I Am Dynamite

Serious is Easy.

2008-10-20T21:32:00.001-07:00

Okay, it's official...I'm back in business.

7/11/08

2008-07-11T09:51:00.001-07:00

Pondering a resurrection.

Goodbye

2008-03-30T22:03:00.001-07:00

This weekend my family and I, along with about 500 of his friends, bid my grandfather Bill Merrifield a final farewell. No one could ask for a better example of the way to live life passionately and righteously. He was my beloved friend and a true world changer to whom my feeble words cannot pay worthy tribute.

I'll miss you, grandpa. When we meet again we will be brothers.

03/20/2008

2008-03-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today is a beautiful day. I shall pray that it stays that way.

(ps. everyone wish a happy birthday to Christiner!)

Do the Test

2008-03-16T08:51:00.001-07:00

Fantastic.

weird...

2008-03-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so, as you can see my visitor count to this blog usually remains pretty steady (though when I am regularly updating the site the visitor count is usually in the 20-30 view per day range instead of the single digits).

And then yesterday happened. 76 views? What the heck?

Was I being besieged by spam bots or something? Or perhaps was I an unexplainable internet phenomenon for 5 minutes?

Man. I hope so.

3/13/08

2008-03-13T22:16:00.001-07:00

My evening, including evidence of every liquid I've imbibed within the last 6 hours.

3/11/08

2008-03-11T22:16:00.000-07:00

Please feel free to join me in my new obsession.

3/9/08

2008-03-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

(I just wrote an entire entry about what I've been doing instead of blogging for the last month, but it was boring and useless so I deleted it. Here's a picture/picture I took today instead.)

2/2/08

2008-02-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

Pretty often I get headaches at night which interfere with my sleep. I wish I knew what caused this; I drink tons of water and rarely drink soft drinks or eat much sugar and have properly prescribed eye glasses, so I wonder if I have some sort of food allergy I'm not aware of. At times like this it seems like the only place I can fall asleep is the ratty old couch in my room, which is way too small to comfortable. I don't even know where it came from originally; a friend of mine had it in his college dorm room freshman year, and when he said something about throwing it out I grabbed it before he could. I expect it's probably at least a 4th or 5th hand piece of furniture. A lot of times I just strum my guitar until I am asleep enough to almost drop it, and then drop my head back for a few hours of raucous snoring. There's pretty much no way for me to sleep on that couch that doesn't involve having my nose pointed straight up to the ceiling and my mouth wide open, and apparently my roommate can hear me quite clearly from his room across the hall. Pretty often after a couple hours I'll wake myself up with a particularly big snort, and if my headache has subsided, I'll crawl up into my loft and go to sleep for real. It's weird how much comfort that couch has given me over the years. It's kind of like a home within itself.

A very dirty home, with lots of holes and stains all over it and very very saggy cushions.

Please...

2008-02-01T06:26:00.000-08:00

...watch this and then tell me it isn't one of the coolest things you've ever seen. This video ("Fully Flared") was directed by Spike Jonze for Lakai (of Art Dump fame) and took four years to complete. Perhaps because each skater had to be treated for broken bones and shrapnel removal between each take. Just a theory.

Erik Mongrain (is Ridiculous)

2008-02-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

Charlie Bit Me!

2008-01-23T18:28:00.001-08:00

Christina sent this to me at work, where I promptly embarrassed myself by laughing raucously.

"OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.....ch!" "OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.....ch!"

Wed Site

2008-01-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Well, progress is being made; www.justinandchristina.net is now live.

Kind of.

Well, not really at all, actually.

:(

2008-01-16T23:00:00.001-08:00

I am working too hard these days to have time to blog, and that makes me sad...I have all sorts of interesting things to say.

Feltron's 2007 Annual Report

2008-01-14T18:45:00.000-08:00

Looks like Feltron has released his 2007 Annual Report for our enjoyment. I love these things.

Open Season

2008-01-09T10:54:00.001-08:00

I like this article about Obama's campaign branding.

(Though if I were the designer I might consider running a spell check or something from time to time...)

...

2008-01-05T16:30:00.000-08:00

Wow. This would be crazy.

The Sun Has Risen

2008-01-01T12:21:00.001-08:00

Best wishes to everyone for this fresh new year.

Let's make it a good one, shall we?

Christmas Cousins are Fun

2007-12-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

New.

