I’ve been reading Mashable, a site about social networking news. To me, it’s very interesting and it’s extremely pertinent to some of my current projects.

So it seems that these little pets are getting extremely popular with the kids. When I see widgets like this (and lots of others!), it makes me think about what it would be like to be growing up now. I think I’d have liked it.

But the other day, I was in the middle school at the change of classes…. and I can tell you without a doubt that I wouldn’t want to do that again.

By the way, Rayure (what I named my tiger cub) means stripe (feminine) in French!

From “The Argument Clinic,” Monty Python

Michael Palin: An argument isn’t just contradiction.
John Cleese: It can be.
Michael Palin: No it can’t. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition.
John Cleese: No it isn’t.
Michael Palin: Yes it is! It’s not just contradiction.
John Cleese: Look, if I argue with you, I must take up a contrary position.
Michael Palin: Yes, but that’s not just saying ‘No it isn’t.’
John Cleese: Yes it is!
Michael Palin: No it isn’t!
John Cleese: Yes it is!
Michael Palin: Argument is an intellectual process. Contradiction is just the automatic gainsaying of any statement the other person makes.
(short pause)
John Cleese: No it isn’t.

Thanks to Search Insider for sending this out in their email today and making me laugh. This is one of my very favorite Monty Python skits. Another one? “How about a wafer-thin mint?”….

Thanks to Gnightgirl who tagged me and (aw shucks) called my blog a thinking blog. I don’t know what to say.

Of course, now, just like Miss America, I have my duties. I must tag 5 blogs that make me think. The Thinking Blogger Awards meme was started, by the way, by Ilker Yoldas. Thought you’d want to know.

1) Jennethink. Jenne’ can sure spin a tale. And she’s one of the most honest writers I read. She makes me think. And she makes me feel. If you don’t read her blog, you should.

2) Back in Skinny Jeans. Not as if Stephanie has any idea who the heck I am, but I really enjoy her blog. She is informed, witty and I really like reading her blog.

3) Indexed. Just found this recently. Totally cracks me up and makes me think.

4)David Seah. I’ve written about David before. I really like this guy’s stuff. And he definitely makes me think.

5)Thoroughly Modern Millie. Millie is 81 years old. She’s been blogging since 2003. She has videos of how hard some things are to do – like open packages – and she is a voice of a very hip 80-something. Marketers could do well to think about what she writes.

I have to say, this was harder than I expected. I read a lot. I mean a lot. And I’d say that most of what I read online makes me think most of the time and I learn something from all of it. Even Go Fug Yourself makes me think. Think that I sure am glad I didn’t pursue that movie star lifestyle and don’t have to worry about everyone looking at me that closely! And it’s entertaining to boot.

So there you have it.

Now, about that nap…

Busy week! I’m on deadline for several projects so I won’t be blogging much this week.

But….

Maven posted something today that made me laugh. So take heed, all you Jewish stoners…. Pot smoking forbidden on Passover….

And….

As I was thinking (read: procrastinating) I looked around and saw these three…

Not exactly motivating. Makes me want to curl up and take a nap.

Jeff Risley posted several months back about Absolut’s promotion that led to an error message online. Ouch.

That stuck with me. Maybe because I like the product?

So this morning, a friend sent me a video and it made me think of the Absolut post. Here is the vid below, if you want to see it. Maybe without the kids standing behind you.

Goodbye To The Normals Viral

Description: An amusing viral for new site Goodbytothenormals.com featuring music from Robbie Williams fantastic latest album, Rudebox

It’s a movie promo. Looks odd, but maybe interesting. But here’s the rub. If you go to Goodbytothenormals.com it’s the wrong site. It’s actually Goodbyetothenormals.com. I wonder how many people take the time to find the right site. What a waste of a viral effort.

Sunshine and breezy
Skating, parties, hanging out
Weekends always end

When we were hiking Red Rocks Canyon, I was desperately in search of life. I had high hopes of seeing the desert in bloom and some interesting wildlife. And while I did see cacti and a little lizard, the landscape seemed barren to me and the wildlife I saw was mostly on The Strip.

I was, admittedly, a little disappointed.

But then we came to a sign that explained 7 different communities of plants and animals in the area where we had stopped. This fascinated me for several reasons. For one thing, I loved that the plants and animals that live and grow together are called a community. Totally made sense to me. And, it shocked me that this small area could have so many little worlds in it and that they could live side-by-side. But mostly, I was amazed that this area that did not look very alive to me (as it was sand and rocks and appeared to simply have some scattered weeds around) was, in fact, extremely alive and thriving.

It got me thinking.

What constitutes a weed as opposed to a plant? Who decides what is beautiful and what is dull? At the visitor center of the park, there were exhibits featuring all the plants I did see. Plants that I disregarded. Evidently, to someone, they were something worth talking about. Isn’t it a bit like Middle School where some kids are popular and in the spotlight and some are in the shadows? You might not recognize the quieter, less gregarious students at first – they’re just less flashy.

