Holiday Havoc

We wake up at a normal hour to finish packing prior to our 12:30 flight. It's hectic (of course) but all gets done. We hit the road with little issue. Little to no traffic lets us cruise to airport in record time. A mile and a half from the airport a sound rings clear from the front of the vehicle. We have a blowout. Thank god for the Benz, we don't even swerve. I pull over to inspect the damage - front tire has a triangle shaped piece torn from the inside of the wheel. The wife and I rush as quickly as possible to change the tire. See, I haven't change a tire on the Benz before - and didn't we just buy 4 new tires last year!? So I read the instructions in the manual and start the process. One little problem: according to the road side assistance lady...

"...once you remove the 6 lug nuts the tire should come right off...nothing else is holding it in place...you might run into the fact that they rust sometimes...tap gently to loosen it..."

Right, so after I've used every profanity known to man, beaten my expensive rim into a nasty condition, my tire is still stuck to the car. I'm pulling, yanking, and still nothing. Nothing till I notice that the threads and the opening aren't aligned. I twist the tire back and forth till it comes loose. We slap the spare on, drive no more then 50mph to the airport, and make it with enough time to eat lunch. Also, when we pull into the parking lot waiting for us is a luggage cart - someone was looking out for us.

Needless to say we finally made it to our destination (even if Southwest lost our car seats) with a borrowed set of car seats for the little ones.

Happy Holidays everyone.

Things I'm reading | and want to keep reading

Interview with Mike MoranMike Moran's BLOG
Avinash Kaushik's post on Podcasts
Reading more about StatCounter & ClickTracks

Analytics :: The Choice is Yours

Great article on what I believe are the core "first" steps in appropriate analytic implementation (after all, you have to have some kind of data, even if it's wrong - as long as you figure out that it is in fact wrong to get you to a place with good data - which isn't to say alter the data to make it good - just read the article, I'm working myself into a loop).

Lego Star Wars | XBOX

The boy and I have been playing The Incredibles for some time now. We're at a part that neither of us can get past (the stupid Volcano part with the robot - can't seem to figure out the sequence to beat the bastard). So while shopping tonight for our holiday donation gifts I went over to check out the XBOX games on sale (not 360, just good-old regular XBOX). I wasn't really looking for something the both of us could play, but I came across Lego Star Wars. Now, I'd just rented Black and had officially determined my level of game play isn't what it used to be. I know I've always liked adventure games, and this one looks kind of cool, and it's a "Everyone" play rated, so I figured we'd try it out. And, it's a two player game (if desired).

Ok, so near 10pm, I turned it off and sent the boy to bed. I was still playing it after I sent him up. It's fun, challenging (in some parts), and the graphics are very cool. We'll see how far we get till we get stuck and move onto a new game.

Ms. Dewey | Live Search

What happens when you take Flash, merge it with a hot woman who has something to say about everything, and introduce search results powered by Microsoft Live Search? You get a slick search portal that kicks out results in a fun way: Ms. Dewey.

According to Wikipedia:

Developed by MRM and EVB, Ms. Dewey is a fully animated search assistant who audibly comments on searched keywords in her own style and makes random actions when idle, including taking props from behind her desk.

Technorati returns some interesting results other bloggers are writing about. From 24th Floor:

Ms Dewey’s real name is Janina Gavankar. It just came to my attention that Ms Dewey also played in a movie call Cup of My Blood.

And my personal favorite from WebProBLOG:

Before becoming the most attractive thing about MSN Search, Gavankar was pleasing crowds using another method - soft-core movies… you know, the ones you find on Cinemax during their late-night viewing schedule. According to Cutts’ post, Ms. Dewey appeared in a movie called Cup Of My Blood, and judging by the screencaps (NSFW) Gavankar is not a believer in the “no nudity” clause so many actresses include in their contracts nowadays.

So, happy searching. Just as a fun little bonus, type in Porsche 911 C4 - at 8:36am I was listed as result #3.

UrlTrends

UrlTrends A free service that allows you to view any URLs PageRank™, Alexa Rank, popular search terms, incoming links and more!

Back in 2007 | The most disturbing film in history (maybe)

Since having children there have been a number of films I find difficult to view. One of note is a popular one: Trainspotting. Specific to the child scene. I can't watch films that deal with children being harmed or abused in certain ways. A level of realism churns me to the point of unable to watch the scenes before me. Even important films that question the political or societal nature of past/present/future. Simply put, I just can't watch them.

