John Quintana Blog

An Education

2010-12-07T14:01:00.004-07:00

I found this absolutely perfect chart on this great blog post about education:

The post is a criticism of the way we teach math/science/engineering, but, really, I think the criticism applies to our general approach to teaching. Having worked as an educator before, I have been incredibly dismayed at how critical thinking and imagination have taken a back seat to memorization, "problem-solving by recipe," and cramming. My students were completely at a loss when there wasn't a predetermined "right answer."Scary for our future and frustrating for generating genuine enthusiasm for learning.

I love how this blogger calls on computer scientist, Alan Kay, and his advocacy for a liberal arts education because it teaches metaphors and ways of thinking which Kay argues become useful later in engineering. In fact, he/she says that according to research done by Jacques Hadamard, mathematicians use the symbols, equations, and formulas they learn merely as tools to communicate the real work that they do--conceptualizing, problem solving, intuiting.

Now, it may be that this chart and thinking resonate with me because I such a geeky dreamer who loves to sit around and muse about hefty symbolism and meaning constructs...but it also seems to me rather ironic that both marketing strategists and mathematicians are looking for the exact same qualities in their future stars. Perhaps this begins to prove that this is the best groundwork for educating our future leaders regardless of discipline (I hope).

Two last quotes from this interesting blog:

From Jason Fried:
"Hire curious people. Even if they don't have the exact skill set you want, curious, passionate people can learn anything."

And from Jacques Hadamard:
" Logic merely sanctions the conquests of the intuition."

Reason #28 Why I Will Never Fit In: Throw Blankets

2010-11-04T16:14:00.004-06:00

Nobody understand my throw blanket angst of being so terribly misunderstood.

Tea Party! A New Tradition!

2010-10-15T14:54:00.007-06:00

Okay. Let's face it. I suck. I have had not had time to blog since the ignominous date of my birthday. The fact is, when you have lots of bloggable stuff going on in life, you just don't have time to blog.

BUT I do have to share these wonderful little snippets of jokes that my bff, Tai, and I sometimes share. Okay. Honestly, I just send them to her and hope they make her laugh. It's just fun with stock photography. Find a stock photo and give it a funny caption.

It's going to be my new blogging tradition. So even when I don't have time to tell you I just got nominated for a People's Choice Award (I didn't. Yet.), I can still share a little something. ;)

First in the Stock Photo Fun series:

Tea Party

"We're laughing because that's the same look Daddy got on his face when he caught Timmy playing Barbies!"

**on a side note: GettyImages is wonderful, amazing, the best. I pray to Getty everyday. You should always pay for GettyImages pictures. They're the best in the world. Please don't tell on me.

Gamepocalypse: Best Thing Ever or Should I Jump Off a Cliff Now?

2010-07-29T10:09:00.003-06:00

Fair friends, lately I have been missing the hallowed halls of academia. It's true. Corporate America, even with the MTV veneer of advertising, can be fun, but it could use a little more ivy, wool cardigans, and musty books.

Thankfully, my wonderful friend and teacher, Cam, invited me to this great seminar/lecture, Gamepocalypse (please see slide show below). It's part of a lecture series from the Long Now Foundation, which apparently is dedicated to long-sighted solutions and thinking. How effing awesome is that? It's like my shrieking battle cry to 21st Century decision-makers.

Visions of the gamepocalypse

View more presentations from Jesse Schell.

So the slide show doesn't do the lecture justice. Jesse Schell is an incredibly funny, insightful, and smart speaker. Even when talking off the cuff, I was really impressed with how quick he was and how much he had clearly already thought through the issues. They should have a video up soon, so you can catch all of the amazing goodness for yourself.

He made some pretty spectacular predictions about the future of gaming permeating every aspect of our lives (particularly thanks to life-sucking marketers like myself). It makes sense in a lot of ways, as games become more interactive, it's less about Pac Man and more about user experience (UX) and augmented reality. I was most excited about the possibilities he laid out for really good voice recognition. It will really change everything.

Most of all though, I appreciated his insights into human nature and why/how we love games/interactivity:

--People love games because they don't HAVE TO play them. The minute you make a game mandatory, it loses its appeal.

--External incentives kill a game. People lose engagement quickly. Crafting an experience that is intrinsically fulfilling and engaging creates longer, deeper engagement and passion. *Beautiful point. I REALLY want to see some hard data to back this up!

--Digital is ruining the natural human/societal capacity to forget, which tied in beautifully to a recent Times article I read that does a great job of showing how disruptive this is to natural rhythms.

--People love games because they offer a sense of progress, the possibility of success, clear feedback, and engage curiosity (see slide 20).

Jesse also left me with another slew of books to add to my list of must read books, including: The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley, Good to Great by Jim Collins, Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kahn, The Chronicles of Narnia (re-read), and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (I know! I know! It's ridiculous I haven't already read it, but Scott Card always struck me as one of those weird Mormon writers, so I stayed away).

I am so glad I went, and I think I would like to find more lecture series to attend in the city. It's a great way to learn (like a podcast but without the earbuds!) and its inspiring. Thanks, Cam, for a great experience. Thanks, Gareth, for letting me steal the links to the presentation from your blog.

Daily Dose of Inspiring Beauty

2010-06-30T17:33:00.002-06:00

This is a truly amazing display, an ingenious use of new media, and it really makes me miss figure painting...especially how whenever people asked me what kind of painting I did, when I answered "figure painting," I would almost always get the incredulous response of "finger painting??"

Free At Last!

2010-06-03T00:55:00.005-06:00

You may have noticed a dearth of posts lately. I have been a sucktastic blogger. There is no question.

Allow me to explain why. Ad agencies are notorious for working their employees crazy, long hours. Grad schools are known for doing the same to their students...what do you get when you combine the two? A nervous breakdown about every other day, otherwise known as my life for the past few months.

I have had the wonderful pleasure of working as a full time strategist at BBDO West (mostly on fun dog food brands) and also participating in some really cool capstone classes at the Academy of Art.

Finals were over a couple of Fridays ago (the last finals of my academic career! Hooray!) and Memorial Day weekend came just in time to offer some much needed reprieve.

Shane and I decided to get the hell out of the city and get back to nature with a camping trip. Unfortunately, so did everyone else in California. Finding an impromptu campsite was impossible...until we fell upon this little gem:

Sara, Jon, Anna-you guys remember this? New Brighton State Beach! A cliff of eucalyptus groves overlooking a beautiful beach. Somehow, in my memory it was so much more romantic. Our reality this weekend was more like...we paid a fee to rent a backyard for a weekend of backyard camping.

It was still great. We got lots of sun, gorged on rich foods, and laughed late into the night by the campfire. It was also Finn's first camping trip! Apparently he sees it as an indignity to endure only because we love it.

I can't wait to go on a real hike and camping trip soon. Just as soon as I undo some of the damage that my veal pen...ahem, I mean desk job, has done to my muscle tone.

(Full set of pics on Flickr)

Presentations for the Future! (For Now)

2010-05-03T23:49:00.006-06:00

UGC (or user generated content) has been the fuel of the social media revolution. It started with simple blogs and comments and has morphed into our present landscape cluttered with social networks, fan videos, and microblogs. All of this activity online has shifted the digital consciousness from the software and hardware that lives in your computer tower to the collective consciousness of cloud storage and exchange.

What has allowed this social media revolution message to really take off is that people have been armed with increasingly easy-to-use tools to create compelling multimedia on their own PCs. One human being can literally be a production house unto themselves. This means that people can create videos, websites, photo albums, etc. worthy of others' attention. Our sophistication as media consumers has thus increased significantly. We demand slick graphics, an appealing layout, and engaging imagery.

This demand for visual sophistication doesn't just exist in the realm of online entertainment, but has been running simultaneously in the world of business. Replacing pages of dry reports is the behemoth PowerPoint and decks of dry bullet points...augmented with animated transitions and easy-to-use color schemes, charts, and image importing.

PowerPoint has encouraged people to...think more about visual presentation and has become de rigueur in business communication. In fact, there was recently an article in the New York Times on the rampant use of PowerPoint by our own U.S. military.

Recently, a friend of mine tipped me off to Prezi.com. It's a web-based software program (that wonderful cloud-computing we were talking about before) that lets you easily create very dynamic Flash presentations.

Below is my own first attempt at using the software:

Bio Prezi on Prezi

My own presentation is rather limited. I kind of cheated and uploaded a large pdf, but that has created pretty blurry text. You can create text, add images (but maybe not use an entire image as your presentation), embed video, zoom in, zoom out, rotate your view, determine whatever path you want the points to follow. It's pretty great. It allows lots of personal control and at the same time is pretty simple to use.

You can store your presentations in Prezi's cloud (much like the currently popular SlideShare, you can share your presentation via link, embed it, or download it to your hard drive for an offline experience.

As a potential business communications tool, I think it shows genuine promise. It offers greater visual control and flexibility than PowerPoint. It is a web-based application, which means its very friendly to netbook users (but not necessarily iPad/iPhone users since it is a Flash-based application).

What really excites me about Prezi is that, rather than fracture an idea into bulletpoints one slide at a time (creating weak arguments and oversimplification of complex issues), the Prezi platform requires that you structure the narrative of your argument before you start using the program, that you look at the over-arching thesis of your argument and how you want to travel from point to point to point. Because of its zooming capabilities, it also becomes easier to take a step back and look at the "big picture" of an argument or zoom in for more "granular detail" (text/image points that were not previously visible in the presentation).

Angelie Agarwal does a much better job of showing in a simple way, some of the potential of Prezi (particularly for our Armed Forces):

De-Spaghettization of a PPT slide on Prezi

I would encourage you to check out Prezi's brief demo video to get a better grasp of how you might be able to begin to use it in your own communications/UGC/thank you cards to friends:

Good Idea, Bad Idea

2010-05-01T18:21:00.007-06:00

Mems the "Good Idea, Bad Idea" segments on Animaniacs of yesteryear?

Ah, yes. Those were the good ol' days. Well, that segment was exactly what came to mind when I got this friend request on FourSquare:

GOOD IDEA:
Get involved in FourSquare, as a business/brand. It's a great way to interact with passionate consumers, you can incentivize check-ins and broadcasting, you can offer geo-specific, game-like promotions. I love it when brands get involved on FourSquare.

BAD IDEA:
Friend request someone you don't know, who has never been a patron to your establishment.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Nashville on a business trip. I stayed at the very lovely Hermitage Hotel. Loved it. I never went anywhere near the Loew's Vanderbilt Hotel.

Having long forgotten, Nashville, Loew's friend requests me out of no where this week! On a social platform where I broadcast my every movement. Why on earth, complete-stranger-business, would I want to give you the same license to cyber stalk me that I would give me to my close circle of friends on FourSquare?

Your friend request left me feeling creeped out. And not in the good way.

GOOD IDEA:
Develop a best practices guide for your social media managers before diving into a territory you don't fully understand.

Tirade over. Friend request denied. I think I will go to my much-loved BiRite, now, for some stress-eating indulgence

A Titanic Error?

2010-03-25T23:40:00.005-06:00

OK. It's been too long since a post. Good reason, I swear. I have been busy doing the work that I love. More on that next blog post.

For now:

While I was at work researching great examples of love, I, of course, came across that great love story of the 90's--Titanic.

This seemed like a ready example that many people could identify with. This movie moved millions of people across the world to go the theaters again and again, form fan clubs, and shed tears. Great. Easy story for me to share...until I realized I have NEVER seen this movie. I don't even know the plot points (other than that the ship goes down and Leonardo DiCaprio probably dies).

So, I turned to my bestie, Tai, hoping she could give me the low-down on this great love story:

The fact is, I never wanted to see it as a teenager, as a sort of act of rebellion against all things blatantly pop culture. I now listen to Britney Spears with barely a hint of shame.

So the question is, now that I am over my adolescent distaste for trite should I bother with this movie and Netflix it?

Glenn Beck: My Latest Frenemy

2010-03-11T12:04:00.003-07:00

I think Glenn Beck hates me because we used to be besties when I was Mormon.

It's sad. He can't let it go.

Profundity for the People

2010-03-08T13:17:00.005-07:00

A couple of blogposts ago I talked about bringing profound thinking to marketing efforts.

Well, I just came across this interesting MediaPost article on people of "my generation":
Conclusion? Yes. Organized religion is taking a diminished role in the lives of Americans, but obviously that desire for quiet, reflective thinking (as takes place in prayer) remains.

I would say most of us know people many people who eschew the label of "religious," but like to still think of themselves as "spiritual."

The whole article is an an interesting read on the attitudes and demographics of "Millenials" (I still don't know how I feel about that moniker), even if you're not into marketing or sociology.

The Natural History of the Rich

2010-03-04T22:10:00.002-07:00

Yes. I followed my unsentimental foray into the institution of marriage with a safari into the mansions and golf courses of the rich.

Written by a journalist, it looks at the behavior of the rich through the prism of evolutionary psychology. Now, I have my own problems with evolutionary psychology, mainly that I think it so oversimplifies behavior that it can convolute ANY human action into a reach for propagating genes. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this book.

The writer is entertaining and draws many varied, National Geographic-esque examples from animal behavior. He also clearly did his homework on caviar dreams, from detailed histories to interesting interviews with the obscenely wealthy. It has definitely left me with lots of little anecdotes for cocktail parties.

None of the conclusions Conniff made were earth-shattering. For me what it established more was the mysterious biological root to so much of our behavior. It is interesting to note that the DNA for almost every living creature on the face of the planet is pretty much the same. The smallest of variations account for all of our biological diversity, and the same sequences keep popping up in the unlikeliest of places, creating similar behavior in wasps, buffaloes, and humans.

It has definitely made me look more closely at the reasoning behind some of our most culturally expected behavior, so for that I would recommend the book. Just be patient with the beginning...and maybe the end. The middle is golden, though. ;)

Melancholia in Post-Modern Marketing

2010-03-03T09:39:00.004-07:00

I recently read this New York Times article (fave pub) looking at depression through the lens of evolutionary psychology, speculating that depression is the result of "ruminating" aka pondering/introspecting/analyzing...basically thinking

I think, therefore I am...sad.

Thinking people are more likely to be depressed. Great. Tell me something I don't see in my own life.

The article goes on and on in an exhausting academic debate about the evolutionary benefits of having so many depressed people in our species.

What stuck out to me was this argument that there is an evolutionary/biological foundation for rumination/introspection/deep thinking. This is something people want and need in their lives.

There are some smarties/creative types out there that think they have the corner market on higher thinking, but if late night Boy Scout camping conversations taught me anything it's that people from every walk of life in our society share times of deep reflection and share the same concerns and conclusions.

Because I am in this cursed field of advertising, I am going to draw back conclusions to branding and marketing which is--why aren't we we creating things that speak to this obviously deep desire of people?

We make ads that speak to the desire to make love, to be loved, to be victorious, we encourage companies to be social to address people's need for community, and yet where is the brand/campaign/website that encourages users to engage in deliberative reflection?

There is a reason that Eat, Pray, Love was on the bestseller's list for over two years, and why the Oprah Book Club was such a big hit, in general. People want to think about these things. They feel better for having had these thoughts, for having a scaffold on which to hang these yearn-filled threads, for knowing there are others with the same wonderings and private struggles of internal reconciliation without feeling like a complete lunatic.

This all reminds me of the once beautiful meaning of the word 'melancholia,' which did not mean sadness, but meant deep, quiet, extended thinking about a question or problem.

Durer captured it best in his work entitled, Melancholia:

In the meantime, I am going to be on the look out, for campaigns/brands that offer this, and for opportunities in which such could exist.

Carnal Lust: Docs

2010-02-19T11:28:00.005-07:00

My bff, Tai, frequently mentions the things she is lusting after on her blog (because she is thankfully a Mormon who is unafraid of filthy lucre) so I decided I might as well share some of my own worldly desires.

My latest yearning is for these:

That's right. Doc Martens. Tres 1998, I know.

The thing is, I have kind of been wanting some Docs since last year, right before I left for LA. They seemed like the perfect urban hiking boot for the San Francisco streets, in general I love having my foot cradled in a solid boot, and they had been out of fashion long enough that no one would think I honestly thought they were cool, thus also possessing a certain anti-cool appeal.

Apparently, my desire to be subversive manifests itself in massive geekiness. This is why I wore blazers in high school (long before that damned blazers and jeans trend fired up) and why I have been wearing grandpa cardigans since I was 18 (also long before everyone and their dog started wearing grandpa cardigans, dammit!).

On that note, a great tragedy has recently struck my home: my favorite cardigan--the blue cashmere one with the cowl neck that totally drowns me--is officially dying.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

For those of you who know me well, this cardie has seen me through many frumpy days, many profound conversations over hot cocoa, and many long painting sessions in drafty studios.

I will have to find a new frumpy, comfy sweater, but it will never be the same as this thrift store gem.

Back to the Docs. So the pretension of LA forbade the wearing of clunky Docs, but now that I am back in SF it's a different story, right? Imagine my horror when I found that Docs and Doc-like boots have made a dramatic resurgence amongst the hipster set of my new-found home in the Mission!

While apparently Docs are still anathema in the hipster Bible (Vice magazine), it's only a matter of time....

What do you guys think? I found a pair online for $80. Should I get the boots and risk looking like I am following an emerging hipster trend?

The fact that I hate looking like I am following trends closely probably reveals how prideful I really am. So there. I have confessed and revealed my vanity and pride, hopefully achieving a measure of catharsis and exoneration.

Should I get the damn boots?

Logorama

2010-02-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

If you have ten minutes, check out this Oscar-nominated short film by by Francois Alaux and Herve de Crecy.

It portrays a world consisting entirely of familiar logos and mascots. Unreal in and of itself, but it is also a "gritty" crime story.

BRILL-ers!

What's all the Buzz about?

2010-02-15T13:45:00.007-07:00

Some people hail Google Buzz as the new Messiah of social media.

Here are the results of one of my first forrays into Buzz:

(You have to click on the damn link to actually read the convo. Lame.)

Ultimately, it is a microblogging service. I don't really see it as offering me something that I can't already do on Facebook, Twitter, or my blog.

The big thing it does offer is convenience. It is already there on my most frequently-visited site (which was initially unnerving/annoying). It's centralized. I do wish it was easier to organize and search through information. Maybe listing capabilities, like with Twitter (love that!).

So far, the people posting are my most adventurous of friends, so posts are interesting. It feels less commercial than Facebook (ironically) with a nice, clean interface that focuses on the content.

I do like that is can pull in my activities from so many different sources automatically.

I think it has great hope of scooping up people who have not gotten sucked in to other social media already.

What it may ultimately really do is poke people's curiosity enough to make them explore all of the many other things Google offers to make people's lives easier/better/screen-time consumed.

For example, in an attempt to figure out how to make Google Buzz more useful, I fell upon this nifty Mashable article on how to integrate Facebook and Twitter into my Gmail/Buzz. Still testing it, but so far less than dazzling results. Not really robust or smooth.

Still, I discovered a lot of cool gadgets, services, and streams in Google Labs, Gmail labs, and settings that I had not previously explored, making Google once again my favorite tech/web company.

Meaning I am committed to still keep playing with Buzz.

Committed

2010-02-15T11:36:00.005-07:00

…speaking of Diane Rehm, I was just listening to an amazing interview on the Diane Rehm Show with Elizabeth Gilbert. I really loved her previous bestseller, Eat, Pray, Love, which really spoke to me, as someone trying to find spirituality and a sense of wholeness in this life without being shackled to the dogma of denominations. She is also a wonderfully frank and insightful writer that manages to pepper humor into even the most dire and serious of circumstances.

