My boyfriend, Brandon, and I made a gingerbread house for Christmas. Thanks, Bran!

Speeeeeeeeeeeed of the Internet

This morning my mother saw a commercial for an Elvis DVD. She heard two seconds of the song "I'll Remember You" and decided she wanted to hear more. She went to her record/8track/tape/CD collection to find the album. Well, after about 15 minutes of searching, she was getting very fed up. I then realized I could find the song in a few clicks on the Internet. I picked up my laptop, which was sitting on the end of the couch, typed "elvis presley i'll remember you" and clicked on a YouTube video. Well, I was listening to the song within a minute of opening my laptop. I thought how funny it is that my generation always thinks to use the Internet to find answers to our questions. Many people in my mom's generation do not.

Another example of the speed of the Internet vs. other ways of finding information comes from watching Irving Berlin's White Christmas. You know, the version with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, etc. Well, I was laying on the couch (with my laptop on the end) watching this wonderful Christmas classic when my mom wanted to know if Rosemary Clooney was George Clooney's mother. Because my boyfriend Brandon was at home in Tulsa, my cell phone was permanently glued to my hand. Thank goodness for Google - I quickly looked up Rosemary Clooney on my Blackberry Curve. Those of you who are wondering, Rosemary Clooney is George's aunt.

The Internet is fun for me when I'm home with my family. I feel like a genius or something because I "know all" with just a few clicks.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Crossing Cultures

I was in a wedding on Dec. 20, so I went to get a manicure a few days before. I was in a huge hurry and visited the nail salon inside Wal-Mart. It is operated by Vietnamese people. After explaining what I wanted, the pampering began!

While I was there, a Hispanic woman came in and asked a question (in broken English) about one of the services offered. The Vietnamese woman answered her, in broken English. It was interesting to me, a white girl from small town America, to see these two cultures communicating. I know it happens every day, but it made me smile to see it. I am proud to live in the United States, the melting pot of the world!

Stand by your brand (not man, Tammy Wynette!)

I recently helped my mom order some holiday cards from Wal-Mart's photo center. We did everything online, and chose to have them shipped to our house. Well, they were supposed to arrive last Thursday, but never did. My anxious mother wanted to get the cards sent to family/friends, so on Tuesday I e-mailed Wal-Mart's customer service to check on the items.

(Normally I wouldn't have done this because it's the holidays and mail can simply take longer than normal. However, the tracking number given in the e-mail confirmation of the order did not work. When I contacted UPS about it, they had no record of that tracking number. I thought perhaps the order didn't go through.)

The cards arrived in the mail Tuesday. They were perfect, just late. However, Wal-Mart is providing a refund to us for the greeting cards because they took so long to arrive. Talk about satisfaction guaranteed!

Way to go, Wal-Mart, for standing by your brand. Your slogan Save Money, Live Better seems to be true. I've never been so impressed and satisified with an online purchase as I am today. Thank you.

Stand by your brand. Make sure everything you're doing (and all the people who work for you are doing) the right things. Customer service is so important, and can make or break future purchases from your customers.

What audience are you targeting?

Sometimes I just don't understand commercials. Like this one, for Levis jeans. Someone once told me if I don't understand a commercial, then it's not meant for me. I am not the target audience. Wonder who they are targeting? I am female, 21, single (I mean not married, Brandon), in college ... I go to parties ... If they aren't targeting this audience, who are they targeting?

Now this commercial I understand. It appeals to my emotions. I also think it fits the brand. And I just love the line at the end, "When it's people who do the right thing, they call it being responsible. When it's an insurance company, they call it Liberty Mutual."

Where are all the gentlemen?

I am currently reading Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. I know the Civil War was a long time ago, but men in those days treated women with respect and dignity. Sure, women played mind games and were taught how to catch a good gentleman from the cradle, but these men took care of their women.

I want to be cared for, and I don't mean by someone saying "I care about you." I want the actions to reciprocate those words. Sure, I can do a lot of things by myself, but I have that old school way of thinking the man should take care of the woman. Open the door for me. Take me on a date sometime. Pay for something without complaining. Adore me! Am I not adorable? :)

At the same time I am reading Gone with the Wind, I find it strange I should come across a blog called The Art of Manliness. I haven't had time to read too many posts to see how thoroughly I agree, but I do agree with this one, about hanging out vs. dating.

Please don't take offense, men. I only wish there were more gentlemen left.

Brandon.

Yesterday was my boyfriend's birthday. My boyfriend, Brandon. He has always wondered why I refer to him only as "my boyfriend" in posts, and not as "Brandon." I honestly don't know why I did that, but I do know I'm lucky to have him by my side. He's a marketing major here at OSU, and he points out some pretty interesting stuff. I love watching TV or riding in the car with him because of the commercials and billboards. He points out some of the most interesting things.

For example, Brandon was watching an infomercial one late Friday night (early Saturday morning). They were selling knives that never dull. However, with the purchase of a set of knives, you received a knife sharpener for free! So he calls the number listed at the bottom of the screen to ask just why they offer a knife sharpener for knives that never dull. Needless to say, they hung up on him. They weren't doing a very good job of branding.

But noticing the little things like knife sharpeners can lead to great success later. As the holiday season is upon us, don't get lazy in your work - homework included! Keep your eyes sharp and your ears open. You never know what might pop up!

Bran: I tried to post yesterday, but every time I tried to visit the home page to log in, my browser closed! So, sorry your birthday post is a day late, Brandon. It is still written with love!