I'm Just Not That Into You..tonight.

Just saw the "chick-flick", "ultimate date movie" He's Just Not That Into You. It's based on a book that's based on real-life observations, and even through the distortions of Hollywood, the basic relationship issues are pretty much right on. I thought the guy's parts where on ON, and my date thought the girl's stuff was right on. And here's the thing: this movie BUGGED me, because in the end it didn't provide enlightenment or any answers, it made my slightly depressed and feel pretty lost.

You see, "He's Just Not That Into You' is a movie for girls about why boys don't return their calls, but I feel that way, often. I am nice and sincere and I pay attention, but really, I just get into a big circle that leads to a few kisses, lot's of hugs and plenty of frustrations. Sure, I am dating someone right now with whom it's fun, and pretty casual, even a bit romantic, but I couldn't commit to her. And that's where I start to also sound like the guys in this movie, because it's all about how we can't stay with one girl, we have to move from one to another. We are the torturers of love, and we make beautiful women sad and lonely. (Who knew Scarlett Johansson would have such a hard time finding a good date? Or the cute wife from HBO's 'Big Love', one of the leads here?)

I, for one, always say I want a relationship relationship like my twin brother always gets into, yet my last serious one ended, oh, almost a year ago. How come it doesn't happen? For one, I can't commit, because I am always looking over my shoulder (or my date's) to see if there is a better one. I meet one girl, I'm enamored, but then sometimes I can't seem to get myself to be anything else than silly and baffling, and soon I move on. I am so often afraid, and so I end up dating girls that have little urges to have boyfriends. They are more like dudes who just want to have a good time and tease.

When will I figure it out? I think that deep down I am just waiting for the 'right girl' to fall in to my lap, to wave her flag, the so-called 'great girl' who'll be my long-time girlfriend. So this story is to be continued....

..now, if I can just focus on the economy and the sorry state of my finances.

TWENTY-FIVE THINGS ABOUT MYSELF

25 Things about Byron Shirley

(I have done this before on MySpace, I am going to do it again blind and see what differences I get in what I share about myself...)

Rules: you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

I feel like an exhibitionist here...

1. Whereas I used to read only Fiction novels, now I read mostly non-fiction.

1b. I love Sociology--the study of humans in society, and read all the time about it, the latest being Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers.

2. Since November I have been exchanging long, handwritten letters with Texas inmate #1306208, Son Tran, a 27 years-old Vietnamese American who is serving a life sentence for a murder. He has been there for ten years already, and is one of the nicest, most positive person I have ever encountered. Here is his account: http://boingboing.net/son_tran.pdf )

3. As you might know already, I can be considered a metrosexual, which means " heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance, and/or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically attributed to gay men."--otherwise known as an "L.A. Guy".

4. I play rugby three times a week (Games are on Saturdays, come out to Treasure Island to see them!); I am winger for the San Francisco Golden Gate Colts, and took up the sport in late '07 after seeing my 12 year old brother join the youth team and biting my nails on the sideline. It's a terrific sport that keep me mentally and--duh--physically agile.

(TWENTY-FIVE things?? Wow, I better make these shorter, I'm gonna be at this all night long)

5. I am in denial about my BlackBerry addiction, yet when I wake up in the morning I can reach for it without opening my eyes.

6. I LOVE dancing. As Roberto told me at French Tuesday this week, "Man, every time I see you, you are dancing!".

7. I am also a huge foodie, but you may not want to invite me to your dinner, as I have always had an enormous appetite to boot. (And that was before I started to try and gain weight for rugby..)

8. I have never weighted more than 175 lbs and am 6 foot, and I very intent on keeping myself in great shape throughout my life. You won't see me get fat!

9. If this entrepreneurial work in California doesn't pan out, I am fully considering moving to India, Hong Kong, or Brazil, and take my chances there.

10. I considered myself an entrepreneur, and am currently involved in three different business, and love to give advice to others around me. I love having my hands in many different pies....

11. I have never been in a relationship for more than 9 months, although I would love to find the one to stay with, I am in no rush to.

12. I used to be a huge Marilyn Manson fan and wore black boots, pants, shirts and spiked hair. I used to think I could hate my twin brother, I used to get huge amounts of parking tickets and not pay for them, I used to not study at school, and I think i'm ready to move on from all those things.