2007-12-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

"Complaining is silly. Either act or forget."
~Stefan Sagmeister

As the new year dawns, the traditional time for self-reinvention draws near. The idea that is so simply framed by Sagmeister pretty much sums up my own determined stance as I proceed into what will possibly be the most unknown, transitional and exciting year of my life yet. I have high hopes, both for myself and for those I may encounter in my journeys. Perhaps this quote could be expanded to express "good intentions are silly," as I know it's my own tendency to see places where I could be useful and mark them on a "get to later" list instead of just reaching out immediately. But I suppose that's the curse of this segmented society, where we go to work all day and then desire leisure when we get home. A bit of "down time." We deserve it though, right?

It's time to make a mark or two, I think.

25th

2007-12-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

I bid everyone a wonderful Christmas. Don't forget to enjoy your fellow humans!

I fully intend on basking in that pleasure myself.

A Late Night Haiku

2007-12-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

Should be in my bed,

But due dates are looming soon,

My eyes are blurry.

I Crave Burger.

2007-11-27T18:53:00.000-08:00

A couple of quick notes:

-If you have anything to do with (or even just a general interest of) web development, please do yourself a favor and check out Firebug for Firefox. It's a free plugin that allows you to view all code (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc.) on any webpage that you desire in a very easy to understand way. It also checks the code for errors and allows you to muss about with slight edits, which is very helpful when you're doing a bit of light finishing on your own sites. I bet everyone in the world already knew about this thing except for me.

-I have been enjoying the "Not Quite Art" video podcasts (the first two, at least. They're longer than I usually like to spend watching videos on my computer.) They're a pretty general perusal of the contemporary art/non-art culture, kind of fun to watch especially because it deals pretty heavily with locations outside the U.S. The info covered is probably not anything new to anyone who keeps semi-up-to-date with art these days, but the podcast is still probably "Not Quite a Waste of Time." Eh? EH?

Yeah...that didn't work too well.

Winter.

2007-11-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight-

I stood on my porch in a chilly November rain,
and smoked a cigar in memory of old friends.

Mmm, coffee...

2007-11-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's finally cold enough for me to justify using huge Christmas mugs, which makes me a very happy (and highly caffeinated) man.

I Know.

2007-11-18T17:12:00.001-08:00

Yes, my poor blog is in a state of semi-ugliness. I'll fix it later. Don't fret.

Yeah, okay.

2007-11-13T20:49:00.000-08:00

Well...hello. I must confess that my plans to take a break from posting and dive into a redesign have fallen miserably to pieces as of late, as my time has been consumed with freelance work and maintaining a somewhat normal away-from-the-computer lifestyle. The redesign will happen though, promise. To myself, mostly. I've decided to wrap up the round of freelance projects that I am currently finishing up and then take a break for a while from pure commerce to work on projects that I feel will further my creative spirit and social relevance. Next month along with a few smaller projects I start work on the Double-A Pictures website, which is the production company started by Austin and Anton whom some of you know. I am thinking that this site will be rather swell when complete if all goes according to my plan. I also plan on getting down to some serious photography and midi-sampling action in the coming weeks. Am I excited? Yes. Also, you might have noticed that I am not participating in Whiskerino after all this year. It is a long and complex story which describes the downfall of my hopes on registration day (mostly glitches with the site) but I emerged from it pleased that in the end I didn't have to shear my face after all. And now my beard shall grow wild and free for yet a bit longer, and those who behold me shall continue to gaze in awe at my hairy countenance. A couple of other interesting tidbits:

-The staff page at work has been updated to include my bio and photo, which confirms once again that I have a severe disability when it comes to being photographed well. What the heck is up with my face?

-Lately I have been listening non-stop to Tycho and 1 Mile North. Check them both out if you have yet to do so.

-Layer Tennis has been especially good lately. A pleasant bout every Friday afternoon.

-I'm in a calendar. I think you should buy 3.

A Note:

2007-11-01T06:57:00.001-07:00

As you might have (or, more likely, might not have) noticed my blogging has slowly drifted away into non-existence, as I have just started a new full-time gig and any free time I manage to snatch is engulfed in a myriad of other personal projects. So, I'm going to take a break for a while, as I slowly make progress on an I Am Dynamite redesign and server relocation. Stay tuned for updates (hopefully in the next month or two.) For now keep track of me at Whiskerino.org, starting sometime tonight. My face becomes nude when I get home from work.

