Have you heard of “City Target?”

Posted by random olio

On Sunday we were driving in downtown Portland and I saw a sign for a “City Target.” Have you heard of them? Upon researching further, it looks like there are City Targets in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle, that opened in 2012. The store in Portland is set to open in July 2013. At the moment the windows are wrapped with “City” and the Target bullseye logo.

I know many people have mixed opinions when big box stores come into urban areas (even if it is with a smaller footprint). I am not a huge fan of Walmart, so I am part of that mixed bag of differing ideas. I do, however, have a spot in my heart for Target. Maybe it was because I grew up going to Target. I try not to go often because it is too easy for me to leave with too many items. Their specifically designed furniture, housewares, and sometimes even clothes are more my taste than a comparable item at Walmart.

I do not live in downtown Portland, so going to City Target will not be a big deal to me, but when I lived near downtown Portland, I would have been thrilled to see it open up. It means for so many that they do not have to find transportation, use their gas and drive out to the suburbs just to stock up on items. Take a peek online and see if one is opening up in your area.

#excitedforurbanPDXers

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

Posted by random olio

I like to have freedom. I like to do my own thing.

What does that mean at this moment? I want to be able to customize and do whatever I want on my blog. I feel constrained by what I am able to do within my free WordPress.com blog. Each time I try to expand and add functionality, I find I am not able to do so because I am using WordPress.com. So I have decided to figure out what I need to do to switch to WordPress.org.

My questions:

Do I need to learn CSS? I found an online site that has exercises to help you learn CSS. Am I am able to easily do it without learning any new technical language?
Can I easily shift my content from WordPress.com to WordPress.org through my domain provider?
Do most domains have an easy interface connected to WordPress.org?
If I switch to WordPress.org, will it be hard to customize my site? Should I hire someone to customize it?
Is there anything I would miss if I move to WordPress.org? Should I stay on WordPress.com?

Those of you that are bloggers out there in the blogosphere, what are you doing? There seem to be so many different widgets and functionality I can partake of if I expand my horizons away from WordPress.com.

Please share what you know and have learned. I need tips, ideas, and comments on taking this leap.

Handwriting or typing on a computer/iPad?

Posted by random olio

I am a fast typer. I could not tell you where the keys are on the keyboard. Yet, when the thoughts form in my mind, somehow without really thinking about it my fingers go fast and I watch the letters slide across the screen. How does my mind know so quickly which direction to move my fingers? I do not think about it, it just happens. Except for the random word with a z. That usually slows me down just a bit.

My typing has got me thinking about the lost art of real letters that we write with our fingers. With a pen or pencil. It seems these days schools are not teaching cursive or the art of true handwriting. Kids today know how to text faster than they can order chinese food, they have a language that only they can decipher. Yet, I wonder if true legible handwriting is extinct? Does it mean that in the age of texting, Facebook, and email that we have lost the personal touch and flair that happens when a personal note is shared with another individual?

I did not learn keyboarding, typing, or computers until the fifth grade. These days children are not even learning on computers, they learn on iPads. I have no problem with that, they already learn in a way that no other generation has learned. It is different. Their brains are or will be wired differently. It will breed a generation of adults that think in a way that we cannot even imagine. Yet, I am concerned. There is a design and art in handwriting.

Is handwriting lost forever?

Has Pinterest started a cultural shift?

Posted by random olio

Some of my friends have become Martha Stewart moms. On Facebook I see photos of the amazing Valentine’s Day cards they have made for their children to take to school. They are clever and creative cards. They completely blow away the cards we pulled out of a box, sorted through, selected our favorite for the friends we liked the most, signed our name, folded, and shared. With the addition of Pinterest to the social media scene, I see moms outdoing themselves from the plethora of ideas and possibilities in front of them to create fun ideas.

Blast back to the past (yes to the 80’s) when the triangle on your butt was the most important thing. Were you wearing name brand jeans? Were they Guess or a knock off brand? Many times your place at school and in a clique of friends had to do with what you wore or had. Sad, yes, but true.

my Pinterest boards…

Has there been a cultural shift? Is Pinterest part of that shift?

Yes. By giving moms (and no I am not leaving you out dads, I just see more of these photos from my girl-friends), easy access to ideas that they can “pin” to a bulletin board and pull out during holidays, school events, etc. With direct access to how to execute on a project, we have born an organic DIY revolution of moms to become very creative and industrious. It has brought back my youth, and it is the new thing. I can remember many times when my mom made my clothes and I was embarrassed by it (there was no brand label). Many of the gifts from my childhood were homemade, and I hated it. If only I could go back to that time and appreciate those special moments more.

So, thank you, Pinterest for the cultural shift you have brought to homes. You’ve empowered moms to be creative, try new things, and hopefully in the process they have included their kids in the make-your-own Valentine Pinterest style.

The Jeep that made me weep

Posted by random olio

Where was the WOW factor? Maybe I am getting old, but the ads during the Super Bowl just do not have the creativity that I remember watching when I was younger. Most of the ads were boring, not funny, and had no element of surprise. Mostly they were for cars, movies, and CBS.

Yet, there was one ad that made me stop and watch. You first hear Oprah doing a voice over. We all know her voice. We hear it and instantly listen. The voice of a storyteller. You know at the beginning that the ad is in gratitude for those in the military serving our country. I was enraptured as I envisioned those in my life that have served our country and those that I do not know that are in some far off place risking their life to make sure mine is safe. It brought tears to my eyes. It was the only ad that made me stop and watch completely.

And then I saw the Jeep. I was bummed.

I wish we could have a tribute air during the Super Bowl and not be selling anything. Where we can commend and appreciate the service men and women and not find at the end that it was paid for by a car company. It makes me feel different about my tears, when it is more about Jeep wanting me to buy their car. It would be great if we could just appreciate, and not have to question who paid for that appreciation? In any case, if you missed the Jeep ad, be sure to take a look below, and take a moment to appreciate those serving our country.