I first realized this issue I have when we lived back east. Wife and kid were on a trip to the mid-west, and I was left to my own devices. I went to a speciality video store in the district and rented some Out Of Print (OOP) titles. Titles my wife would never be able to stomach. One of which was Salò. You might know of Salò as the most expensive OOP DVD ever (in some cases over $1000). For those that don't know what Salò is, I'll try my best:

Pier Paolo Pasolini
1975
(from the Criterion site)
A loose adaptation of the Marquis de Sade's The 120 Days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Salo is perhaps the most disturbing and disgusting film ever made. It is also one of the most important, offering a blistering critique of fascism and idealism that suggests moral redemption may be nothing but a myth.

Now, the part about "most important" got me interested. The "most disturbing" part had me intrigued. I've seen my share of exploitation films, hard core violent, out and out insane, so I figured I needed to see this film...20 minutes. I got though about 20 minutes before I had to turn it off. Disturbing doesn't come close. I still have images burned in my brain that I can't shake.

Why the recap? Where's the point? I just read this from DVDFile.com:

Criterion has supposedly had issues renewing licenses for the film from the Pasolini estate, but as posted on Criterion’s official site: “Have we been able to renew our rights [to Salò]? Well, here’s the answer you weren’t expecting. Yes. We’re working on a brand new HD transfer now. It’ll be a totally new release and be out in 2007.”

So the reason I've never re-visited Salò was due in part to the inability of finding it without spending a fortune. Now, that it's being re-released I'm toying with the idea of attempting to watch it all the way though. Maybe if I watch it with someone else it might allow for conversation though some of the harsher parts? I don't know. I haven't made up my mind yet.

So any of my friends out there that want to watch Salò with me?

I don't do needles

My parents tell me they made a choice when I was first born - give him really strong drugs that might weaken his teeth, or not give him really string drugs and let him die. I have this very early memory of my mom/dad/me spilling the medicine on my "blanky" and destroying it. Mom cut out a small piece for me to keep, but for the most part is was trashed.

Move ahead to many moons ago - I was eating a sandwich (ham, most likely) when I bit down on a *crunch* sensation. Gross, was my first thought. I fished out a white piece of something sharp. It was the front of my tooth. It has sheared off the front half. Needless to say, I called mom and told her we needed to call the dentist and fix this shit now!

Lets back track a little...I have the very fond memory of screaming in the dentists chair, as he was ripping out 1 of 4 teeth that session "I CAN STILL FEEL..." I had been injected into my gums the anesthetic that was SUPPOSE to numb me, but alas it did not. I know my mother heard me screaming from the waiting room (she was, after all, working for the good doc at the time). After it was all done, I swore I'd never take a needle in the gums again, no matter what.

slob? I floss. I Brush. I drink as ass load of soda. That might be one reason. So I head into the dentist this morning to have 2 taken care of. Seems the filling from the "sheared off tooth" incident was all So it turns out at the ripe age of 30 I have, what was it, 4 cavities! What I am, an unkemptfugly, and the one next to it needed to be taken care of as well. I ask the assistant:

Umm, do you plan on shooting me in the gums to numb me up?

Yes.

Right, I don't do that.

No anesthesia?

No, I don't do needles in the gum. You guys can give me a topical, but I don't do that...

So very nicely, she writes a note on a stikie and pastes it to my chart: NO SHOTS. As I'm talking to the assistant about holiday shopping, she looks away and has a brief conversation with the doc. "We're talking about you. That you don't do shots..."

So the doctor rolls over and looks at me perplexed "So, you don't do shots? Topical won't do anything, so if you won't do a shot, you'll feel it." I answer "I've had 4 teeth pulled with all feeling, I'll be ok." She looks at me "4 ADULT teeth pulled? You've had 4 ADULT teeth?" I say "Yup." NOW, they might have been adult, they might have been baby, but hell if I was going to have anyone stick a god-damn needle in my gums. So she starts in. Drills away. I focus on a spot. I'm more concerned about the congestion running down my throat preventing me from breathing 100% then I am with the pain.

The good doctor pauses, so I think, and looks at me "Wow, you're amazing. You didn't even flinch. 99.9% of the people I've seen couldn't do what you just did - and I've seen a lot. You're awesome. How do you do it?" I tell her that I've been fortunate enough to inherit a high tolerance for pain. My legacy spreads across the whole office. I can feel the vibe...ok, now I'm totally embellishing for the sake of ego.

So while I'm sitting there, waiting to have my teeth filled, I ask the assistant to help me take this picture. This is the before. This is when I had all my nerves exposed to the world...and I didn't even flinch. At one point I looked up and said "Dustin Hoffman's got nothing on me..." I'm not sure if they got it.

You try laughing when you can't swallow...