Peace out.

Tabloids + iPhone

2007-10-27T15:18:00.001-07:00

Heh heh...awesome.

Matchbox Fair Day

2007-10-19T14:20:00.001-07:00

Fair Day is fuuuuuun.

First Watch This...

2007-10-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Then read this.

via Blankenship.

Finally...

2007-10-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's about time, seriously.

5 Albums I've Totally Been Digging Lately

2007-10-16T06:56:00.000-07:00

Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Radiohead - In Rainbows

Radical Face - Ghost

The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism

Hurt

2007-10-15T15:17:00.001-07:00

This made me laugh too loudly at work.

2007-10-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Awesome. Totally awesome.

Almost Done

2007-10-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

Lately (as in, the past couple of months) the search for full-time employment has taken over my life, and thus my blogging time has been pretty much nil. However, it appears that this transitional period shall soon draw to a close, just in time to start training for Whiskerino 2007. Seems like as good a time as any to get down with the internetz again.

You heard me right. Internetz.

In Rainbows

2007-10-04T06:47:00.000-07:00

Kitsune Noir is counting down the days until the highly anticipated new Radiohead release "In Rainbows" (the album which you can purchase for any amount that you please, I'm sure you've read about it) by creating a new desktop wallpaper every day from yesterday until next Wednesday when the album is released. Each new wallpaper commemorates a past Radiohead release, and they're pretty darn cool. I'm definitely changing my wallpaper every day this week, something I NEVER do. I'm pretty sure I only changed my wallpaper twice during my entire college career.

But now my love of Radiohead has changed all that...

.

2007-10-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Something to keep in mind.

TGIF

2007-09-28T08:54:00.001-07:00

I find it frustatrating that I am so full of possibly grand ideas (or at the very least cool ones,) and at the same time so devoid of time or motivation to make them happen. This employment from 8:00am-8:00pm thing is not working for me.
Anyone want to give me a grant?

A Culinary Delight

2007-09-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

ewwwww...

It's Happy Weekend Time.

2007-09-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

I really can't explain why that makes me laugh so much every time I watch it.

via Blankenship.

Oops.

2007-09-17T21:44:00.001-07:00

Now look what you did.

Interesting.

2007-09-15T19:58:00.001-07:00

Today, when I was getting gas, a young fellow hailed me from his car. He asked if I wanted a $3000 entertainment system, and said he had one in the back of his car he was giving away. Apparently at the bidding of his "manager."

I wonder what would've happened if I had taken it.

A Dream Come True

2007-09-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

Oh man...I am totally on-board with this.

Old School

2007-09-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Heh...for some reason I enjoyed reading this article. I totally remember when those machines came out.

mmm tasty.

2007-09-10T22:25:00.000-07:00

I just got my new Pentax. More fun good photo times to come!

Another Cool Design Site

2007-09-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Check out HellohiKimori.

Of Interest

2007-09-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Some interesting bits I have encountered recently:

The Junky Car Club- I encountered this organization on VIRB a few weeks ago, and promptly joined. It's founded on the principle that perhaps ardent consumerism is not the way to go, and maybe spending $400 a month over the course of multiple years to pay off something as semi-trivial as a car is perhaps not the best way to disperse one's hard-earned cash. They are affiliated with Compassion International, which is a children's aid organization (a sponsor-a-kid club.) They are currently in the midst of putting together a calendar which features some of the club members along with their sweet rides, and since my ride is the sweetest of all I was asked to participate. The calendar will be sold as a fundraiser for CI. See my submission here. I like this kind of stuff.

The Serif- I'm probably waaay behind in finding out about this resource, but in the couple of weeks I've been going to this site I have discovered a ton of great design sites and been exposed to a lot of excellent work. The sites they showcase pretty much all lean towards the 'New Swiss' and European styles that are all the rage now, but that's cool. I like those.

Cool Hunting Video- I actually download this video podcast which gives you higher-res videos to view than the site does. Watching two or three of these has become my new lunch break routine. They are kind of like little mini-vacations.

Radio Lab (podcast)- An WNYC broadcast that explores various scientific and philosophical topics in as much depth as you can in an hour. If you don't already listen to this, you should.

New Stuff

2007-08-29T21:54:00.000-07:00

Well, the deed is done. My new Pentax K100D is on the way.