Her newest book, Committed is an exploration of the Western idea of marriage. Much to her reluctance, her own life circumstances have pushed her to marry the man that she loves, even though they are quite happy to live without the document of marriage.

In her interview, Liz talks about the wild, unrealistic expectations we put on marriage and the strange respect we seem to give anyone who has entered the institution, even though the act of getting a wedding license is one of the simplest things to do. Why have we fetishized marriage to such a degree in our society?

I couple of great quotes from the interview (loosely paraphrased):

“People used to make decisions of marriage based on very practical reasons on what would benefit their families and community, no one would ever think to hang their future prospects, prosperity, and happiness on something as fickle as romantic affection.”

“That is one of the greatest delusions we live under—balance. That we can have it all, that we can be both autonomous AND connected equally, simultaneously. That somehow we can achieve this if we can only figure out this magic equation of balance.”

These and other ideas in the interview really got my attention, as someone who is sublimely happy, but also sublimely challenged, in my own domestic partnership with the love of my life, Shane.

Growing up, I had such foolish notions about love and marriage. I imagined that my partner would help me become a better person by virtue of a relationship of such overwhelming mutual admiration (idealization), that we would both be perpetually-inspired to try to live up to the other. I imagined myself in a hetero-normative dynamic in which I would probably be the one bringing home the bacon. Most of all, though, I foolishly thought that I had such a willing domestic nature and such insight into human relationships that it would be easy for me to open up my heart and share my life with another person.

Reality has been oh so different. Shane and I do push each other to be better people, because we demand it of each other, because being in a relationship of two strong-willed people demands greater patience, forgiveness, and love. No one knows our personal faults quite as keenly as we know each others. As it turns out, I am actually VERY autonomous and like a lot of personal space and freedom. Domesticity and sharing a life does not come easily to me. Also, while Shane and I are both very committed to the idea of building a family together, including adopting a child at some point, we both love to work and love the nature of our work. We will have to navigate a new path that would allow us to work and raise a child.

So far, Commited has been a great read. Comfortable, easy prose and very stark, unsentimental perspective of the ever-evolving institution of marriage in the Western world. I am certainly learning a lot about the cultural underpinnings of this institution and can’t wait to finish it (which I suspect will be in another day or two).

What's Your Favorite NPR Show?

2010-02-09T17:59:00.011-07:00

If you ever hear me say in conversation, "That's funny/interesting/discombobulating, I actually recently heard a story about blah blah blah...."

Chances are I heard about it on one of these three shows:

BTW-Sorry to whoever out there is a fan of Air Talk. I am sure Terri is a lovely woman. Mike and I just can't stand her.

Super Bowl 2010

2010-02-08T09:22:00.004-07:00

This year I watched the Super Bowl with a small, but disparate group of friends out in Fort Mason.

Unfortunately, I missed the first quarter because we were foolishly trying to buy all of the ingredients for 7-layer dip 30 min before the game. It was a great game, with the Saints really pulling ahead in the end. I think everyone was pretty much rooting for the Saints.

On to what really matters: the commercials.

THE BEST

#1
None of my Super Bowl buddies works in marketing or advertising, and yet everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and shut up to see how this commercial would end. Isn't that the hallmark of a great ad?

Okay the end was over-the-top cheese. Still. I rank it as the best ad of the Super Bowl. After awhile, everything just seemed annoyingly loud.

#2
With an overload of ridiculously testoroned/predictable car ads, this ad was a pleasant surprise, that had us all smiling, reminiscing over our own Vegas trip, and debating over who would get to be which toy in the ad.

#3
Maybe not the most innovative idea, but this car ad also made us all smile.

Speaking of car ads, Toyota's absence in the line-up was very noticeable. Wish they had taken the opportunity rather than shied away. When will they devise a PR strategy?

THE WORST

Golly. Where to begin? It seems like this year was SO many bad, annoying, typical ads.

#1
This one gets a shout out as the biggest disappointment. Intel's Rockstar ads were so brilliant! This one is just sadly predictable and uninsightful.

#2
This ad took wacky, off-the-wall humor to a level of...stupidity.

#3
Another disappointment. The beginning looked so promising. We were all sure it was going to go somewhere hilarious and unexpected. Instead we got this:

DIS-Honorable Mentions:
Dove
Manthem? Feel Comfortable in Your Own Skin? Who are they trying to kid? It's Dove. Give guys some credit for intelligence and recognize who you really are when talking to men.

Doritos
They just seemed overexposed and had off-the-wall commercials/tie-ins that didn't make sense to us.

E-Trade
Also overexposed. And the baby gimmick is tired. Give it a rest already. Not funny anymore. It's like hearing someone tell another God-awful "That's what she said" joke.

Overall, it was refreshing to watch real TV with real commercial breaks. It is so easy to think that ads are genius when you watch them in the bubble of isolated clips. When you see them in context, they tell a very different story.

Sigh. Almost makes me regret my cable-free life. Almost.

Haus of Gaga

2010-02-03T08:30:00.004-07:00

The Grammys suck. I think the last time I actually watched the Grammys, I was 15. Does anyone care about the Grammys anymore? Well. I am sure some people do. What I have noticed, however, is that in my conversations with people since the Grammys few people have talked about the winners but people have definitely talked about Lady Gaga's Grammy "performances" (and Pink's, too, of course).

This woman (Gaga) is brilliant. Sure her pop music is great to dance to. It has a certain Euro-electro-pop that has breathed new life into the American pop scene. But what I love about Lady Gaga is that she has crafted this larger than life spectacle (and brand).

To my way of thinking, she has brought post-modern art to the masses and made them love every minute of it.

I mean how is her work really that different from Jeff Kouns?

Or Andy Warhol (whose hijinks were arguably the greatest part of his work)?

The painter in me just has to love this.

She has created a persona that extends beyond a couple of music videos (*cough* Sasha Fierce!) to the stage, red carpet events, paparazzi photos, interviews,everything she does.

She manages to keep everyone interested without resorting to cheap parlor tricks like flashing cooch in paparazzi photos.

What I think is really interesting is that part of her aesthetic is an aggressive, seductive repulsion. It can be light and poppy and at the same time have a hard, sometimes uncomfortable edge. Which, I think in this climate is exactly what people need.

Anything too "pretty" would be out-of-touch and wildly idealistic, but at the same time I think people want some sense of celebration (which is why I think The Black-Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling was such a wild hit this past summer). Adopting Gaga's hard edge (and also her debauched dance club celebration) can make someone feel invincible, though; feel stronger in an uncertain world by defying convention.

This unique blend is, I believe, a big reason for her appeal across various social groups. Her inspiring fashions are also about personal creativity rather than unattainable labels, which is appealing in our current economy.

And when you're looking for bang-for-the-buck, nothing beats her over-the-top shows. If you gave me a choice between tickets to a Gaga concert or a performance of La Boheme, I hate to say it, but I am going to have to take the Gaga tickets and am pretty sure I would walk away with longer-lasting memories. Her performances have raised our expectations of creativity.

What is notable about Gaga's success is that she was this no-name weird sound that emerged to dominate the pop culture scene. I think she is great example of how viral sharing which so many young people do (a good reason to have a kick-ass music video that makes people say "You HAVE to see this" to their friends) can lead to huge commercial demand.

The Wall Street Journal actually wrote a really great article on how Lady Gaga represents the future of the music industry, parlaying viral success into capital rewards in other channels.

One of my regrets about leaving LA, however, is that somehow, listening to Gaga outside of the boundaries of West Hollywood is just not the same. I guess it loses something of its ironic appeal.

Movie I Want To See: Lemonade

2010-01-29T18:48:00.004-07:00

Thanks, Nomes, for sharing this with me. I think had heard something about it, but now this trailer makes me want to see it.

When Shane lost his job, my friend, Mark (who is a veteran copywriter), told me that we should both get used to times of unemployment, that especially in the ad world, it is fairly common, not a big deal, not a reflection of a person's work, and that you eventually learn to enjoy those lulls as pseudo-vacations while you find the next job.

The very prospect terrifies me. I can't imagine being let go/fired/downsized.

I have been fired exactly once, from a job that I hated, resented, had no passion for, and dragged myself to everyday. I would put on a plastic smile, robotically do my work, and think about how I could be doing something that was really challenging. I was a waiter in a caviar restaurant. I generally had two tables a night of the most annoying patrons in Beverly Hills. Even so, being fired from that job was incredibly humiliating and shocking. It was difficult not to see it as a reflection of my personal worth and work. Ironically, it happened on the exact night I was planning on quitting anyway.

I am so glad I have found planning, and I am knocking wood that anytime I have to leave an agency, it is to find a more amazing opportunity somewhere else.

French Safe Sex Commercial

2010-01-26T15:41:00.002-07:00

This is perhaps the weirdest ad I have ever seen. But I love it. In all of its weirdness, it is brill. Thank you, Loganatron!

Why Does Orrin Hatch Get to Decide My Life in California?

2010-01-25T12:57:00.004-07:00

Okay, so this solution presented by GOOD magazine is a little far-fetched in terms of real possible solution, but the fact is, like California's state government, our national legislative branch is pretty messed up.

Our government has pretty much been set up so that it is impossible to get anything done. True, this was initially created out of a fear of tyranny and corruption but let's face it, people get creative and have found ways to bring both into our government.

Our legislative set-up was intentionally designed to make change happen at a glacially slow pace. There is prudence in this. It ensures that legislation is carefully scrutinized before it is passed, however, it is a system that does not work for a nation in the 21st Century that deals with crises far more pressing and fast-developing than our agrarian forefathers had to contend with.

What's even worse, is our current system has developed to such a state, that anyone with a gripe can bring a piece of legislation to a grinding halt. Anyone. From any small state, from any obscure interest group. Part of it is the gross disparities in representation in the Senate, but another huge problem is the strong voice of corporate interest groups and lobbyists in the legislative process.

America is unquestionably in dire straits. Our current legislative process is ill-equipped to respond to the problems that threaten our economy, security, ecology, and standard of living.

I believe in the power of human ingenuity in a crisis, but I wonder if our present system is just too slow to be able to innovate itself into something that will work. I am curious to see if there is a solution, what form it will actually take, because one thing is for sure--the current system isn't working.

This Is Our Trip To Peru! Really?

2010-01-14T16:22:00.014-07:00

Enough of this marketing mumbo jumbo. Who cares?

I just had an incredible international adventure with my partner-in-crime, Shane.

For those of you who don’t know, last July, to celebrate my birthday, my wonderful boyfriend booked us a flight to Peru for the holidays. Little did we know then that in December we would have to prepare to move back to San Francisco. So we packed up all of our stuff, I said a tough “adios” to 180, and we boarded a late night plane to Lima, Peru.

I am just going to give you a brief run-down of the trip. I will upload all of the pics to Flickr soon with a full color commentary on all of the interesting sights and experiences.

Best Food:
1) Ceviche—caught fresh every morning in Porto Callao. Fresh, spicy, and citrusy

2) Alpaca in Andean sauce—Tastes like lamb

3) Anticucho de Corazon—Yup. Cow heart. Not as chewy as I would have thought.

Best Restaurant:
Fallen Angel—Spectacular art collection, the coolest décor, San Francisco-worthy gourmet food, and hot waiters. A unique experience

Best Sites:
1) Machu Pichu—Duh. It’s why we made the trip. A majestic hike through the clouds. The terrain itself is even more spectacular than the ruins. See these ruins with a guide and you’ll get the gist of all of the ruins and history in Peru. High elevation+Lots of hiking=literal breath-taking views

2) Lake Titicaca—Puno (the starting point) is not great, but the lake itself is beautiful and immense. The artificial Floating Islands were a trip, as were the unique locals that have solar-powered electricity, but still get by fishing and making reed handicrafts. Our favorite was Taquile Island, whose views never disappointed.

3) El Parque de Amor—On the cliffs of Miraflores overlooking the Pacific, two blocks from our Lima hostel, this park is dedicated to meandering trails, poetry, sculpture, and most of all love. To that point, the park was rife with strolling and embracing lovers. It was beautiful and great to see a civic project dedicated to a specific idea/theme.

Worst of Peru:
1) Constant haggling—at some point getting snowed for being a tourist gets old and you just want a straight-up, no hassle price.
2) Not being able to drink the water—all of those fresh-made fruit juices kept calling to us, but we didn’t dare derail our trip for a day of diarrhea.
3) Pretending we were straight—sometime the jig was up and some people figured it out, but I still didn’t like being in a place where I couldn’t hold my partner’s hand or give him a kiss on the cheek because WE were having a special moment in Love Park. The hilarious thing is, Peruvians aren’t even that Catholic.

Sony Make.Believe

2010-01-07T14:38:00.004-07:00

It has already launched in Europe, I saw Sony Make.Believe signs in the Panama City airport last week, but, at last, this new campaign for Sony has finally reached the U.S. and I am proud/thrilled to see it here.

While I was not part of the concepting of make.believe, during my time at 180 LA, I was thoroughly indoctrinated in the campaign, even working on some projects that will branch out of the philosophy of make.believe.

I don't think people realize what a big deal it really is for Sony--a brand which straddles so many different fields: music, entertainment, electronics, gaming, and computers--to have a unifying message/ideology of being a brand of imagination and realization. Drawing on the early history of its dichotomous founders (as I believe many brands should look at their birth for a sense of identity), Sony is striving to position itself as a brand that is not only visionary and imaginative internally, but that allows people to realize their own visions through Sony products.

Having worked with some of the marketing and R&D people at Sony, I can see that this new philosophy has already inspired and excited some of the people at Sony and motivated them to change the way they approach product design. I hope this philosophy becomes truly infectious at Sony and I am eager to see what comes out of Sony (and 180) in the next few years.

I was little miffed to see that no planners were credited in this long list of credits in an article by Media Post's Agency Spy. Ah well. Planning is fun enough with accolades.

The Evolution of the Web

2009-10-13T22:45:00.004-06:00

Today at work, we were having a conversation defining the nature of web 2.0 and 3.0. For my gentle readers who need a little web primer:
web 1.0--websites throwing info (content) at users aka read-only
web 2.0--Users can create, share, and respond to content
web 3.0--web understands content and context to customize experiences

As I was thinking about our little conversation and, of course, being the good BYU alum that I am, I related our conversation to a little religious allegory, if you will. Bear with me in my imperfect metaphor.

Web 1.0 is like the Middle Ages, when we had to rely on authority figures (the Church) to let us know what we thought about God, because, well, none of us could or write, so they were the ones with the know-how and the power to make it (religious thinking) happen.

Web 2.0 is the online equivalent of the Gutenberg printing press. Now we can all read and write! We can decide for ourselves, share ideas, and tell each other about God! Huzzah!

Web 3.0 is like our post-modern age! I am making my own god, baby! And it looks like it's graven in gold.
(helping people find their personal god since 1950)

Blog-alicious!

2009-10-05T00:40:00.004-06:00

Some of you, my gentle readers, may know that when I find consumed with the ennui, I often like to turn to the Craigslist Missed Connections board to idle away sometime, find great amusement, and even connect with the poignant pathos of the lonely and urban.

Well, now I have found a blog that takes one of my favorite activities of leisure and transforms it into a work of sublime New-Yorker-cartoon-style beauty. Behold:
missedconnectionsny.blogspot.com

This genius woman, Sophie Blackall, takes it upon herself to create these beautiful illustrative works, bringing to life the best that missed connections has to offer! I love it! Is there some board I could nominate this blog to?

This may be my fave:

It's So Hard Having Famous Friends!

2009-10-01T12:43:00.004-06:00

I knew it would happen once I moved to L.A., but I still don't know how to make sure everyone gets the attention they deserve. So when Gavin invited me to lunch, I had to figure out how to bow out gracefully.

I think this did the trick.

(I wonder who will actually read it.)

Corner Market?

2009-09-28T09:11:00.002-06:00

At the tail end of a long and fun party at our house, our friend Lisa showed us this video (I think it's from Ukraine. Can anyone verify?):

To be honest, at first I thought it was going to be a little cheesy/crafty, but as I sat with it, I saw it is a truly beautiful and astounding storytelling medium with an incredibly gifted artist at the helm. To do this requires genuine creativity, an appreciation for the principles of beauty, and a great deal of disciplined practice.

To be a little crass perhaps, this reminds of the first time I had a loroco pupusa. For those of you who aren't familiar with pupusas, they are kind of like a stuffed gordita from Ecuador. They stuffed with beans, cheese, pork, and often loroco flowers and topped with an amazing curtido (or cabbage salad) and mild red sauce. My first thought was sheer delight, but then I felt a little chagrined that my own people (Mexicans) did not come up with pupusas ourselves, since I have always felt that Mexicans had the corner market on great Latin American cuisine.

This video reminded me of those feelings. As our standardized test scores are surpassed by other nations, I think it has been easy to mollify ourselves with our supposed corner market on creativity. We believe this is our strength because of our individualistic spirit, independence, and free-market capitalism. Perhaps. My own experiences in fine art have shown me otherwise, and this video reinforces it: creative solutions of beauty and simplicity are coming out of cultures and circumstances very different from our own.

So where does that leave the legacy of American culture?

Art & Copy

2009-09-13T22:46:00.004-06:00

I have been looking forward to it for weeks. Months, perhaps. The premiere of Art & Copy, a little indie documentary commissioned by The One Club about the creative field of advertising.

Truth be told, out here in L.A., I have found myself chomping at the bit to be reconnected in any way with the world of creatives I found in San Francisco. Ah, that little conclave of bombastic creative opinions and cursing.

So I followed Art & Copy on Twitter, and put the premiere date in my I-Cal, with a two-week advance reminder to get tickets. I imagined that every ad person in Southern California would be flocking to the West Hollywood premiere and I wanted to make sure I would not be left without a ticket. After all, at best, this film promised access to the thoughts and stories of some of the greatest minds in advertising, and at the very least, we advertising folk thoroughly enjoy being reminded of the cultural significance and visionary genius of our industry.

I dragged along my boyfriend, who works in political digital campaigns, and my friend, Jay, who used to be a planner and now works as a qualitative research.

The courtyard outside the Laemmle 5 Theater was swarming with eager attendees...for another film. Our own little screening room was graced by the producers of the film and an almost half-full theater. My hopes to surrounded by anticipatory, creative electricity were immediately dashed.

Still, the opening scene seemed promising. Cave drawings and layered ad jingles started to draw a correlation between prehistoric cave drawings and the creative expressions of advertisers...but the full metaphor was never drawn. And, in fact, that is my major criticism of the film. Potential ideas were intimated, but never fully explored, leaving me to question the actual thesis of the film. Ironically, the film spent considerable time describing how advertising brought humanity and story elements to business sales, and yet the film itself lacked any sort of narrative arch. Instead, it seemed to relay a series of anecdotes and Power-Point-worthy factoids in a loosely chronological order.

It seems to me a film suitable for first semester advertising students, to indoctrinate them into the religion and lore of advertising, but as someone pretty familiar with both, I found myself growing a little bored with the film. As an insider, it seemed to me that likely only someone in the industry would actually be interested in the film, but my boyfriend, Shane, thinks anyone in a creative field or marketing would find the movie interesting, and his own mind was buzzing with how to bring greater creativity and relevancy to his client work (mind you, Shane already does a pretty good job of this).