Real quick - holy crap! So the wife rented me Clerks II. I've (we've) been dying to see it. We're about 20 minutes into it and she needs popcorn. It's hilarious. Sad, simple, crude humor I live for. And I'm having a hard time truly appreciating it due to the simple fact that I can't F'ING swallow without serious discomfort!

Multi-Tasking

When I'm sick I hold up in the basement. Thanks to my new laptop I can do both work and watch an ass load of movies since I can't sleep when I can't swallow. When I was studying for my Fine Arts Degree (I switched to Advertising after two quarters) I did a project where I photographed exploitative films and used stills to wrap a series of judging emotions. I loved the slight blur and warm colors photographing the television produced.

I've recently switched the resolution on my camera to the lowest possible setting. I've starting shooting specifically for online display. While sick, and pouring over work emails, I looked up and became absorbed in a film my wife rented for me - Lucky Number Slevin. Great film. Highly recommended. This shot I grabbed on the fly. I held up the camera and clicked. I find it haunting. More questions surrounding it then provided.

Other films I've been watching while unable to sleep:
Alien Resurrection
The Constant Gardner
Superman Returns
Kingdom of Heaven
Lucky Number Slevin
Scoop bad
The Transformers Movie
The Bourne Supremacy
Multiple Futurama Episodes

Cocaine in a can you say?

I was diagnosed with Bronchitis yesterday afternoon, and this morning I'm having a little difficulty with swallowing - which makes it difficult to talk. I choose to sit out todays radio show which sucks because the topic was all about "drink marketing." SoftDrinks, EnergyDrinks, RegionalDrinks...you name it. I sent Rick a bunch of emails (none of which he responded to on the air), so I downed a hot cup of tea and called in. I had to mention my favorite marketing ploy to date concerning energy drinks: Cocaine Energy. Cocaine in a can. I know it's not politically correct. I know a lot of people are upset by it. From ABC News:

"It's just a bad idea and has all the same downsides of too much caffeine plus a very bad name," says Dr. Charles O'Brien a professor and vice chairman of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.

The drink touts 280 milligrams of caffeine. I remember when Jolt Cola was all the rage, and that has only 72mg of caffeine.

I might have to drive to Texas and get me some (it's not nationally available yet).

Allison asked me on the show what regional drinks I missed from the East Coast? Saranac Root Beer. Made by Saranac Brewery in upstate NY. They micro brew this amazing root beer. If you ever have the chance to try it, do!

Who says a 911 isn't a family car?

I think we survived Thanksgiving. 2 meals, turkey, ham, rolls, wine, beer, pies, cookies...good god there was an ass load of food. We started the day out at the country and ended it back here for a nice quiet evening of Chiefs football and, you guessed it, more food.

I let the wife have the day after off to spend with a friend. Black Friday.

Kids and I went to the gym, then to drive way too fast on twisty roads, then to the park, then to the lake, then back home for leftovers. Because I had them in the 911, I had to take a bunch of photos (see, I am that kind of dork), so I'll post them to my 89c4.com site later this weekend.

test

My Grandfathers Zeiss

I think it was while I was still in college when my grandfather gave me his Zeiss Icon. I didn't use it much while in school (I tested a roll or 2) because I was too busy in the studios. When I graduated, and became too busy shooting satellites, I was looking for something to spark the creative side. I broke out the Zeiss with a plan: keep it with me till I shoot an entire roll (12 shots on a roll of 120 Ilford Delta) then come home, process it in my basement darkroom, dry it, sleeve it, contact print it, develop it, dry it, scan it, crop it, and load it into a flash site I built - visualencounter.com.

I'm reminded of a lecture I heard where Ken White (I believe) was talking about the "disposable image" philosophy. As photographers (prior to digital becoming the standard) we shoot countless rolls of film. Thousands of frames. I know personally I'm happy when I could get 1 decent shot off a 36 exposure roll. I was going to school during the digital revolution. Now, as opposed to rolls and rolls of film, we had Megabites and Gigabytes full of images. Digital representations of film - to which we held sacred. Now, with the push of a button, we could shoot, check, keep or delete. Gone. Not a drop of chemicals used. Not a series of steps to preview a negative/positive, simply a click of a button. As photographers we had to come to grips with the concept of disposable images.

I came across visualencounter when I implemented recent tracking analytics to a number of my sites. It hit me that what took me hours to accomplish 6 years ago takes me 3 minutes now. I shoot a low resolution image on my Canon 20D, connect via USB to my wife's MacBook, make minor adjustments in iPhoto (sorry, i don't have PSCS2 on her Mac), and upload to my Blogger page. Instant "digital"darkroom. Instant gratification, not unlike Polaroid used to be for those that could afford it (I'm talking SX-70 days).