Also, I just threw a new splash page on my website. I haven't really started the redesign yet, but i think I'm going to go a totally different direction than I've gone before. So, check back there in maybe...two years.

A New SLR on the Horizon

2007-08-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

But man...I don't know whether to buy this or this.

Addendum

2007-08-24T12:31:00.001-07:00

Now that I have these copious amounts of music downloads at my disposal (80 left for this month) I am at a loss what to purchase. I have a special page in my Moleskine dedicated to nothing but lists of albums I would like to buy and artists I want to check out, but for some reason it's no help to me today. I need suggestions! What's the best album you've heard recently that is worth checking out?

Anyone?

A Milestone of Sorts

2007-08-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

That image to the left, my friends, is homage to to fact that I just reached the "10,000 tracks played" mark on Last.fm. For some reason I find that kind of special.
Also, after much deliberation I finally signed up with eMusic.com so that I can take advantage of their 75 music downloads per month for a $20 subscription fee. I've realized that I spend waaaay more than 20 bucks a month on music, and since I have entirely ceased downloading music (shall we say..."under the radar?") my wallet could use a bit of a break. And yet...I am constantly in need of fresh new tunes. I suppose that's the problem with having headphones attached to my head 9 hours a day; new albums get old pretty darn fast. Except for Radical Face. Actually, I've pretty much been listening exclusively to spoken podcasts for the last couple of weeks, and now those are getting kind of stale as well. What's a man to do? Abandon the search for meaningful and growingly expensive entertainment to listen to the hum of my computer while I ponder the silence?

Um. I don't think so. Anyone have any audiobooks they can lend me?

I Believe that This is Going to be Very Important

2007-08-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

Heima.

One for the History Books

2007-08-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

This guy is destined for the Nerd/Awesome Hall of Fame.

Nice. I hope he doesn't get cancer from all those CRT displays.

A Dismal Possibility

2007-08-17T14:11:00.001-07:00

I keep finding moustache hairs sprinkled about my desk. While slightly gross in itself (for others, as i personally am not put off much by a bit of my own whiskers) the possibility that I may be developing a case of "upper-lip baldness" haunts me. I don't know if there's even such a thing, but I'm sure the thought of such a possibility will continue to wander the lonely passages of my dreams...or nightmares...for many nights to come.

Or maybe just until I stop procrastinating on this website and get back to work.

Devoid of Yesterday

2007-08-17T07:45:00.001-07:00

This is so cool.

This is Nifty

2007-08-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

Found via Joshua Blankenship.

A New Toy

2007-08-09T11:49:00.001-07:00

My very awesome Little Tuna gave me a small, simple video camera (1 hour of built-in video time, runs on AA batteries, etc.) last night as an engagement present, so soon perhaps you shall be seeing my hairy face and hearing my higher-than-you-probably-think voice on this very page with a certain regularity.

...Yeah, stop making that face. No one's making you come here.

No Internet

2007-08-08T07:47:00.001-07:00

I'm afraid that my capacity for blogging has been severely limited by the lack of internet in my new apartment. Hopefully that will be remedied soon, as traditionaly it is extremely inconvenient for a freelancer not to be able to email stuff from home. Or from school, if he has graduated and therefore been kicked off the school network as soon as possible. Or from his favorite coffee shop, which is closed for unexplained reasons, as the case was last night. Thanks goodness for friends who live close and have open wireless connections.

Egad. What trials and tribulations I have gone through this week for the sake of ultimately trivial communication.

A Couple of Interesting Points

2007-08-06T06:04:00.001-07:00

point 1: I just moved into some sweet new digs this weekend, and once it is set up according to my fancy I shall post some pics.

point 2: After months of training, the ends of my moustache are finally starting to curl quite naturally without any coaxing. I think I shall now begin to work on the "double handlebar," which really needs to be seen to be believed. Maybe look it up on Wikipedia or something.

My Ears Need New Food

2007-08-03T09:45:00.001-07:00

I need suggestions for new podcasts to listen to. Perhaps something that isn't NPR programming, as I already have a podcast list chock full of splendid public radio broadcasts. I love the stuff, but these days am frequently in the mood for something "other than."

Help?

The End.