True to industry form, the movie was peppered with profanity and hubris, most notably from famed art director, George Lois. His presence in the film actually made me squirm a bit, in part because some of his claims seemed so hubristic as to make all us advertisers seem kind of like asses, but also because I had just heard a podcast of This American Life, in which his former ad partner, Julian Koenig, and some of his other colleagues openly accuse George of frequently taking credit for the work and ideas of others. It made me want to question the credibility of the film.

Perhaps the most haunting line of the film was when Mary Well boldly claimed,"You can manufacture any feeling you want to manufacture." That definitely made me sit up in my seat (and perhaps cringe a little). But while Art & Copy had the potential to make this an indictment of the industry, it never carried through. Likely because of The One Club. As I remember one Rotten Tomatoes critic saying--it's an ad for advertising.

The greatest treat for me was seeing some of the great minds of advertising that shaped the industry in the 20th century, speaking, revealing their personality quirks, and sharing their values. In particular, I found myself inspired by Lee Clow (TBWA Chiat Day) who reminded me of a sage surfer uncle. I was wowed by the drive and energy of Mary Wells (Wells Rich Greene. I was charmed by the evocative campaigns of Hal Riney (Publicis Hal Riney). I was amused by the working relationship of Dan Wieden and David Kennedy (W+K) (and enamored with their Northwest offices). I was a little miffed Goodby & Silverstein didn't talk at least a little bit about the account planning that went into Got Milk? (of course). And I was surprised and disappointed not to see anything from advertising celebrity du jour, Alex Bogusky.

I might choose to buy a film like this, if I intended to teach. Otherwise, for inspiration and enrichment, I would be more likely to thumb through an issue of Ad Age or CMYK. Or re-watch Frida.

My next cinematic craving, which may also leave me a bit disappointed, but still happy:

The September Issue!

Labor Day Souvenir

2009-09-09T13:05:00.002-06:00

After a wonderfully restful Labor Day weekend in San Francisco (pics on Flickr to come), Shane and I stopped to visit my sister, Lindsey and her family. The kids were super excited to drag us to check out their new favorite local hangout: Big Bubba's BBQ!

The ribs were meaty and good, the staff was super entertaining (crew line dancing and jaw-dropping balloon artist), but the memory that is staying with me to this day is the mechanical bull. Apparently my niece and nephews have become quite adept at riding this sucker to the blaring beats of Black Eyed Peas and T.I. Of course, they talked their uncle into giving it a go.

I now understand why cowboys walk so bow-legged. My thighs are still sore.

Behold, my jerky,awkward shame:

(thank you Shane and Apple's I Phone for documenting this. I is ignominy?)

R-E-S- . . . P-S-S?**

2009-08-28T11:58:00.004-06:00

Research. Who does it? Who cares?

Lately that topic has come up quite a bit in conversation as I have talked to various people in the industry (of advertising).

Sometimes it seems that clients want to use research as a crutch, to validate the proposed campaign, to make decisions for them on what path to take, to help them sleep at night resting comfortably that they will get great ROI (Return-On-Investment. Perhaps one of the most hateful terms to have gotten stuck in my head since entering this dizzy little industry).

I think, for this reason, many creatives and planners have developed something of a resentful relationship towards research. It becomes hampering towards great ideas, diluting creativity, and stymie-ing potential growth. Some planners and creatives I have talked to value infinitely more the power of brilliant intuition.

This intuition comes in particularly valuable when you are called upon to offer keen insights on the spot, without the chance to research a question and assess trends and history. I would, however, counter that great intuition is built upon good research.

Once, long ago, I was fervently dedicated to the idea of becoming a clinical psychologist. People already came to me for advice, and I thought I was pretty darned good at it. I shudder now to think at some of the bad advice I gave. But at the time I thought my intuition was so damned good. It took years of listening to people's problems, studying human behavior in an academic way, going through some of my own life experiences, and taking a step back, pondering, and looking for larger patterns.

Now, when people come to me for advice on relationships, I think I can reliably say my intuition is pretty good. I can quickly look at a situation/dynamic and assess the key issues. Often, I can even offer a really good solution. But this quick intuition has been fed by years of research and analysis.

Ultimately what is intuition, but what is latently within us. And you can only get out of something what you put into it.

Some planners reading this will be quick to observe this is why we often want planners with a wide breadth of experiences, because they can draw upon those experiences to feed their intuitive problem-solving. Life experiences, reading, and deep pondering are definitely forms of research.

But I think we should not be quick to negate other structured forms of qualitative and quantitative research as incredibly valuable to the creative process. Research results from these endeavors can significantly expand our thinking beyond our limited experiences. Sometimes it is just about the right question. We see surprising data that maybe did not fit with our preconceived thinking, but suddenly that puzzle piece makes sense in the whole scheme.

I think therein lies the key to good empirical research feeding the creative process of advertising: asking the right question. Asking the question that probably no one else has thought to ask. It is asking these kinds of questions that has led to some of our great breakthroughs in thinking: air-borne germ theory, a helio-centric planetary system, pizza-on-a-bagel means you can have pizza anytime!

In all seriousness, as a former academic, I value good research and the insights it can bring, but, as a creative person, I know that the best solutions often involve an element of risk, of trying out something that cannot be proven to be fail-safe. And that is bad news to the business suits who want security blanket solutions.

**SPSS . . . the statistics analytics tool. R-E-S-P-E-C-T . . . the Aretha Franklin song . . . never mind.

Overdue Indulgence

2009-08-21T14:34:00.005-06:00

Once again too long since blogging. I have had lots of thoughts to share on branding, which I will hopefully get to this weekend, but sometimes, you just have to get away from the noise of Twitter and blogs and recycled news chatter. I am SO sick of reading things from a screen. For awhile now I have been yearning to return to my favorite activity as a child--curling up with a good book. Which is why, after meeting up with some local creative/marketing peeps at Likeminds, I headed over to the the public library on Venice Blvd. to get a library card, once the ultimate symbol of power and knowledge.

I was actually pretty disappointed by this branch. It has only three bookcases of fiction! With one shelf dedicated completely to Michael Crichton. It made me miss the vast and glorious library of downtown SLC.

Nonetheless I made off with some wonderful, purely indulgent selections:

Eat, Pray, Love I have been meaning to read for a while now, I bought my mother the Spanish translation so we could read it together. I hope she is still game.

The Little Prince is another book I have been meaning to read for a while. They didn't have a copy of it in French, so I will just breeze through it in English. I am expecting to be delighted.

Flesh and Blood is a novel by Michael Cunningham. I really enjoy his quiet, introspective prose. It's about this family of characters that seem to touch on all aspects of Michael Cunningham's personality, so, like much of Michael's stuff, it seems to be a work of literary/intellectual masturbation.

My final book choice is Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary. This is perhaps my favorite book from childhood. It still makes me laugh out loud, and even as a grown-up, I relate to the characters. I just wish they had better cover art.

Notice none of these books are nonfiction books designed to educate on a topic, in particular marketing, culture, symbology, religion, or art (the only books I have read for the past five years). The choices were pure, unadulterated literary indulgence. I wasn't even going to reach for books I "should" read, like a Tolstoy tome. Just escapist fun. And no screens!

After reading just a few pages of Beezus and Ramona in the check-out line, I knew I had to sit and enjoy a chapter or two of this delightful book. But the uncomfortably tiny, non-cushy chair zone that is the Venice library would not do, so I headed over to Lemonade--the trendy new eatery on Venice's Abbot Kinney. At Lemonade I settled in to enjoy Ramona's antics and some cucumber & mint lemonade. Very yummy. The cookie was rather "meh."

It was the perfect afternoon. I walked to my car with an extra skip in my step, eager to get home and curl up for an hour or two with a book, blithely trying to ignore the very grown-up buzz-kill that is Los Angeles traffic.

The Future of Advertising

2009-08-07T14:38:00.003-06:00

(above is the vomit of this digital marketing behemoth)

Perhaps it is because creatives AND business people are the biggest bunch of navel-gazers on the planet, but I am SO sick of hearing about "the future of advertising". "The future of advertising is . . . !" or "John, what would YOU say is the future of advertising?" or "Is advertising dead?"

It's like the frivolity of fashion forecasting. In fact the parallels between our industry and the fashion industry are staggering (for all that industry types loathe fashion ads). The point being, you can sit on the red carpet and postulate that patent leather will be the must-have for fall, but people with real style aren't very affected by these trends. They disdain the trendy and go for a unique style that conveys their values and outlook on the world and that works with their body types. They understand that jumping on fall's fad will leave them looking like an idiot in spring.

Not that I am the most stylish person in the world, but I do enjoy the impact of smart aesthetic choices in clothes, and I know that there are items in my closet that I wore in high school that still garner praise and still look very fresh and relevant and can be found echoed in the "latest trends".

It's like vintage Chanel or the brand identity designs of Paul Rand. They still look great, they are still appealing, and they are still very effective.

Rather than trying to figure out the next gimmick, I think it is the role of good advertising/marketing/pr/creative agencies to help individual companies find their own "sense of style", then as gimmicks and trends come along, like the latest social media app (it's scary how easily that word comes now) or a new media outlet, you can work with the brand to decide, "Does this fit? Hm. Maybe it kind of makes my ass look fat, let's go with the distressed oxford shirt. If we we change out the buttons and pull it with a cool blazer, we can really make it work." Ultimately, I guess I am saying its about the identity/message, not the medium and not the funky tools (*cough* drop shadow!).

PS-I will confess I am still irked that everyone started wearing blazers with jeans a few years ago because I enjoyed being the only person wearing that in high school.

The Perfect Day

2009-08-07T01:36:00.009-06:00

What would the perfect day look like for John Quintana? If this anal-retentive, uber-picky guy had everything go his way, what woudl the world look like? Well, it would look something like the Saturday after my birthday, which I decided to take for self-indulgence. (for those of you who are patient enough to sit through all of this, there is a surprise at the end)

The night before I was able to go to bed at a reasonable hour and I woke up without the aid of an alarm and with no rush for a particular destination, which meant I could just roll over and cuddle indulgently with my favorite person in the whole world.

We defied the conventions of L.A. and headed out with pillow wrinkles still fresh on our faces to get my new favorite breakfast: bagels with cream cheese and lox!

(When first I saw the ambulance I was mortified someone had died or something at the bagel shop . . . and I would not be able to get my bagels and lox. I am that awful of a person.)

We enjoyed breakfast at my new favorite place in all of Los Angeles: our terrace. The morning light just made Shane look even more amazing.

We then got our asses kicked by a lithe Japanese yoga instructor at the gym. It was awesome, purifying, re-aligning, and transcendent!

I decided to treat my boyfriend to lunch at the restaurant where I am serving penance. I got to show him off to all of my co-workers, and I chose to sustain myself on yet another form of smoked salmon (FYI for my Gentile friends--lox is a form of smoked salmon).

On the way home, we were once again intrigued by the assembled young people waiting in line for days now in front of the Johnny Cupcakes. I decided to exercise my planner chops and went out an interviewed the people on the street. It was so much fun! And I learned a lot about this wholly different clothing brand. I will post a full report on my little gum shoe work later next week.

Once I put away my little tape recorder, it was time to bust out the Gregorian chants and do some baking! (thankfully I had a nice iced coffee to keep me cool, thanks to Shane's wonderful parents who got us a coffee maker while they were here)

Our good friends here in L.A. came over, we packed up some sandwiches, the banana bread I just made, and various other goodies and headed to Venice Beach (my new favorite beach) for a sunset picnic on the beach.

Everyone brought the perfect things for a picnic on the beach. Kevin brought a bottle of champagne and my favorite chocolate, Naomi brought yummy berries (which went great with the bubbly) and cookies, and Phil (bless his heart!) brought SMOKED SALMON SANDWICHES! I was in heaven. My third meal of delectable, savory smoked salmon. This time perfectly off set with dill and lemon.

We spent the rest of the evening wandering around Abbot Kinney, giggling like crazy and soaking up the local scene. We ended the night eating the amazing Korean-Mexican fusion taco truck that is Kogi.

Ah, it was a perfect day! I wish everyday could be like that. There were only two things that I didnt get to do that day, that I wanted to: 1) do a little clothes shopping and 2) go to the public library and piece of real, indulgent FICTION! Sigh. Maybe this weekend. Still, a perfect day, and I think Shane for being so wonderful in going along with all of it.

Still, there is the surprise I was talking about before. You see, on my actual birthday, Shane took me out to this marvelous Latin-fusion restaurant to give a birthday present unlike any other I have received: a trip to Machu Picchu!!! Aaaaaaaaaahh!!! Where is an Oprah studio audience when you need one?

Anyway, we are going in December and we are both super excited to plan the trip together, so I guess the most perfect part of the day was the reminder that I have a wonderful partner with whom to have wonderful indulgent days and exciting adventures, and for that, I have every reason to be grateful.

*for full photos of the day go to Flickr set.

RE-flections!

2009-07-30T08:11:00.003-06:00

It's the morning after my 27th birthday. My day has begun as I often like to begin the day of my birthday--I woke up before dawn and am taking my time to think about the trajectory of my life.

It is a little crazy that I have now had enough birthdays that I have developed my own personal preference for birthday ritual. I generally have an intimate dinner with friends, I afford myself a bit of personal indulgence (take a "me" day. This year it will be on Saturday. I have already planned a yoga class, some art time, and maybe a little hike.), and call my parents.

I am now 27. It doesn't really feel any different. In fact, I often barely feel much older than 18 (and yet am perpetually 40). Now I have the benefit of hindsight. 10 years ago today, I had just graduated from high school and was on BYU campus starting as a freshman summer term. I was eager to get on with life and didn't want to spend an entire summer at home. I couldn't wait to get college over with and really "start" my life.

In the eyes of 17 year old John, this would be the year I hopefully finished my Ph.D. in Clinical Child Psychology. I was nervous about being able to provide for a family while in grad school. Like any good Mormon, I expected to be married by now, with perhaps one or two children. I was nervous and excited about serving a mission. I thought of myself as a great counselor to those around me. I was thrilled by my new-found freedom of being away from home. That summer was actually probably the most fun summer I have ever had. My friends and I stayed out until all hours--having impromptu concerts in front of the dorms, driving out to Bridal Veil Falls in the middle of the night, going to the 24-hour grocery store for early-morning ice cream runs.

In some ways I wonder how much I have really changed. I feel like much the same person.

My life, however, is definitely nothing like what I imagined. The only thing that has turned out as I expected, was that I hoped at this point I would have made it back to southern California. Here I am. Living with my boyfriend and about to finish my third (fourth?) year of my master's degree . . . in advertising (?!). The ways that I choose to define myself are less concrete than at 17. I understand things about myself that I never could have anticipated. Nonetheless, in this relationship with Shane, I am pushing myself even more, confronting even more about myself and being forced to grow. Like anyone else who gets older, I can look back and say I thought I knew so much back then and realize now how little I took the time to really listen and try to understand.

Perhaps the greatest achievement I can lay claim to right now is that I am happy. I was taught as a child that true, life-giving, love-filled happiness is sign of a life lived rightly and goodly (proper use of adverbs, I swear). I hope and believe that is true. I know that I need to challenge myself more, to be more spiritually aware and live more mindfully, but I also have faith God will be patient with me and help me as I try to figure out the next steps of my life.

I am grateful for the friends I have made on this path of my life who have helped me become the person I am today and who have sustained me in difficult times. I wish they were all a constant part of my life, but life keeps us marching forward. I think we will be reunited.

When I woke up yesterday with an ache in my heart for my parents. Mom, if you read this, I love you and Dad both so much. I am the person I am today because of your influence and love. My birthday wish would have been to see you both and hug you. I hope I can do so soon.

. . . and now, it's time to get my butt in gear. I have been having the most amazing time writing this on the terrace with our flowers and the morning getting brighter (another grey day! My favorite! (I am serious)), but I have to commute to Venice.

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies

2009-07-28T11:56:00.005-06:00

Did I get that 80's song stuck in your head? Great because that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this:

It's part of an inventive new campaign from Tappening, an organization aimed at reducing bottled water consumption. It's a popular trend that has inspired the proliferation of the annoyingly over-priced Sigg water bottles and banning of bottled water use by some government offices.

In a very aggressive move, Tappening is launching a campaign of self-admitted "lies" about bottled water. Their rationale being that the bottled water industry touts many lies about the health and purity of its products, and so it is only fair to fight fire with fire.

They are even encouraging people to start their own lies about bottled water across various social media channels on their site, startalie.com.

I do have to give them props for this inventive strategy. It shows a keen understanding of human nature. This hearkens back to what I kept saying about the whole Prop 8 strategy: it is easier to push human behavior with the very base human emotion of fear rather than convincing and compelling with love. Pro-Prop 8: fear mongering of societal demise. Anti-Prop 8: love is for everyone. Any time you can inspire fear in groups of people you can get them to go along with what you say. Witness American military engagement in Iraq, post-911 which enjoyed wide public support because of fear.

Tappening has "tapped" into this by recognizing that you are going to receive limited support by getting all squishy and emotional about reducing plastic waste and saving the environment, but if you can get people to see the bottled water industry as nefarious, deceitful, and harmful . . . well, then now you are going to get people moving.

While I support the cause, I am still morally unsettled on the tactic.

Interestingly, this issue has recently come to the fore in my personal life. As a new denizen of Los Angeles, I am the beneficiary of the City of Los Angeles' wonderful water treatment facilities! . . . which makes water taste like swill. This was particularly noted when we were out at dinner with our good friend Adam who described the water here as "slimy". I just think it tastes like pool water (read: HEAVY chlorine). Shane also does not like the water in LA and suggested we get water delivered to our home. Our PUR water filter only reduces the funky taste, but does not eliminate it. I was immediately concerned about the carbon footprint of water delivery, but Tappening's own link to an LA water analysis did nothing to make me feel better about drinking local tap, highlighting 46 pollutants in my tap water!

Tappening has even taken aim at my beloved San Pellegrino! I enjoy Pellegrino as an alternative to soft drinks and beer, not as a regular form of hydration. You can take my Evian, but you can never take . . . my Pellegrino!

Seriously, though, I support carrying your own reusable water bottle (I carry one myself) and getting people to think more about where the waste from their casual consumption goes, so I wish Tappening luck in their campaign to slash bottled water at the knees and if you want to help--start getting creative with your fibbing: www.startalie.com.

You've Got To Breathe a Little

2009-07-21T00:14:00.006-06:00

Shane and I have a quandary of etiquette, a perplexing pickle on the path of politesse, if you will.

We are settling nicely into our new place (video tour to come), but our apartment is regularly invaded by the awful stench of cigarette smoke. We have narrowed it down to our next-door neighbors. They are nice people who kindly opened their backgate when we moved in so we could get our stuff into our place. We live in an apt complex and their balcony adjoins ours.

Now, I believe in a person's right to smoke in the privacy of their own home, but I also believe in my right to breathe clean air (please hold all wisecracks about living in L.A.). So the question is--how do we resolve this?

Shane thinks we should make some of my famous banana nut bread as a peace offering and go over there and discuss it with them. The coward in me prefers the anonymity of going to our landlady. Can we really even expect any change? I mean, what are they going to do? Stop smoking?

We realized we don't really have any friends who smoke, but do you have any input on what we should do?

My Latest Carnal Lust

2009-06-26T17:16:00.003-06:00

Stuck in traffic on the way home from Venice, NPR nattering on, as always, I heard wonderful music from this great British chorale group, Stile Antico (which means 'ancient style').It was from their latest album, Song of Songs.