I collect these cameras to remind me of where photo has come from and where it's headed. I also just like old cameras. The simple truth that I can pick up any of these cameras today and find film for them, process them using chemicals I can get via mail order, and print them on silver based paper is amazing. The way things are headed, that simple truth will be a story I tell my kids when they ask "so, you used to soak paper in chemicals to get pictures??"

Sony Trade Up

I need to do this. I started the process last time and let it fade. I need to do this. Do this. DO IT TONIGHT FOOL!!

Chinese Dogs

From CBS News:

Touching off the demonstration were new restrictions that limit households to one dog and ban larger breeds. Police in recent days have gone through city neighborhoods, seizing unregistered dogs and beating some of them to death, witnesses said.

I heard about this on the drive into work on NPR. My favorite was the claim that the Chinese Government had gone and erased online positing, bloggings, and any references they could find.

I'm going to get Sammy a nice treat on the way home tonight. Talk about f'ed up.

How I am greeted when I return home

Seems when you turn a camera on my wife, she gets all "provocative" and stuff. It could just be me. Or, it could just be the camera. Or, it could just be the smell of sick kid and husband to drive that animal hunger alive. Or she could just be drunk (as she usually is by 10:30am).

Family Fun Day

Seems like we did a lot of stuff for a family of 2 sick kids (me being the other kid). The game was on, we actually ventured out for a walk, and at one point during the game C, K and T started building towers to see just how high they could build them. Kind of a cool shot here with the tower just starting to fall.

Bull Baby

So my son has taken to practicing shooting darts. We have a board in the basement. He can't shoot from the line yet (well, he can, but he hits my wall), so we have him at half distance. Last night, while I was zoning out feeling sorry for myself (still sick), he proclaims:

I hit a bulls eye! My first BULLS EYE!!

Needless to say, the pride I feel pales the endless knowledge he seems to absorb, the countless kind acts he performs, or the respect he has for both K and I - no, the proudest moment I can recall is that my son has hit his first bulls eye!

Back to sleep.

Damn Moles

This is what the moles have done to my front yard. I mean, come-on. I'm used to the tunnels, but a huge mound of dirt? Little f'ers!
And let's not forget the two huge mounds in my backyard! Man, it's all because of the freaking new development behind my house. Why the hell do I have the problem and not my neighbors!?
So I bought three. One for the front (shown) and 2 for the back. These better work or I'm pulling a Bill Murray from Caddyshack.
Seriously, it's not that I'm trying to be "safe" or I don't want them to die, I've been told this is THE way to get rid of them. We'll see. They cost $30 a pop!

Sick Sucks

I'm sitting here, on the couch in the basement half watching The Thing, half running reports, half answering work e-mails, half trying to get back to sleep, while hoping the rumbling in my stomach settles down from the chicken and rice soup I'm trying to keep down. I lied by the way; leaving all the sites alone to get a baseline - I couldn't help myself. I needed to add new content. It was driving me crazy.

I'm waiting on a package that should be here today - an electronic solution to move all the god-damn moles out of my yard into my neighbors. They've been destroying both the front and back. Little bastards.

I actually wrote out an XMAS list for my parents. As my wife puts it "what the hell are you, 5??"

Random stuff here people. My head is pounding, I have limited attention right now, and I think I finally have become tired enough to get some rest.

Google Analytics

I've just recently tagged all my relevant sites to begin testing varying seo initiatives. I'm going to leave all sites alone and get a base line for the second half of November (kind of a crappy month thanks to the potential 4 day weekend for Thanksgiving). I have additional content for 89c4.com, 66912.com, slant32.com, flawlessphoto.com that will need to wait to be updated first part of December. And I need to get off my ass and get southwestproject.com up and running. Lets not forget about the actual relevent client websites that will benefit from the research and testing - cause they will. You'll see...

Listen...you smell something?

ScentAir is a cool little Flash site. ScentAir has a cool little concept - bring custom scent experiences to retailers to help them sell more crap. I dig it. I want to have my shopping experience enhanced by the smell of gunpowder when buying my UZI. I'd also like that when I'm buying tobacco the store smells like, well, tobacco...but doesn't it already? You know, that might work for all the KC Bars and Restaurants: pump in the smell of cigarettes to make you feel at home, but not the second hand ill effects...will we start finding second hand smell is killing us faster then cigarette smoke?

