324) Great Expectations 2:58 PM

(Totes unrelated, but neat nonetheless.)

I consider myself a rational person. Most of the time, I can separate emotion from the equation, and focus on the realities of the situation. But for some reason lately, there have been two things about which my irrational imagination has been running wild: first dates and apartments.

In both cases, I'll start thinking way too far into the future upon first meeting. Like, embarrassingly ridiculously far. And while my brain knows how ridiculous it is (I swear I'm not one of those girls who is raring to get married and pop out babies. It's actually quite the opposite), it can't help itself, at least momentarily, indulge in the most optimistic of vision of what could be.

The most recent example (and the reason for SO much stress lately): I've been apartment hunting, as my temporary sublet term is coming to an end. I've been at it for a couple weeks now, and finally saw one that pleased me in a killer location yesterday. I hadn't even submitted an application, when my brain started to mentally furnish every inch of it. I imagined what my house warming party would be like, what hosting NY visitors would be like. In my head, I'm growing old in an apartment that I don't even have yet. (CROSS YOUR FINGERS AND TOES FOR ME. SERIOUSLY.)

323) Train Anticipation 6:24 PM

My friend who is visiting from LA commented on people who lean over and peer down the subway track while waiting for the train. He said, "What do they think that will accomplish? It's not going to make it come any faster."

Just as the watched pot infamously never boils, the train never comes if you're eyes are glued to that dark tunnel in anticipation. My trick is to watch the tiles on the wall, to see any small changes in light reflection. As the train comes around bends to finally emerge in the station, its headlight dances, fades and eventually grows brighter on the wall. It's sort of like monitoring the lights in a movie theater when you're waiting for the previews to begin. I'm constantly wondering if the lights are actually dimming, or if it's just wishful thinking and I'm squinting my eyes to compensate.

Another trick to train anticipation is to stay very still and be conscious of the air flow in the station. When a train approaches, it pushes air in front of it. It starts as a faint breath and then builds, culminating in a whoosh of air as the train speeds by. When you feel the slightest of breezes start to push past you, the train is a minute away.

322) Close Your Eyes 5:32 PM

(Photo from Glasses Ocean.)

Have you ever been in a group setting - in class, at camp, in a focus group - and were told to close your eyes and imagine something? Have you ever felt slightly self-conscious doing so? And then squinted your eyes open so you could see everyone else with their eyes closed? (Which is why you felt self-conscious in the first place - the fear of someone doing just that!) Everyone looks so vulnerable with their eyes shut, imagining away.

Crunchy leaf? Or just me?

(Mini aside - Getting ready to go out with some friends from UCLA - mini Ad Team reunion, wheee. I need it after today, I felt like I was being pulled every which way.)

So eXcited SW 8:57 PM

Exciting news - I'm going to SXSW next week! Work is nice enough to send me for the interactive portion to soak up as much digital/tech/mobile goodness as my brain can handle. I've never been to Austin, or Texas for that matter, so I'm excited to explore. I'll also be traveling solo, so I'm sure I'll meet some interesting folks.

It'll be a lot of conferencing, a lot of networking (ew, hate that word), and not a lot of sleeping, but I can't wait to see what kind of posts come out of it. And hopefully I can sneak in some pictures and insightful tweets.

(Note - that has to be the worst post title ever, and it was actually the third anagram-esque version I came up with. My tired little brain couldn't come up with anything better.)

321) Data-Informed Behavior 7:44 PM

(Image from AdAge.)

I love archetypes, as a means of explaining behavior. Yesterday, Leo Burnett unveiled a new framework (wheel), a "data-informed way of organizing behavior" based on more than 10,000 behaviors. That an archetype chart like this is based on actual data instead of speculation/stereotype is not only impressive, but quite valuable to the planning community. Still trying to wrap my head around all the tensions displayed (while helping my friend Justin, who is staying with me for a couple nights, get ready to go out).

You can read more about the new tool here.

320) DIY Insights 7:36 PM

Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.

(A completely unrelated video that I thought was neat and wanted to share.)

I've had a lot on my mind and a lot going on recently, and as a result, I'm at a complete loss of what to write tonight. I've been posted up on my bed staring at the cursor.

[Blink...blink...blink...]

This Mashable article caught my attention a couple days ago. GutCheck, a do-it-yourself qualitative research company took home the People's Choice award at DEMO's spring conference. For those not in the biz, focus groups are generally pretty pricey, what with the recruiting, moderating and facility fees.

GutCheck customers draw from the service’s pool of five million participants for targeted questioning. Then they interview respondents in a traditional question-and-answer survey format, or something more free-form. Interview transcripts are stored and can be shared with co-workers.

Its low price point — $40 per qualified 30 minute interview — makes it affordable for even the smallest of businesses and startups.

I love that of all the emerging mobile app, social media and group communication companies out there, DEMO chose to recognize a company that makes learning about people and getting at those golden insights more accessible.

Zzzzz, brain is asleep. Exciting news about the next week or so, coming soon!

319) Crazy in Context 5:58 PM

One of my planner friends back in LA made this acute observation today on Facebook:

"Golden Voice, Charlie Sheen, Glenn Beck... America is currently obsessed with crackheads."

Of course she's referring to the homeless man with the radio-God voice who exploded on YouTube and then disappeared back into oblivion exactly fifteen minutes of fame later, Charlie Sheen's recent self-committing antics and interviews, and Glenn Beck being Glenn Beck.

While I'm not trying to legitimize any of the three's actions, it's interesting what context can lend to someone's seemingly crazy talk.

For example:

(Warning: vagina allusions.)

I'm not suggesting that Lady Gaga is crazy or a crackhead. But the fact that she can say,

"On G.O.A.T, a Government Owned Alien Territory in space, a birth of magnificent and magical proportions took place. But the birth was not finite, but infinite. As the wombs numbered, and the mitosis of the future began, it was perceived that this infamous moment in life is not temporal...it is eternal,"

...and not be labeled a kook says a lot about context. (Not just not labeled a kook - heralded as a visionary artist.)

(Side note - this might be a whole other post, but there seems to be a trend in music videos of the celebration of ugliness. That is, pretty singers making themselves look uglier for art's sake. The above is a good example, as is Britney Spears' latest, which also feels like one long commercial. Product placement abounds.)