Commentary and advice on marketing, mostly for publishers (traditional and brands) and writers, but sometimes from a broader perspective.
Yummy Sandwich. Yummy Sandwich. Yummy Sandwich. Yummy Sandwich. Yummy Sandwich. [I want to make sure this gets picked up by any Google searches for these ignorant bastards.] Yummy Sandwich is one of those "take-in" lunch services that corporations sign on with to keep you from wasting their time by leaving your desk and going outside for lunch. In their PowerPoint presentation, they break down the total time spent getting take-out (1 hour, 18 minutes) vs. ordering for delivery (1 hour, 38 minutes) vs. Yummy Sandwich (33 minutes). They also annoyingly refer to the delivery "boy," a seemingly minor thing until…
The feedback from louder than words has been great. Much of it overwhelmingly positive, and where there was critique, it was generally offered honestly and clearly. Eric, Helen, Diane and I met Tuesday night to digest it all and tweak the format in a way that puts more emphasis on - and sets aside more time for - the debate. One of the comments we received - or, more correctly, I received as it was all directed at me - took issue with some of the things I said in my introduction, challenging me on both facts and opinion. The…
President Forever 2004 is the perfect computer sim for political junkies. I bought the full version last week (only $12, well worth it!) and have run through six campaigns so far with Dubya kicking my ass all but once. He beat Kerry twice, paired up with Edwards and then Gephardt, neither of whom helped carry their home states. He beat Kucinich twice, with Edwards and then Clark, again with neither VP delivering their home states. Kucinich's default setup is oddly to the right of the real deal. Not drastically, but subtly enough to illustrate the annoying nuances of politics that…
Maybe it's the time of year, winter having long worn out its welcome while spring remains little more than a distant hope. The mixed emotions of the holidays are long past and the bills are almost, but not quite, paid off. The memory of old hurts are as faded as those of recent highs. A palpable lull, easily interpreted as smooth sailing or the calm before the storm. My head is in a million places these days, unable to focus on anything specific, for better or worse. Work is in limbo as I await my one-year review, pretty sure it…
Took another one of those online polls today, "What Pisses You Off?" I got "Stupid People Piss You Off." Well, duh! That's not worth posting. On a lighter note, Sunday's Pietri benefit was a great success. Kudos to Fish for pulling it off lovely. I got there about an hour-and-a-half in, Isaac on one arm, his diaper bag NOT on the other! Realized it when I offered him his juice. Thankfully, he held the bodily functions in check the whole time and we made it home afterwards without incident. He's a funny kid - painfully shy in unfamiliar company but…
Had the pleasure of doing a reading/Q&A at the Riverdale Neighborhood House last night for a group of teens from a workshop run by Corie Feiner (fka Corie Herman) as part of a residency she's had since 2000, thanks to Poets & Writers. One of the coolest gigs I could imagine, teaching kids writing in the Bronx. The RNH is a great setup, too, offering various after-school opportunities for local kids, many of whom aren't from Riverdale but from Marble Hill and Kingsbridge. Hope something like that is available when Isaac and India get older. Got a jar of teen-made…
From the "No wonder people don't bother" file: Went to vote this morning and realized that it's the first time I'm voting IN New York City. I've voted absentee while in the Army, in New Jersey while living there, and even in Virginia last year, where I was impressed by their hi-tech setup. My polling place for today was a beat-up warehouse of a church manned primarily by what appeared to be beneficiaries of their Meals On Wheels program. Seriously. Other than the three college-age kids helping out, there wasn't a volunteer there under the age of 70. I'm just…