Know your neighbors

So I'm up early the other morning (Wednesday, I believe) about to hop in the shower. From my bathroom window, I can see out to the rest of the streets (we live on a corner, so I can see 2 streets from my front lawn). I look out and see a person I don't recognize. Not a big deal, I don't know all my neighbors, so I don't think much of it...till it hits me - it's kind of cold for a walk, the person has a parka on with the hood up, and their not jogging but shuffling up the street. Then I get concerned when this person start talking to my house from across the street. Not at me, not at someone on my lawn, just the general direction of my home. Huh. So I continue to watch this person start looking into people's windows, looking into cars on the street, picking up things off the ground and putting them into their pocket...

I call the local police and report a suspicious person walking around my home. I give them my name, my address, and my phone number. I tell them I don't need an officer to come to my house, but that I would like a drive by to see what this person is doing.

My wife wakes up and listens to my conversation with the local police and looks outside. She sees the person. She turns to me and says "I bet that's *BLANK*'s mom...she's Bi-Polar, had issues with the police before, I bet that's her". Great. I just called the police on my neighbor.

Let's back up a little bit here. We have a young man by the name of *BLANK*. He roams the streets at all hours of the day and night. There is something wrong with this young man. He's had control issues, impulse issues, rage issues, and possibly some slight retardation. Nice enough, but annoying at times, and as a father who has witnessed him interacting with other kids in the neighborhood, I like him to keep his distance from my family. His mother, supposedly has her own problems. Alcohol, Bi-Polar, depression...so I have been told.

Last night, after my wife and I had a lovely evening out, while she is dropping off the babysitter, the doorbell rings. It's 9:45pm. I assume it my wife because the garage door opener must be broken. It's a little, almost confused woman who begins to introduce herself - "Hi, my name is *BLANK*. I live down the street. You have a lovely home. This is a nice neighborhood. What a beautiful daughter, what's her name? Have we met? My name is *BLANK*. I just wanted to introduce myself. I won't bother you again".

So, lets recap shall we: I see a "stranger". I call the police. My wife and I determine it might be *BLANK*'s mom from down the street. *BLANK* comes to my door to not mention a single THING about the cops, but to introduce herself. Even if I had known who she was, she was so bundled up I wouldn't have recognized her.

Crazy.

CCD

Let it be known that when asked "...and what are you thankful for Chloe...", my daughter responded:

"ummm...my daddy..."

Much to the horror of my lovely wife, I will forever remember this day as Daddy's Little Girl Day.

Carry on.

So, my headache could get me a bloody mouth?

From WashingtonPost.com:

"A major manufacturer of store-brand acetaminophen recalled 11 million bottles of the pain-relieving pills Thursday after discovering some were contaminated with metal fragments. There were no immediate reports of injuries or illness."

The article goes on to say:

"Consumers who swallow any of the contaminated pills could suffer minor stomach discomfort or possible cuts to the mouth and throat, the FDA said, adding that the risk of serious injury was remote. Anyone who suspects they have been injured should contact their doctor, the agency said."

So doc, I had this back ache, but you don't know the half of it - I take some over the counter pills and I start bleeding from my mouth! Should I be worried? Is this, dare I ask, a normal side effect that I just missed on the warning lable?

How the hell do you get "metal fragments" into your pills? What's next, feces in our burgers - of yeah, too late.

Dove | Evolution

The other video clip we talked about on todays show - the Dove Evolution spot. 1.7 MM views since it launch on YouTube.

Paxil | YouTube

I talked about this on todays radio show - I do not know why, but I find it hysterical. Enjoy.

Testing From Email | Posting 2

lets try something other then a .png

Nope, doesn't support image attachment display. Ok, back to researching what the hell is wrong with the setup I did for my mobile image posting...

Testing From Email | Posting

I've been having issues with mobile postings, so I thought I'd try email posting...lets see if it works.

And it does, except it doesn't display attached images...or perhaps it was the .png file format...lets do another test to see...

Hour and Half Slow??

Attempting to keep current on the daily tech buzz I head over to Wired. A snippet like this just had to grab my attention:

"What better way to let off steam after raking in millions each year than pushing top-shelf Ferrari's to their competitive limits?"

Mr. Capps describes his experience in his lent Ferrari 612 Scaglietti for a rally in CA. Fun article. My favorite part:

"Looking at our time sheet, the checkpoint monitor just shakes his head. "Jesus," he says, peering in the window with disgust. "You guys are almost an hour and a half slow...."

ChatCreator

Not that I have enough people that frequent my site to warrant this, but ChatCreator is a cool service. From the site:

"To create your chatbox which is easily embedded in any web page, type in the desired name of your chatbox which will appear on top. Select the desired color scheme. Write in the desired size in pixels and click GENERATE."

