I don't even know where to begin. 2010 has been a blast. Everyday, a success. I find that I end up doing exactly what I want, at the very time I want to do it. It helps that the sun has finally come out after a chilly winter, and that we live in an area convenient for fun. Let's see, a recap might help:

Started the year off with a fabulous Human Rights Campaign Gala at the Raleigh Convention Center. A top notch program including our very own Joni Madison. Notable speakers and performances, beautiful people and a wonderful turnout for a great cause. It's truly impressive to see the love and support that people have for one another.

Read on: http://www.hrccarolina.org/

First Fridays in Raleigh have turned into a popular event now that Spring has arrived. Not only do they have several interesting art stops, but there a cute bars and restaurants to frequent as well. And if you can't make First Fridays, then you can enjoy live shows at any one of the many venues around town. Everything is conveniently located near each other. From Sitti, to Raleigh Times, to Pour House and Tir Na Nog, there is something for everyone.

Check it out: http://www.godowntownraleigh.com/firstfriday/index.htm

Don't even get me started on Durham. I've enjoyed several moments on a porch, brunching, driving with the windows down with music blaring, in a park, hiking, biking, outside sippin' a beer, walking a dog, watching baseball, random dance parties, eating, laughing by a fire, softball, anything! Once the live shows start at Duke Gardens, it's over! Not really, but I honestly plan to be outside from the moment I wake up until I hit the pillow again.

Lastly, I have to specifically call out the live music scene again - there is ALWAYS something to listen to, if you're willing to try and are open to the options. It wouldn't be silly for me to go to 3 or 4 live shows in a week. I'm a little crazy, but the point is that the triangle area has really made a name for itself. They will be hosting the Hopscotch Festival in September - a North Carolina Version of Austin City Limits - I'm definitely intrigued.

DO IT: http://hopscotchmusicfest.com/

I can go on, and I know I haven't covered everything. More to come as long as the sun stays out.

“Big Shots. Andy Warhol Polaroids” opened last night at Duke University’s Nasher Museum of Art, sponsored by McKinney. Aside from our interest in promoting culture and the arts in Durham and Chapel Hill, this exhibit was a perfect fit for us, given Warhol’s unique appreciation for the confluence of art and commerce.

In the gallery across from “Big Shots” is another great Nasher exhibit, “Picasso and the Allure of Language.” The juxtaposition of these two iconoclasts nicely punctuated the conversation we’ve been having around the work of our friends Dan Ariely and Baba Shiv. Dan is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Psychology at Duke and author of best-seller Predictably Irrational. Baba is Professor of Marketing at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and editor of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Both are exploring the psychological impact of such traditional marketing cues as pricing and positioning. One of the most startling things you see in studying their research is that when we, as marketers, do our jobs right, brands do more than differentiate one product from another. Done right, price, positioning, packaging and other marketing levers can trigger actual physical pleasure.

Which is the link back to Warhol, Picasso and art. It provokes, it challenges, it makes us feel something or see something in a new way, often bypassing those linear microprocessors we call our left brains for a direct, non-verbal attack on the right side of our brains. In the same way that the most powerful advertising tends to work.

I want to take a minute to give a shout out to the NC area. I just had a marvelous weekend, touching all corners of the triangle. Fun patrol explored as follows:

1) Friday after work in Durham - met up with friends at a local bar and proceeded to free concert at Duke.

2) Back to another bar within walking distance for some eats.

3) Headed out to Hillsborough after a colleague's art show opening for a gathering of friendship.

4) Saturday morning - treck to Carrboro for a photo shoot and crepes at a local cafe with outdoor dining around a mini farmer's market.

5) Proceeded to Jordan lake for a nice afternoon on the boat.

6) A wee bit of rest before making my way to Raleigh for a PIG ROAST, accompanied by incredible people, music, dancing and singing.

7) Sunday morning hike at Umstead State Park.

8) Back to Durham for another mini-hike into the Eno Quarry. So crisp.

9) Wrapped it up with a Target trip, a hookah, and a book.

I don't know about anyone else, but that's how I like to fill a weekend when I'm not travelling to some new place with a group of friends.

The best part - I must have burn 8 cajillion calories with all the laughter.

And scene. :)

Having spent a couple of minutes perusing one of my favorite places on the interweb, I happened upon an interesting article that discusses how digital communication is killing the art of face-to-face conversation.  Hmmmm- think about it, how many times do you email or IM people who sit in the same office as you when you could easily get up and walk over to them and convey the same message personally?  I do it all the time, have I just become extremely lazy or have I just found a way to communicate that fits me better?

But seriously will behavior like this really lead to the death of face-to-face conversations?  My parents have stuck with their tried and tested methods of communication- snail mail, the phone, and in person conversations to communicate with people in their lives.  Me on the other hand- I use Facebook, text, email, my mobile, IM, and yes face-to-face in my conversations nearly every day but ask me where to get a stamp and mail a letter and there is a fair chance I will glaze over.  So maybe it's not face-to-face conversation that's in danger but other legacy forms of communication.  It always shocks me when someone pulls out a pager- I mean, how does one even send a message to someone on a pager?

There is a nice article over at 'The Marketing Student' that compares the communication methods of boomers vs Gen X-ers vs Gen Y-ers which is worth a look even if only to confirm what we thought we already knew...It goes as far as to suggest that Gen Y-ers consider only the most urgent situations require face-to-face communication.  

I'd like to think that I will always retain the art of face-to-face conversation and will from time to time make use tools that suit the situation better.  But I think I remember feeling the same way about the art of writing letters, and look where that got me.