In general I love Renaissance and Medieval chants, but what makes this album extra wonderful/delicious/rapturous is that all of songs are renditions of the Biblical book, Songs of Solomon. For those of you who don't know, this "controversial" book is a collection of love poems from King Solomon to . . . a woman. Scholar and scriptorians love to intellectualize this book, justifying it with allegory and sexual politics, but really, it is the pretty explicit, wanton poetry of a hot-blooded man. Isn't it great?!!

So Jews and Christians read it in church and synagogue, sing songs about it, etc.

The songs Stile Antico has chosen are particularly wanton and beautiful, engaging in wonderful "conversation" through song.

What is special about Stile Antico is they don't use a conductor! They stand in a semi circle and look to each other and listen to each other for cues! What a wonderful parallelism to the subject matter they are singing about . . . .

I just love this music! It is this wonderful marriage of the ether of spirituality with the earthiness of carnal/aural pleasure (aural being auditory). I can think of few things more sublime than to perhaps make love to this beautiful music (overshare?). Sigh I will have to settle for some dark chocolate and wine for now, but I am definitely going to get this album!!

Check it here, yo.

. . . but Women Find New Ways To Rock It

2009-06-18T15:21:00.004-06:00

I wanted to share this video, the AdAge site makes it a bitch to embed, much less link videos. So you can click here to link to the story that links you to the video (lame, I know!).

The first half is a little yawn-tastic, but the second half Carrie really talks about how we can dimensionalize Twitter in a great way to really create a conversation and community.

Basically what she did was assume the identity of Peggy (from the hit TV show MadMen) on Twitter and started tweeting about "her life" as Peggy. It was great! People with interest in the show started following her and she started to pick up the identities of other characters and micro blog about their lives, creating heightened drama and interactivity with the show.

The idea is not exactly crazy new. It's basically fan fiction, and it takes that kind of fan fervor to invest in it to make an interesting feed.

What Carrie is trying to do is capitalize on this by starting up an agency and offering similar services for other shows and entertainment clients. She started out as an enthusiastic fan and is looking at making this into a sellable product.

Women. Always so brill and creative. Always coming up with such great new ideas to bring human dimension to really dry stuff.

Men Tweet Loudest . . .

2009-06-17T13:47:00.005-06:00

. . . territorial claim? Attracting female-feathered-friends?

In a Harvard Business School study this month, HBS found that men seem to be much more vigorous users of Twitter than women, going against the "long-standing" social media tradition of women as the power players.

This actually makes perfect sense to me, and is something I assumed already, because of three big reasons:

1) Nature of content

Twitter is not about really elaborate connections that women favor on Facebook/MySpace where you can see dynamic pages of photo and story content, they're terse updates and generally connections to news.

According to HBS "the top 10% of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets . . . on a typical online social network, the top 10% of users account for 30% of all production".

Why? Because typical social networking is about sharing, having a conversation, which is appealing to women. Twitter does not really foster a "conversation", it is very alpha-male driven; "I am an expert, listen to me."

Which leads me to . . .

2) Twitter is used more by industry windbags

This fits in part with the inherent difference between the two platforms. Business people aren't very interested in tagging people in photos, taking part in cute surveys, etc., but they are very used to the veritable ticker-tape flow of information present on Twitter. While one platform is seen as meaningful social connection, the other has very streamlined value as focused information-mining.

This actually reminds of an experience I recently had: I was at a Sunday brunch populated mostly by young Hollywood artists, writers, and socialites (?). The topic of social networking came up and this circle of mostly women expressed confusion at the real use/benefit of Twitter, meanwhile one of the other men and I kept trumpeting its wonderful use for business, marketing, information-gathering, and trend-following. This other gentleman was the owner of a prominent downtown LA restaurant. We eventually went off on our own to relish in each other's social media genius and merrily discuss business strategy in the developing downtown LA area.

So business people like Twitter, and as we know, in spite of increased gender equality, the world of business is still dominated by men, especially when we are thinking of the main Tweeters as being source of information/authority, so it makes sense that Twitter is dominated by men.

To further propel this idea that Twitter is for business people (aka men) is the median age of Twitter users, which according to Pew Internet is 31, and this other article which shows us an even more in-depth picture of Twitter use across age. So users are not kids posting about parties. They're grown-ups talking shop.

3) Everyone's experiences are just like mine!
I looked over the people that I follow on Twitter and realized they were almost all male.

Kids Say The Darnedest Things . . . At Gay Pride

2009-06-13T23:09:00.000-06:00

G.O. Pink?

2009-06-12T12:56:00.006-06:00

I think one of the Republicans makes a very strong point in the last minute of this clip.

He contends that gays should be interested in having their interests represented/courted by both parties, rather than having their support taken for granted by one party and ignored by the other.

Ultimately, I am suspicious of hegemonies of thought in any direction. I believe that this is the path to ignorance, intolerance, and ineffective solutions.

This is one of the reasons why I initially registered as a Democrat when I lived in Utah. I considered myself an Independent, but I was frustrated by the preponderance of Republicans in Utah that made the interests of Utah completely marginalized in the national political scheme.

A great example of this is the controversial establishment of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996. Democrats (Clinton in particular) knew they could make this "bold" move for the environment on Utah land because they had nothing to lose. Utahns elect Republicans and that is that. Republicans failed to rally behind dissident Utahns because they know that no matter what, Utah votes with the GOP.

*photo courtesy wildnatureimages.com

It is interesting to have lived in two places of extreme self-righteousness and moralism: Utah and San Francisco. I wonder if both Utah Mormons and gays are wedding themselves to a political ideology based on one or two social issues rather than considering whole platforms based on fiscal policy, foreign policy, and educational agendas.

While I, personally, consider myself a Democrat and find the present state of the GOP to be morally and ideologically repugnant, I would value seeing more gay Republicans. I know that in the diverse community that is the LGBT community, we cannot all possibly think the same way on education, taxation, state's rights, etc.

As for the GOP, I would expect them to welcome LGBT members. Any true Republican would find this Bush-Cheney era of invasive government and evangelical moralizing bizarre. As long as you're for free-market big business "capitalism", against big government, and love guns why should they care who you fuck?

So this weekend of L.A. Pride I am going to be on the look out for these Log Cabins dudes and dudettes (sic?). I really want to include some of them in my social circle. Maybe I'll invite some of them over for dinner. I am just glad we don't believe in having guns in the house, because Shane is going to be pissed!

Vera Wang Cutting A Rug?

2009-06-10T11:41:00.009-06:00

I know I am past-due on blogging on my recent trip back East, but as I was thumbing through my on-line version of New York Magazine this morning, I came across this story that made me stop dead in my tracks and rush to my office du blogging (the couch by our terrace).

full article click here

Apparently the fashion designer famous for must-have wedding gowns, Vera Wang, is going to take a serious scissor-stab at her brand by competing on the D(C?)-List celebrity dance show, Dancing with the Stars.

My fellow fashionista foil, Tai, and I were aghast.

It's not that Dancing with the Stars is really THAT awful. It has brought back to our pop-culture consciousness such greats as Mario Lopez

and
Marie Osmond.

It's just that Vera is SO wrong for DWTS! She probably has the chops to do it. I mean, the woman was a competitive figure skater, for heaven's sake. The thing is, Vera's designs are known for intelligent simplicity and sophistication. As you can see from the above pictures DWTS is anything but. This really makes Vera step against brand message.

I also question whether the woman is even capable of the wide-grinning showmanship that is often required of contestants to keep viewers voting to keep them on the show. If you have ever seen Vera in interviews one word comes to mind: deadpan.

I seriously hope Marc Malkin is wrong on this one. While it would be a fascinating watch, I think it would ultimately rather undermine the strong brand that Vera has crafted over the years.

Dead-pan delivery

WTF LDS Media Planning?

2009-05-28T12:07:00.007-06:00

Perhaps I am a little biased as a former rank-and-file member, but, in general, I would say the Mormons have done a pretty good job with their marketing and pr since, oh, . . . the 1980's.

In fact, to this day, I think the whole "Family, isn't it about . . . time?" campaign is pretty freakin' genius.

(Although the version aired in the U.S. did not have British accents; I think this is dubbed.)

But I seriously have to question this most recent move towards "interactive" media:

My friends and I were settling in to watch some hilarious SNL parody courtesy of the delightful Amy Poehler, when, ACK! It's Jesus! Offering me a Book of Mormon!

What is this trying to say? The Good Lord likes to get his chuckles, too? By watching SNL? Ironic, since the Church-owned NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City refused to carry SNL.

Maybe the Church is trying to save me from SNL? "Stop! Before you think of pushing play, remember Jesus and return to Jesus!"??

Bemused and befuddled, I watched the rest of The Dakota Fanning Show skit (hilarious, if you haven't seen it.) and learned a valuable lesson: blindly-placed banner ads (or any kinds of ads) are bad. Very bad.

*Please let it be noted that the PC display you see represented in the photo in no way reflects my own computer usage proclivities. The session of SNL viewing was done on a friend's PC and not on my own very lovely MacBook.

Los Angeles 3.0

2009-05-27T10:37:00.009-06:00

It's true. I am back. I have left the fog-shrouded hills of San Francisco for the smog-shrouded hills of Hollywood.

Why?

Well, part of it is because I have inexplicably fallen in love with this adorable dork:

. . . and in spite of our gloomy recession was able to find an amazing job here three weeks after losing his old one.

We discussed it and agreed L.A. was a good option for both of us. For those of you who don't know, I was born here . . .

(B-Day No. 2, I think in like West Covina)

. . . and have wanted to come back ever since the parents cruelly forced the family into Utah exile. I tried coming back for undergrad and ended up at BYU. I kind of came back for a short while when I was a missionary in East LA for the LDS Church, but, of course, I then had to go back to Utah. I tried coming back for grad school, and ended up in San Francisco at the Academy of Art University. So the plan was to head down after the MFA to find a kick ass position in account planning.

Well, the plan has been sped up slightly. I am done with the studio core of my program and the bulk of it now is finding (a) great internship(s) at an advertising agency (in Los Angeles, now, instead of San Francisco).

In the mean time, I am enjoying the beautiful weather in Southern California and am preparing to present for Mid-Point Review.

I am sorry for being M.I.A. on the blogging front for the past couple of weeks. Finals AND packing AND apartment hunting in a different part of the state have been a lot to juggle. Last week was spent just decompressing and unpacking the surprising amount of stuff Shane and I have both amassed (anyone need a lava lamp?).

Thanks to everyone who showed up to help us pack and send us off.

Full set of Good-Bye pics here.

If you want to check out some pics of our new apt (sans furniture) click here.

We both love our new place. We are excited for all of the opportunities in L.A., to build a home together, and to defy the preconceptions of all of our SF friends and prove how wonderful and multifaceted L.A. really is.

All the Laaadies!

2009-05-08T11:47:00.002-06:00

This goes out to all of my lady friends out there, in particular my dear friend, Noemie, who showed me that awful Quattro ad weeks ago:

Ultimately, what irks me about this is holding on to cultural traditions that don't serve us. Tip-toeing around anatomy for the sake of Puritanical comfort breeds attitudes that make women ashamed of their own bodies and lead some people to think that when not being used for sex, vaginas are icky.

This reminds of (of course!) that wonderful female driven show, Sex and the City. In one episode Charlotte is so uptight she has never actually looked at her own vag. Its not until her mid- 30's that she finally grabs a hand-held mirror and takes a peek. What does she learn? It actually looks really nice! Also reminds of an episode where Samantha gets scrutinized by a guy for being "between waxes". She grabs a pair of clippers and turns the tables on him. He learns: Hey! It looks bigger!

While I am not suggesting we put overtly sexual material out in the general public sphere. I am saying calling a penis a "wee-wee" or a vagina a "who-ha" creates internal conflict about body image and negatively affects sexual interactions in the future, which then negatively impacts families. Whether you're a conservative Mormon or gay marriage activist, don't we all want stronger families?

So let's be honest with ourselves and each other and maybe we can help erode inferiority complexes and unrealistic expectations. And maybe advertisers won't sell products like nervous middle-schoolers.

(Current TV's Target Women is one my favorite things out there.)

Chiiiiiiiiiicken!!!!!

2009-05-08T10:26:00.005-06:00

Chicken for you! And you! And you! And you!!!!

Chickeeeeeeeeeen!

Okay. So Everyone is talking about this KFC thing with Oprah.

NPR article here

And really it is worth noting. I mean, this is what happens when powerful forces collide and you have unexpected demand (that should have been expected). But not many are actually taking a look at what this means for KFC's future long term.

AdAge does a great job of describing the problem, and maybe some of the short-term fall out. It's really worth reading.

Ultimately, though, I don't think this one snafu is going to crumble KFC's chances of turning around their brand and sales.

In my humble opinion, Kentucky Grilled Chicken is not going to do it. But it sure will help. Some people have said KFC should own its unhealthiness, and be a guilty indulgence. Well, at some point that brand positioning gets a little tired if EVERYONE is doing it, and also, there are cheaper unhealthy indulgences, and I just don't think KFC can drop their prices much more and remain competitive, which means they will have to reduce food quality or portions (which last time I went to KFC was already suffering) and thus lose the enjoyment of indulging.

I see KFC's real hope, especially in this "downturn" economy, in reinforcing their family-friendliness. Convince me that I can feed my family well, without breaking the bank too much, at KFC. Even in a recession, people still want to order out, whether it's because they are tired or they want to celebrate a little or let loose.

The thing is, who wants to order toxic, fat-laden chicken and reconstituted potatoes to their family?

So I agree that grilled is a step in the right direction, but, I need to know that if order from KFC (and I will probably want to get some fried chicken, because, well, now that you mention it, it does sound kind of yummy) I can get some food that is FRESH.

Cut back on cheese covered and let me know that I can get some fresh yummy veggies or yams or red potatoes (with the skin) with that. Let me know that I can get some rolls that are whole grain (where butter and milk are not the two main ingredients) and maybe something with fresh (unglazed) berries for dessert.

KFC is about the fried chicken, and if it tastes as good as it did when I was kid, then it is pretty-darned good, but as a more health-conscious human being, I need to know that if I get a whole meal from KFC, it won't be all bad for me. I am willing to accept a little fried, if I know the meal as a whole is fresh and wholesome and shows some color and life on my plate (and those sad-looking brown green beans aren't going to cut it).

I remember when I went to this amazing Southern BBQ place in SF. I knew most of it was not super-healthy (much as I tried to convince myself by ordering the delicious mustard greens), but at least I knew that everything I ate was made that day and was made with good ingredients.

Right now, everything from KFC has that fresh-from-the-microwave aroma and that genuine, 5-gallon bucket stirred goodness.

R.I.P. Shabby Chic

2009-04-28T01:13:00.017-06:00

Salon.com article here

REST IN PERCALE, SHABBY CHIC. PROVENCALE PERCALE!

That's right, Shabby Chic has gone belly up. And it's true, I am mostly writing this because I couldn't resist that play on words, but I do think it is an interesting development in the bankruptcies that have come with this recession.

For those of you who don't know, Shabby Chic was not just a nation-wide movement, it was an actual brand, started by a woman named Rachel Ashwell.

Shabby chic style was great if you had ovaries and liked comfortable furniture in which to appreciate your superfluous post-graduate degrees. But while the end of Shabby Chic, Inc. is blamed mostly on ill-timed expansion, I have to wonder if it isn't reflective of a deeper cultural trend.

Sure many home furnishings companies are going through tough times, but Shabby Chic was all about comfortable, new furniture that looked and felt like it was really old. Stuff that maybe you got at a flea market or conned your French grandma out of in exchange for some Julio Iglesias CDs and a bottle of California cabarnet.

It is because of Shabby Chic that words like "tea-stained" and "patina" are part of our vernacular and why you can use "sour cream" as a color while maintaining a straight face. Well . . . maybe just I can.

Shabby Chic was all about purchased history. Much like distressed, "antiqued" jeans, funky graphic tees from Urban Outfitters, and The OC Season 1 Soundtrack--it made you seem cool, like you had a rich life with colorful, obscure interests, while investing minimal time and energy.

But there is something really messed up about buying that. While we have always tried to co-op cool, what does it matter if you buy an Empire-era inspired secretary desk if you don't understand which Empire that desk is referencing?

We are departing from an era of excess, where we didn't mind spending top dollar for shabby chic and a gleaming SUV in the driveway to allegedly lug those charming treasures (although home delivery is nice) and I have heard throughout the previous months that Americans are returning to comfort foods and more traditional fashions, that thrift, rather than plush indulgence, is becoming a badge of pride. I retain a tentative hope.

We do know distressed jeans are dying, Shabby Chic is dead, and I think (I hope) that from now on, if we want to get something commercially produced we will embrace it completely (like Lady Gaga) and that if we want something with history, we will drag our collective asses away from Hulu/TiVO and go out live substantive enough experiences to fill our homes with things that really mean something to us. You know. Make it an actual home.

The Redemption of Quizno's?

2009-04-03T12:58:00.003-06:00

Many years ago, Quizno's lost my potential patronage by running this ad campaign:

Anytime it would pop up in my pre-TiVO TV-viewing, I would scramble for the remote. The rat things looked disgusting and their singing was so grating, I had to plug up my ears. This truly awful campaign combined with their exorbitant prices for a freakin' sandwich guaranteed I would never set foot in their stores (it was mostly the bad ads. I also became a Target devotee, merely because their ads were so pretty).

But, now Quizno's is offering better prices and a couple of really funny ads:

The first one is better, IMHO. Toaster sex+phallic sandwiches=fun for all!

My Two Cents . . .

2009-03-25T04:32:00.005-06:00

. . . on the symbol of Recovery.gov, the government website designed to let us know what's up with Obama's attempt to make sure we don't end up with just my two cents in the bank.

If you go to the website, it makes for a very small presence, so when shrunken down to its actual proportions, the visual language inherent in the logo becomes rather meaningless, like collective patriotic murmurs.

That being said, if blown to full proportions, it's really pretty clever. Combining icons of patriotism, ecology, growth, manufacturing, health care, it manages to incorporate some of the major vehicles that Obama intends to use to advance our country and pull us out of this mess.

My first reaction, though, was to the different colors. I wanted to like them, but just couldn't. I think a bi-color palette would have been better. Or even mono-chromatic. The simpler the better. And then I realized what my problem with it was.

It was breaking some of the very basic rules of design I had been taught in school. Now I am by no means a great graphic designer, but I do know that unless you have to, do not create arbitrary divisions. The more you fracture the visual field, the more work you create for the eye, and the less readable your image is at a glance. This is especially important with a logo (especially a small logo). So don't create divisions that don't need to be there.

The Recovery Logo not only creates harsh divisions with bold, white segments, but then has different colors and little icons in each section!

It seems to me that the logo is all concept (a great concept), but wanting in truly great design.

It is trying to communicate a lot in a small space, but maybe that is exactly the problem. Perhaps the designer should have tried to convey one simple idea. "Unified work" or "new ideas" or something.

I want to like this logo more, but it lacks the visual power this program deserves. It ultimately comes off kind of weak and . . . like perhaps the latest iteration of a Target private-label product. Which I love in a fabric softener, but not in the most ambitious economic program to come out of Washington in decades.

*Thanks, Shane for showing me this blog post about the new logo and got my wheels churning politically.

