I believed that unarguably the worst font of all time was Comic Sans (when googled, this is the first page to come up). But my sister and her friend both voted Papyrus. So I decided to do some extensive research (ie I googled) and found "America's Most Fonted: The 7 Worst Fonts":
1. Comic Sans MS (of course...and I will think even worse of you if it is purple and used in your email signature)
2. Bradley Hand ITC
3. Curlz MT
4. Papyrus (still not acceptable if you work at a church)
5. Vivaldi
6. Kristen ITC
7. Viner Hand ITC
So let's just all agree to look for some better fonts. My sister and I share a fondness for Gill Sans. Jay likes ITC Avant Garde. When in doubt, just go with Helvetica.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Sleigh Bells
Note: This is completely not Christmas related. But there is something about this song that every time I hear it, I can't help but totally dig it. They classify themselves as a "noise pop music duo," which I think is totally fitting because they incorporate weird sounds into their music in a totally MIA-esque way. What's most awesome about Sleigh Bells is that they formed when the dude of the band was waiting tables and mentioned to a customer that he was looking for a female vocalist. Customer volunteered her daughter. And Sleigh Bells was formed.
And here's another (and an actual music video this time as opposed to a random irrelevant thing I found on You Tube):
And here's another (and an actual music video this time as opposed to a random irrelevant thing I found on You Tube):
Great Christmas Music - 8
Gatlin Elms - "Jerusalem, Our Lord Has Come!"
I just love this song. Jay mixed it for them, and one of my favorite things about Jay working on other people's music is getting to hear such a wide variety of things (some things I like, some I don't...but this one is great). Plus, it's an original!
Go here to read about and stream the demo.
I just love this song. Jay mixed it for them, and one of my favorite things about Jay working on other people's music is getting to hear such a wide variety of things (some things I like, some I don't...but this one is great). Plus, it's an original!
Go here to read about and stream the demo.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Great Christmas Music - 7
Olivette - "See Amid The Winter's Snow"
I put this one up before, but I've gotten better at making my videos since then! Jay played drums on this album last year, and I really like it. AND Brian Mann played keys.
I put this one up before, but I've gotten better at making my videos since then! Jay played drums on this album last year, and I really like it. AND Brian Mann played keys.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Great Christmas Music - 6
Brian Mann - "The First Noel"
Jay played drums on a studio project with this guy, and he's pretty amazing. He recorded this piano album last year just cause why not - he's amazing. It's on iTunes (album is called "Simple Christmas"), and 10% of sales go to support efforts to bring clean water to Haiti.
Jay played drums on a studio project with this guy, and he's pretty amazing. He recorded this piano album last year just cause why not - he's amazing. It's on iTunes (album is called "Simple Christmas"), and 10% of sales go to support efforts to bring clean water to Haiti.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Great Christmas Music - 3
Vince Guaraldi Trio - "Christmastime is Here"
If you look on our iTunes, this album is one of the most played. Jay literally listens to it year-round.
If you look on our iTunes, this album is one of the most played. Jay literally listens to it year-round.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Amazing Cover
And she recorded it in GarageBand (ie not a good audio program)!
[This was on Perez Hilton almost a year ago and might have been how we discovered Florence + The Machine to begin with...here's the original]
And then one day at work, Jay sent me his own version:
[Note: I don't know how to post audio, so I turned it into a video myself. But I didn't try very hard.]
PS - I've decided I need to start posting more stuff Jay does because he will whip something like this up (especially after he discovered auto-tune) and I just think it's amazing.
PSS - 2nd pic is at 2 in the morning as Jay and I completed priming our new baseboards, 3rd pic is brother-in-law Jared, 4th pic is me and the moms at St. Arnold's brewery.
[This was on Perez Hilton almost a year ago and might have been how we discovered Florence + The Machine to begin with...here's the original]
And then one day at work, Jay sent me his own version:
[Note: I don't know how to post audio, so I turned it into a video myself. But I didn't try very hard.]