2007-08-02T21:25:00.001-07:00

For the past few weeks, my trusty iPod (on its second battery, not including an initial AppleCare battery replacement) has again shown signs of aging, mostly by lasting only 15 minutes on a fully-charged battery before dying with a soft sigh of the hard drive. So, this evening I hoped to prolong its life a wee bit longer until I can afford an iPhone (if I still even want one by the time that day comes) by replacing the battery yet one more time. I carefully pried open the massive metal casing and replaced the battery as best I knew how, and then plugged it into the wall to charge. Now, an hour later, it keeps turning on and off rapidly, harddrive whirring and backlight flashing, and even after two resets insists on not powering off. At all.
So, after well over three years of dutiful service, I think it might be time to retire Wild Animus the 30 gig iPod, who has been my friend through thick and thin, through study sessions and roadtrips, through train and bus commutes galore, and place this aged unit on a shelf of retirement. It shall sit there with all the pomp and circumstance that a little box with a harddrive in it possibly can.

So...I guess I'm in the market for a new iPod.

Perhaps I shall name it...Junior.

An Observation or Two

2007-07-31T16:14:00.001-07:00

Notes to self:

Sometimes, when designing a website or perhaps even a brochure, sometimes, just sometimes, it is permissable to use something besides flat colors. And sometimes, just sometimes, it makes sense not to sequester your type into nice little white or colored horizontal boxes but instead to let it roam free, perhaps using more than two different typefaces in various point sizes, on top of an image or perhaps even a texture, a texture which does not necessarily even have to have anything to do with the type under which the texture lies! Remember that sometimes, just sometimes, textures are appropriate simply because they look nice. And sometimes, just sometimes, the aforementioned typefaces that are now cascading freely across the page do not need to be part of the Helvetica, Bodoni, or even your beloved Lubalin family of typefaces. Sometimes, perhaps, it is even appropriate to use a typeface created by House Industries, even though these same typefaces usually make you shake your head in befuddled confusion.

So, Self, remember that sometimes devices such as these are appropriate, and should be considered in their turn.

Just sometimes.

Naturally

2007-07-25T20:59:00.001-07:00

Sure enough, it took me a solid 2 hours to get home from work today.

Egad.

oops

2007-07-25T08:37:00.001-07:00

What a mess.
It is not going to be fun getting home today...

A new/old trend

2007-07-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

I remember when I first started buying Moleskine notebooks about 2 1/2 years ago how afraid I was at the time that I would fall in love with them only to soon find that they had gone out of business. They seemed just a little too "niche" and pricey to me to really succeed in this day in age, no matter how many Picasso had purchased back in the day. After all, why would the average joe shopping at Barnes and Noble drop 15 bucks on a little gridded notebook that on the inside was remarkably similar to other, cheaper gridded notebooks that were sold only a shelf or two away? So, I started stocking up, just in case. Now I have shelf full of empty Moleskines in various sizes, and after all that I'm finally convinced that they're here to stay. At least for a bit longer. I mean, just check out all the Moleskines.

Sweet.

glance

2007-07-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Just a quick heads-up to everyone that a new Yewknee.com redesign has launched today.

Yurrah!

A Serious Problem

2007-07-23T07:31:00.001-07:00

I really need to get some headphones that don't make me feel like I have my head in a vise 8 hours a day. Right now I have a pair of those Sony stereo headphones with huge cones and a 10 foot cord, and while the sound quality is great, I usually end the day with a splitting headache. This comes from either the headphones driving my glasses into my skull or from taking the glasses OFF for a couple hours at a time to avoid the pain, which then results in serious blindness and eye strain. Also, I think I'm getting some sort of elbow malady from having my arms bent at a right angle for most of my waking hours so as to type effectively on a keyboard.

And they say desk jobs are safe.

New Stuff

2007-07-22T18:32:00.000-07:00

There are two exciting new acquisitions that have come my way this weekend...

Number 1:

On VHS, from Christina. The only acceptable medium for these three films, I think you would agree. Eh?

and, Number 2:

I shall never again be without a delicious breakfast. Ever.

I would not want to meet this kid in a dark alley.

2007-07-19T21:42:00.000-07:00

via swyphs.

My Wednesday afternoon view

2007-07-18T11:58:00.001-07:00

tragedy!

2007-07-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

the wonders of technology

2007-07-16T09:47:00.000-07:00

Well, apparently burglars now have a new trade secret, and it's called google.com.

new tunes

2007-07-13T14:11:00.001-07:00

It will not surprise me at all if my immediate future is totally consumed with listening to Radical Face for multiple hours on end. Not only does this band/individual have the best name ever, but the music is pretty darn enjoyable as well. Nothing too ground-breaking, but definitely good and an easy choice for long-term tracking.