It's simple, clean, easy and sets up in seconds. I originally read about it over at Cnet.

Print your Camera

What a cool idea - the people over at Linatree have created a downloadable paper camera. It's a pinhole camera. Download a PDF, print it, build it, and pop in a roll of 35mm (you remember what that is, don't you digital kids?). Talk about cool.

As part of my final photo project in college I attempted to create a fisheye lens. I wasn't successful in making a fish, but I did make a workable lens out of warped plastic to mount onto my Canon EOS Elan. Images had a, well, plastic optics feel to them - kind of like a Holga.

joinred.com

From the website:

"(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)^RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)^RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa."

joinred.com

Caught the story on Apple.com of all places (they have a branded Nano).

M Studio

Cool clean site. Flash. Great client list.

Write Chuck Palahnuik

Odds are, if you are reading this then you don't need me to tell you. Now, I'm not a die hard fan of Mr. Palahnuik. In fact, my only exposure to him (like many) has been Fight Club (which I watched, not read). But, he is the author of choice that I mean to start reading.

It seems he opens his mailbox to fans every once and a while. There are strict rules, but for the month of October you can write to Mr. Palahnuik an actual "letter" and he will get back to you (no email). I doubt I'll write him myself, since I have yet to actually read any of his work, but I hope to be part of the masses next time after I get around to his work - which I really want to.

DIY Ghostbusters

So we've started to get in the spirit (get it?) of the season. Pumpkins, monster stories, letting both my 2 & 7 year olds watch the original 75th anniversary edition of Frankenstein. We take this holiday seriously. What better movie to go along with fun and ghouls then Ghostbusters? A family favorite. Don't ask how I can across this link, but man is it cool - Ghotsbusters Prop Archive. Ever want that Proton Pack? Knock yourself out!

Technorati

Technorati Profile

3-1 | GO BULLDOGS

I'm attempting to get back in the habit of posting (mostly due to the fact that 6 months can go by and I have no idea what I've done or seen). As most of you know, I coach my son's soccer team - The BullDogs. We're associated with LSSA. The U7 division. 10 boys. Including me, 5 coaches. We've got a great team of kids. They work hard, the like what they are learning, and hopefully each and every one of them is having fun.

We have our 5th game of the season tomorrow. Against a team that is ranked nearly identical to us. We think we have a set good group for defense and offense. The one game we've lost was a brutal one. We had more shots on goal then could count. I think steroid testing of their goalie is in order - I mean, wow. The kid was a wall.

We'll see how we do tomorrow. GO BULLDOGS.

The Brand Show | It's GO Time

So I've had this new job now for just over seven months. As one of my many duties, I co-host The Brand Show on 1510AM here in Kansas City every Wednesday at 9AM. The show centers around The Dean and his knowledge of Brand image, creation, rise & fall, etc. It's light, it's fun, and hopefully informative.

I love broadcast. When I was working for e.magination I had the opportunity to do a small voice over spot for DuClaw Brewery.

Recently I had the opportunity to do voice over once again for a local Honda TV spot that will air here in the KC market in about a week. I'll post a QT of the spot after it airs here.

Nick Faber

So i love the bread crumb trail you can follow to new and cool stuff online. I hit FWA at least once a week. They have a section on the bottom right hand "classic fwa" which displays cool flash sites of old winners. Today happen to be tokyoplastics old website that still looks great. So they mention the guy who does the audio - Nick Faber. I hit his site and start to listen to his stuff - and i'm digin it - a lot. A freelance music producer who "left school at 16 and trained as a recording engineer at Beatles producer George Martin’s world famous AIR Studios." Good stuff.

WTF - You mean I could have shoved a BALLOON up my nose instead?

So it seems I've fallen behind the medical curve. This article was just posted on MSNBC:

"No one yet knows if balloon sinuplasty works as well as a surgical fix. Only about 100 doctors around the country are trained to offer it, and research is just beginning to track its effectiveness and determine who is a good candidate."

Well crap! So instead of all the pain, and suffering, and BLOOD I could have paid a doctor to shove a balloon up my nose and inflate? Seriously? What a cluster of a short stick! Damn. Guess I'll have to renew that subscription to Medical Quarterly to keep up on my PHD'ness.

I know - why so many post about your birthday?

Whatever; you only turn 30 a couple times in your life - I've got a lot of shit going on people, cut me some slack! I turn 30, get another Porsche, quit my job, prepare to start a new one, find out I have two children who are 2 & 6!? I've got a LOT of shit going on here!!

