august and everything after

Seems like August flew by... Also seems like a lot happened this month -- some things good, some not so good.

At this moment, I feel optimistic. I look forward to September with enthusiasm.

We leave for the beach in the morning... I have picked out some library books to bring with me. Hoping it will be a fun and relaxing time.

Cheers

happy blog day

In opposition to my previous post, I present:



Yay! What? I never said I wasn't conflicted. What a coincidence, though; as soon as I begin to prune my blog collection, I find out about blog day... There is something cosmic going on here. And according to the rules, I'm supposed to recommend 5 blogs -- preferably blogs that are different from [my] own culture, point of view and attitude. Screw that! Who makes this shit up??

blog fever and the unclutter

In an effort to un-clutter my life... I just spent some time removing subscriptions to blogs I never read. So far I managed to whittle the list down to 206 subscriptions. (Yeah, I started with 269. Get over it.) No wonder I never seem to catch up! I promise to continue to chip away until we reach a manageable amount of blogs. Stay tuned...

In other unclutterer news... Learn how to detach yourself from stuff and make the case for de-cluttering your life right now. Why does this subject always resonate with me? Don't you ever just want to simplify your life and purge it all?? Who's with me?

hydrangeas and wagons

I just noticed that I have been taking steps towards accomplishing some of my goals without even realizing it. I've been drinking a lot more water lately, which is probably a result of longer work days (thank you mandatory overtime) rather than a conscious decision, though I had intended to make it a conscious decision at some point (thus the goal part), but now I don't have to because since it's been going on for several weeks now it's pretty much automatic. How about that! Yay for hydration! And for hydrangeas! And for run-on sentences? Lame... I ruined it! But wait! There's more!! I've been enjoying healthy snacks and also making healthier choices for breakfast. I'm ramping up onto the wagon, again, and so far it's an easy ride. Here's to good health. Just thought I would share. I'm working on goals and it's a good feeling. Excited?

how fun are these

This brightened up my day a bit... It's neat with just the right amount of green and geek.

Some random lines from today's intake... They work great in and out of context.

• reveling in the absurdity of adjectives
• driven by morons who are circling the drain (for those of you who know, omg does that sum it up or what!?)
  

why

this is the book i never read
these are the words i never said
this is the path i'll never tread
these are the dreams i'll dream instead
this is the joy that's seldom spread
these are the tears...
the tears we shed
this is the fear
this is the dread
these are the contents of my head
and these are the years that we have spent
and this is what they represent
and this is how i feel
do you know how i feel?
'cause i don't think you know how i feel
i don't think you know what i feel
you don't know what i feel

goodnight my love

Uncle Gene gets his own post... I returned home from last weekend's flying roadtrip through Texas to learn that Uncle Gene had died in his sleep. Everyone was in shock. He was 59. Later we learned that he had had a massive heart attack. I think everyone is still in shock.



Here is a clip of him singing, taken from his band's website.

rufus wainwright extravaganza

cowboy hat... brooches... disco ball...
matching striped shirt and shorts...

Check out my pics from the Austin show at Stubb's BBQ.

that teenage feeling

all the loves we had
all we ever knew
did they fill me with so many secrets
that keep me from loving you

hey you

hey you
don't you give up
it's not so bad
there's still a chance for us
hey you
just be yourself
don't be so shy
there's reasons why it's hard

keep it together
you'll make it alright
our celebration is going on tonight
poets and prophets would envy what we do
this could be good
hey you

we can flee

there's a river running underground
underneath the town towards the sea
that only I know all about
on which from this city we can flee

going to a town... or two

3 days, 2 nights, 8 hours of concert time
1111 miles, 18 hours on the road (not counting Houston's unrelenting construction traffic)

still recovering from the weekend's flying roadtrip to Dallas, Austin and back

details coming soon

more helvetica

The DVD edition of Helvetica is now available for order. The DVD includes the full 80-minute feature film, plus over 90 minutes of additional interviews with Massimo Vignelli, Matthew Carter, Erik Spiekermann, Hermann Zapf, and many more. 16x9 anamorphic widescreen presentation, with English and German language subtitles, and a 12-page color booklet.

Release date: November 6. Pre-order now, you'll save some cash, get early shipping and exclusive goodies.

There's also a limited-edition box set, which includes the DVD, three letterpressed mini-posters, a color C-print of a still from the film (one of ten different stills) signed by director Gary Hustwit, two love/hate Helvetica buttons, and a letter of actual Helvetica metal type! Limited edition of 1,000 copies, order yours now.

Within minutes of receiving the email notice, I pre-ordered my very own copy of the DVD. Can you guess which version? :]

one night only

Saw a special screening of Helvetica last night at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans!

A documentary film by Gary Hustwit about typography, graphic design, and global visual culture, it looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which is celebrating its 50th birthday this year) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives.

I didn't know what to expect. I was curious about the film. But as more and more people arrived, I grew more excited. It was becoming more of an event. Eventually, the theater room, which seats about 200 people, was full.

For a documentary about a font (understatement?), I found the film interesting and quite entertaining -- and from the resounding laughter and applause, so did the rest of the audience. Plus, I thought it was cool to see and hear the faces behind the typefaces, names I had come to recognize -- Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Hermann Zapf, the guys from Hoefler & Frere-Jones... Spiekermann was particularly amusing, with his opinions and eccentricity. Later I remembered that I subscribe to his blog.

if i had a myspace page, part 1...

now this is what i'm talking about!
apologies in advance. :D

Oh Dae-su

Here's one you probably haven't heard of... Saw Oldboy last night, a Korean film about revenge. It was wicked and delightful.

i'm here

I'm poor... black... I might even be ugly... but dear God, I'm here. I'm here.

into the wild

Just finished reading Into the Wild. It's not quite what I had expected. I suppose the movie will deliver a more detailed, firsthand account of adventure.

I'm in your thoughts, stirring up your wanderlust.

lunch special

mmm, eggplant! (who knew!?)

feel the burn

I almost got a perfect score on the burnout self-test (73 out of a possible 75):

You may be at very severe risk of burnout -- do something about this urgently.

With a proper exam, I'd probably score off the chart.

star punch

Got the first star punched into my new Fresh card today... Let the countdown begin!

...Am I over it already and just don't realize it?

i'll take where-the-work-stops for $500, alex

matt just told me that he was asked to remove an "offensive" quote from the intranet:

if a train station is where the train stops, then what is a work station?

omg lulz


edit: i should mention that these random quotes are generally intended to be motivational and profound. once in a while we are treated to some irony. (is that really irony??)

happy 50th post

yay! who knew i had so much to say!? actually...
i don't think i've really said much of anything.

yay! anyway.