13. I am mostly drug-free, I don't smoke regularly, and can do without alcohol or pot or uppers or downers to have fun.

14. I am practicing to do two marathons this year.

15. I have learned to keep my emotions in check when dealing with difficult work situations--no task too big, but still get flustered and panic on first dates.

16. I love that my brother Julian doesn't give a damn and admire him for it, yet I wish he would give a damn.

17. I love whatever my brother Taddeo does.

18. I have recently lived with my twin brother Perry, and we became friends again. One of the keys to that success was that I told myself I had to stop trying to tell him what to do.

19. I love self-expression, and I wonder if America is not a repressed country where little by little I am taught to be quieter and not speak up.

20. I am known as a "Peter Pan", who loves children and often can seem naive and green.

21. I love "up" music--that is, music that makes me happy, not sad. (Example: "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone. Exception: "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" by Belle and Sebastian)

22. There is no "great tragedy" in my life.

23. I have seen "Slumdog Millionaire" six times. That is most definitely an "up" movie.

24. I can attribute most of my successes in my life to taking opportunities when they came up.

25. I am a great big ol' OBAMA supporter! :)

TWENTY-FIVE THINGS ABOUT MYSELF

25 Things about Byron Shirley

(I have done this before on MySpace, I am going to do it again blind and see what differences I get in what I share about myself...)

Rules: you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

I feel like an exhibitionist here...

1. Whereas I used to read only Fiction novels, now I read mostly non-fiction.

1b. I love Sociology--the study of humans in society, and read all the time about it, the latest being Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers.

2. Since November I have been exchanging long, handwritten letters with Texas inmate #1306208, Son Tran, a 27 years-old Vietnamese American who is serving a life sentence for a murder. He has been there for ten years already, and is one of the nicest, most positive person I have ever encountered. Here is his account: http://boingboing.net/son_tran.pdf )

3. As you might know already, I can be considered a metrosexual, which means " heterosexual men with a strong concern for their appearance, and/or whose lifestyles display attributes stereotypically attributed to gay men."--otherwise known as an "L.A. Guy".

4. I play rugby three times a week (Games are on Saturdays, come out to Treasure Island to see them!); I am winger for the San Francisco Golden Gate Colts, and took up the sport in late '07 after seeing my 12 year old brother join the youth team and biting my nails on the sideline. It's a terrific sport that keep me mentally and--duh--physically agile.

(TWENTY-FIVE things?? Wow, I better make these shorter, I'm gonna be at this all night long)

5. I am in denial about my BlackBerry addiction, yet when I wake up in the morning I can reach for it without opening my eyes.

6. I LOVE dancing. As Roberto told me at French Tuesday this week, "Man, every time I see you, you are dancing!".

7. I am also a huge foodie, but you may not want to invite me to your dinner, as I have always had an enormous appetite to boot. (And that was before I started to try and gain weight for rugby..)

8. I have never weighted more than 175 lbs and am 6 foot, and I very intent on keeping myself in great shape throughout my life. You won't see me get fat!

9. If this entrepreneurial work in California doesn't pan out, I am fully considering moving to India, Hong Kong, or Brazil, and take my chances there.

10. I considered myself an entrepreneur, and am currently involved in three different business, and love to give advice to others around me. I love having my hands in many different pies....

11. I have never been in a relationship for more than 9 months, although I would love to find the one to stay with, I am in no rush to.

12. I used to be a huge Marilyn Manson fan and wore black boots, pants, shirts and spiked hair. I used to think I could hate my twin brother, I used to get huge amounts of parking tickets and not pay for them, I used to not study at school, and I think i'm ready to move on from all those things.

13. I am mostly drug-free, I don't smoke regularly, and can do without alcohol or pot or uppers or downers to have fun.

14. I am practicing to do two marathons this year.

15. I have learned to keep my emotions in check when dealing with difficult work situations--no task too big, but still get flustered and panic on first dates.

16. I love that my brother Julian doesn't give a damn and admire him for it, yet I wish he would give a damn.

17. I love whatever my brother Taddeo does.

18. I have recently lived with my twin brother Perry, and we became friends again. One of the keys to that success was that I told myself I had to stop trying to tell him what to do.

19. I love self-expression, and I wonder if America is not a repressed country where little by little I am taught to be quieter and not speak up.

20. I am known as a "Peter Pan", who loves children and often can seem naive and green.

21. I love "up" music--that is, music that makes me happy, not sad. (Example: "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone. Exception: "Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying" by Belle and Sebastian)

22. There is no "great tragedy" in my life.

23. I have seen "Slumdog Millionaire" six times. That is most definitely an "up" movie.

24. I can attribute most of my successes in my life to taking opportunities when they came up.

25. I am a great big ol' OBAMA supporter! :)

What's In a (Business) Name?

