Sunday, April 23, 2006

NAB 2006

This week I'm off to the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in Las Vegas, baby! Some guys and I from the church will spend five days seeing what's causing all the latest buzz in the industry. We've got tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's new show, "KA" which I've heard in unbelieveable. And I might just have to try my luck on the nickle slots...we'll see.

I'll see ya when I get back!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

when walls attack

I'm starting to think that my wife and I aren't like most other "normal" couples. For starters, whenever we go into a store, we put lots of items into our cart, but end up talking ourselves out of buying everything by the time it's time to leave. We shop big, but hardly ever buy big...but that's another blog for another day. We don't fight over finances or money...our most passionate arguments are about paint swatches and home accessories :-/

Those of you who know us, know that we love to decorate. I'll admit it. I love to decorate. One of the coolest jobs I ever had was working in the visual department at Nordstrom. It was awesome. I'm a very visual and creative person, so naturally I want to convey that in my (now our) living space. But Colleen likes to decorate too, and being a wife she feels it's a reflection on her when things don't look good. She wants to be able to take pride in our home. So we both have a lot at stake here: my "reputation" (for lack of a better word) of being an artist and a visual guy, and Colleen being a wife and homemaker. It's very rare that we see things eye to eye at first. We may not both get exactly what we originally wanted, but the end result is a cullmination of two minds that have a far greater outcome than just one of us...except this time.

Our current them for the house is "Country Farmhouse" or "Country Chic". (Yes, it's ok to say, "Chic"...it doesn't mean you're gay--in fact this style is actually very manly. Lots of rustic appeal and destressed woods and metal, lanterns-that sort of thing) So Colleen wanted to paint a checker board in the kitchen. I added that it would be cool to have it on a 45 degree angle to break it up some. She was a little hesitant. "We could also crackle it to make it look old and aged." There was hesitation.

After a lot of talk back and forth about it, we decided to do it. It's only paint, right? So I found the 45 degree angle to work off of and we meausured out that we wanted 12" squares. Somehow our math was off (surprise!) and we ended up with 8.5" squares...that's a lot of squares. Our friends Matt and Sarah came over and suggested that we combine 9 little squares to make one big square. So we did. The end result looked like the circus was in our kitchen. Each square ended up being 25"...pretty huge for such a small wall.

So it's back to the drawing board. We have found that when we both feel right about something that it's a win. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

pure imagination

This is the music video for Glosoli from Sigur Ros' new album, Takk. It captures the pure magic and imagination of childhood--something that doesn't seem to last long enough. The cinematography, imagery, and scenery are amazing. Watch it. I know you'll love it.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Smokin' Titles

I saw this on the internet and was immediately intrigued. I haven't seen the movie, but the opening titles to "Thank You for Smoking" are stellar. Made to look like old cigarette boxes, these titles use all sorts of cool fonts and motion graphics. Check it out.

Monday, April 10, 2006

what's in a blog?

It seems to me that blogs are a lot like a popularity contest. Granted, it's what you write and talk about, but I think it's also who you are. For instance, some blogs are popular because they are written by someone who is popular, or famous. It doesn't have to have a lot of meat, or social contribution, but if someone like Paris Hilton had a blog, I'm sure it would be popular only because SHE is popular. Who wouldn't want to read the everyday meanderings of someone they really like or dislike? Whether it's a rock star, or celebrity, people want a chance to feel a "personal" connection with whomever it is that's blogging.

Then there are the other people who aren't quite as famous. For them, it's what they write and how often they write it. People don't want news stories; they can read cnn.com for themselves. They want to read first-hand accounts. A personal narrative about whatever it is that you blog about whether it's commentary on the fine art of quilting and cross stitching, or tips and techniques on how to de-worm orphans in Africa--whatever it is, people want to read what YOU have to say. How does a story or current event impact you? What are your thoughts?

So what do I have to say? Apparently, not much in the last few weeks and for that I apologize. It's become my personal goal to try and change that--to make things a little more interesting.

So be on the look out. The winds of change are blowing.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Mac OS XP

Somebody call hell…I think it just froze over.

Apple announced yesterday that it will now allow Windows XP to run on Mac’s OS (operating system). Windows just got a little cooler.

Granted, I’m a little skeptical about it all. I do see the benefit of it, but it’s just so bizarre to me that you can run Windows on a Mac. Although it’s probably the safest way to use Windows. Mac is a much more stable platform.

What I don’t like is people are buying Macs now because they can use Windows. The Mac OS is “too hard to learn” (B.S.—It’s MUCH more efficient than Windows), or “is too different from that of a Mac.” Hello?! It’s a different machine with a completely different audience…until now.

I just hope that Mac stays true to itself and doesn’t sell out. Thoughts?

Monday, April 03, 2006

Adam Frank's LUMEN


It's all about bring the outdoors in and designer Adam Frank’s oil lamp shadow projectors do just that. From magnolia and cedar trees to flocks of birds and open flames, Lumen Designs brighten up dark spaces with a touch of the great outdoors. Lumen throws a soft shadow on the wall when lit. As the flame flickers the shadow moves about organically.