Could not resist sharing this Fun Story from the 'Harry and Marcus' newsletter courtesy of the good people at Firefly Tonics.

Their new Events Manager, Miss Emma (no connection with The Avengers) gives us her first "Canapé Rankings".

Her Top 3 so far:

• Fanciest canapés: Condé Nast Traveller Hot List party

• Hottest waiters: Topshop Autumn Collection launch

• Coolest crowd*: Antony Gormley opening at the Hayward (*crowd rather uncoolly ate all the canapés before we got there. But the exhibition's amazing so it had to go in).

If you cannot make it to London, treat yourself to the Antony Gormley Blind Light video.

What are your Top 3 party votes in your city? Share with us!

Also on Firefly: Want a health kick, get it from Firefly

An e-mail from Gillian Carson telling me and other attendees of the Future of Online Advertising conference (June 7 and 8 in New York City) that the event will be Wi-Fi ready reminded me of my preference for pen and paper to take notes.
As a matter of etiquette, I find it rude towards the speaker to be paying attention to her/him only in passing between checking e-mail, websites and whatever else you feel like being distracted by.
I noticed a lot of that happening while I was at South by Southwest.

If you find the session or speaker boring you can always step out and wait for next topic.
My suggestion is, at such events, close your laptop and open your ears.
It is perfectly fine to use your toy during breaks.
It might be better though to interact with other humans and make new connections.

Worth reading on the topic of Laptops, Attention Deficit Disorder and Speakers: Boon or Curse? (Ben Buchanan), Is anyone listening? WiFi and the new ADD (Jeffrey Veen), Notebooks for Conferences (Felipe Gaucho) and Conference Dynamics (Heather Green).

I previously wrote about Twitter, Blackberries and the Age of Constant Interruptions

This year, a number of milestones relevant at least to baby boomers such as the 40th anniversary of The Summer of Love are taking place. A show on the topic opened recently at the Whitney Museum in New York.

Tomorrow June 1st marks the 40th anniversary of 'Sergeant Pepper' by the Beatles.

Soundcheck on WNYC Radio looks at its legacy today.

The station also offers many details about the record on its Happy Birthday Sergeant Pepper page.

The BBC asked a number of bands including Oasis and the Kaiser Chiefs to recreate the album and will air the results on Saturday, June 2nd (BBC Radio 2), details in Rock stars to recreate Sgt Pepper.

A Thursday morning history and music side trip...

I previously wrote on the creation of its cover in Sergeant Pepper Album cover was designed by Peter Blake

Rather than join the throngs at the beach some place maybe you are considering the relative peace of the countryside as an alternative so you can put your life in the slow lane.

You can go country and still be hip and trendy if you go for an area such as the Cotswolds in the UK.

Madonna and many others call it home from time to time.

A good guide to the place is Wild in the Cotswolds which besides the usual guide offers portraits of some of its talented residents such as Barbara Manzi-Fe (photographer) and her flower portraits.

If you like cooking and gardening pay a visit to Rob Winperis at his Selsley Herb Nursery in Bilsey (pictured here).

Another famous Cotswolds resident is Alex James ('Blur' bass player and now cheese maker).

Previous story on the Cotswolds: From Rock Star to Gentleman Farmer

Starting Friday, June 1st , guests of the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago can treat themselves to any ice cream idea that they can come up with (except Foie Gras, banned in the windy city).

Your special order has to be placed 48 hours prior to your arrival.
Just give a call to chef Noah Bekofsky who runs the hotel Aria Restaurant.
Each order will set you back $12, not bad for a creative moment.
Will it live up to your expectations, maybe not?

The ice cream project is part of the hotel's In-room Dining program.

The Fairmont also has a Bath Sommelier on staff for your comfort.

Discover Chef Noah Bekofsky unusual  background in Zen Master courtesy of Hungry Magazine.

I found out about the ice cream program on Globorati.

Other unusual ice-cream stories: Seafood Ice-Cream and other strange brews

More attention is paid to California Cabernets than most others in the US. Catie, the Wild Walla Walla Wine Woman chooses Washington State Cabernets as the theme for Wine Blogging Wednesday #34.

She would like us to dig smaller and interesting producers which we should be able to find since Washington State recently bonded its 500th winery according to Catie.

I have a couple of ideas on this theme.

Look for the results of my explorations on or around June 13 right here. I will try my best to go Walla Walla without going gaga.

Most recent Wine Blogging Wednesday: Up there! Domaine Bila-Haut, a red Roussillon

Every week seems to bring its own 'celebration', many of them are pure marketing.
In France, L'heure de l'Aperitif (Cocktail Hour) is as much a social occasion as anything else.

A chance to gather with friends for a relaxing moment.

The 4th French Cocktail Hour USA builds on that tradition and matches it with some wine, spirits and food marketing.

The official date is June 7th.
If you want to emulate Southern France, have a Pastis, an Annisette or a Muscat with some amuse-bouche.

During the warm weather months, a nice chilled Rose wine (not to confuse with blush) could be perfect.

Sante!

Recently on French traditions: Roots, May, Muguet

I was a little surprised to say the least to see that the Ignite Where 2.0 Launchpad, a prelude to the O' Reilly-Where 2.0 Conference (you know Maps and all...online), was taking place last night in San Jose.

Did someone forget it was a holiday? Is there no value in long week-ends?
I know it is only a holiday here in the US but I would feel the same if any conference started on Bastille Day.

Maybe this topic would be more suitable on True Crap.

On balancing life and work: How to cut the information overload down to size and Leisure is vital...Work and play in Scandinavia

If you are looking for a simple table wine that displays cherries and a touch of spice on the finish, this medium bodied red Mesta (Tempranillo, 2006) from Bodegas Fontana in Cuenca (Castilla, Spain) will be good company. It retails at around $8.00.

According to the label, 'Mestas' are gatherings of sheep herders where they sort out the stray sheep ('mestencos').

Cheers!

Recent Spanish excursions: A new love! Atteca (Garnacha)

While here in the US, this Memorial Day week-end marks the unofficial  start of the summer and beach season (in New Jersey, we go to the shore), for many countries the last Sunday of May is Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day Maman!

As for myself, I will probably be off the blog until Tuesday, taking advantage of the holiday to take a breather.