Author Archives: Elisabeth

“Have you heard about the words that appeared in the spider’s web?” said Mrs. Arable nervously. “Yes,” replied the doctor.“Well, do you understand it?” asked Mrs. Arable. “Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider’s web?”

“Oh, no,” said Dr. Dorian. “I don’t understand it. But for that matter I don’t understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle.”

“What’s miraculous about a spider’s web?” said Mrs. Arable. “I don’t see why you say a web is a miracle – it’s just a web.” “Ever try to spin one?” asked Dr. Dorian. Mrs. Arable shifted uneasily in her chair. “No,” she replied. “But I can crochet a doily and I can knit a sock.” “Sure,” said the doctor. “But somebody taught you, didn’t they?” “My mother taught me.” “Well, who taught the spider? A young spider knows how to spin a web without any instructions from anybody. Don’t you regard that as a miracle?”

“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Arable. “I never looked at it that way before. Still, I don’t understand it, and I don’t like what I can’t understand.” “None of us do,” said Dr. Dorian, sighing. “I’m a doctor. Doctors are supposed to understand everything. But I don’t understand everything, and I don’t intend to let it worry me.”

Mrs. Arable fidgeted. “Fern says the animals talk to each other. Dr. Dorian, do you believe animals talk?” “I’ve never heard one say anything,” he replied. “But that proves nothing. It is quite possible that an animal has spoken civilly to me and that I didn’t catch the remark because I wasn’t paying attention. Children pay better attention thatn grown ups. If Fern says that the animals in Zuckerman’s barn talk, I’m quite ready to believe her. Perhaps, if people talk less, animals would talk more. People are incessant talkers – I can give you my word on that.”

– from Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Brainstorming :: More to come at some point about my current project —> Writing a children’s book! For now, I am getting to employ my love of brainstorming to develop the story and the main character.

“Giver,” Jonas suggested, “You and I don’t need to care about the rest of them.”
The Giver looked at him with a questioning smile. Jonas hung his head. Of course they needed to care. It was the meaning of everything.“

– From The Giver by Lois Lowry

7-ELEVEN :: It started this morning when my roommate said, “Today is my mom’s birthday and that means it’s 7/11. You know you can get a free Slurpee at any 7-Eleven today? Isn’t that neat?”

I ended up spending this afternoon playing kickball with 8 kids. It was the greatest game of kickball I’ve played in a very longtime, but that’s not the point. The point is: Can you think of a better way to end an afternoon of kickball than with free Slurpees? (well, other than ALL that sugar!)

So we piled in the car and headed for 7-Eleven. Several of the kids had never had a Slurpee or even been to 7-Eleven.  Thus, the car ride was spent defining “Slurpee” and “7-Eleven the convenience store vs. 7/11 the date.” When we arrived there was a sign posted on the door, “Sorry we ran out of free Slurpee cups, we’ve given away over 1,000 Slurpees today.” At this point, I could not disappoint 8 eager kiddos, so we made a grand entrance into the store and purchased 8 Slurpees. I should note, the 7-Eleven was packed with people drawn by the allure of free Slurpees. The word FREE is amazingly powerful.

I wish I could have been in the meeting at 7-Eleven when some genius marketer said, “What if we celebrate our birthday on July 7th every year and give away free Slurpees?” Whoever you are, you should know I think you’re brilliant.

I am realizing these days that not everyone is fascinated by marketing and branding in the same way I am. Don’t get me wrong I ask my fair share of questions about consumer culture etc., but for some reason I am so excited and even inspired by these fun (and very smart + profitable – see the article I posted below) tactics.

So for today, I must say, well done 7-Eleven: I’ve had Slurpees on the mind since I woke up today. I didn’t even get a free one, but I did pay for 8 of them. Not only that, but I introduced and educated about the infamous Slurpee to a handful of young, new customers helping to create a new generation of nostalgic brand enthusiasts, AND now here I am writing and posting pictures about it for all of the interweb!