PS - I've decided I need to start posting more stuff Jay does because he will whip something like this up (especially after he discovered auto-tune) and I just think it's amazing.
PSS - 2nd pic is at 2 in the morning as Jay and I completed priming our new baseboards, 3rd pic is brother-in-law Jared, 4th pic is me and the moms at St. Arnold's brewery.
Friday, December 03, 2010
Great Christmas Music - 1
We listen to some Christmas music year-round because it's just that good. So I'm going to periodically put up some of our favorites (and if you haven't noticed, I only know how to put up videos...not audio...so they will always be in video form even if the video is completely irrelevant).
Sufjan Stevens - "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
(And I know it's not exactly a Christmas song, but it's on a Christmas album and it has sleigh bells at the end)
Sufjan Stevens - "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing"
(And I know it's not exactly a Christmas song, but it's on a Christmas album and it has sleigh bells at the end)
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Internet Killed the Video Star
Have you seen this (right now over 4 million views):
They didn't actually get their instruments stolen, but nonetheless it's pretty impressive. I'd never heard of them until I saw this video. But the other day, I heard this song on the Top 20 station sandwiched in between Nelly and Pink! It's amazing how much the music industry has changed with the internet, especially since MTV doesn't even really play music videos anymore...they're too busy with stellar programming like Jersey Shore and My Super Sweet Sixteen. You can just throw something up on YouTube and millions of people can see it!
Other notable instances of internet blow-ups:
They didn't actually get their instruments stolen, but nonetheless it's pretty impressive. I'd never heard of them until I saw this video. But the other day, I heard this song on the Top 20 station sandwiched in between Nelly and Pink! It's amazing how much the music industry has changed with the internet, especially since MTV doesn't even really play music videos anymore...they're too busy with stellar programming like Jersey Shore and My Super Sweet Sixteen. You can just throw something up on YouTube and millions of people can see it!
Other notable instances of internet blow-ups:
- Justin Bieber (discovered in 2008 from YouTube)
- Every music video ever made by OK Go (seriously, every single one of those has MILLIONS of views)
- A Filipino guy (Arnel Pineda) was asked to try out to be the lead singer of Journey after they saw him on YouTube
Friday, November 26, 2010
They Must Have Thick Skin in the North
In preparation for our Thanksgiving trip to Oklahoma, I looked up the weather and then googled what to wear in different temperatures. I found this:
30s- jeans, boots, long sleeve, coat
40s-jeans, boots, long sleeve, down vest
50s-jean skirt, over knee socks or tights, boots, long sleeve, down vest
60s-jeans, hoodie, sandals
70s-tanktop, lightweight zip hoodie, skirt or jeans and a top
80s-skirt/shorts, short sleeve tee shirt or tanktop
This person must live in the frigid north! Here in Houston, we whip out the scarves and coats as soon as it dips below 70. Plus, they left out:
90s-shorts, tanktop
100s-as little clothing as possible with an icepack down the pants
30s- jeans, boots, long sleeve, coat
40s-jeans, boots, long sleeve, down vest
50s-jean skirt, over knee socks or tights, boots, long sleeve, down vest
60s-jeans, hoodie, sandals
70s-tanktop, lightweight zip hoodie, skirt or jeans and a top
80s-skirt/shorts, short sleeve tee shirt or tanktop
This person must live in the frigid north! Here in Houston, we whip out the scarves and coats as soon as it dips below 70. Plus, they left out:
90s-shorts, tanktop
100s-as little clothing as possible with an icepack down the pants
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Craigslist Furniture Finds
I love looking on Craigslist just to see what's out there (we actually bought a couch on Craigslist a few months ago when I was just looking). Sometimes I wonder if sellers realize that people are looking on Craigslist for DEALS - so don't try to get a good price for the crap you don't even want anymore! I've been looking at wingback chairs, and there are lots for sale in the $50ish range that I would totally buy with the plan to recover if I were in the market for a good wingback chair. I ran across 2 that were just funny to me:
"Custom wingback chair in decorator golf print - original cost $1,000":
And a close up:
My first thought was that it's completely irrelevant to me that this was a custom golf print because the appeal of custom is that you can do it however you want...and I'm stuck with what the seller picked. And secondly, really $1,000? You wanted a golf chair that badly? (I looked up new wingback chairs, and $1000 actually isn't a bad price, but on principle I'm going to say it is.) This person was trying to get $275 for this chair (ie new owner would also want a golf chair that badly and not be recovering in their own, custom print).
