Generation from Ben Franklin.) So many movies and books refer to this grouping (Douglas Coupland, Reality Bites, etc.) I just don't relate as well as, say, my brother or older cousins. This was the time of Grunge (yes, I bought Teen Spirit just like everyone else) and MTV. I was still watching Animaniacs and having sleepovers. Am I Gen X? I don't think so.
Here's a brief history of some of the named Generations.
Lost Generation - Those that fought in WWI. Kinda sad name actually. "Hi, I'm in the Lost Generation... and I don't mean the TV show.")
Interbellum Generation - Those born at the end of the 19th Century into 1915 (This would be my Grandpa Ignatz "Happy" Heppler. German immigrant and farmer.)
Greatest Generation - Those that fought in WWII, born 1916 - mid 1920s. Tom Brokaw named them in a book and it stuck. A little pompous in my opinion to say you are the GREATEST Generation, but they lived through the Depression and fought a serious war, so I'll shut up about that.
Silent Generation - Born between 1925 - 1945. These are generally the ones to young to fight, the Depression had a profound impact on them, life was hard. My Mother and Father were of this group. Although, my mother does not remember much of the War, her older brother was an enlisted Navy (lied about his age) and in Europe.
The Baby Boom- Yeah, I think we all know about these guys. 1945 - 1965. Thanks for the sweet music, art, political movements and more. Please take your vitamins and watch your cholesterol.
Gen X - Already discussed. Holla Yuppies!
Gen Y (Millenials, Generation Next) - The fact that they can't agree on a name, or dates, pretty much sums it up. Some say it's late 1970's to early 2000... other say 1981 to early 21st Century. The advent of the Hipster. Are you wearing your Hush Puppies with a sardonic t-shirt?
Generation Z (Digital Natives, Gen Tech) - These are the Noobs. They don't remember the days of Crapple 2e computers, no internet, cell phones bigger than phone books (Hello Zach Morris!) These are the kids who are smarter, faster, more connected and with less privacy.
So where does that leave those of us kids born in 1976 - 1981? We're a little bit of the misfit toys. We can easily jump between groups. Hanging with Gen X and relating to watching 90210 and Friends... and then hopping down to Gen Y & Z with our iPhones, iPads, iPods and rocking out on the XBOX for ultimate Rock Band supremacy. I hate to say it, but John Mayer might be the poster child for this small segment. We should get a special generational name for this transitional period.
I'm still trying to think of a good name though... Generation Meh?
Here's a brief history of some of the named Generations.
Lost Generation - Those that fought in WWI. Kinda sad name actually. "Hi, I'm in the Lost Generation... and I don't mean the TV show.")
Interbellum Generation - Those born at the end of the 19th Century into 1915 (This would be my Grandpa Ignatz "Happy" Heppler. German immigrant and farmer.)
Greatest Generation - Those that fought in WWII, born 1916 - mid 1920s. Tom Brokaw named them in a book and it stuck. A little pompous in my opinion to say you are the GREATEST Generation, but they lived through the Depression and fought a serious war, so I'll shut up about that.
Silent Generation - Born between 1925 - 1945. These are generally the ones to young to fight, the Depression had a profound impact on them, life was hard. My Mother and Father were of this group. Although, my mother does not remember much of the War, her older brother was an enlisted Navy (lied about his age) and in Europe.
The Baby Boom- Yeah, I think we all know about these guys. 1945 - 1965. Thanks for the sweet music, art, political movements and more. Please take your vitamins and watch your cholesterol.
Gen X - Already discussed. Holla Yuppies!
Gen Y (Millenials, Generation Next) - The fact that they can't agree on a name, or dates, pretty much sums it up. Some say it's late 1970's to early 2000... other say 1981 to early 21st Century. The advent of the Hipster. Are you wearing your Hush Puppies with a sardonic t-shirt?
Generation Z (Digital Natives, Gen Tech) - These are the Noobs. They don't remember the days of Crapple 2e computers, no internet, cell phones bigger than phone books (Hello Zach Morris!) These are the kids who are smarter, faster, more connected and with less privacy.
So where does that leave those of us kids born in 1976 - 1981? We're a little bit of the misfit toys. We can easily jump between groups. Hanging with Gen X and relating to watching 90210 and Friends... and then hopping down to Gen Y & Z with our iPhones, iPads, iPods and rocking out on the XBOX for ultimate Rock Band supremacy. I hate to say it, but John Mayer might be the poster child for this small segment. We should get a special generational name for this transitional period.
I'm still trying to think of a good name though... Generation Meh?
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