Do you know what krumping is? No, not that! I found this fascinating. You might too? Brand Noise: Krumping Gets a Bigger Audience

It is all too easy to think that your way of doing things is the right way. Or that someone else’s way is the wrong way. We all have our preferences and we all get used to “our way.” As marketers, might it make sense to really experience the life of our target audiences? Remember What Women Want? Mel Gibson tried on pantyhose and polished his nails so he could understand women. Maybe that’s too far to go, but…

I like my life. It’s structured the way I want it. My kids have rules and understand the expectations I have of them. On the weekends, we are looser and allow Gamecube and TV in, what we consider to be, reasonable amounts. But this past weekend, two of my nieces came to stay with us. For a variety of reasons, we took on their lifestyle for the weekend. It’s a challenge to change your lifestyle for any amount of time. But it was just a couple days, so no big deal. Right?

The girls’ family is Shomer Shabbat which is a term to describe one who observes the Shabbat (Sabbath) and follows the Jewish laws relevant to it. That means no electricity (unless it was on before sundown Friday), no writing, no driving, etc. until about an hour after sundown on Saturday. Without kids, it sounds luxurious — reading books, napping, talking. With kids (and no practice) it sounds like “Mom, I’m bored.” and “What can we do now?”

But we took it on out of respect for family. And what happened? We played board games. We read books. The kids talked to each other. They learned from each other. My guys talked to me about down time and unplugged time and really being with people. And though we are not changing our lifestyle, I do believe we have a tiny little better understanding of my nieces and their family’s life and the closeness it can create. A step closer. It’s nice.

In today’s adrants, Cereal Cartoon Characters Turn Parents Into Helpless Idiots suggests that parents have the power to say no to their children. Who knew? My life will be much easier moving forward. Thank you, adrants.

I just finished watching the 60 Minutes Wednesday segment about Jesse James. You know, the guy from West Coast Choppers, Monster Garage, dates Sandra Bullock…. So he’s an interesting guy, I think. Doesn’t care what anyone thinks. Rich as all get out.

So Vicki Mabrey was so clueless. Showed total disdain for the guy. Seriously, she gave him dirty looks and was really sarcastic. So why would the producers of the show choose her to interview him and ride in his low-rider? I can’t imagine, but it was embarrasing. So I read her bio and NOW I understand. She’s too high-brow for Jesse, I suppose. Rigggghhhttt….

This morning on my way home from the gym, I heard something really scary on Morning Edition. A new report says that 71% of children report that they need a vacation. Children. Yikes.

It’s hard to be proud that so many Americans are showing their patriotism and support for so many terrific causes with all those ribbons. I’m sorry to be so cynical – but if people were really so darn committed to the causes, why do they put magnetic ribbons on instead of stickers? So they can change their minds?

Note: Move those magnets around – they’ll ruin your car’s finish if you don’t.

I used to love that show. Some say my oldest son is a bit (or more than a bit) like Alex P. Keaton. This past weekend I had the pleasure of being with a family that is bound together like no other. It was the b’nai mitzvah of 2 first cousins – a girl and a boy. Their fathers are brothers. Their mothers have been thick as thieves since they were babies. The grandmothers have been friends forever. All the siblings of the parents were not only there, but really there. There were cousins and friends and hugs and joy. There were three sets of grandparents. And there were days, yes days, of festivities. But what strikes me the most is the togetherness. This family – the extended family – never seems to tire of each other. They are so grateful for their time and experiences. It is truly amazing.

(Did I mention how well the b’nai mitzvah kids did? they were awesome!)

The hard part for me (and some others, I’ll bet) – though difficult to admit – is the jealousy. To see such love and admiration in a family – aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents, siblings – is heartwarming admittedly. My family loves each other – my siblings, parents, our kids, blah blah blah. And I have a great relationship with Andrew’s parents and a great friendship with his sister who lives close by. But we don’t hang out for 3 days with our entire extended clan. (okay, maybe that’s alright.) We don’t write songs for each other and sing them publicly at our affairs, either. (They really do that, folks!) We don’t hang out with our entire extended clan at all. I have first cousins that I see at weddings and funerals and that is the extent of our relationship. My grandmother – the only grandparent I have left, is in assisted living. My brother, sister & I are all in different states.

Here’s the thing. My mother grew up in the same neighborhood (and sometimes the same house) as her grandparents, cousins, and all. They were very close. I grew up with both of my aunts and all their kids and my grandparents within 1-1/2 blocks. I really liked it. But now, we’re so spread out. It seems to me the whole world is so spread out. It’s cold and lonely. And sad. I miss everyone – they are a part of who I am.

I liken this family sprawl issue to spreading our lives too thin. Our kids are busy, we work too much, we never turn off our technology (yes, I send email at 5 am – but I have to! Otherwise, my colleagues and friends who sent me email at 2 am would think I’m a slacker). We need to make a date to see people – rarely, if ever, do we spontaneously get together. (Except for Melissa & her crew – thanks for that!) Do we all need so much that giving up our time and personal relationships is worth it? Not to me, it’s not.

I have a DVR. And I’m a huge fan. Check out RadioTime – there’s a free trial & it’s not expensive anyway – less than give WTMD every year… It’s like Tivo for “radio.” Maybe everyone knew about this but me. Read Kevin Kelly’s review…..

There’s been a lot of talk about relationships lately. Ever seen Church of the Customer? The entire blog is about customer evangelists. And Jeff Risley had a great post yesterday about a college course about relationship-building. But Jeff did something else, too. He started listing people and companies with which he has relationships and would recommend. Kind of like Linked-In in a much more personal way. I like it. Not just because I’m on the list, but because it speaks to this medium. I don’t know about you, but I have definitely found the most interesting blogs by following the recommended blogs from the blogs I like. So why not follow the links from the people we’ve “gotten to know” from their blogs? It makes sense. We build these relationships online and sometimes we even feel we know each other. I know I do.

In fact, I got an email today from a client that mentioned Andrea Learned. My first reaction? “I know her.” Well, I don’t really. I’ve been reading her for some time. I’ve exchanged a couple emails. But it feels more personal than that to me. Reading her blog regularly feels like I’ve had a cup of coffee with her each morning.

But back to recommending people…just the other day, I needed a photographer to do a headshot in a D.C. office on short notice. I called someone I trusted in D.C., got a recommendation and made the call. Hired him on the spot. Would I have done that out of the phonebook? No way. So as seasoned professionals, doesn’t it make sense to use our experience to help steer our collegues to top notch talent? I think so. I despise those networking breakfasts. But I suppose the goal is the same. I just prefer it online.

I saw them in the new Shape Magazine. They are cross-trainers by Reebok. Called Alyana. They have groovy velcro closures and no ties. I’m always stepping on the laces on the stair machine. Since I was on a rare visit to the mall, I went to Lady Foot Locker. Top of mind. They sent me to Nordstrom. They sent me to Hecht’s. They told me to go online. I went to Zappos. Then to Shoes.com. Then to Reebok.com. So far, nothing. Then I called Reebok. They were nice. But had never heard of the Alyana model. A few minutes later, I was told that shoes that might be the ones I’m looking for will be released on April 1st.

Getting the product placement in a magazine that arrives in homes on February 14th – 6 weeks before product release -without a disclaimer- seems shortsighted to me. Funny thing is, I wasn’t considering a Reebok product before I saw the article. And now I’m not again.