[You know, I started thinking that it would be acceptable for someone like Jay's dad, whose career is centered around golf, to have this chair in a study or office... but then you have to wonder if the woman on there even has good form.]
"Unique Jungle print Wingback Chair - $50"
Yikes - those are some big giraffes and elephants. To this person's credit, they are only trying to get $50.
And then I was amazed at the array of colors you can find when looking for a leather couch. Craigslist has the whole rainbow!
Blue:
Green is surprisingly popular:
"Pale" Yellow:
Orange:
And my favorite, Perwinkle:
"Custom wingback chair in decorator golf print - original cost $1,000":
And a close up:My first thought was that it's completely irrelevant to me that this was a custom golf print because the appeal of custom is that you can do it however you want...and I'm stuck with what the seller picked. And secondly, really $1,000? You wanted a golf chair that badly? (I looked up new wingback chairs, and $1000 actually isn't a bad price, but on principle I'm going to say it is.) This person was trying to get $275 for this chair (ie new owner would also want a golf chair that badly and not be recovering in their own, custom print).
[You know, I started thinking that it would be acceptable for someone like Jay's dad, whose career is centered around golf, to have this chair in a study or office... but then you have to wonder if the woman on there even has good form.]
"Unique Jungle print Wingback Chair - $50"
Yikes - those are some big giraffes and elephants. To this person's credit, they are only trying to get $50.And then I was amazed at the array of colors you can find when looking for a leather couch. Craigslist has the whole rainbow!
Blue:
Green is surprisingly popular:
"Pale" Yellow:
Orange:
And my favorite, Perwinkle:
Monday, November 22, 2010
Need A New Christmas Album?
At our house, we skipped right over Thanksgiving and are on to Christmas. We put lights up yesterday, and though we were early movers, we weren't even first on the street!
This includes Christmas music. I'd forgotten how much I love this album that Jay played on last year. It's nice to mix in with all the classics so you're not listening to the same songs over and over again. Here are three of my favorites:
The album is "Come and See" by Olivette, available on iTunes. Olivette is Matt and Cameron Hammon. The guy who played piano is named Brian Mann. Jay played with him last night, and I told Jay that if I had enough money I would just hire him to come play at our house every night.
This includes Christmas music. I'd forgotten how much I love this album that Jay played on last year. It's nice to mix in with all the classics so you're not listening to the same songs over and over again. Here are three of my favorites:
See Amid The Winter's Snow
O Come All Ye Faithful / Glory To God On High
No Earthly King
The album is "Come and See" by Olivette, available on iTunes. Olivette is Matt and Cameron Hammon. The guy who played piano is named Brian Mann. Jay played with him last night, and I told Jay that if I had enough money I would just hire him to come play at our house every night.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
I Just Find This Guy So Funny...
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account
Dear David, Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane, I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account
Dear David,
Thankyou for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account
Dear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
Yes please.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account
Attached
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?
Dear Jane,
Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?
Dear David,
Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95.
Please make this payment as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response
Thankyou for contacting me.
I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.
Regards, David.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Dear David,
As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
I understand and will definitely make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Attached
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.19pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account
Dear David, Our records indicate that your account is overdue by the amount of $233.95. If you have already made this payment please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Wednesday 8 Oct 2008 12.37pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane, I do not have any money so am sending you this drawing I did of a spider instead. I value the drawing at $233.95 so trust that this settles the matter.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.07am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Overdue account
Dear David,
Thankyou for contacting us. Unfortunately we are unable to accept drawings as payment and your account remains in arrears of $233.95. Please contact us within the next 7 days to confirm payment has been applied to your account and is no longer outstanding.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 10.32am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
Can I have my drawing of a spider back then please.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.42am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Overdue account
Dear David,
You emailed the drawing to me. Do you want me to email it back to you?