I think the Rain is finally gone.

2007-07-08T20:59:00.000-07:00

i wish...

2007-07-08T20:45:00.000-07:00

I wish that words would flow like a river from my heart onto a page. I find that my longing to be candid is matched only by my complete revulsion at the thought of doing so.

I find that all of my deepest thinking lately has happened during my long commutes to and from work. I think the monotony of these trips sparks in me something of the profound. If only my musings and ruminations wouldn't flee quite as quickly when I got back to the comfort of home. I think they are afraid of the stillness and quiet.

So it goes, right?

A Distant Memory

2007-07-06T06:37:00.001-07:00

I'm starting to forget what it's like not to drive to work in the rain.

news

2007-07-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

just in case you haven't gotten the news yet through more personal channels...

i am now an engaged man.

cool, huh?

new AP show

2007-06-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Tonight a new show opens over at The Public Trust (formerly the Art Prostitute Gallery,) this one featuring the work of Bask and Tes One. These dudes have really unique, textural work that is really worth seeing in person, so be sure that you make it to this show if you can. Tes One's stencil work is especially amazing; the detail pretty much blows my mind.

No Direction Home

2007-06-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching the first half of No Direction Home, Martin Scorsese's documentary of Bob Dylan, and it is great. Tons of great footage and extremely absorbing commentary. I really don't have much to say beyond that, except to make sure you check it out. Also, plan on carving out a good chunk of time to watch it, since it clocks in at 204 minutes of running time. Totally worth it.

shuffleboard

2007-06-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

This game is just a bit too fun for its own good.

word.

2007-06-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit distressing to me how scarce my updates have been lately; of course this has been due mostly to new life as a 40 (or heck, 50) hour a week employee. Also, as time has passed, I have started to feel rather overwhelmed with the sheer volume of material that has transpired in the last few weeks with which this blog could easily be filled.

egad.

so, since it is within 7 hours of the time that I will need to arise once again for work, I shall hit 6 points of interest for the last two weeks and count myself as caught up:

1. I have coded two-and-a-half full websites at work and am working on another. I have learned more about HTML in the last 21 days than I did in all of college.

2. I have changed two flats on my car, one in the rain and one in the scorching heat.

3. On that note, I have put approximately 1280 miles on The Rabbit since the end of May.

4. I have listened to about 12 episodes of This American Life and my Last.fm tracking is at a record high.

5. Christina and I are in the midst of starting our new Zine project, which promises to be splendid indeed.

6. Finally, I have watched all 3 Die Hard movies (which I own on VHS, no less) in preparation for Die Hard 4 (coming soon to a theater near you!)

In conclusion I thought I'd post some drawrings that I did of Jeff and Chris from work, who kindly helped my fix my first flat tire of last week.

(I need to stop updating this blog at night. My brain is sluggish and I feel a bit bland and dim-witted at best.)

Bed time. Adios.

MASH

2007-06-11T20:38:00.001-07:00

I really want to see this film. I also really want to build a fixed-gear bike.

an update of sorts

2007-06-07T20:43:00.001-07:00

I really promise I'll update soon (the weekend is looming once again) but for now I'll leave you with this video of a turtle bullying a house cat.

found via swyphs.

done...

2007-06-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

Full time employment, while quite enjoyable, makes me relish the thought of sleeping in on Saturday.

...and so, that is what I shall do.

Look what I got...

2007-05-27T22:39:00.001-07:00

So far it seems to be pretty amazing. The first serious upgrade the Adobe products have had in quite some time seems like a definite step-up in all respects.

Also, I just walked out to my car to find a note stuck under my windshield wiper that simply states "I buy you car." It does in fact say you instead of the more popular your. Underneath is scrawled a nearly illegible group of digits that I assume is probably a phone number. Does anyone else ever find car buying proposals under their windshield wipers late at night? By my count, I've had at least five in the last couple of years. I guess everyone wants a 1982 Volkswagen pickup with a whopping 48 horsepower diesel engine.

But seriously...who wouldn't?

L.B.

2007-05-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."

~Leonard Bernstein

podcast

2007-05-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I recently started downloading the This American Life podcasts. Good stuff, especially for long morning walks.

argh

2007-05-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

I hate moving.