Off the Grid in New Mexico**

2009-03-23T21:12:00.007-06:00

I lost total track of time in Santa Fe. On Thursday, I had to ask Shane five times what the day was, and each time I fumbled toward panic at the thought that the week was almost over. I felt completely disconnected from school work, from email, blogs, news, etc. And I loved it.

My cell phone was largely unused last week; my unlimited texting largely neglected. I just didn't care. I know I used the internet at evenings to check email and facebook, but I honestly can't remember a single thing I looked at. I was far more interested in the people I was spending time with. Had I not had any internet access in New Mexico, I think my time there would have unraveled with equal satisfaction and pleasure. It was just so unnecessary.

We were at this wonderful natural spring spa, and Shane commented with chagrin on two girls texting away on their phones, oblivious to the beautiful cliffs and restorative waters. I conjectured then, and do so now, that we will reach a point when people will want to chuck technological "connectivity" in favor of REAL experiences with REAL people. In person.

If we look at history, there is always a backlash, a pendular swing from one extreme to another. I am sure this inundation of electronics and media will abate. Perhaps we see the beginning of this in the popular appeal of more interactive video games like Wii. Or maybe people will finally realize the whole point of having tech tools IS to spend more time with family, and they will stop being shackled by their electronics.

What I do know is that it was a refreshing reminder to see some people who don't live in a slick, urban, post-2.0 world and to be in the company of people who are so engaging and delightful, that I could totally forget my own tech addiction.

That being said, I was reading some Jon Steel on the train, and I am ready to sink my creative teeth into some juicy stuff, and for that . . . I will have to open my Mac.

*A full report on Spring Break is pending.

*On a side note, this is like the name of a really great little indie movie Off the Map. It's a fave of my friend, Daniel.

Kane-licious*

2009-03-23T20:54:00.002-06:00

It has been sitting on my desk in an envelope for past three months: Citizen Kane. In truth, it has been sitting on the back shelf of my to-do list for the past 10 years. Any time discussion has turned to this movie, I have endeavored to silently but perceptively nod my head, lest my carefully crafted veneer of intellectualism be pierced.

Well, I have finally watched this movie, heralded by some as the greatest movie ever made. To which I say . . . meh.

Which is kind of what I expected from what I have heard from everyone else all of these years. I also turn to what I expected would be my explanation for why Citizen Kane is such a big deal, which is, that like many genre-defining works, it did what no one else had done up to that point. In truth, I can see how Citizen Kane has pretty much defined modern film-making. It's editing style, narrative/cinematic devices, and complex themes are still employed in movies today.

My beef with Citizen Kane is that, well, at certain points it seemed like a wonderfully crafted, artistic film and, for the most part, it seemed like a popular movie. The over-the-top music and some of the acting really contributed to this.

I will say that it did leave me thinking. Because one of the prevailing themes is that Kane lived his life basically striving to force others to love him on his terms. After the movie was over, and Shane and I sat in the dark, I wondered why this was true for this character.

A big part of the movie is the mystery of Rosebud, and at the end we realize it was the name of his childhood sled and are reminded of his beginnings being torn away from his parents (which was kind of no-duh. I mean, the dude was holding a snow globe at the end of his life and then at a very emotional turning point. You gotta figure it had to do with that fateful snowy day. I figured it was all about that from the get-go).

In thinking about this life-defining moment in Kane's life, it makes perfect sense that he would always want to make people love him on his terms. Torn away from his parents and "raised" by a banker, he would, of course, yearn for love, using that as a measure of self-worth. What is perhaps interesting is that he would never again want to enter into a relationship where he wasn't running the show. As a child, he implicitly trusted the love and acceptance of his parents (even if it was a less-than-ideal home). Why would he ever trust that again? They were the ones he gave him up.

By being the one in control, determining the measures of a successful relationship on his own, being always in the position of the benefactor without making meaningful, emotionally-vulnerable sacrifices, he ensures that he will never again be in a position of potential abandonment.

What interests me more is how this is generalizable to many more people. Perhaps men more than women, but nonetheless a dynamic I believe I have perceived in many relationships.

Anyway, I can now return the damned thing and cancel my Blockbuster Online account (their version of Netflix) and quit paying $10 a month to have a movie sit on my desk.

*inspired by a convo with Noemi on truly awful copy-writing.

Juan Valdez Why Have you Forsaken Us?

2009-03-03T14:38:00.004-07:00

The other day I was revving for another crazy-ass day of juggling that has become my life. I was in dire need of a coffee fix, and being at Shane's apartment, there was not a French press or coffee maker in sight. Having anticipated that such a day would come, I had bought a small jar of Folger's Instant Coffee.

I have never had instant coffee before. My introduction to coffee consisted of clandestine ventures to local coffee houses and midnight runs to 7-11 (which has better coffee than one would think).

I stirred in the brown flakes and watched with concern as it developed into a murky mess that looked nothing like my familiar deep brown bean brine (I guess I am feeling alliterative today). I doctored it with soy milk and some flavored simple syrup (because apparently my boyfriend doesn't believe in keeping household staples like sugar around) and took a tentative sip. I managed two more before I spat it out and gave up in disgust. I have had coffee at truck stops, convenience stores, and even Denny's, and I have NEVER had SOUR coffee. It was like a different drink altogether.

There goes $3.50 down the drain. I will never have Folger's Instant again.

Later on that night, Claudia and I were perusing Bloomingdale's post gelato when we came upon these charming coffee cups:

I want one for my desk! . . . that is when I have a desk . . . that I am paid to sit at.

They're only like $8, too, which is pretty sweet. And, then, that is when I heard the horrific news: Starbucks has decided to release a new line of instant coffee called VIA!

My first reaction was dismay and then a keen sense of betrayal.

Why? Would they do this? Why would Starbucks want me to suffer with this sour slop people call instant "coffee"?

I went home and did some research, and apparently the taste is not as reprehensible as Folger's special blend, but still I am not sure if this is really the best move. Especially I am concerned about these individual serving plastic packets on the go. It seems to contribute to packaging waste and if I am on the go, there is a Starbucks on my way to wherever I am going anyway! Okay, that last part was a joke.

Still, I raise the question everyone else does: how can the company who brought coffee snobbery to the American consciousness become the purveyor of powdered instant coffee?

I am not saying it is not possible, but I think "who" Starbucks is, is being compromised. I had just gotten excited about learning about their Clover-brewed coffee, which is supposed to be a whole new level of premium.

So how can you convince me that it is worth going into your store, where I can get the best-brewed coffee possible, and then tell me I can get comparable flavor from a packet of powder? They're going to have to choose whether they want to stand as sophisticated keepers of great coffee or populist purveyors of joe. I think judging from Starbuck's announced plans to produce a value menu, I think we all know which way they are going.

At least I can still get an over priced (yet incredibly delicious) cup of coffee at my local Blue Bottle, where my friend, Jade, and I recently enjoyed their venerable siphon pot coffee. It looks like a science experiment and tastes so rich and buttery and flavorful, no sugar or cream needed (seriously, why would you ruin this coffee with stuff?). Sigh. Maybe some day I can afford 20K for their coffee "system". And a stout Norwegian named Agnar to keep it going at all times.

Getting Reamed

2009-02-24T02:52:00.004-07:00

I was reading BusinessWeek online and found this article on the rebranding of Xerox; a little more reading led me to this article on the rebranding of FedExKinko's. Obviously, it must not be a super-great time to be in the copy machine business and both are trying to figure out how to hold on to customers.

Xerox rebranded in an attempt to refresh their brand in the minds of America and to get them to start thinking of Xerox as being technologically innovative rather than staid and established. The thing is--what has changed about black and white copiers in the past ten years? And has Xerox ever really made amazing color printers? According to BW, they have been cranking out new stuff: "two-thirds of Xerox's revenues in 2007 will come from products introduced in the last two years".

FedExKinko's is dropping the Kinko's and changing their name to FedExOffice, which is funny, because everyone still calls it Kinko's. FedEx wants to cement in people's minds that they are not just about copies and shipping, they are about providing you with everything you need to "get things done."

It seems to me that neither one of these companies is really addressing the issue at hand.

I have worked in offices. Most of the time you don't need anything super fancy. But sometimes you need stuff that looks extra sharp to represent your office. You could go to a printing press, but they're super expensive and a lot of times what you need isn't big enough to require a large-scale press service. Your office admin can, of course, fiddle around with the office copier, but the results are almost always disappointing.

If you are a lone wolf (like me, the grad student), you also don't need a run of 5,000 prints. You just need some business cards or a mini portfolio on nice paper. "Go to Kinko's! . . . ahem . . . FedExOffice!" you say. Except everyone I know loathes and despises FedExKinko's. The service staff is often lazy, they frequently fumble your order, the prices can be outrageous, and the steps you have to take to get a few print outs from your flash drive can be ridiculously convoluted. I, personally, try to print everything I can on my HP. I don't care how many ink cartridges or reams of paper I have to buy. Anything has got to be better than going to Kinko's. Ahem. FedEx Office.

Ultimately, though, that is what people need: a decent way to get some nice-looking print materials to represent their office/themselves.

Most of the time, we can't do this on our own. I don't have a laminator, or a binder, and I have no clue how to calibrate a printer. The office admin shouldn't have to fumble with a piece of equipment the size of a small refrigerator and with the failure rate of a Yugo to print out a few tri-fold brochures or a flyer.

Solution?

Well, I suppose FedExOffice could work on the real problem, which is not that people's imaginations are limited by the connotations of Kinko's, but rather that their desire is limited by shoddy service and difficult-to-manage ordering procedures.

Or Xerox could expand their thinking from merely building more big machines for offices to being a source for great mid-range printing for businesses . . . as an actual print-service provider.

Digital is great, but there is still something to be said for being able to hold something in your hand or seeing it realized in person.

Valentine's in Monterey

2009-02-23T17:37:00.009-07:00

So very belated post, but, hey, I have been busy!

So for Valentine's weekend, Shane and I went down to Santa Cruz and Monterey . . . in a Winnebago!!! How effing cool is that?

It was rainy all weekend long, but we still had a great time. I am not going to get into too much detail, but here are a few pics:

Here we are IN the RV. That is the most genuine smile you could possibly see on my face.

Shane is doing his best tough guy impression at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Yes, Shane is wearing a pink "Be Mine" t-shirt on Valentine's Day. I figure he has 8 more years for it to be funny and ironic.

One of the many amazing photos I took in the Aquarium.

Don't I have the cutest boyfriend ever? I mean, who else could look so cute with a mouthful of granola?

We went all the way to Monterey only to find refuge in a Starbucks.

You can find a full chronicle of my shutterbug adventures on my Flickr page:

John's Awesome Flickr Page

Mon-KEY!!!

2009-02-23T17:31:00.003-07:00

So my friend, Mike, has this really cool clothing store called Indie Industries. The other day I was helping him with a little late night delivery and he totally tossed me these cool key . . . covers?

Anyway, I was instantly charmed.

Now I am left with the challenge of choosing which to get under my thumb on a daily basis.

Trader Joe's Commercial

2009-02-10T16:23:00.004-07:00

If Trader Joe's ever did decide to do television advertising, I think this would be perfect in tenor and tone. Truly brilliant post by Carl on YouTube.

Not that Trader Joe's needs advertising. It's like when I was given the assignment to work on In-N-Out. I went to one of their stores and had to wrestle an old Asian lady to the ground for a dirty, ketchup-smeared table. Some businesses are just that great. They don't need someone telling them to buy, people just want to go there.

On a side note, that Trader Joe's parking lot is in San Francisco! We go there all the time!

Mad Libs!

2009-02-10T16:06:00.002-07:00

Don't get me wrong. I think Mad Men is beautifully cinematic, very well-written and acted, and just a great show I would love to follow, but I am kind of sick of hearing about it, and I think I will have to endure people assuming that is what my job is really like for . . . at least the next five or six years.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Is it wrong . . . ?

2009-02-10T02:31:00.004-07:00

. . . that I think a policy like this would be kind of fun? I don't know why, but I feel more focused and sharp when I am dressed up a bit.

Return of the Dress Code

Then again, I appreciate that at my art school, I can dress a little more bohemian when the creative mood requires.

I think Daniel was right when he said it years ago: "John, you're like Elle Woods. Every day you wake up and look in your closet and decide what costume you want to wear that day."

Ah, God bless you, Elle. You are an inspiration to us all.

Student Run Grocery Store

2009-02-04T01:26:00.002-07:00

Love it.

Check out the story.

An interesting idea. More than anything, I whole-heartedly approve of getting kids applying their skills toward something "real" and helping them realize they are empowered.

Pepsi Kicks Ass . . . Yet Again

2009-01-30T10:41:00.004-07:00

Well, apparently Donald Wildmon and his American Family Association are calling for a boycott of Pepsi because of their recent advertisement featuring a gay protagonist, and also because of Pepsi's financial contributions to the No on 8 campaign.

http://www.afa.net/boycottpepsico/pepsicommercial.html

I can't wait to see the AP story of Wildmon caught with one of the young male interns.

Here is the fun ad:

In fact, I was actually meaning to blog about this before, but on the last day of finals, there were Pepsi promotion workers all over downtown SF handing out the new Pepsi Max.

Now bloggers everywhere have been throwing a fit over the new Pepsi re-design, blathering about how awful they think it is, yadda, yadda, yadda.

I am going to be a voice of dissent here and say--you know what? I don't hate it. I actually kind of like it. It's clean, slick. It feels kind of grown up in a way. It is, of course, doomed to look dated in a short while. But that is the nature of Pepsi--reinvention, young, etc., Coke is the classic, the maintstay.

I would never have tried Pepsi Max without that promo guy (who generously gave me two), but I really like the taste. Nice and sweet. Not artificial. I would definitely drink it again, especially after finding out they are out there pissing off guys like Donald Wildmon.

Reading Now

2009-01-28T18:39:00.004-07:00

Currently Reading:

Perfect Pitch by Jon Steel

After that I want to read:

Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy
by Dev Patnaik

The Right Questions

2009-01-27T00:28:00.002-07:00

"A wise man doesn't give the right answers, he poses the right questions."

-Claude Levi-Strauss
(NOT the jeans guy, he was a French anthropologist)

A Four-Day Weekend in So Cal

2009-01-25T18:38:00.002-07:00

A return to my land of birth, in the most unexpected of contexts--when Shane invited me to come with him, I was dubious. We have really been dating for a very short while. Shane allayed my concerns. He helped me realize there was no good reason not to go.

That is how I found myself on Friday afternoon, holding Shane's hand, in front of the ticket counter of Virgin America in SFO.

It was such a bizarre experience being back in So Cal. The FEELING of So Cal was palpable. San Francisco has always been a puzzle to me in that it feels like California, but it definitely does not feel like the California in which I grew up. It is difficult to quantify. Southern California, however, no matter how long I am gone from it, will always feel familiar and comfortable, even while others may perceive it as preening and stressful.

The weather was ridiculously idyllic. While I heard about freezing temperatures back East, the weather of So Cal which invited tank tops and shorts seemed to mock the nation and declare that while it may be part of the U.S., it still dwells in its own reality.

In fact, L.A. seemed to be putting on its best colors, as if to beguile me on my return, to seduce me back to its tucked valleys and bumper-to-bumper traffic. While L.A. is obviously warmer in the winter than most places, it is never THIS warm. The skies were insanely clear, barely a tinge a smog showed, which, in fact, just served to give the sunsets of my weekend a beautiful blood-orange stain.

It felt good to be back in So Cal. It is my home. It always will be. Others may judge it harshly, but there is something of it in me, and I will always understand it in a way I think only those who have grown up here can. Perhaps I will indeed return after my post-graduation is complete. Sometimes I yearn to be back behind the wheel of a car, and, in some ways, I think it would be wonderful to begin my adult life in the place where I saw my childhood end.

*As a note: I often refer to "we", this would include some really wonderful people I met in L.A., including Phillip, Donna, Jess, Kevin, Ronny, and Larry.

Friday

2009-01-25T18:23:00.003-07:00

FLYING VIRGIN

If you have never flown Virgin America, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. It is a completely different sort of flying experience. The staff is wonderfully friendly and everything is run smoothly and orderly. Every aspect of the experience pays careful attention to a sleek, sexy, yet fun aesthetic experience, down to the lounge-like lighting and Mac-echoing white interior.

However, perhaps the best part of the whole Virgin experience is: in-flight TV!!!! At every seat, individual monitors with your own remote control and great selection of in-flight movies, cable stations, and premium entertainment. You can start watching (or listening to music, or eventually read literature) the minute you sit down, before you leave the ground, until you unbuckle your seat belt and leave the plane.

When we were flying back, there was a considerable delay on the runway. Shane and I didn't mind one bit. We were busy being entertained by Stephen Colbert.

Virgin seems to really respect that their passengers want a pleasant, human experience with a sense of some autonomy in their choices.

I have always been a Southwest devotee because of their low-fares, consistent and prompt flights, and friendly service, but Virgin definitely gives it a run for its money in my loyalty.

The delightful Virgin safety video; worth watching if you've never seen it:

The Factory
The main factor in our trip to L.A. was a business meeting for Shane, and added bonus was that it was the birthday of his good friend, Phil. We actually spent the weekend at Phil's West Hollywood apartment. It was in the perfect location, central to everything, right off of Santa Monica Blvd.

After a small get-together of friends and an opening of gifts, we all walked over to one of the big gay dance clubs in West Hollywood: the Factory. I was pretty freakin' delighted. The space was huge, with the lounge area distinctly separated from the dance floor. There was enough room that even at its most crowded everyone was able to dance comfortably. The floor was air conditioned!!! No suffocation or icky, slick neighbor rub-ups required. There were a few fun stage areas, which I have always enjoyed, and which we made good use of. The music was seriously awesome. One of the best pop mixes I have ever heard.

The men, in general, were much more attractive than in SF, a fact which repeatedly astounded Shane. I am sure part of it is that L.A. is a natural magnet for aspiring models, performers, actors, and fashionistas, but I think also, in L.A., surrounded by constant reminders of being the nexus of glossy entertainment, one cannot help but feel like one ought to look as best as one can. If you can have perfect skin and teeth, then why not? In SF, to be consciously concerned about one's appearance in such an aspirational way can sometimes be perceived as trite and lacking substance. There are no such ridiculous pretensions to depth in L.A.

This is not to say there is no depth in L.A. To the contrary, I often find myself exasperated by the lack of true depth in SF, whether because the people I encounter are trying to mimic edgy New Yorkers or they are satisfied in having checked all of the boxes in the requisite list for being a progressive intellectual. It is my humble opinion that while Los Angelinos may aspire more to tanned, magazine cover physical perfection, they also have a certain degree of greater curiosity and openness to new ideas. This could, however, be a reflection of civic patriotism (which would be a surprising twist for me).

I digress.

After the club, we swung on the swings in a nearby park, while Shane and Kevin and Ronny belted every song known to man, from Master P to TIna Turner to the musical RENT.

Saturday

2009-01-25T18:10:00.006-07:00

THE BEACH
Of course we had to go to the beach. The next morning, er . . . afternoon, we headed over to Will Roger's beach. It was great.

When I found my love for the ocean and beach in San Francisco, it was something of a dark and terrible love. I found the ocean expansive and liberating, and at the same time terrifying and potentially destructive. I could feel myself being sucked in by the sirens of the broad blue-grey sea, a song of promise of liberation and possibility, and was frightened of being submerged and crushed under the heavy surf, or worse of just choosing to plunge myself to my own annihilation in its cold, shark-infested depths. It was a chilling love. I have only shared these feelings with Tai.

