• I absolutely love Gotham Chopra’s article Writing Songs With My Good Friend Mike where he recalls their decades of friendship with many funny moments including this: “He’d visit our house in Massachusetts where he’d sleep in the guest room. My mom got a great kick out of the fact that every morning Michael stayed, he’d try to make the bed (very badly) and offer to cook breakfast (very badly).”

• Lisa Marie Presley writes candidly about her time with Michael Jackson and his unsettling prediction about how his life would end.

• Betesy Johnson talks about her upcoming retirement.

• More brands than ever are fighting against counterfeit versions of their products because not only are they becoming better made and fetching higher prices, they’re also cutting into profit margins.

• The bar code turns 35.

• When I’m visiting New York, you can bet that Gala and I will stop by Coney Island just to take a spin on this ride from Neverland Ranch. Soooo awesome! (thanks, bianca)

• Believe it or not, there are certain high-skilled workers that are insulated from the recession.

• Freelance Switch has some great advice on how to survive any economic downturn.

• I really hope Pepsi sees this Michael Jackson tribute design and puts it into production. It’s a simple and classy way to commemorate him.

• Ahhh, Jane of Sea of Shoes has totally outdone herself again with more stunning photos from Tokyo. My favorite post of the week documented her hilarious adventures with a toy cat named Nao. For real.

• 6 steps to get your company to pay you to blog.

P.S. My posting is still a bit slow due to moving but things are coming together amazingly well and I can’t wait to show you my finished office (hint: I’ve organized my shoes on a bookcase by color!) next Friday. There are so many good things in the works including cool freelance projects so stay tuned!