I love Polaroid. Because I'm an anal photo geek (with credentials mind you) I color corrected the image you are looking at (just a little, it's still Polaroid-y looking, just less yellow). That was part of my birthday extravaganza; them being photographed with the Happy Birthday message. Great idea. Great Concept. Expertly executed. I must be rubbing off.

And That's That

Come this Tuesday I will no longer be employed by H&R Block. I had a blast even when I was down mostly because of the people I worked with. I'm not going far for christ's sake, I just won't be there day in day out trying to make you laugh, or pissed off; however you want to look at it.

I'm going to miss you jackasses - especially you scarecrow.

Sight To Behold

What people here in the mid-west don't seem to understand is that there is a utopia out there hidden from them. Sure, Kansas City has things like kick-ass bar b q, very friendly people, and crazy light traffic (trust me, you don't KNOW bad traffic if this is all you've ever experienced)...but you are unaware of a simple pleasure that so very close to my heart; UTZ potato chips.

See, you can only get them on the east coast (right right, you can find pretzels at Sams or Costco, but not the CHIPS people). I grew up with these all natural chips. Backyard crab feasts with UTZ. Picking with UTZ. Comfort food UTZ. When I discovered that MSG was slowly killing me and I would no longer be able to eat Bar B Q chips, SourCream and Onion or even *gasp* no more Cool Ranch I was devastated. But you see, UTZ doesn't USE MSG like all the other brands of chips so I'm SAFE! But I can't GET them here - unless I get cases SHIPPED to me that is!

So thanks again to my wife for the wonderful present (see, my folks and my cousin Moe sent me a couple boxes when I had sinus surgery a couple moths ago). And no, you can't have any.

30 plus a day

10951 days I have been on this earth. As far back as I can remember I have been obsessed with cars - specifically fast cars. Porsches always attracted me due to the pristine lines, engines, handling, and out and out power. While at Digex I started seriously researching sports vehicles: Volvo 1800s, Austin Healy Sprite, and the Porsche 912. I figured a Porsche would be out of my reach for a long time till I discovered the little known (to me) 4 cyl classic Porsche with the 911 look: 912. I have a whole site dedicated to the 912, specifically my first Porsche.

I sold her (the 912 that is) for a number of reasons, but mainly to get a 911. As much as I love the 912s (and I plan on having more when I have the space) I needed more POWER. I looked at the 944 Turbo S, older (70s) 911s, but really fell in love with the 1989-1992 AWD 911 Carrera 4. Anyhow, I now have a whole site dedicated to my new Porsche as well, so I'll end this history lesson here.

I am now 30 years old. I wanted to accomplish a number of things before I hit this mark, especially since I didn't think I'd make it this far. Now I have to make a whole new list of things I want to accomplish for the next 30 years - I think I'll start with the next 10 to be safe.

Love you mom & dad, love you jen & mark & kids, love you tammy & chris & kids, love you karen & jim, love you mildred & roy, love you ruth & jack, love you ty & chloe, and especially love a certin person named kara.

My Wife Really Loves Me

So we attend my cousin's sons birthday at the Arena Football game in downtown Kansas City. They have all the kids set up in a big open room. Multiple kids parties here - great idea for a set up (stick kids in a big open room with small footballs and they will have a good time). Fun time. Some kid in a go-cart comes in and buzzes the room. A guy doing magic. Kids liked it.

So I'm towards the back of this open area, walking with my little girl, and what do I see enter the hall?? A Maxim-Photo-Spread come to life. Holy god!? In saunters the Arena Football cheerleaders to pose for pictures with the little boys who's birthdays it is. The boys are 6!?!?

After I deal with the daggers my wife has shot me for staring open mouthed, I walk my little girl around some more. My son (so I am told, I missed him actually saying it) leans in and blurts out "they're HOT!" My boy.

As they work their way to the exit, I see my wife jog after them. She turns around with a shit-eating grin - seems her husband has a birthday coming up. Not the best quality picture, but a kick ass one none the less.

Should you ask the woman on the elevator if she's ok?

I've been having a string of good fortune as of late. I've recently accepted the position of Vice President of Interactive Strategy for Two West Inc. I start my new position April 17th. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but I am rather excited at the potential for the future; which leads me to this afternoon:

I like to believe that I am a compassionate person. I try and offer help where I can to total strangers as well as good personal friends. I get on the elevator - 32nd floor. I'm already changed into my workout clothes. I'm pumped for a number of reasons (going to the gym early, leaving early, father-in-law is taking the boy for the night). Elevator stops on 27 (I believe). A woman enters the elevator, obvious that she had been (a) crying (b) about to cry (c) obviously upset.

