Okay, so it may be that this post is dramatically off topic from the normal posting genre, but I like to support good, quality business men and women whenever I can.

I know I may belong to a minority of people who like hookah enough to actually buy the stuff. But, if you do, I have this little piece of advice for you. When the time comes to buy coals, shisha or a new pipe, I must suggest that you make your purchase from HookahJohn.com.

Hookahjohn.com is run by John and his wife out of their home in California. You’ll notice that most of the product photographs seem to be take in a kitchen or garage. That’s probably because they’re taken in a kitchen or garage.

After placing an order, I received a call from John to let me know he was packing up my order but had to upgrade one of my components because the other one was out of stock. No complaint here!

John is also an active member of the web forum hookahpro.com. All in all, it makes for a very positive, personal shopping experience. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

To continue briefly in yesterday’s line of discussion (last time, I promise!), here is a short video from the grand opening of the first Microsoft retail store. Look familiar? Lets just say, ‘case and point’.

(Can’t see it? Watch the video at YouTube)

I was at Office Depot this afternoon looking for some organization solutions to help keep client files in order. After I found what I was looking for, I spent a short time browsing around the store looking at some of the other office supplies and I realized a strange trend. Most products (barring basic supplies, like paper) fit into two categories:

1. Products to help work seem a little less like actual work and,

2. Products to help you get work done when you weren’t actually working.

When I put these together, what’s left is a lot of merchandise to make people pseudo-work all the time. It’s a cultural thing and its probably more true for small business owners than anyone else. When I look at my own habits, I can see this trend clearly.

For example, If I have a long, tedious job to process through, I might set up my hookah for a casual smoke while I work. The work feels a bit less like work. On the flip side of the coin, I use an iPhone. Sure I have the Facebook app and a few simple games, but all of my email accounts also beam directly to the device.

No matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’m always kind of working.

I don’t mean to necessarily imply there’s something wrong with any of this. But it sure seems like there might be. I guess I’ll have to wait 30 years or so and see how much I paying for my kid’s therapy before I know for sure.