Monday, September 14, 2009

CHECK OUT MY NEW BLOG


Hi. I've moved over to word press and a new blog design to add more interactive functionality and fun. Check out www.BrandTwist.com and let me know what you think.

I'm still working out the kinks so I'd love your comments.

Thanks!

Julie

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Stop Recording...Start Living!


Often the wisest words come from the mouths of babes.

Or in my case, the mouth of a very bright 8 year old boy...my son Sacha.

On our recent holiday in France, I was so busy trying to record every moment to share (via Facebook, and email etc) with friends and family back home...that I wasn't fully experiencing the moments as they were happening.

In this particular instance I was trying to capture an adorable picture of Sacha during his circus lessons.

Obsessed with gettting the perfect shot, I wasn't really watching the trick he was trying to show me.

"Stop taking picutres, and look!" he cried.

Instantly I knew he was right. The real value of the moment was in the moment.

Not in the picture or pithy update quote to be posted or tweeted later.

So I put down the camera and I really watched. And it was pretty cool.

And then I took a few quick shots.

And maybe I didn't capture exactly the perfect smile or get the ideal shot.

But when I close my eyes I can see it vividly and I can hear the excitement in his voice when he realized I was really present and paying attention.

Experiences are great to share, but first they should be...well...experienced.

That's my point of view. What's your twist?
Has recording gotten in the way of experiencing for you?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Back to School Blues


Today is the first day of school for my kids and I've got the blues.

It's not because the summer is over (although it did whiz by).

It' not even because the passage of time is so clearly marked as my kids march through the grades (it really does seem like yesterday my 7th grader was starting Kindergarten).

No, I'm blue for one simple fact- that they are the ones going back to school and not I.

I feel this way every fall.

In the real (working world) those of us who are lucky, and who make an effort to seek it out, do continue to learn.

But it's just not the same as the larger "unknown" that students face this time of year.

I miss the anticipation of learning new things, delving into unfamiliar territory, discovering new teachers and even making new friends that comes with official "Back to School".

So this year I've decided to do something about it. I've decided, in my own way, to go back to school.

I'm not talking about a graduate school kind of commitment.

I'm talking about taking stock this September of what I'd like to learn and setting out a plan (class schedule of sorts) to get there.

Right now I am still in the audit phase. High on my list are yoga, Hip Hop, Conversational Hebrew, and finally mastering the art of advanced Twitter.

OK it's more of a varied Freshman liberal arts curriculum - but it works for me.

The important thing is I am committing to learning something new.

And the prospect of this is exciting...hey maybe I'll even get a new backpack...or at the very least some new back to school clothes.

That's my point of view. What's your twist?
What are your back to school plans

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Kennedy- The Brand


I'm too young to have experienced the assassination of JFK.

But I did grow up in Boston and the Kennedy clan has always held a certain mystique.

I remember being glued to the TV the weekend that JFK Junior's plane went down at sea -and feeling like I'd lost someone I actually knew.

I also remember marvelling as a one-legged Ted Junior swooshed by as I was skiing with my family at Waterville Valley in the 70's.

I, like many others, have always been fascinated by the Kennedys.

Not necessarily as a family, or even as individual people, but by what they stand for.

In layman's terms... I guess by their Brand Essence.

A carefree "Martha's Vineyard" sense of style
Youthful optimism
Perseverance in overcoming adversity
A clannish family unit

And most recently with the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy - who served 47 years in the senate- a synonym for public service.

And in some way perhaps similar to another public figure so recently lost, Michael Jackson, a brand full of contradictions.

Ted Kennedy overcame great moral failings publicly displayed in Chappaquiddick to be regarded as a moral compass on issues like health care reform.

JFK a great leader is well recognized for his own personal infidelities.

Even JFK junior, the golden boy who still rode the NYC subways to work, failed several times (very publicly) to pass his bar exam.

Maybe it's this display of both good and bad and the acute attempts at redemption that make them seem so human and relatable and that draws us in.

Or maybe it's the opposite. Maybe it's their "otherworldness". The golden family. Like a J Crew ad- but even more stylized - that's part of the allure.

President Obama said they have been synonymous with the Democratic party and ideals.

However, I think there was and is something more universal about their appeal.

I believe people all over the political spectrum are feeling a loss this week. A loss of someone we feel we knew.

A man admired both for his approachability and for the aspirational ideal which he embodied.

That's my point of view. What's your twist?
What does the Kennedy brand represent for you?
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