Love this coat

Gallery Husky Quilted Peacoat

Staycation

Don't wake a Sleeping (White) Tiger
Originally uploaded by Maitreya 8

I've always hated that term but it's been what I've been doing.

I'm staying in and recharging.

I'm so thrilled at the chance to do it. Sure it's caused me to make a few mistakes but the benefit of sleep and feeling refreshed the next day is surely a cause for celebration.

Relief

Energy is a funny thing. You sustain it for as long as you can and then poof it's gone. I've been working almost non-stop for weeks on this presentation... well more than one. And in an instant, it's done. Poof.

I made myself a drink when I returned home and I was almost dizzy from exhaustion and the release of tension that's been bottled up inside of me for what seems like ages.

I'm thrilled to walk into the holiday season relaxed and calm. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I will.

The power of the Apple Store

Seems as though Apple's Regent Street store in London has transformed what was a relatively boring shopping corridor – I remember lots of Scottish tweed and humdrum cashmere – and turned it into one of the most sought after commercial streets in the UK. It's also the most profitable retailer in London.

Similar news came in some time ago that the NY Fifth Avenue location was it's most profitable location and is probably the highest grossing retailer, pretty astonishing considering the company it keeps – Tiffany, Gucci, Calvin Klein etc. Over 38 million people visited the store last year.

It's so funny to see these figures because when they first opened their stores, so many people crapped all over the idea. 'Waste of money,' they said. 'No tech company has ever built a successful retail presence,' they said. Ironically, I am sure it has been the Mac loyal that has helped build this franchise – reinforcing the importance of brand loyalty.

For a long time, I grew frustrated at the Apple experience. Shoddy stores, poor displays, über geek helpers who were more interested in besting your knowledge than actually helping you. Now the Apple experience is one of the best retail experiences there is. So much so that Microsoft is ripping it off, which basically says all that needs to be said about Microsoft.

Return to the bad old days

Photo credit [NYT]

I read an article in the Washington Post via Huffington Post on the next wave of housing distress – renters. Landlords and management companies all over the country own mortgages that are under water and under pressure. What does one do when the building isn't making money? Cut back on maintenance.

I recall the bad old days of the 1970s and early 1980s in NYC when faced with poor tenants, housing violations and dilapidated buildings, landlords set their apartments on fire to collect insurance money. Alas this is on a national scale but I'm sure more so in the usual suspects – California, Arizona, and Florida being three of them.

This may get worse before it gets better.

Perfectionism - the silent killer

Perfectionism is a dangerous disease.

It spoils everything you touch.

It robs you of motivation.

If you can't meet your standard, you do nothing at all.

I've been trapped in the disease and I need to break free.

This blog has been trapped in that disease.

I tired of chronically what I enjoyed and decided to write it for other people.

I wanted to be clever and witty all of the time.

But that's just not possible.

I'm coming back.

It just took some time.

One year on

It's been almost a year since I started blogging. I haven't been able to devote much energy to it of late because I've been so insanely busy. But also I think I've been disillusioned with re-blogging, which is something I've commented about here.

What will become of this blog? I don't know. It was an interesting experiment in adding to the voice of the net and I really appreciate it. But for now, I'm pressing the more official 'pause' button. Till soon.