Any environment may allow growth, but limitations exist. Ferns won’t grow in the desert. They’d be miserable there. But cacti can’t grow in the tundra either. Maybe there’s a place for everything and everyone and we need to find where we can grow best. I was in a great advertising/pr agency yesterday. The people there seem to be thriving. But I couldn’t be happy in that atmosphere any more; the hours and the pace might just kill me. Besides, I have other priorities. And I promise that some of those high-powered and social people would hate working in solitude, like I so often do.

I loved the peacefulness of the desert. The rock formations were humbling. And a place this huge made me think about how big the world is and how small our part is.

But still.

I would love to see the desert in bloom.

Your guest blogger Andrew here again with another fascinating post (at least I think so) about one of my three favorite subjects – food.

As I am sure you know, my responsibilities in Wendyworld (a great place to live, BTW) include almost all things food related. I take pride in having expanded her food horizons and always look forward to being in charge of planning food related outings when we travel. This trip was no exception. My primary tools are Chowhound, eGullet, the local newspaper’s food section, and to a lesser extent Zagat’s

We had already made reservations for dinner on Friday and Saturday weeks in advance. Those of you know us won’t be surprised, so the challenge was to eat as little as possible in the hotel, and try and stay away from the tourist spots. In case you don’t know, Las Vegas has become a much better town for foodies in the last few years with many famous chefs opening branches in the casinos. Had we the funds, we would have indulged, but we chose to try and find the places more patronized by locals.

Thursday Dinner – Marc’s Restaurant. A modern take on an old style Vegas restaurant. Looked good on the web and in the reviews I found. When I called to see if they could take us for dinner at 6:30, they said ” I think we can squeeze you in”, which ended up being very funny as the place was almost empty when we arrived. It was also the scene of the Rat Pack post, so let me just describe the meal.

Lobster Martini: Chunks of lobster meat, mashed potatoes and truffle oil served in a martini glass. Excellent, nice tender lobster.

Arugula Salad: What more can I say

Orecchiette with Bolognese: great flavor, but slightly thin consistency.

We only ordered one of each, and two martinis, but it was more than enough food.

Highly recommended, if only for our waiter.

Wine: Le Sorgenti, Chianti Colli Fiorentini 2000

Friday breakfast – Tiffany’s Cafe. The first 24 hour restaurant in Las Vegas (and it looks its age) located inside a drug store. Horrible coffee, but great hash brown’s. Order the breakfast muffin, biscuits and gravy, or any other egg dish. Cheap, cheap, cheap.

Friday dinner – Rosemary’s Restaurant . This was the big one, the meal I had been waiting for. Highly recommended and a less expensive alternative to the big name restaurants on the Strip. I had the tasting menu with paired wines. The best part of the meal was the parings of the wines with the dishes. While each would have excellent on its own , the combination worked particularly well. Highlights were the salmon tartar and the lamb. Wendy ordered from the dinner menu and had the foie gras appetizer, with the same ice wine as my dessert, seared scallops with a nice white burgundy, and yellow fin tuna au poivre with a Cote de Rhone.

Saturday breakfast – we stumbled on this french bakery purely by accident – we must have good food karma. Bon Jour Bakery on S. Rainbow. Beautiful breads and pastries and one of the best croissants I have has in years.

Saturday dinner – Lotus of Siam is one of those places that you wouldn’t believe if I told you it existed. Consistently ranked as one of the best Thai restaurants in the U.S. I love really spicy food, and so does Wendy. We were not disappointed. I have included the degree of spiciness we ordered with 10 being the hottest

Northern Style Tom Kah Kai (Spicy Chicken Soup – 5: Wow. I love the version with coconut milk, but this was as good or better.

PLA KOONG (Shrimp Spicy Salad)- 6: We really were starting to turn up the heat with this one. When I really start to get a good sweat going, you know the heat is there

Nam-Prik-Noom (Green Chili Dip) – 7: No choice on the minimum heat level here. One thing that is unique with Thai food is that the heat builds over time. So the first bite may be deceiving, but after a few minutes hold on. Great flavor, and one of the hottest things I have ever eaten.

GREEN CURRY w chicken – 3: After that last one we need to cool down before dessert, and this green curry was excellent.

Not only was the restaurant great, but they had a nice wine list too. While our usual drink with Thai food is Singha beer, we had a really nice dry German Riesling with this meal.

All in all, a great food trip. If you get a chance, please try any or all of these places.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about point-of-purchase (p.o.p.) and in-store signage. I’ve decided that some stores intentionally have vague internal signage so you have to walk the aisles to find what you want and that you will, hopefully, stumble across other items that (now that you see them) you must have.

Admittedly, I am an impulse shopper extraordinaire. End caps. Displays near the register. I’m there. I try. I take a list. But evidently, I have the “oooh, I need that” gene.

But back to the point. I was thrilled to walk into this CVS in Las Vegas. (sidebar: we noticed that there were more Walgreen’s, CVS’s and Rite Aid’s along our way in Vegas than I’ve ever seen. Sometimes, all three on one block. I think we must have seen 25 drug stores in our travels. Maybe more.)

So in this CVS, notice the over shelf signage. It was awesome. I could see from one spot in the center of the store where everything was. Everything. I was looking for a particular toiletry item and it saved me time. And probably to the chagrin of CVS, it kept me from wandering the aisled to see what else I needed.