I just read this article in Entrepreneur's Startup magazine, highly recommended, and thought I would share it. It's about name branding.

All In The Name
Does your business moniker have people smiling or scratching their heads?
by Kevin Manahan

After creating catchy names for everything from energy drinks to sportswear, Alexandra Watkins knows what goes into a good business name. In 2005, the former advertising copywriter founded Eat My Words, a boutique naming firm in San Francisco with 2008 sales projected in the six figures. The firm's Smile & Scratch Test, available at eatmywords.com, evaluates names "based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile instead of scratch your head," says Watkins. Here are some tips to ensure your name gets people grinning:

• Make an emotional connection. Eat My Words creates company names that entertain and engage the consumer, including Spoon Me for a frozen yogurt chain and Neato for a home cleaning robot. "If you have a name like Spoon Me, and you're making that [emotional] connection, you're instantly building an affinity for your brand, because people like it," says Watkins, 44.
  
• Stand out. With Pinkberry's success came a wave of name imitators. But jumping on the bandwagon is the wrong way to go. "People try to be copycats," says Watkins, "but the only way you're ever going to get noticed and stand out is if you do something unexpected and different."
  
• Don't ask others for ideas. Try to test your name against an objective set of criteria rather than asking for opinions. "People make the mistake of asking their friends and family what they think," says Watkins. "That's the worst possible thing you can do; it really waters down your name."
  
• Keep it clear. Names like Flickr and Xobni might be unique, but they can be confusing and hard to pronounce for consumers. Names in different languages or that hide the meaning from the consumer should also be avoided.

Now, here is the test mentioned above:

Does your name pass the test?

We filter all of our names through the Eat My Words SMILE & SCRATCH Test (as seen in The Wall Street Journal), which is based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head.

SMILE - qualities of a powerful name
Simple – one easy-to-understand concept
Meaningful – your customers instantly "get it"
Imagery – visually evocative - creates a mental picture
Legs – carries the brand, lends itself to wordplay
Emotional – empowers, entertains, engages, enlightens

SCRATCH it off the list if it has any of these deal-breakers
Spelling-challenged – you have to tell people how to spell it
Copycat – similar to competitor's names
Random – disconnected from the brand
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, uninspired, boring, non-emotional
Curse of Knowledge – only insiders get it

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!!

I am back, been absent from the blog for too long, what with Xmas and New Year's and all. But it doesn't mean I haven't been writing! I will post new material soon.

In the meantime, I opened in my inbox a wonderful little message of hope, about the Next Great President, Obama.

Here it is...

Garrison Keillor's comments on Obama's election

Be happy, dear hearts, and allow yourselves a few more weeks of quiet exultation. It isn't gloating; it's satisfaction at a job well done. He was a superb candidate, serious, professorial but with a flashing grin and a buoyancy that comes from working out in the gym every morning. He spoke in a genuine voice, not senatorial at all. He relished campaigning. He accepted adulation gracefully. He brandished his sword against his opponents without mocking or belittling them. He was elegant, unaffected, utterly American, and now (Wow) suddenly America is cool. Chicago is cool. Chicago !!!

We threw the dice and we won the jackpot and ele cted a black guy with a Harvard degree, the middle name Hussein and a sense of humor he said, "I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher." The French junior minister for human rights said, "On this morning, we all want to be American so we can take a bite of this dream unfolding before our eyes." When was the last time you heard someone from France say they wanted to be American and take a bite of something of ours? Ponder that for a moment.

The world expects us to elect pompous yahoos, and instead we have us a 47-year-old prince from the prairie who cheerfully ran the race, and when his opponents threw sand at him, he just smiled back. He'll be the first president in history to look really good making a jump shot. He loves his classy wife and his sweet little daughters. At the same time, he knows pop music, American lit and constitutional law. I just can't imagine anybody cooler.

It feels good to be cool, and all of us can share in that, even sour old right-wingers and embittered blottoheads. Next time you fly to Heathrow and hand your passport to the man with the badge, he's going to see "United States of America "and look up and grin. Even if you worship in the church of Fox , everyone you meet overseas is going to ask you about Obama, and you may as well say you voted for him because, my friends, he is your line of credit over there. No need anymore to try to look Canadian.