"are you ok?" I ask.

"no, I'm not ok...I've just been fired..." she blurts out.

What seams like an endless passing of floors on the way down to one I'm hit with "holy shit, get me off this god-damn elevator" to "holy shit, this poor girl" to "what in the hell am I going to say to this woman to help her in the least!?"

"I'm so sorry..." is all I can muster. Stunned, not a clue, hoping she sees into my face and realizes that I will in fact listen for the remainder of ride and actually care.

"I had too much to drink last night and said something I shouldn't have...I've worked there 10 years...what am I going to do..." she almost mutters to herself all the while looking blankly into my eyes.

"I'm so sorry...are you going to be ok to drive" I say, still not having a CLUE what to do in a situation like this.

"Probably not..." Choking back the tears.

Elevator hits one.

I'm stunned - standing there having just been stripped from my high, looking at this woman who at that very moment was in the complete opposite state of mind as I glances at me for the last brief moment...

"and the worst part is my husband has cancer" stated matter of fact with a slight hint of rage.

And then she disappeared in the opposite direction. As she walked away I said for the last time "I am so sorry..." which now sounds so trite it sickens me.

Could I have said something other then "I'm sorry" to make her feel any better? Did I even help by opening my mouth and asking if everything was ok? Could I have done more? I just think I could have done more then "I'm sorry" even though I really am. What a shitty end to the day - to be fired the day after you say something in mixed company the night before.

Sitting here (still) all I can think is I am so very sorry for this woman who got onto the elevator this afternoon. I really hope she is ok.

How Sports Saved My Soul

I've been grappling with a number of varying emotions as of late, specifically with the current state as to which I reside. I wasn't raised with a football in my hand, nor was I inundated with the Sunday spectacle which is traditionally know as "Game Day". Sports were always an option, a fun activity, not a way of life. I have no memories of hard coaches pushing us to the limit of our abilities. I have no memories of a father forcing me to "...catch one more..." or "...you can run faster then that..." or "...what are you, a girl??...". What I do have are fond memories of playing catch with my dad, playing soccer as far back as I can remember, and how much it hurt to be cut from the Baseball Team my Freshman year of High School. It never occurred to me while I was living on the East Coast that I in fact love sports - watching Caps games (glass seats, of course), the O's at Camden Yards (box seats, of course), the Bullets (now known as the Wizards), and even the Skins and Ravens. But how does that play out for my son; my daughter?

This past weekend my boys (the 10 six year olds whom I coach U6 soccer - I call them my boys) played their second game. I won't even go into the debacle of the first. We play split fields: Aggressive and Non-Aggressive. I coach the Aggressive side while my assistant coach coaches the Non-Aggressive. After the game, my son runs over to me (having played on the Non-Aggressive side) and screams "I scored 3 GOALS dad!!!"

My son. 3 goals. Holy shit. 3 goals? Not 3. He scored 3!?

So after a post game custard and I start to review the things I want to work on for next practice, it hits me - I've been introducing soccer to my son since he was very little. Soccer is one of my favorite sports, so I started him young. Fundamentals, introduction of varying tactics, aggressive attacking on my part to allow a core understanding. It worked. I mean, holy fuck, it actually worked. And I saw it coming. I watched him start to dribble the ball without thinking about it - with both feet. It's taken him a little longer then most, but I hoped that when it clicked, he'd be stellar - and he is.

When we moved to the mid-west it was a "concern" as to how I would broach the sports issue with my own children living in such a sports engrossed town? Taking cues from my own father while incorporating a drive that I felt could have pushed me a little harder has really brought a sense of "this is cool as shit".

I look forward to the day I can scream at my daughter openly, with a group of witnesses such things as "ATTACK!!" and "you call that a KICK!?" and my favorite "sweep the LEG!"

I totally wanted one of these as a kid - DAMN YOU MOM AND DAD!

So much has happened since last I posted...little site called H&R Block launched to a new Look and Feel, shit with the kids, crap with the wife, new soccer season, still no cool ass new car, and a ton of other stuff that seems to be missing...OH YES, the whole no smoking or drinking thing. Kind of hard to have a BLOG called drunk in life when in fact you are currently sober in life? Oh well, next January 6th we'll see who confusing who!?

So in a moment of random events, I mention to my nephew (who is into Transformers) that a live motion picture is in the works. I look up when the release is (2007) and let him know. I search on eBay for a Megatron to see what those realistic guns are going for - HOLY SHIT, $351!!?? My mom and dad wouldn't let me have one of these beauties as a child because I might have "pointed it at someone..." all the while owning REAL guns which I shot in my backyard? Go figure.