That's really all I have to say these days.

ReadyMechs

2007-05-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

Now that I am done with school forever and have a bit more time on my hands than I am used to (at least for the next couple of weeks) I think I shall build myself some ReadyMechs. Now, if only I can decide which one to make first...

must get organized

2007-05-09T00:49:00.000-07:00

My life is, frankly, getting a bit out of hand.

note

2007-05-07T22:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of things:

First of all, Paige over at Flux-Rad has dropped a new mix which everyone should go download. I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet but I'm sure it's nothing short of tender deliciousness.

Also, I thought that I would mark the importance of this day (Tuesday, May 8) as it is on this day that I must turn in my final graphic design portfolio for evaluation before I walk the stage on Saturday. I have gathered every worthy scrap of work that I have done in the last three years and it has been quite a sentimental process to dig through all my old projects and see the progress and failures that I have accomplished in such a short amount of time. All that work, all those hours of sweat and tears, sleepless nights and endless weekends, and somehow it all fits on a single CD. Amazing.

In honor of the occasion I thought I would post a video that I shot in our graphic design lab last spring, on a night that I will always fondly recall. I lifted the title of the video from a Creative Summit conference a few years ago, but I prefer my own use of the phrase to the original. I think that if you watch the video closely enough you can learn a lot about the nine of us (plus a couple of special guests in the video) that have worked so closely together these last four years in that tiny little computer lab on the second floor of a forgotten building. I shall always smile when I think of these days and my friends with whom I have shared them.

Enjoy.

a bit of a downpour

2007-05-03T09:43:00.000-07:00

Last night was quite an adventure in Fort Worth, as the heavens had their way with us last night. The storm that came through dumped 5+ inches of rain an hour on us for a while and I was without electricity for a few hours. Christina's apartment got lightly flooded, though thankfully nothing irreplaceable or terribly expensive got damaged. Since I was without electricity and therefore couldn't work I spent my time chilling with my hamster Bruce Lee and taking some photos. I also shot the short clip below out of my back door during the worst part of the storm.

It was rather monsoon-ish there for a while.

Green Mountain

2007-05-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

does anyone know anything about Green Mountain energy? As an environmentally conscious person who will soon be relocating this seems like as good a time as any to look into more sustainable energy options for my own home. Does anyone have experience with Green Mountain or have any other leads in that arena for the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

Also, I just got my new owl shirt in the mail from Mackle over at Yewknee.

It's gangs of fun, especially since it glows in the dark. How cool is that, seriously?

done

2007-04-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

...and just like that, it's over. The senior show opening was a resounding success, and now I am pooped.

I'll post some pics soon.

finally

2007-04-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

My new site is officially live.

Let me know what you think or if you have any problems.

a little known creature

2007-04-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

I just drew this squid:

I've been watching a show about squids on the Discovery Channel,
and effectively developed a new phobia. Wonderful.

benchmark

2007-04-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

Last night Crooked Fingers officially surpassed the Album Leaf as my most-played artist on Last.fm for the time being. The amazing part is that up to this point I have only owned one Crooked Fingers album, Dignity and Shame. Needless to say I just bought another CF album (Red Devil Dawn) on iTunes since apparently I really dig this dude's music. Who knew?

a nice day

2007-04-25T15:06:00.000-07:00

It seems like big news on the blog circuit today is the new site for Spitzer Photography. There's a lot of great images for sure, with a nice interface. Ironically, an interface vaguely similar to the one that I am currently working with for my own portfolio site (which should be complete and up by the end of the weekend, if all goes according to plan.)

Today is a beautiful day in North Texas; after some serious thunderstorm action last night, the weather has turned quite pleasant. It's great walking weather outside. The sun is shining and the humidity has temporarily vanished, which is a rare event indeed. Oddly, on these undeniably beautiful spring days I find myself really craving some nice bouncy ska music. Does anyone else crave light hearted, horn-laden music on beautiful days? Does anyone else wish they hadn't discarded their checkered ties and worn-out high top chucks? Does anyone else wish that their wallet chain hadn't fallen into the engine of their car and been torn link from link sometime in late highschool? Does anyone else miss that somewhat questionable first mohawk and the early attempts at whispy sideburns?

Probably not.

Now I feel embarrassed. I think I'll go get a haircut or something.