I don't know why this story came to mind. Maybe it's to remind me that tough people have feelings too.Back when I was in college, one of my roommates was from Cincinnati. His little brother was a tackle for Cincinnati Princeton (or one of those elite Cincinnati football high schools you always read about in Sports Illustrated). Big Du was like 6'5" and 250, mostly muscle, as a 17-year-old. He was massive!There was also this girl who hung out at our apartment. Can't remember her name...we called her "Rabbit." She was about 4'10" and skinny. So she couldn't have weighed…

Historically, the idea of branding was contrary to the bank culture. The idea being that to brand something was to impose some artifice onto it, as opposed to the low-profile, three-button, wing-tipped, dry, trustworthy image that professional bankers enjoyed projecting. In fact, there was a time when marketing of all types was seen as unethical. Then came deregulation, and competition from both bank and non-bank competitors. Suddenly there were other places to put your money. Other places to get your loan. Suddenly, banks needed to be known...and to be differentiated. While everyone seems to agree, at this point, that branding…

Friday was a half-day, and we made the most of it. We ran some errands and then we popped over to the Delellos to borrow Anne of Green Gables (the quintessential Canadian chick flick/arty-right-brained epic). We took a break in the late afternoon, and we ran into our neighbor who told us (in a calm, but serious tone) that there was a tornado warning and that we should get inside. Sky was a little green. We headed home. About the time we were back in the house, ensconced in the den with Anne Shirley and her adopted family, wind started…

That was the last time the Volatility Index closed this low. Today, it closed at 38.85! 'Scuse me while I do the little learned optimist dance.

I'm thinking Facebook might have a couple of problems they hadn't counted upon. First, the site/ap/service was created during times that were (for most people) pretty solid economically. Making the rent wasn't a worry. Buying groceries certainly wasn't. We were, as a culture, all up in the "self actualization" zone. So, connecting with old friends, making new friends, and hi-by drive-bys were the order of the day. But things are a little different. Not that long ago, clients started canceling projects that were not "directly revenue generating." So, we're back to transactions. And so is everyone else. It's all about…

We got a thank you note today. Without going into a lot of details about why we received it, I just think thank you notes, when done right, really make an impression. This note acknowledged our gesture. And then, the writer went on to tell us how our gesture fits so nicely with other parts of his life. Having tied these things together, the gentleman expressed thoughts about how our gesture, when combined with related parts of his life, would actually enhance his life. Then, he complimented us on our work. And he said that he had appreciated our work…

Okay, so it's been years, maybe decades, since the movement began to gentrify the west end. Probably started when they built The Peace Center, which was completed in 1991 (which means the sinister plot was being hatched all the way back in the 80s-along with technopop and glitter country...and Madonna 1.0). They drove out the hookers. Reclaimed the "West End Market." Pulled some political magic to get The Governor's School for the Arts down there. Schmizzled the park and put in the bridge. Gave Billy Mitchel's house to the Hughes brothers. Changed a couple blocks of Pendleton Street to (South)…