30 November 2007

It's Official ... I shop like a guy

I had always suspected this was the case, but this new article from Wharton Business School seems to spell it out in black and white :0)

When it comes to shopping, women are from Nordstrom’s and men are from Sears. Women are happy to meander through sprawling clothing and accessory collections or detour through the shoe department. For men, shopping is a mission. They are out to buy a targeted item and flee the store as quickly as possible, according to a new study by Wharton’s Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative and the Verde Group, a Toronto consulting firm. The study’s findings have implications for retailers that are looking for ways to tailor their goods and services to specific segments of the shopping population.” (Read more.)

From Knowledge@Wharton.

29 November 2007

Interests by Canadian City, according to Facebook

Interests by Canadian City (Through the Lens of Facebook) (graphic)

As much as politicians believe we are wired much differently across Canada,
our most popular social network suggests differently. Sure, perhaps a little more travelling and photography goes on in Vancouver, some more camping in Calgary, more dancing and sports in Winnipeg, more shopping and sports in Toronto, more cooking and art in Montreal and more hanging with friends in Halifax - but we really are quite alike as a people.

In aggregrate order of priority, Canadian interests are:

#1 - Music
#2 - Reading
#3 - Movies
#4 - Photography
#5 - Traveling
#6 - Hockey
#7 - Sports
#8 - Shopping
#9 - Camping
#10 - Cooking
#11 - Dancing
#12 - Art

Source: Buzz Canuck

27 November 2007

This is why people spend so much at Costco ...

“One recent survey reported that Costco sells to 1 in every 11 people in the United States and Canada, and warehouse clubs are estimated to be a $120 billion industry today in the United States alone. As a result, many people have had the experience of entering one of these popular clubs and leaving hours later with more goods than can fit in their car. One rational reason for such behavior is that membership clubs do offer lower prices than other retailers. However, HBS professor Michael Norton and coauthor Leonard Lee suggest a counterintuitive explanation.” (Read more.)

From HBS Working Knowledge.

24 November 2007

...

In those words
through the glass
A brilliance of colours
speak of history pasts

I see in your words
through that box
Echoes of me bounce, reflect
Then are lost

Trying to grip
gossamer strands
Is likely slowly slipping
hourglass sand ...

16 November 2007

If you haven't had the pleasure of reading Scott Adams' Blog yet ...

Happiness Smoothing

Let this post be the first... If nothing else it will give you some great one-liners for how busy your workday is to people you don't know so well ... I read his stuff when I need a boost - read the comments too, some of them are ::priceless::.

M

15 November 2007

Chinese Zodiac horoscope today

Quiet love life, without clashes but without passion either.
You'll need to relax; laughter and sleep will be the most efficient ways to do it. Try to maintain affectionate relationships with your parents. Involve yourself more in your work; luck will smile to you.
In spite of many annoyances, continue your advance with the certainty that you can control your destiny.


Mickie's note: Good advice ... ♥

11 November 2007

Restless

She shook it off and for the hundredth time tried desperately to just breathe, in and out - find that rhythm that would take her back to sleep. As soon as her eyes closed, her thoughts swirled, ::again:: dark, twisting her mind until she found herself once again staring at the blank ceiling overhead.

Giving up with a sigh, she eased herself from under the blankets and pulled on the cotton pants that lay crumpled on the floor. He snuffled briefly at the intrusion to his sound sleep then lay still again.

Noticing the time on the wall clock, she groaned at the thought of a long day ahead that had just started way too early. The simple steps in preparing a cup of tea - putting on the kettle, measuring the leaves into a cup, watching the steam rise as the hot water steeped the leaves -- the motions began to calm her and release the knot that had been building between her shoulders. She pulled a wool blanket from the couch, wrapped it around her and stepped outside, barefoot onto the deck into the crisp fall pre-dawn.

The gray-purple sky was barely beginning to to lighten on the far horizon. There was absolute silence. No breeze, no birds chattering, no city noise, just ... still ... quiet ... frost-tinged air. She realized she had been holding her breath, not wanting to disturb this perfect tranquil moment. As she breathed out, warm puffs of smoky air suspended, simmered, and dissappeared.

Her thoughts from her tortured night returned, but she allowed them to sweep over her, stroking her nerves and unravelling the threads of the twisted wreckage inside. Free associated images played behind her eyelids, in wave after wave, until finally settling then falling away.

She opened her eyes and smiled. It was enough for today, that she still felt like doing that.