I found the beach in L.A. to so much gentler and happier. It's rolling waves seemed to beckon a reverie of meditation; the sound of surf setting a rhythm like a metronome and a fullness of sound like the singing bowls my friends and I used to use in the mountains of Utah. The sun was happy and the sand warm. I was delighted to see people playing games and families riding bikes.

After spending about two and a half days attached at the hip with Shane, I needed a break from people and took a walk down the beach.

I was amused by the preening swimwear of the tanning gay men of Will Roger's, but more than anything I was relieved to have some time to make a meaningful connection with the Creator. Surrounded by people, I had little time for prayer and contemplation, and I needed some time to get centered.

I was so grateful for that time on the beach, and I was grateful to discover a different character to the sea. I also found the most beautiful piece of sea glass and an intricate, beached sea plant. I returned the fragment of plant to the ocean and kept the glass as a souvenir.

THE ABBEY
After the beach, we had margs and Mexican at a beachside restaurant and headed back to the apartment for some snooze time. Well. I snoozed. And that may have been my cervical undoing. The night before, Shane and I had to share one couch and it threw a serious crick in my neck. I think that second visit to couch slumber did it all in. It's four days and many applications of Ben-Gay later, and my neck is still killing me. I guess your mid-20's are for realizing its time to start taking care of yourself.

So. We had the Mexican and a siesta and then went to the Abbey. The largest club have ever been to. Period. It was also to nicest gay club I have ever been in, with various themed rooms. It was definitely THE place. You kind of just have to see it. But I will say two things: lots of hotties of both the male and female persuasion (all lipstick lezzies feel free to flee here) and (for a guy who does not like fruity drinks) a REALLY good berry martini.

The night wrapped up with our second game of Scrabble that day (Shane and I make a pretty good Scrabble team, I think) and a 2 am hunt for a 24 hour Walgreens for some Icy Hot (settled for Ben-Gay (no wise-ass remarks, please)).

Sunday

2009-01-25T17:37:00.006-07:00

IHOP

Within easy walking distance, in WeHo (West Hollywood), is an IHOP! Of course I had to drag us there. In SF, there is one IHOP, which is about a 45 min trip from my house. My college days have forever left a soft spot for IHOP in my heart. I think I may have started the conversion process for Shane.

In addition to the easily accessible IHOP, there is also a Trader Joe's and 24 Hour Fitness in WeHo. Were I ever to move there, all of my needs would be centralized to a three block radius. Could you possibly ask for more?

In WeHo, there is also the famous Pink Berry, a local frozen yogurt chain, at which the venerable Lindsay-Paris-etc's have been spotted by paparazzis proving that they are just like "us". The yogurt was good. The pomegranate mix-ins better. There is an even better frozen yogurt place in SF just south of Bloomingdale's.

THE LOS ANGELES OBSERVATORY

We spent the rest of the day take a car tour of L.A.

We went to the Pueblo downtown, where for 85 cents I was able to practice my Spanish and take a trip down memory lane with Limon 7 and a tamarind candy.

For those of you who grew up Latino or in Southern California in the 90's, you know exactly what I am talking about.

I took two licks of each and wondered why on earth I ever wanted to torture my taste buds or my gut so badly.

We ended our tour at the Los Angeles Observatory. It was breath-taking. I am hoping Dawn posts the pictures she took on Facebook. You could see the whole twinkling city of Los Angeles all the way out to the sea. Every color in the rainbow was elegantly represented in the landscape and the sky.

I was also astounded by the incredible throng of people there! Families and couples and students all milling to the top of this mountain for an educational experience and an opportunity to witness natural beauty. It renewed my faith in humanity a bit.

I was, however, very irked by a few of the looks Shane and I received. We held hands a few times and put our arms around each other as we admired the sunset. One woman openly stared wide-eyed. It made me angry. Why should me pursuing a simple happiness be a radical political statement?? It was an unconscious gesture of affection, an extension of myself and Shane. I looked over the terrace and spotted a straight couple in far more amorous behavior. No one batted an eye lash.

It will be a wonderful day when the dream which started our nation will be at last fully realized, that people will be free to pursue their peace and happiness in an environment of mutual respect and protection without the false sense of need to foist upon others our personal dogmas. This goes for the godless liberals as well as the heartless pious.

In any case, if you are in the L.A. area, I strongly recommend going to the Observatory. I can't believe I never went as a child. It is a beautiful, panoramic view, and the architecture is really wonderful. I was particularly captivated by an interior dome mural.

Electric Karma
I am still searching for Indian food in San Francisco to match the Bombay House of Provo, UT. In the meantime, I have found Electric Karma in West Hollywood. To quote an annoyingly ubiquitous television figure: "Yum-O!"

Also captivating were the Indian music videos projected onto the rear wall. I paid scant attention to the dinner conversation as I was spell bound by the beautiful women, the elaborate, cheerful choreographies, and the hopeless cheese. It was like Bollywood and United Colors of Benneton slept together and had a shared wet dream.

My House

Of course no visit to glamorous gay Hollywood is complete without attending a hot, new club opening. Which is how, after a quick stop over at a gay producer's swank fag-stag pad, we ended up in line for the opening of My House--a club which was anything but homey.

Vast and multi-level, with a semi-outdoor courtyard about about 6 bars, My House was quickly filled with the creme-de-la creme . . . ahem of aspiring, gay Hollywood networkers. For a brief while, the electricity in the air was intoxicating, invoking my competitive spirit, and inviting me to new grounds to try and conquer in this glossy, yet surely challenging battlefield. After a while, though, the mousse and spray-tans seemed to approach the absurd and it lost some its luster.

Nonetheless, it was fun. By now, I had also finally taken to action a note from the lesson book of Brandon and brought some ear plugs along to the club. I may be an old fart, but at least I will be an old fart who can hear. Clubs in general are way too loud, and the ones in WeHo seem to be vying for the honor of who can cause spontaneous ejaculation through sound wave stimulation alone. I, for one, know I felt the bass rattling my rib cage more than once.

It was in this club, in one of the lounges, exhausted from several days of partying, that Shane proposed we finally make honest men out of each other and call this thing official. Since we have been acting like exclusive boyfriends for awhile anyway, and since that has felt easy and natural, I said "yes." So I now have a boyfriend again, at a time when I really wasn't expecting it.

I am delighted, of course. It just feels nice to be connected to Shane and it brings a smile to my face when I think about it. The more time we spend together, the more we get know one another, the better we seem to fit. We grow increasingly comfortable with each other, and I have strong hopes things will go well. Much remains to be seen, but for now, we can at least proceed with certain questions answered and focus on more important things--like who gets the remote.

Monday

2009-01-25T17:25:00.004-07:00

This was our last day in California. I will sum it up briefly. It was the day of Shane's meeting. It appears to have gone well. I was able to spend some more time for personal reflection as I listened to my Ipod and walked through the center of West Hollywood. It was nice.

Kevin and I did some shopping at the Beverly Center. I was delighted/vexed to definitively find that the shopping in L.A. is exponentially superior to the shopping in San Francisco. Living amidst skinny Asians, skinny fags, and skinny hipsters, leaves me scant options for affordable clothing.

We had our last meal at In-N-Out. While there is an In-N-Out in San Francisco, it is somehow different when you don't have to wear a cardigan and can see real palm trees while you enjoy your Double-Double.

We spent the flight back basking in delightful political punditry (courtesy of Virgin Air TV) and an interesting, yet slow BBC documentary on the role of religion and politics in America.

I thought it was a kind of perfect way to end the trip: a documentary on the two things that both tie us together and at times tear us apart. Shane-I am glad for the discussions we can have; even if I am right, 90% of the time.

*My camera has been on the fritz, I am afraid I have to scour on line resources for visual fodder.

Camus Quote on Charm

2009-01-06T22:11:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay. I am finally getting back into my groove after the holidays. In FINALLY got to wake up and read the papers, like I usually do. It was great. So i am way behind on blogging. I have a list an arm long of things I need to blog on.

I am going to start using my blog not only to provide updates on my life, but as a reservoir for myself of things that I find interesting in culture and as way to perhaps process some observations. In that vein, I came across this quote. I needed to put it somewhere so I wouldn't lose it. I am putting it here, so I will always know where to find it.

"Charm is a way of getting the answer yes without asking a clear question." - Albert Camus

By the Power of Grey Skull Castle!

2008-12-15T13:41:00.005-07:00

I can't believe this is online now!! Such a trip from the past! Last time I remember watching this show I was still looking forward to visits from the tooth fairy.

I LOVED this show as a kid. I had the sword, Cringer the Tiger, a fully-functioning Grey Skull castle, and a Skeletor action figure (I may have had He-Man, too, I don't remember). Thanks buying all that stuff for me, Mom!!!

Now, looking at this show . . . wow, I can't believe how bad it was. Still, in our current reflection of 80's economics, perhaps we can learn a thing or two from He-Man:

Also, check out the opening creds, to learn all you need to know about HE-MAN!:

Twitter-tastic!!!

2008-12-13T03:23:00.002-07:00

So planners, business strategists, and ad people are going crazy over Twitter. I have been incredibly reticent to join.

What if I ended up like this?:

P.S.-Lisa Nova is brilliant!!

For That Special Someone in Your Life . . .

2008-12-12T12:10:00.003-07:00

Thank you, Tai.

Now available for purchase on-line.

Mike Huckabee and Jon Stewart Talk about Gays in the U.S.

2008-12-10T18:17:00.002-07:00

Wow. Okay. I teared up a little bit. A sincere, genuine exchange between two intelligent people. No screaming, no histrionics.

My favorite quote from Jon:
"Religion is far more of a choice than homosexuality. And the protections that we have for religion? We protect religion -- and talk about a lifestyle choice -- that is absolutely a choice. Gay people don't choose to be gay."

Life Update (Vlog)

2008-12-09T02:49:00.002-07:00

V-Log, Vlog . . . I prefer vlog.

Little life update, sparing you lots of reading.

The Hazards of YouTube

2008-12-09T01:41:00.005-07:00

So my haircutting video has elicited a peculiar following amongst Samson-swooning strangers who have sent me various opinions about my ruthless hair shortening.

None, however, surpasses the following email I received. Whether joke or not, it definitely makes me second guess having personal vids up for public consumption and commentary.

I was left completely flummoxed.

jockhair1
...

SIR...YOU HAVE GREAT HAIR!!
...
SIR...YOU HAVE GREAT HAIR!!
Sir,

I am a big nerd that ADORES guys that are studs with the ladies and have great hair like yours...it is a shame that u felt compelled to cut your cooooool hair...

I am willing to buy u Bed Head Shapoo (Vitamins) and CatwalkOatmeal & honey Conditioner (Soy & wheat protein), and some good gel....along with money to get ur hair cut and styled by a hot ass chick!!

All I ask in return, is that u take me to the barbershop and make me get a dumb and dumber dork haircut and while ur inspecting it....dot my left eye and make it a nice shade of purple!!

I would be HONORED to clean ur shoes while ur in the barberchiar while I will keep my hair greasy so u can hock a loggy in it and comb it into my dork hair..

PLEASE VISIT MYSPACE URL: laodecia_generation

Be sure to read my profile, my "Loyalty Contract" under a blog entitled "how this nerd rol(e)s and plays" -- also check out the dork haircut I want unde PIC entitled "The Dork Thing"...you can also check out my PIC entitled "Jocks with great hair"

I WOULD BE HONORED TO BOW DOWN AND WORSHIP A STUD LIKE YOU...SIR!!

Please respond!!

~Dork

(Chris)

Why Can't I Find Love Like This??

2008-12-05T06:08:00.005-07:00

Sometimes it feels like all of life's problems can be solved with just the right amount of fat and sodium. Sigh.

Of course, my fear--as is also my fear in people love--is that I will order Taco Town's latest jewel of heavenly inspiration, and I will end up having an experience like this: http://keepyourreceipt.blogspot.com/2008/12/tastes-like-disappointment.html

MILK

2008-12-03T03:24:00.002-07:00

MILK on the other hand, was really great. You will probably read many wonderful reviews of it, so I will only say a few things. Sean Penn was truly transformative and masterful. Gus Vant Sant did a great job of being honest about the time, while still keeping the gay community relatable.

One thing that did strike me, that this film really brought out, is that the struggle for gay rights is about life. Literally. Wherever you may have stood on prop 8, I think most of you, my friends, are compassionate people, and it is horrible to think how many gay people have lost their lives not only to hate crimes, but to suicide.

Too many people are filled with self-loathing, confusion, fear of rejection or damnation because of their sexual orientation. They see no better option than to leave this world. This is not just a thing of the 1970's, I have known of people in my own generation, students and alumni of BYU, who have ended their lives because of their own strife over their sexual orientation.

In my own struggle to advance gay equality, a very real part of that is to be acknowledged as a very real human being, equal to you in every way, a contributive member of society, who in no way deserves to be treated as less than you.

This struggle to be acknowledged as human is critical and benefits not just those who choose to lead a life out of the closet, but even those who chose to remain in your religious enclaves, because no matter how much you may pat them on the head, "tolerate" them, or encourage them to pray the gay away, until they see themselves as real human beings, worthy of everything you have, they cannot love and accept themselves, and thus accept the love God also offers freely. And I believe accepting that love is critical to any religion's doctrine of redemption and peace. And perhaps then when they accept that, they may even be happy in your circles.

I was glad to have seen this movie, and hope to see it again, perhaps in the historic Castro Theater.

Australia

2008-12-03T02:50:00.005-07:00

Baz Luhrmann may soon join Mel Gibson on my list of blacklisted directors.

I just saw Australia, and I sorely miss the three hours of my life that I will never get back.

This movie was seriously unbelievable. It was like a Disney-made-for-TV movie hopped up on HD. The script went through every possible ridiculous cliche. You would think that the stellar acting abilities of Nicole Kidman and High Jackman would still somehow save it, but instead they took the cliches further, portraying parodies of their own characters.

One problem with packing a film with every possible cliche, is that you then have to include every possible story arc. Which Australia did. Hence the butt-numbing three hour long film reel.

The film is at times saved by the juicy colors and panoramic landscapes. Then again, at other times, the awkward compositions and cartoony effects just serve to remind you that you're watching a really bad movie.

I was so disappointed. I was genuinely excited about Australia. I should have remembered how over-the-top all of Lurhmann's films are. Romeo and Juliet is the only film of his that I have genuinely liked so far, and I think that is because, well, freakin' Shakespeare wrote it. And Claire Danes is brilliant. But, Strictly Ballroom . . . was nice enough, but forgettable. Again cliche. And then Moulin Rouge . . . I am sorry, but over-the-top is not in it with that one. I want to like it, and darn Baz, it does haunt me and even touch me, but it's garishness never ceases to repel me.

My advice, save yourself the ten bucks and the three hours. Don't believe me? Check out the reviews of Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly. They all say the same thing.

Mapple!!!

2008-12-01T12:04:00.003-07:00

Just when you have lost hope, The Simpsons offers something beautiful and genius to renew one's love of the show. This goes out to all of you Mac users out there.

By the way, I can post because I own a Mac. And I am an ethnic minority.

*Thanks for this Dave of GH. ;)

Mapple - The Simpsons
by aarplane

Rachel Getting Married

2008-11-26T22:43:00.004-07:00

On Saturday, Travis (one of my dearest friends) and I decided to catch up over Mexican food and watch Rachel Getting Married.

Great movie, if you haven't seen it. Anne Hathaway does a knock-out job of playing a complicated, slightly unloveable recovering addict. The movie, as a whole, does a really great job of capturing the complexity and tension that riddles so many family gatherings.

The previews were also amazing. I am a dork, I hate missing previews, but, seriously, every preview in this movie was for a film I now really want to see.

In particular, Arnuad Desplechin's A Christmas Tale.

And the incredibly visually stunning Waltz with Bashir.

**Also, Gavin Newsom (current SF mayor, perhaps future CA governor) was in line with us to buy movie tickets. My giddy celebrity spot for the weekend.

***Sorry I have seriously fallen behind on blogging. When your life gets super busy (and thus bloggable) you never have time to blog! I am leaving out a lot of fun stuff, but lets just start over from here on out.

Dial House

2008-11-26T22:36:00.002-07:00

Well, just as I have found a new amazing mentor to sink my teeth into (Cameron Maddux, Director of Account Planning at the Academy), he has found greener pastures at an amazing creative think-tank called Dial House in the SOMA of SF. A kind of rock-n-roll, buck-the-system consortium of deep thinkers that work on figuring out ways to define, strategize, communicate, and otherwise better existing brands, it is a great fit for Cameron. Sigh.

So being the awesome educator that he is, Cameron hosted a little after-hours soiree last Friday night at Dial House to kind of talk to Academy of Art planning people about where we can go from here and just to kind of say, "I am still here for you guys." Like I said, great educator; total sweetheart.

It was at Dial House that I met the much buzzed about Charlie Kouns (former Director of Planning at the Academy (AAU)). I was delighted to find Charlie to be a warm, imaginative Southerner with a love of stories and young people. I am looking forward to get to know him better.

In fact, Charlie and I got to talking about this project he is working on called Imagine Learning, designed to make education relevant to kids and what they need in today's world. I am so excited about it. This will be where my volunteer efforts will now be directed (ha! You didn't think I forgot about my vow of reformation, did you?). For those of you who don't know I have a pretty extensive background in child psych. and education.

I was also pleased to meet other young planners at Dial House. The conversations were interesting and humorous, and it was obvious that most of the people there had a good breadth of experiences and thinking. I may have found home. Hurray!

Hendrick's Party

2008-11-26T22:24:00.007-07:00

In a city that's known for its Financial District, what do the people of San Francisco do when the economy takes a nose dive? Well, some of them seek escape in the roaring 20's at the Hendrick's Gin Party at The Ambassador.

Walking in was like entering another universe. Up-beat, swinging band music filled the air. Men in top hats and vests chatted in circles while beautiful women in corsets and feather-festooned headdresses laughed gaily at their sides. My friend, Mike, and I were immediately greeted by two . . . little people in full costume sitting on the bar. Burlesque dancers worked the crowd, contortionists worked the stage, and as we approached the bar (open bar, I might add) we passed by one of the entertainers that evening: a mustached transvestite monkey-man.

It was quite the extravaganza. Mingling with all these people, in this amazing roaring 20's setting while our own economy is going to crapper . . . it seemed so ironic. It also made me muse if this is perhaps what it was really like in the salons of 20's--laughter, gaiety, a certain degree of closeted hedonism, a noir sexiness. It was certainly a transportive experience.

Being a Hendrick's party, of course a first-rate drink menu was de rigueur. Hendrick's did not disappoint. If their objective was to recruit loyal followers, consider me their latest devotee. My favorite drinks of the evening were the White Cargo Punch (so creamy, nutmegy, and festive) and the Carte Blanche (nice and smooth and incredibly refreshing). However, in the future, I think I will be very happy with just a Hendrick's gin and tonic.

All-in-all, I had a wonderful time, and was most definitely charmed by my little foray into the 1920's.

*You can also look up the party at Nerve.com, an on-line mag that also hosted the party.

