We random-thinking, right-brained types often envy the linear, sequential, dot-the-i's-and-cross-the-t's types.  But sometimes I am reminded that the sequentials have their moments of envying the randoms too.  I was sitting with a friend last night who, after listening to one of my stream of consciousness jags over phad thai, blurted out, "How do you get your mind to DO that?"

My jaw dropped, because she's someone I'm always a bit in awe of.  An ex-CIA analyst, karate black belt, author, and fluent speaker of three languages.

"What do you mean?" I asked as I wound a big long rice noodle around my fork.

"It's kind of like, you know those rollercoasters, where you think at first it's all about up and down?  And then you realize that a lot of the thrill is in the twists and turns sideways?"

"Yeah?  Okay, rollercoasters make me vomit, but I know what you're talking about."  I bite into a whole dried red pepper by mistake, take a big long slurp of water.  It goes down too fast, and I have a 10-second choking fit.  (If you become my friend and come visit me, don't ever take me out for Thai.  I'm just too eager about it. ) 

"Well, sitting here and listening to you go from one thing to the next is like being on the track and lurching sideways to the right and then to the left."

"Wow. Cool...I think.  Is that fun for you? Or annoying?"

"Good in controlled doses.  Like red peppers."

 So would you like a short lateral niche-seeking ride?  I like niche discovery.  I'm very good at it.  The thing is tearing myself away from the keyword research tool long enough to develop stuff.  Like 100 sites (gulp).

Sample trigger (ride begins):

Nail tech says she just bought a new place.  Wants to make it look classy.  Friend told her you can get cheap classy posters by...can't remember the guy's name.  But he's famous for ____ kind of pictures.

Hmmm.  I run a few names by her.  Bingo.  I've got the right guy in mind.

"What do you like about that artist?"

"I don't like that artist.  I just want people to think my place is classy.  And I'm on a budget."

If you were going to buy anything by that artist, what would you search for in Google?

"________ posters," I guess .

"How about prints?"

"Prints? I don't want to print anything out myself. I just want the posters."

"Gotcha.  Mind if I jot something down real quick before you do the polish?"

Lady next to me, talking to friend.

"So I asked my daughter what she wanted for her birthday.  She says she can't decide between a Coach handbag and something nice to carry her laptop around in."

Friend:  "Well, you did tell her it was smarter to get the nice laptop bag, right?"

Woman getting pedicure:  "Damn straight I did.  Sick and tired of that kid using gift money and paychecks for $400 handbags."

Me:  "Could I have the quick-dry nail spray please so that I can get on home and get back to work?"

Hours later, I have found three more wowza keywords and exact-match domains to go with.  High traffic, low competition.  One has to do with posters (not prints!) by a certain artist of the early 20th century.  One has to do with handbags.  One has to do with laptop accessories.

And I've got a few ideas about the markets I may be building them out for.  And my imagination is fired about that young woman--and whether common sense will prevail and she will see the wisdom of the laptop bag.  And, if she does, what kind of stylish accessory she would select.

And I'm thinking about the pressure people feel to come across as "classy."  That Vietnamese manicurist...she's already classy.  And so graceful and beautiful.  Why is she so worried about having the right posters on her wall? But when you're acclimating to a foreign culture and you don't want your new place to be filled with things you grew up with...but you have no real frame of reference for anything else...what do you do?  And arent' we all looking for a few answers in that department?  (Otherwise, how else would Martha Stewart ever have achieved super-celeb status?)

Maybe all of that will lead me into some new things on another day.