3:10 To Yuma

Hollywood has put its cowboy hat back on. 3:10 to Yuma, originally a short story and now has two movie versions out, was my first full exposure to a westerm movie. Before tonight, the closest I got was City Slickers, and I doubt that counts. With a star cast, 3:10 to Yuma has successfully put western films back in the public light. The movie has western film fans out in the theaters as well as appealing to the younger audience.

Blood Diamond also made it in my schedule this weekend. Oddly enough, 3:10 to Yuma and Blood Diamond have a huge parallel in story lines.

My Opinion About Opinions

As the 16th most visited site on the planet, Facebook has attracted an enormous crowd... of youngsters. The WSJ published an article discussing Mark Zuckerberg's (facebook founder) options in dealing with his business's finances. The article revolved around David Bohnett's (founder of GeoCities) advice. Bohnett comments on focusing on a young audience. He says, "Those kids tend to get older and maintain some connection with an online community. You've got to capture that early adopter, young audience."

EARLY ADOPTER. I know I studied this in Marketing. There is even a graph to go with it.

Look at the size of that gap between early adopters and early majority. It shows the large margin of people willing to try new things versus the ones who do not.

The early adopters are typically the young audience. That is probably why I saw IPODs in college years before they hit mainstream and why I was playing DDR years before Brian Williams did a story on this "new" craze. Marketers know who to target.

This made me wonder what happens to people when they grow up? Their mindset changes, and often closes slowly without them realizing it. Why would this happen?

As people grow older and begin working in a profession, they are expected to always have an opinion. Now, they are the decision makers. People are trained to have opinions ALL THE TIME. It has to be this one way. Opinions are different than a point of view. It seems that a point of view is open-ended. It acknowledges that other viewpoints exist, whereas, opinions are mostly associated with my personal opinion. Negative effects can stem from this opinion syndrome. People become so engrossed in their opinions, they stop listening and experimenting. When those two key mindsets of listening and experimenting freezes, the learning process also ceases.

I used to have a sense of pride being known as part of the early adopters, but the Marketers are no longer chasing for my business. I am 25 now. Apparently, that is the cutoff into adulthood. So, adults, I have a mission for all of us. Have the mindset of an early adopter. Have a viewpoint, but listen to others. Try it out before all the young'ens have all the fun.

Einstein Bros. Not So Smart

... not with their lunch menu, at least. I can't speak for their bagels, but my first lunch at Einstein Bros. Bagels was a disappointment. The empty seats should have given it away, but I was excited to try something new. Their selection was much more extensive than I expected, but the food was over-priced for its quality and quantity. I felt robbed actually. $7 + tax for a tuna sandwich and small side of potato salad. Its sandwich competitors offer much fresher food. Well, now I know. Their food was average and not worth the money. For that same price (actually a little less), I'll stick with Panera.

Juniors 16-24

Law contracts are vague. Relationships have grey areas. The answer to any academic business question is "it depends." So, why does the Juniors section of a Macy's department store need to be so definitive?

As I browsed through Macy's this weekend checking out their fall clothing selection, I found myself in front of a sign hanging from the ceiling that read, "Juniors 16-24." What? Let me read that again, "Juniors 16-24." I planted myself right in the middle of the aisle and wondered should a 25-year-old dare cross that sign into the section that she had been so familiar with all these years or is it time to move on?

I did the 360 visual scan of the area, partly to see if anyone was standing guard to check my ID before entering, but mostly to see who else was shopping in that area. One woman was combing through a nearby clothing rack. I would estimate she was in her early 30s, so I bravely cross the line into the Juniors section, and life was normal again.

I couldn't shake the thought that an age range was assigned to the clothing section. Stores don't put height limits on the Petite signs. I admit the age range is fairly accurate. I rarely discover good finds in the Junior section anymore. My clothing tastes have transformed and matured since I started working full-time, but I still check out the Juniors section. As far as defining age ranges for types of clothing, similar to many situations in life, it is not the age that matters but where a person is in life that determines ones tastes.

I propose the lower limit to change from 16 to "when your parents think it's okay to wear this" and the upper limit to change from 24 to "be careful what you pick, but take your time... you look great no matter what you wear."

Macy's, I think it's time to take the sign down. I don't think you understand what it feels like to grow up.

I <3 Cake

My friend sent me this link after giving me a HUGE slice of carrot cake. What a great day.

The Floral Shop

Building the financial statements and identifying business risks for a fictional floral shop is one of my projects this semester. I could have chosen any type of business to model and several ideas did pass my mind, but one idea came as a Blink and stuck with me.

A floral shop. A place that sells expensive things that die. That is what practical me would have said five years ago. One conversation with a friend completely changed my view of flowers. I never understood why people would spend so much money on something that wilts within a week. Actually, that is how the conversation started...

Me: I never understood why people would spend so much money on something that wilts within a week.

Friend: (smiles) Yeah. Flowers can get expensive, but guys will do it.

Me: I still don't get it. Isn't that just a waste of money?

Friend: I guess, that's why you buy flowers. When you care for someone enough that you buy something you know is a waste of money.

My friend's statement completely changed my perspective on flowers. For the record, this was a male friend who brought this profound concept to my attention. Impressive, indeed. This perspective made sense, and I never recognized it on my own. Fortunately, I do have a memory where I can pull out all the instances I did receive flowers. Oddly enough, I appreciate those flowers more now than during the time I received them knowing what I know now. For your entertainment (and for my personal recordkeeping), here is a synopsis of my memorable flowers (in order of occurrence):

1. I received my first flower as a Valentine's Day gram during gym class in eighth grade. It was from my Navy best friend (not the color, but the military kind). I was so surprised because I was not expecting anything. Just when I thought it wouldn't get any better, I realized that she had given me two carnations, not just one.

2. It was the first time on my own, for the summer at least. My family had just finished moving me for my summer internship and left to go home. That's when the realization of not knowing anyone in the new city hit me. Just then, the phone rings. My friend calls to get ideas on indoor plants so she can send one to a friend. I give her ideas. The next day, I find a bouquet of peace lillies at the front door.

3. College graduation is over, and I'm packing the last boxes to leave Stillwater. My "Wicked" best friend calls to come over. She walks in with a bouquet of flowers, one for each year we've known each other.

It may have been a male friend who made me realize the importance of flowers, but it was all my female friends who got them for me. Interesting.

As a gift, flowers are classic, classy, and unforgettable. You can't go wrong with flowers, well, unless you give black ones. Don't give black ones.

Now that I have shared my most poignant flower experiences, I am convinced that I will have fun with this floral shop project. A huge part of business is doing something you are passionate about, even if it is a school assignment.