Return to the Thumpa-Thumpa

2008-11-26T22:21:00.003-07:00

Friday night was a busy night! I made a triumphant return to the dance clubs of San Francisco. It had been too long. My recent trip to Santa Cruz ended up being a dancing disappointment, so after our fun at the Hendrick's party, Mike and I headed over to Cafe (a dance club in the Castro).

It felt so good to dance again!! And unlike some people, I much prefer the Cafe to Badlands. Badlands is just overcrowded, over-touristy, and over-creepy (I do NOT appreciate getting felt up while I try to dance). Plus the music at Badlands runs way to heavy in the Kylie Minogue/Cher/Madonna/house music set. Who can dance to that? If you can manage to dance whilst being pressed against your rude neighbors in congested sea of sweaty, sardines.

Cafe, while it may leave something to be desired in the crowd, has much more space and music that is much more pop-relevant, with a nice dose of hip-hop.

I also had a first at Cafe on Friday--at the behest of Mike, I asked for the number of this guy I started dancing with on the floor. He was pretty cute, and, well, Mike can be pushy/persuasive. I regret that decision to this day. Turns out cute boy is a 19-year old foreign exchange student from Italy!

He is nice and intelligent, but I have no desire to rob any cradles.

Nonetheless, I am glad to have made a re-entry into the SF club scene. Now I really have to make it back to Booty SF . . . .

Orangina is . . . "Effervescent"????

2008-11-18T14:11:00.001-07:00

I promise I will never produce ads like this:

*caution it involves French animals being sexy

The Power of YouTube

2008-11-12T21:07:00.007-07:00

You like me! You really like me!

Ha ha ha. JK.

But I am seriously amazed at the power of YouTube. I posted a video of me giving myself a haircut at like 4am this morning. 16 hours later, it has been over 200 hundred times, been commented on once, gotten a 5 star rating (why I can't imagine), and had one person subscribe to my channel! Wow. In less then 24 hours, I have reached over 200 people. That is amazing. I now <3 YouTube.

Of course, now that I have a subscriber, the pressure is on to post more things of interest. I was hoping to just videocast in the future when I was too lazy to type long life updates . . . .

AAAA Future of Planning 2007

2008-11-12T05:40:00.002-07:00

AAAA Future Of Planning Zj

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: accountplanning business)

A New John is Shorn

2008-11-12T03:33:00.002-07:00

When I first started this blog, my hair was as you see it in the upper right hand corner. I chopped it off shortly thereafter and have been growing it out since. And now . . .

. . . I may never go back.

Redemption through Volunteerism

2008-11-01T17:07:00.004-06:00

Some of you may have thought I had forgotten about my personal vow to volunteer, but I have not.

I just got back from my training meeting for No on Prop 8 campaigning on Election Day.

I just wanted to write down my feelings while they're still fresh.

I just . . . . Honestly, I started welling up with tears seeing all of the wonderful people there who were joined together in a good cause, people of conviction and dedication who want good things. I wish you guys could have been there and seen these people, because, you know what? They look very unremarkable. They look like my science teacher, or my grocery bagger, or my friend's dad, or my old boss.

It felt so wonderful to be part of something greater than myself again.

I also had some sadness in my heart to know that people that I care about are out there actively trying to oppose these efforts.

Our desires are so simple: for family. It made me sad to think that people I love stand against that.

I put up the headline I did because my family is worth me making a few small sacrifices. I wish I had more time and resources to give to my own future family, but school obligations keep me very busy. In some ways, though, that seems like such a flimsy excuse. I have worked all of my life to try and be a good husband and father, and I do feel some shame that I have not spent more time working to ensure that I can have that.

I could have eschewed some of the dates I went on in favor of campaigning earlier.

I can only hope that the combination of our small contributions, and my own prayers (and the prayers others) will be enough. I will fast tomorrow, and pray, and do what I can.

The feeling in that room, though . . . it was good. I hope to be involved in more good causes to come in my life.

For all of you--I and hope you are approaching your voting decisions in a spirit of love, humility, and prayer and that you are seriously investigating the candidates you choose and make choices that stand for truth, justice, wisdom, and an investment in our future.

"Carried" Away

2008-10-24T14:38:00.002-06:00

I live in tiny apartment near the heart of the city. My space constraints led to me to this genius find, which I just painted--after three months of good intentions--yesterday. I am quite in love with the new color (and with cost of paint included, this table set me back a mere $20!).

I then zipped off to a fun coffee date, which has left me with a unique challenge: I have to design a skateboard by tonight for his new clothing store opening. If I win, I get a t shirt designed in my honor.

Race home. Get ready for a Clio Awards Screening downtown. The Clios are like the Oscars of the ad world.

Fast forward to the after-party at Sugar. I am famished! All I have had to eat that day is one bowl of cereal. There is no way I can join my friends in cocktails. I make a beeline for the hors d'oeuvres and dine on bacon-wrapped dates (AMAZING!), fun Greek pastries, mini cupcakes and spinach dip.

Suddenly, I wondered . . . ;) could I more like the fictional Carrie Bradshaw than I cared to believe?

Am I struggling single person in an urban city? Yes.

Am I a writer? Jury is still out. I may do copywriting.

Am I too skinny for my own good? Yes.

Do I have a big nose? Yes.

Do I spend too much time thinking about clothes and hair? Yes.

Did I basically spend my day running around with about 5 costume changes living off of
cocktails and hors d'oeuvres? Yes.

Do I go on a succession of dates with some real characters? Yes.

Is there a Mr. Big? May have been, but thank heavens that's over!

Am I doomed to the same screwed up life? Let's hope not.

Do I need to stop watching so many freakin' chick shows? Yes.

Cooking with Dad

2008-10-22T23:21:00.001-06:00

A little diddy I put together for a class. It was pretty rushed, so not as polished as I want. I may edit it and repost. But have fun with it for now!

Also, for those of you who know me, you know I actually enjoy cooking very much, and I did take a bit of creative license, but everything is actually based in reality.

My Epicureal Evolution

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: john quintana)

Botox: Let's Face It, We're All Going to Need Some at Some Point

2008-10-21T17:41:00.002-06:00

I don't want parentheses on my face (have to watch the vid to get it)! I'd better run out and get Botox.

Seriously, though if I don't stop furrowing my brow and expressing concern, I am going to start showing some serious signs of thought marring my forehead and mouth and who is ever going to love that?

YOSEMITE

2008-10-20T05:03:00.001-06:00

Last weekend (these Monday posts are all in reverse chronological order from actuall occurrence), I went on an Academy of Art sponsored trip to Yosemite. For those of you who don't know, I attend the Academy. In San Francisco. California. With all the gays, hippies, and tech geeks.

Sadly, my school is lacking in all of those interesting characters. In my opinion, the composition of my school could use a bit more colorful variety. For an art school it has a very traditional student base. Previous art pun was unintended.

Well, despite their lack of colorful characters, the Academy puts on some ridiculously great activities. Ridiculous because I pay a ridiculous amount in tuition, and I imagine a huge chunk that goes to mixers, parties on boats, free pizza, and booze. Golly this is a post for digression!

Anyway. $65. A weekend in Yosemite. Covers travel, lodging, and most meals. How can you not do that? I tried talk ing my friend, Claudia, into coming but she was all tripped out. Er. She had already been on too many trips that month. I decided to venture alone. Surely I could make a few friends on the trip, right?

So the morning of the trip, I of course was running insanely behind, trying to do laundry, go the gym, do some last minute shopping, and drop off a cd at a friend's house. All by 11:30. Ha!

My hoodie was still damp when I headed to the Academy Admin Building. We ended up waiting two and half hours for the bus to arrive to pick us up!

That two hours could have been wisely spent schmoozing up to a new group of friends, but I figured there would be plenty of time for that and decided to read instead. Also, I felt incredibly awkward because most of the kids were freshman. Yes, 26 year old John surrounded by a bunch of teenagers. Isn't this the part where I am supposed to be like teaching them or something? Yeah. I just coudln't bring myself to be the creepy older guy trying to befriend the youngins.

So bus ride down I also read (thank heavens for ginger root and its magical anti- car sick properties). We got there super late and were assigned cabins. Dang it! Why didn't I try and put myself out there more? Now I had no idea who to sit with at dinner.

I got in line at the lodge for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised by everything. The cabins were reasonably decent. The lodge was really nice, and the menu was totally California poshy (you know with loads of arrugula, blue cheese, polenta, and crap).

Still unsure of where I would sit, the woman who took my order just lumped me in with the kids ahead of me and assigned us all to a table. Awkwaaaard!

They were actually pretty cool, but after covering everyone's majors, it became painfully clear we were in SUCH different places in our lives. They were still getting used to being away from home and college, I was getting used to thinking about how I am seriously going to balance this prospectively demanding career and raising children. What drove the point home even more, I was the only at the table with a beer. I don't drink with every meal (or even many meals), but I had ordered the pork roast and I thought beer was better option than the fruit punch.

As soon as dinner was over, I quickly retreated to the safety of my laptop. Thankfully, there was WiFi at the lodge! Ah. Modern technology. The night passed with out much event. We were all in bunk beds and the guy in the bunk above me woke me up when he came in at like 2 am. And woke me up every time he shifted in the bed. He was a pretty big guy. Oddly enough, I still have no idea what he looks like. I never saw his face.

The next morning we were supposed to take a shuttle in to the park and then we were free to go wherever we wanted. We were encouraged to stick in groups. Great. Still no group. At breakfast, a very sweet Asian girl came up to me and boldly asked, "Did you come here alone?"

Sigh. "Yes. I did."

She marveled at my bravery. I marveled at my desperation. I figured at this point everyone must know about the freak here alone; the pariah with the computer bag and recent issue of Conde Nast Portfolio (who brings a computer bag and business magazine on a camping trip?).

Sitting around the fire in the lodge, I realized time was running out. I sat by a trio with whom I had some cordial conversation a few times thus far. I hoped they would bring it up, but they did not, so I screwed up my courage and asked one of the hardest questions I have ever had to ask: "Would you mind if I join you guys on your hike?"

Sandra, the angel that she is replied, "Of course!"

And like that I was warmly welcomed into the group. They are really so great. The trio consisted of Sandra, a fashion student from Mexico, she is a bit older than me, also Adrianne, another fashion student, from So Cal, and Adrianne's boyfriend, Radi, from Kuwait, who just so happened to be getting his undergrad in Advertising.

They were interesting and easy-going, and actually offered some helpful advice, which is how we ended up at the Yosemite General Store hunting down a fleece sweater for me. Fleece. I hadn't owned anything fleece since 1999, and that was with a great deal of reservation. It is my own humble opinion that one should avoid synthetic fabrics as much as possible, unless they are quite intentionally ironic and/or vintage. But it was the late 90's, the Backstreet Boys were hot, and sometimes we made fashion choices with total abandon and disregard for good taste (witness the proliferation of skunky highlights at the time).

Anyway, there I was hunting down a fleece sweater that would not incite my gag reflex. I also purchased a walking stick, which is perhaps my favorite purchase of the last six months! I have been meaning to purchase one for a long time now. As many of you know, my arthritis burns like a mother sometimes when I go hiking, and being able to redistribute some of my weight to my upper body, would be a dream. Sometimes, when my knees would be hurting so bad I wanted to rip off my own legs and beat myself with them (only a mild exaggeration), I would like at hikers with those cool ski-pole-looking walking sticks with envy. I didn't buy one of those. It's just a simple wooden staff with a rubber heel. I will never go hiking without it again. Next hiking investment: those ski poles.

So the hike was great. My new friends were really awesome. We got some great pictures (which I will get around to posting on Facebook sometime this week). We hiked up to Vernal Fall.

That evening, back at the lodge was nice. The fire was crackling, there was a live band that came to perform (mostly Radiohead covers), and we decided to play a game of Uno. I had not played in a while, but it's Uno. Totally simple game. Wrong. Apparently, every human being on the planet has their own rules for playing Uno. We all tried to be amenable to suggested ammendations, but the game became one those interminable games where you stop caring who wins anymore. I think we had to shuffle and renew the draw deck 5 times. Maybe six.

Finally Radi won. Although that could be contested. I worked on an assignment for Art Direction for a while. I showed some of my work to Adrianne, Radi, and Sandra. Radi enjoyed chiming in on the assignment I was working on. He showed me some cool new little tricks on Photoshop (which I really should have known already).

I decided to unwind with a glass of red wine before bed. It was perfect. So satisfying.

And then the craziness began. Once the band finished their last set, I went to go put back my empty glass of wine, when the Academy coordinator offered me another glass. Apparently he and the owner of the lodge were good friends and the owner was opening up bottles left and right and the vino was flowing like a pagan festival. Let us please keep in mind the author of this story had but two glasses of wine. That's it. Two. For those of you who have imbibed with said author, however, you know two is all it talks for our light-weight writer to get drunk off his patootey.

I was fine, though. It was everyone else! The coordinator got super drunk and started spouting some very interesting stories about previous Academy trips. The lodge owner ended up ripping his own shirt (I guess in some mock display of anguish over a departing guest??). Then there was the event which I had never before witnessed in all of my life: the rafter race.

A lodge tradition, apparently two people race across the rafters under the vaulted ceiling. I guess the winner gets to keep both of his legs intact.

A bit later, as we are all clearing out, one the of students (a kind of older guy from Czechoslovakia) who clearly had too much to drink about three hours ago, boldly declares he is going to harass the girls' cabin and "make sure they are okay". Oi veh. We chase him down. Three times. And convince him to just go straight to bed. One of his friends made sure of that, I trust.

Meanwhile, the lodge owner must also be chased down before he gets into his car and drives drunk. Here I am, not sober enough to be entirely sure of my own footing trying to flag down this guy who is tripping over his own feet. He got angry that I tried to help him, insisting he knew the place better than I did because he owned it. I bit my tongue to keep from saying that he was so drunk he probably couldn't find his way to the nearest tree.

Afterward, I listened to the coordinator ramble for a bit and then managed to finally bow out and return to my own cabin. Whew! I hate having to take care of people that don't know how to moderate.

The next morning I found out our lovely Czech friend had left a fun surprise for everyone in the bathroom. Vomit. He had been vomiting throughout the night, and the bathroom and adjacent area reeked. Rather than venture into the bathroom myself, I chose to gather my belongings and high tail it to breakfast. Sandra was pretty pissed at the Czech guy.

The drive home was pretty quiet. I think a lot of people were hungover. I just wanted more sleep! I had been running on next to no sleep for weeks now and this weekend was not helping, going to bed well after midnight and waking up early in the morning.

It was wonderful to get out of the city. The trip was worth it just for that. San Francisco really is its own bubble, and it was an experience just to see suburbia on the pit stops we made. Yosemite itself was wonderful. I love trees, and thought of my dear friends Sara Black, Nathalie Staffler, and John Kovalenko who really understand what it is to commune with the trees and feel their spirit. I wished they were there with me. I wished I could find friends like them in San Francisco. It would be a wonderful gift if I could. I don't know how many people really experience nature in that way.

When I returned to the city, however, I was also glad to be back home. For better or worse, this city has become my home.

Life Updates

2008-10-20T05:00:00.001-06:00

Okay. So I have not been blogging as I should. What else is new?

Life is plugging along. In fact, I am loving life! :D I am finally done posing for that art school, which means I can sleep more, which also means I am no longer making my coffee thermos mug my best friend. It was hard. Last Thursday was a roller coaster of fatigue and gruesome headaches.

I am back in the dating scene, which is also great. I am not super-eager to jump into a new relationship, thank you very much, but I am also not going to turn away from something potentially good. I am trying to live my life with no regrets, and it would be a shame to look back and wonder what if I hadn't turned down that really great guy. So, yeah, I am just trying to have some fun, 'cause, hey, a fella has to find something to do on a Friday night, right? So far it has been fun. I'll let you guys know if anything actually comes of any of these dates

That being said, I am thoroughly enjoying being able stay home when i want, being able to watch silly TV shows, and being able to throw myself into school.

Speaking of which, I really love my new program! I am so glad this is where I have kind of fallen into. A master's in graphic design would have been disastrous. Instead, I find my studies incredibly challenging and stimulating. The sheer number of concepts I have to come up with for ads is astounding. I actually find myself more drawn to account planning and copywriting, art direction seems entirely too fussy still. If it weren't so late, I would maybe explain what all of those things mean, but I still have another post to dash off.

All in all, life is good. I am excited for this party coming up on Friday and Sara, my beloved Sara is getting married this December! and I am going to make every effort to go up to Provo for the wedding. I am sure there is more exciting stuff to relay, but I can't think of anything at 2:30 in the morning.

Oh! For those of you who are wondering about my dad, I just spoke with him today, sounds like he is doing just great. Let's just hope he takes good care of himself, so we (I) don't have to go through another big scare. Thanks to those of you who prayed for him and who expressed concern.

SATC Revisited

2008-10-20T04:58:00.001-06:00

Well, I just finished watching Sex and the City for the second time (now out on DVD). I have been determined to watch this wonderful piece of cinematic fluff for a few weeks now, but time never permitted. Sometimes, however, you just have to make time for the things that count.

Oh gosh, I am waxing Carrie.

Anyway, my assessment upon second viewing: it translates much better to the small screen. Nonetheless there are a few contentions I still make: Big's sudden cold feet seem contrived, the whole series of mix ups surrounding the wedding day are so contrived. In the small screen viewing I do seem to care more about the Carrie-Big storyline than I did in the theater. Miranda and Steve are still the more real couple.

Samantha may be catapulted to my new favorite character. She is just such a ray of sunshine in the lives of her friends. Like, seriously the most loyal, true friend anyone could ask for, and the most loyal, true girlfriend. I was once again really impressed at how much she was willing to sacrifice for her relationship.

Charlotte . . even though I sometimes insist I would much rather be a Charlotte than an ill-fated Carrie (as every online test seems to assert), Charlotte was practically a caricature the entire time. There's got to be more going on with this woman. I mean come on! Also, Big's character I don't believe was really allowed to fully be himself in the film.

All this being said, I think I well definitely buy this movie. It can be one of those movies I watch when I want to be depressed about relationships or entertained by pretty clothes. Perhaps I can enjoy gluttonous consumer consumption via this film rather than engaging in any myself, because really what more does a guy need than a intellectually light film and a good bowl ice cream?

Belligerent Bill

2008-10-04T16:34:00.003-06:00

What is crazy to me is that millions of conservatives turn to Bill O' Reilly for perspective and wisdom on important issues, that this man has a voice and say in national issues to a significant degree.

THIS man.

The camera don't lie.

Then again, maybe he was on the same drugs Rush Limbaugh was taking. Either way, sit back and watch Bill O'Reilly hilariously freak out over tele-propmter issues.

Ha ha. Makes you feel sorry if that's also the way he sexually harasses his employees.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Break Up w/ Brandon

2008-10-03T03:45:00.003-06:00

Well, it's true. We've broken up. I am going to try and deliver this in a brief chronological timeline, with as much emotional distance as possible.

SUNDAY SEP 14

We return from a fun weekend with friends in the Redwood forests by Santa Cruz. Was a great weekend.

While on Facebook that night, I realize we still have not changed our facebook statuses to indicate we are dating. Well, we have been dating for awhile now, I figure. This is no fly-by-night thing. We should change our status. So I sound an email to my boyfriend indicating that we should.

I IM with later that night and he avoids talking about the email I sent. Frustrated I bring it up. He avoids it even more and says he wants to go to bed. Fine.

Vexed, I leave a voicemail message on his phone about how frustrated I am with his little evasive game. This frustration is fed by other incidences which make me feel like he just sometimes plays a game to avoid talking about things he doesn't want to (which sometimes feels like just about anything).

