I first sawthe TV show Big Bang Theory in passing, while surfing with the remote. I watched it for a few minutes, got the gist of a story line aboutnerdy college roommates, and then moved on, thinking, "Hmm, that lookedstrangely familiar." Having gone to a school near MIT, science nerds were part and parcel of mysocial life, such as that was in an all-girl school.So my second thought was, "Is this possible, a show all abouttheMIT types I met while in college?" And the title was intriguing, for sure. Wee...
It was a Saturday afternoon, I wasdriving back from the beach and my cell rang. I got an invitation to dinner for thatevening,which I accepted.Short notice, to be sure,and a girl has her pride,so I saidto pick me upat nine. I wantedto get ready at my leisure, includingtransforming my beach hair into something kids wouldn't stare at and giggle.It was past four already. I got home, took ashower,went straight to Supercuts, and asked to have my hair washed and blow-dried. They looked at me quizzically, "That...
Writing about health care is about as much fun for me as getting the bill for a medical procedure. My latest one was somevery minor outpatient surgery, the bill for which totalled $28,000. Thank God for health insurance. But trends happen where they happen, including health care. ("Mom, that's why you only have like eight followers," my daughter says, when I tell her what I'm writing about.)Be that as it may, while doing my job of monitoring shopping center vacancies (hey,I get paid), a funny thing began...
One fun thing about looking for trends is that you can ask anyone for a clue, because almost everybody is always on to something. Of course, one person's trend is another person's passe. But somewhere in between is the nut of the trend, if you allow room for subjectivity and loosely calibrated trend meters. And so it was that sometime this past September, while driving around for a work-related survey, I stepped into a new local store, and decided to ask a young customer if there was anything in fashio...
Hello readers, it's been a while! I feel like I should give you an explanation of why I haven't posted in so long, but then again, I know you have more important things to do than read a bunch of excuses. Plus, although I won't beat myself up so hard as to add"who cares?", I acknowledge and embrace the very reliable fact that the world keeps turning without me posting. Thank God, I might add.Ireally don'twant to be responsible for the planet's rotation.And speaking of the planet's rotation, it is from th...
Some trends seem to go hand in hand with a counter trend. Cash-only restaurants fall in that category. In a world that's all about virtual everything, including money -- virtual in the sense that you don'ttouch the stuff as much as you exchange it electronically -- it seems like cash-only restaurants are makingan appearance in a noticeable way. Like, for example, Crumbs in Parchment, a much publicizednew restaurant in Miami's up and coming Design District, because of its trendy location, snazzy decor, mo...
There is something about an Irish pub that makes it blend into the background, like something that has always been there, even if the placejust opened. Maybe it's because everyone knows what you'll find inan Irish pub: beer, cholesterol-richfood, lots ofwood in the decor and a warm, frequently noisy ambiance.So if a new pub opens in town, is not like everybody will betalking about it,because a pub is just a pub, as simple and commonplace as fish and chips. Which is why I have to bring to your attentionth...
Jewelry usuallystands out at gift-giving time,and these holidays just past were no exception. Thus, there I was, frequently admiring a watch or necklace or braceletsomeone had received as a gift. One of my sisters, for one,has her wedding anniversary in December, an occasion frequently marked witha piece of jewelry. This year's pick was different, she said. She embarked on a quest forPandora, a do-it-yourself bracelet, consisting of a silverchord that threadsthrough any number of beads or charms,chosen t...
Some trends are a little confusing to me, which should be all the more reason to post about them, right? So let's talk bottles. If you haven't noticed, beverages such as beer and soda areshowing up more and more in aluminum bottles.Not aluminum cans, not glass bottles, but aluminum bottles, like the ones below. Coca Cola since 2005 has been on the path to aluminum bottles, reportedly commissioningfive design groups from five continents to rethinkpackaging, with an eye towards hip urban flair. Specifica...
Not everyone's a fashion expert, but there are some things everyone knows, as, for example, you don't wear white after Labor Day. It's a rule so entrenched it even inspiredhomicidal behavior in the 1994 dark comedySerial Mom. And apparently the fashion police has decided it's time to put an end to that.Word is out thatit's okay to wear white in the fall, withfashion designersbecoming the instigators of suchseason-color upset. If you like the way your white jeans fit,there's no fearing foryour life any lo...
