More than Numbers

Another one for snail mail.

Was scanning this article about the rise of postage yet again (thank you, freedom stamps!) when I came across this:

With each penny increase in the cost of gas, it costs the U.S. Postal Service 800 million dollars more in fuel expenses a year.

If the numbers are correct, this implies that the USPS uses about 80 billion gallons of gas annually. That fact is absolutely staggering.

So why isn't there any pressure on the USPS to convert to alternative fuels?

Jurlique.

I haven't had much experience with the Jurlique brand before. Besides hearing the name, I really didn't know anything about them until I walked into their San Francisco store the other day. After just spending a few minutes inside of their store, I felt like I knew their history, value proposition and quality of product.

Jurlique really gets how the retail environment should be. Everything is very simple and organized - if you're familiar with their product you should have no problem to find what you're looking for. But their store goes way beyond that and is a great introduction to who Jurlique really is. You immediately understand that Jurlique is about organic, natural products. That they believe in protecting the environment more than developing chemicals That it's high quality stuff, with a huge sink available to test it everything out firsthand (I'm a fan of their Sandalwood Hand Wash). You know they were founded in 1985 and have farms in South Australia. They're very transparent about who they are and what they do. This is exactly the type of brand I love. Where you're immersed into the brand once you enter the retail location, and it's a brand you also become passionate about since they do a wonderful job at telling their story.

And it was a completely awesome designed space to boot.

A real actress.

Friday movie.
Originally uploaded by jonnaro

Last Friday, we got to see a screening of "Yellow Handkerchief" at the Castro as part of the San Francisco International Film Festival. Before the movie, there was an acting award given to Maria Bello.

It's funny how I didn't realize she played so many different types of roles, many of which I've seen over the years. She really is an amazing actress. Following her acceptance, there was a bit of a Q&A. After hearing her speak, I admire her even more.

You could tell that she is one of those people who really enjoys what she does. She picks roles because they look fun to her and not because she has a pre-meditated plan for her career. Many critics think good actors always have the latter in mind, but it's definitely not the case.

We then saw a screening of her latest flick, a Sundance award winner called Yellow Handkerchief co-starring William Hurt. The movie is very simple but is really such a beautiful story that takes place traveling through rural Louisiana. I actually think it was one of the best movies I ever saw.

If only going to the movies was always this enjoyable.

Sleep-Driving.

It's definitely not uncommon to see all kinds of crazy side-effects listed in the small print of prescription drug advertisements. But this ad for "Ambien CR" I saw in a Playbill was a bit beyond ridiculous. One full page for the ad, and two full pages for the small print. Yes, you read that correctly. Keep in mind that Ambien is a sleep aid.

Memorable excerpts include:

After taking AMBIEN CR, you may get up out of bed while not being fully awake and do an activity that you do not know you are doing. The next morning, you may not remember that you did anything during the night. ... Reported activities include:

• driving a car ("sleep-driving")
• making and eating food
• talking on the phone
• having sex
• sleep walking

That sounds a lot like being drunk. Not remembering what you were doing last night? And it seems just as dangerous. I can't imagine driving a car while asleep is any safer than driving while drunk. I wonder who you would call while you were asleep. I've heard of drunk-dialing. I wonder if it's more coherent than sleep-dialing.

What are the possible side effects of taking AMBIEN CR?

• abnormal thoughts and behavior. Symptoms include more outgoing or aggressive behavior than normal, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, worsening of depression, and suicidal thoughts or actions.

I know something else with similar side effects. I think it's called heroin.

Curbside Delivery.

Curbside.
Originally uploaded by jonnaro

Was at Kiehl's the other day when I saw this sign. Kiehl's is located in Pacific Heights in San Francisco on Fillmore St. For those that know the area, parking is a bit rough. I've always thought of the disadvantage certain retail locations face based on the amount of parking available in the area. Sure, you can argue that most people in urban environments can take public transportation. And a certain other segment of customers likely live close enough to walk. But still, how to get those driving customers that might otherwise visit a more easily accessible location?

Kiehl's solution is curbside delivery. You phone in your order 15 minutes in advance, and they will come out of the store to deliver it to you. You can drive but you don't have to park. This is obviously geared towards loyal customers who already know what they want.

Although I have not personally used this service, I'm sure the small effort goes a long way to improving customer experience. And maybe customers will be more likely to spend the few dollars they saved on parking at the store instead.

Stay flexible.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Do you consider yourself to be an adaptive person or set in your ways? The world is constantly changing: it's technology, it's values, it's culture. If you stay stagnant it will pass you by. I believe one of the major traits of all successful people is that they are able to adapt. These people were able to learn how to use the internet even though they didn't grow up with it. They were able accept the fact that people are becoming less conservative. That people aren't trapped in their position in society. That rock and roll music is not made by the devil. Learning to roll with the punches that life throws at you is extremely important. You can never stop evolving, no matter what your age. In fact, probably the only reason that dog in question is old is because he doesn't want to learn a new trick.

Hose vs Broom.

This morning I saw two people cleaning off their sidewalks in preparation for street cleaning. One was a man in his 30s with slicked hair and a blazer blasting everything with his garden hose onto the street. The second was an older lady with a broom carefully sweeping away leaves into the gutter. The contrast between the two was overwhelming, especially since they were less than a block away from each other.

I saw the man first and could not believe that people in this day and age (especially in San Francisco) would so carelessly waste water. The lady gave me hope again. It was very symbolic though, how the younger generation needs to wake up and make more of an effort for conservation.

Don't let laziness be an excuse. In addition to being nicer to the Earth, sweeping is even better for your health.