The entire night I worry about that voicemail and I can't sleep. Have I seriously fucked things up? Why did I let my anger get the better of me?

MONDAY
I wake up the next morning exhausted having gotten little sleep and head over to this temporary job I got posing for an art school every morning form 9-12.

At this point I can't remember if I left a second message last night or in the morning, but I leave second message saying I am sorry and that I want to talk to him, because, first of all, I feel we need to talk about why he clearly doesn't want to change his status and secondly I want to discuss my frustration with feeling like I am always the one bringing stuff up and that I think it is ridiculous to be dating for almost four months and still feeling like I cant express myself emotionally.

So I go to pose and I feel wrought with anxiety that I may have just done something to begin the demise of me and Brandon, that perhaps he will be like "Whoa! This is way more drama than I want. Good-bye."

I feel so sick that I may lose Brandon.

On my break, I randomly run into Brandon's best friend, Renato on the street. I feel the overwhelming desire to fall into Renato's arms and weep that I am afraid I am going to lose Brandon. I want to sit with Renato and have him help me understand this confusing man I am dating and sleeping with.

Of course, I do not do this. I have to go back to work and he is with a friend.

I spend the rest of the day looking and feeling like crap. I don't really remember what else happens.

It is Monday night that Brandon and I speak and he sounds like his normal self and like there is absolutely no reason for concern. I am relived. We are us. We are fine. We will continue to be us.

He apologizes for not being available this morning and we agree to meet and talk on Wed.

TUESDAY
Don't really remember, except that I feel better and like my life will be fine and I can focus on school. I am anxious because that night of little sleep threw a wrench in my entire already very full week and I am worried now about getting everything done that I need to get done with the hours I will have to put in to make up for my sleep deficiency.

WEDNESDAY
The day goes well. I want to look my best for Brandon that night, but I dont have time. So I dont shave, don't do my hair (kind of looked passable), and tried to dress nicely for the day.

I talk to my mom and dad on the phone. It is actually a really good, long conversation. We talk about life and my mother confides in me some of things going on in the family. She and my father both express pleasure at how happy and at peace I sound. This pleases me because i hope this is the beginning of them realizing I am genuinely more happy.

I am talking to my mom on my way over to Brandon's house for our talk.

I arrive and everything is fine and seems normal. Brandon is hungry (and so am I), so we make dinner together in his kitchen as we often have. There is sharing of the day's occurrences, there is joking, kisses, affection. It is good.

We agree to watch a video while we eat and watch the end of the video while we cuddle on the couch. It is really perfect.

When that video is done, Brandon brightly proposes we watch Project Runway.

But, um, I am kind of here to talk. I did not make time in my schedule to come over here just to lie around and watch TV!

Brandon is resigned, and we sit to talk. Sequences of everything are muddled.

It does come out that Brandon didn't want to talk because he would rather have us cuddling, feeling nice, and everything staying the same.

But the truth comes out. Brandon did not want to change his status because he does not see us as being a long-term thing, and he has kind of felt that way for a while. So. I am not marriage potential.

He has been holding back all along. He says he has wanted to feel this way for me, but something has been holding him back and he feels we are different places in our lives.

I am dismayed and at the same time I am kicking myself because I feel vindicated for every anxiety I have had gnawing in the back of my head that Brandon was indeed holding back. Every one of those anxieties I have fought hard to dismiss and to forgive any perceived short comings I saw in Brandon. I tried to be patient and understanding that he has a hard time expressing his feelings and tried to read the content of his heart in his actions (which have often been kind and affectionate and even loving). But I was right! I was right to think something was up.

And I felt like a fool. A fool for surrendering my heart to this man. A fool for once again believing in the possibility of love and happiness. How many times will I endure heart break before I realize this stuff is all for fools?

We talk and kiss and weep and cuddle for while longer, finally talking about some of the things that have been happening all along.

I weep because it is over, because this relationship that was making me so happy is over, and I am going to miss it terribly. I am going to miss Brandon, as my boyfriend, terribly. And I cry because I kind of hate myself for getting so emotionally involved and wonder if I had the capacity to be more emotionally non chalant if somehow this thing could still be going on.

Now I do not feel this way.

At one point, we are lying next each other, holding hands, and I think Brandon says something about wanting me to stay in touch and keep him informed about my life, because he doesn't want to lose me in his life. (I think it was something to that effect) And that is the moment when I cannot stand to have him touching me and when I cannot stand to be around him any longer. I am angry. I think, "Why the fuck do you even care? You just finished telling me how you don't care!" (Which is not a fair statement, I know.

I leave Brandon's house. And I reach into my phone to call on my best friends, Tai. She is an angel. She has helped me through so much crap this past summer.

My phone won't work! Sprint had sent me a couple of texts about paying my bill and I dismissed them because I could see on my bank statement that money had already gone to Sprint for this cycle. So they cut me off!!!

Well that snapped me out of my weeping, crushed, heart broken mess.

Actually, I see sawed between weeping, sobbing devastation and anger at trying to pay a bill over the phone in the middle of the night that I had already paid. I didn't care. I would fork over the cash now, and resolve the problem with Sprint later. I just needed to talk to someone.

I walked home that night rather than taking the subway or streetcar.

I thought by the time I got home I was done crying.

When my service was finally restored and I was able to call Tai, I realize I was not done.

I would not be done for awhile.

THURSDAY
I woke up feeling and looking like crap. I dragged myself to the art school, dreading 3 hours of having nothing to do but sit there, stare into space, and think.

I managed to hold myself together pretty well, but did ask them to change one song they were playing while drawing, because it was a song about heartbreak and longing.

Unfortunately, I also was supposed to go to Renato's after work to retrieve jacket I had left in his car.

I spilled the beans to Renato. He seemed shocked and offered comfort and a hug. It was appreciated but also weird. The frustrating thing is, I moved back to SF and shortly thereafter started dating Brandon. I did not have a circle of friends who were in the city and who knew me and Brandon as a couple well and could thus offer not only comfort but validation and wisdom from first-hand experience.

I thank all of my dear friends who have said, "The idiot doesn't know what he's missing." (and you're right ;)), but that's not exactly something Renato could say.

The other thing that killed me was when Renato asked if it was for sure over or if there was the possibility of reconciliation, because you know what? The funny thing is I couldn't say! Brandon seemed uncertain if he wanted things to be over or not. How killer is that? Ugh!

The thing is, I knew that for me, I could not cling to the hope of reconciliation if I was going to heal and move on and most importantly if I was going to be able to pull myself together and get my school work done.

I left Renato's and sobbed on my way home. I hate sobbing in the streets. Although, this being San Francisco, I am sure they just thought I was some crazy druggie.

I went home and slept and considered skipping class. I had not done any of the homework. All of my time was being taken up with this stupid break up!! It could not have been more horribly timed. Just after my first week of classes. If this had happened a month ago, it would have been so much better. Instead, it has seriously fucked me up with my assignments and school. Grr!

I go to class and one of my new friends, Dave, is just great and supportive. Even though he is straight, and so some things are different, the language of heart break is universal.

I am glad to be in class. It takes my mind off of everything else, and I can feel productive.

FRIDAY
I feel so much better! Hurray! I am over this whole mess! Wow. That was fast. It must be because I have grown so much.

As I leave work, I am even able to sing and laugh. I feel filled with joy and I feel like . . .myself! I am eager for the future. I embrace that I am once again single John. Living in the city. And the city is brimming with possibilities: yoga classes, art openings, volunteering, hip hop clubs, beautiful parks.

Travis (another one of my dear friends and one who thankfully lives in the area) insists on spending some time with me to help me through this time.

We meet up. Have some dinner. His Friday night plans have changed so we decide to go see a movie. The Women.

This kind of kills me because the last time Travis and I went to the movies was to see Sex and the City. So first of all that it seems like all we watch are chick flicks, but also, at that time I was just starting to see Brandon, I was seeing possibility with him, and was trying to figure out how end things with this Greek guy with whom dates were just weird and awkward.

So. My relationship with Brandon was pretty much bookended with a girl's night out with my dear friend, Travis, watching a chick flick. Weird. My life is just weird in general.

But once again, I feel great! I feel so good about myself because I am so enlightened and zen that I can take this sad event and move past it and look on it with some sadness, but overall just be accepting and forgiving and happy.

Wow. I am so progressed! And on it!

We shop for a bit after the movie and hang out at my place after the movie.

There are some kids playing rock instruments downstairs. I have never heard them do that before. I realize I can't remember the last time I was home on a Friday night. I am always at Brandon's.

I feel a little sad about that. Travis leaves.

SATURDAY
I wake up in my bed to the chirp of a text. I am supposed to meet my friend Jessie at the Museum of Modern Art!!

@#$%!!!!! I am late! Fortunately so is she.

I try to high tail it, but it is difficult because I am struck by the fact that for the first time in a long time I have woken up on a Saturday morning in my own bed. This is not right. This is not where I belong. I feel depression weighing heavily on me.

I rush to meet Jessie. It has been six years!!! It is so good to see her and am amazed at how grown up she looks. It is also kind of weird because we have only recently reconnected, but pretty soon we are chatting away.

I use my Gap ID to get us free tickets to the Frida exhibition and we have lunch together.

The Frida exhibit was fine. It was my third time seeing it, so it was a little wearing in some ways trying to muster enthusiasm. I still feel a little depressed.

I am floored and excited by the exhibit on the 2nd floor of Chagall and his contemporaries. It's like one of my textbooks brought to life!!!

I loved that and Jessie and I actually ended up spending like 7 hours together, so it was a very full day.

Then I came home. And crawled into bed. And read funny blogs. And didnt feel like doing anything else. I hid from my roommates, not wanting to talk about it. I hid from everyone, not answering my phone. I think I even kept off of Messenger.

I may have gone to the gym.

SUNDAY
I spent the entire day in bed. Reading funny blogs and watching SNL. I ventured out once to buy some groceries and then returned to the safe cocoon of my bed.

I got nothing done that weekend for school. I was even more screwed.

THE WEEKDAYS
School kept me so busy, I didn't really have time to think of much else. I think Monday I was still depressed and could find myself wanting to cry. I still avoided my roommates. But mostly, blessedly, I kept busy with school. I did find myself missing Brandon at odd times. We exchanged a couple of emails. You know, the post break up "I hope we can be friends" emails.

FRIDAY
It was Claudia's birthday. She is one of my great friends from art school (I know it seems like all of my friends are dear and great, but that's because when you move around as often as I do, you only keep in touch with the ones that count).

Her boyfriend tracked down my number through a friend of his who works at Brandon's office. So this coworker of Brandon's ask him for my number. Weird for everyone. Especially when Paul, Claudia's boyfriend invites the both of us to the party. I accept, but inform him it will only be one.

I go the party and preparing for it is kind of difficult. Friday night. I am getting ready to go out to this party that I was invited to with my boyfriend. Except I don't have a boyfriend. But I should have a boyfriend. And why don't I have boyfriend? Because of this crap that is somehow getting in the way of Brandon actually opening up.

I am getting ready for this evening and I am angry at Brandon.

I head out late and on my way out I pray to God that he will help me let go of this anger and be a positive influence at this party.

I arrive and it is a little weird because I don't know anyone there. I hate stuff like this. I always prefer to go with a friend or two to a party where i dont know anyone and am expected to mingle. You know, maybe even a partner. A boyfriend. But I am actually not angry, just wishing Brandon were there to at least be a wing man.

I meet Brandon's co-worker. I want to say his name is Jason. Maybe James. His wife's name is Jade. For the purposes of our story (and to get me to bed sooner), his name is James.

James and I hit it off! He is warm and personable and has a great sense of humor. His wife is great, too, and they are so cute together. Since we both know Brandon, of course, he does come up in conversation, and what kills me is as I am talking about him (and trying to not appear the slightest bit like the bitter ex) I realize, yeah he is a great guy. And our relationship? Well, overall it was pretty good. We are both pretty cool people who seem to balance each other out. So why they hell aren't we together???

Claudia and I are able to sit and chat and we set a date for meeting up in a couple of weeks so we can chat one on one.

I go to bed. Alone. Lame.

SATURDAY
I dont really remember (it's getting late for me folks, and I will count it a miracle if you're still reading all of this). I think I went to the gym. I briefly go out to the neighborhood bar. This guy kind of starts getting flirty with me. I am not feeling it. I leave. I go home. Watch SNL. Go for a late night walk. Come home.

SUNDAY
FIrst half of the day, more funny clips and SNL. I lose my patience with hanging out in bed. I have too much to do! Not to mention I have run out of clean socks and my sheets are past due.

I start getting my butt into gear.

Surprisingly, Brandon is on Messenger. As far as I know, he is NEVER on Messenger, except at work. Whenever we have IMed on a weekend (or after 7pm) it has been via Facebook. He pops and says "Hi." We have a truly weird conversation that kind of lasts most of the day, where we try being buddy buddy and friendly.

I am not sure if there is something specific he wants to say or if there is a direction in which he wants to chat.

It is nice to talk to him, though, so I maintain the conversation.

I do laundry, I do some homework, I clean my room abit (which at this point looks like a missing section of the local waste repository).

WEEKDAYS
By Monday I am just so over being mopey about this whole thing. I have a life to live and I can't let this keep me in bed or depressed anymore! I have too much to do and a profession that requires me to be clever and witty and personable, not withdrawn, sleep deprived to the point of zero brain functioning, and perpetually late.

This past week has gone pretty okay. Yesterday and today were just fine. I have a busy weekend coming up, but honestly, I think even if I didn't, I would be okay. I have settled into single John again, and it is kind of nice to have my own schedule. I have even done a bit of flirting on-line, and that has been fun, but I am not eager to jump into a relationship right now. Even if I was, I don't know that i would really have the time.

It is funny, because as soon as Brandon and I broke up, I actually got hit on by all of these guys. Guys that had been pursuing me before Brandon and I dated suddenly popped up out of nowhere. I suddenly noticed men checking me out all over the place. A couple of guys asked me out on dates. And you know what? It all just infuriated me!!

At this point, it does not, but like I said I am not looking to start something up. At the same time, I want to build up a network of friends here in the city, and that means getting out there.

Next weekend I am going to Yosemite, but I think after that, I am really going to make an effort to put myself out there and meet new people.

I am just glad I have gotten all of this out there. Now I can blog about all of the fun stuff that has been happening! There have actually been quite a few things, but I haven't felt like I could until I blogged about this. And also, to be honest, I was kind of avoiding my blog for that first week.

I Hope It's A Nice Handbasket

2008-10-01T13:59:00.002-06:00

I realized today I am going to hell (and, no, this is not because I am in advertising. Or because I eat meat. Or because I am a Democrat. (or because I'm a fag).

I was on my way to work this morning, running late (what else is new), and worrying about the fact that I would probably have to ask for tomorrow off, when I saw this guy in a wheelchair. His destination seemed uncertain; it was possible he was addressing this woman on the sidewalk. Then, in a fumbling maneuver, he lodged his wheel in a sidewalk cut out (you know the ones they plant trees in), and completely tipped over his wheelchair!

I was unsure if he was inebreated or homeless, but I was concerned. I was also very aware that I was running late. I saw the woman move towards and I kept walking. Right past the both of them. Interiorly I felt I knot of conflicted emotions, mostly running heavy on guilt. But I was in a hurry! I turned back to see how bad the situation was (especially since I really wasn't sure if the woman could handle this bigger man) and saw a man rush out from the community center to help.

I sped up my pace and made it to the bus stop in time.I could see the bus approaching. I convinced myself the situation was under control and he would be fine.

As we are boarding the bus, suddenly there is wheelchair dude!! I am mortified. I thought he must hold me in the utmost contempt. I was also a little concerned, because he wasn't altogether lucid and as it is it is quite a process to quite a handicapped person on the bus. I thought, "How late is this going to make me?"

I know! I am awful!

While I warred internally between embarrassment, shame, chagrin, and impatience, apparently the wheelchair dude was turned away! He was instructed to wait for the next bus that could accommodate his wheelchair better (this mode of conveyance was an early 20th century German import trolley train with a very narrow aisle and bolted in wooden seats). The bus driver shouted that the next bus was right behind him. Wheelchair guy was cussing up a storm and wheeling his way to the wheelchair ramp to wait for the next bus. I could still hear him cussing as we drove away.

My first reaction was relief. Relief that I would not be too late, and also relief that I would not have to endure a bus ride in the vicinity of this reminder of my great ignominy. I was also shocked. At myself!

Who have I become? Am I just such a jaded urbanite? Am i so ego-centric? I was reminded of the scripture passage that says "that which ye do unto the least of these my brethren, ye do unto me." Did I just in essence leave Christ tipped over for other people to tend to him? In the parable of the good Samaritan, I would be one of the schmucks who left the guy to die by the side of the road!

That was when I realized I am going to hell.

This is not news that sits easy on you first thing in the morning on your way to work. I thought about what had changed about me. I don't know. I mean, i feel like I am genuinely kind to people around me, and that when I can, I do help people. I feel that I still have that same good heart as always, but this incidence left my heart larded in guilt. The only thing i can think of is committing to 50 hours of community service (minimum) to make an in-road to redemption.

So I decided. No more qualms, no more delaying. I will start searching for a volunteer opportunity this weekend, and once I finish my gig posing for this art class (in 10 days), I am going to volunteer again.

I only hope it is not too late to redeem my soul.

**No, that is not a picture of the actual site. It is just something I quickly found on Google to illustrate.

The I-Phone!

2008-09-28T17:44:00.002-06:00

Okay, I am sorry. I know I am longer overdue for some serious updates. They are coming. Life has been busy and . . . eventful. I will get to it, I swear.

In the mean time, enjoy this hilarious video about the lovely I-Phone! :)

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Toblerone Revisited

2008-09-16T00:10:00.002-06:00

One of my assignments was to find three great examples of art direction, these could include examples of great packaging. I already had two great examples in the bag, so I just figured I could easily find something in the school library on the way to class. Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, that did not work out and I was hustling to class with a pretty lame third example in my camera.

Because "the city is our campus" (read: the Academy has a proliferation of buildings scattered about the city rather than one central locus), I passed a convenience store on the way to class. After weighing my options, I decided I could perhaps find an iconic piece of packaging in this way station purveyor of cheap goods and make it to class maybe only five minutes late.

After some frantic scanning, I settled on a bottle of Vitamin Water (I would rely on my silver tongue to pull me through on this one) and then I spotted it: a display of Toblerone Dark.

I smiled at the fond memories of BYU it ellicited. For those of you who knew me then, you may know that I always carried with me a bar of Toblerone. I used it the way most ravers use E. I relied on its dark, rich complex sweetness to intensify and enrich a moment of delight and transcendence, or in a time of fatigue or gloom I would use its transportive powers to lift my spirits.

Toblerone was my gateway to appreciating all gustatorial experiences dark and bitter.

I had to grab a bar. I thought perhaps I could expound on its iconic irregular shape and pleasing, dark-toned packaging.

I didn't use it for my presentation. But I did have two pieces in class and am now on my third.

It wasn't quite as magical as I remember, but you know what? I think it's still my favorite chocolate. It still has that wonderful smoothness with dark, earthy undertones, managing to be very sweet without being frivolous, getting to very essence of what chocolate is about without a bunch of milk fillers or wax or funny berry additives.

And give it the right space of quiet and appreciation and it can still transport you.