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 11.56am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account
Dear Jane,
Yes please.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Thursday 9 Oct 2008 12.14pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Overdue account
Attached
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 09.22am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Whose spider is that?
Dear Jane,
Are you sure this drawing of a spider is the one I sent you? This spider only has seven legs and I do not feel I would have made such an elementary mistake when I drew it.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.03am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Whose spider is that?
Dear David,
Yes it is the same drawing. I copied and pasted it from the email you sent me on the 8th. David your account is still overdue by the amount of $233.95.
Please make this payment as soon as possible.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.05am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Automated Out of Office Response
Thankyou for contacting me.
I am currently away on leave, traveling through time and will be returning last week.
Regards, David.
From: David Thorne
Date: Friday 10 Oct 2008 11.08am
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Hello, I am back and have read through your emails and accept that despite missing a leg, that drawing of a spider may indeed be the one I sent you. I realise with hindsight that it is possible you rejected the drawing of a spider due to this obvious limb ommission but did not point it out in an effort to avoid hurting my feelings. As such, I am sending you a revised drawing with the correct number of legs as full payment for any amount outstanding. I trust this will bring the matter to a conclusion.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 2.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Dear David,
As I have stated, we do not accept drawings in lei of money for accounts outstanding. We accept cheque, bank cheque, money order or cash. Please make a payment this week to avoid incurring any additional fees.
Yours sincerely, Jane Gilles
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 13 Oct 2008 3.17pm
To: Jane Gilles
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
I understand and will definitely make a payment this week if I remember. As you have not accepted my second drawing as payment, please return the drawing to me as soon as possible. It was silly of me to assume I could provide you with something of completely no value whatsoever, waste your time and then attach such a large amount to it.
Regards, David.
From: Jane Gilles
Date: Tuesday 14 Oct 2008 11.18am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Whose spider is that?
Attached
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Missy the Cat
Shannon (the secretary) has lost her cat and has asked David (the graphic designer) to help with a lost poster. This is their email correspondence.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.15am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Poster
Hi
I opened the screen door yesterday and my cat got out and has been missing since then so I was wondering if you are not to busy you could make a poster for me. It has to be A4 and I will photocopy it and put it around my suburb this afternoon.
This is the only photo of her I have she answers to the name Missy and is black and white and about 8 months old. missing on Harper street and my phone number.
Thanks Shan.
From:David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.26am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
That is shocking news.
Although I have two clients expecting completed work this afternoon, I will, of course, drop everything and do whatever it takes to facilitate the speedy return of Missy.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 9.37am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Poster
yeah ok thanks. I know you dont like cats but I am really worried about mine. I have to leave at 1pm today.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.17am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
I never said I don't like cats. Attached poster as requested.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.24am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
yeah thats not what I was looking for at all. it looks like a movie and how come the photo of Missy is so small?
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.28am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
It's a design thing. The cat is lost in the negative space.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.33am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Thats just stupid. Can you do it properly please? I am extremely emotional over this and was up all night in tears. you seem to think it is funny. Can you make the photo bigger please and fix the text and do it in colour please. Thanks.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.46am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
Dear Shannon,
Having worked with designers for a few years now, I would have assumed you understood, despite our vague suggestions otherwise, we do not welcome constructive criticism. I don't come downstairs and tell you how to send text messages, log onto Facebook and look out of the window. I have amended and attached the poster as per your instructions.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 10.59am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
This is worse than the other one. can you make it so it shows the whole photo of Missy and delete the stupid text that says missing missy off it? I just want it to say Lost.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.14am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.21am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poster
yeah can you do the poster or not? I just want a photo and the word lost and the telephone number and when and where she was lost and her name. Not like a movie poster or anything stupid. I have to leave early today. If it was your cat I would help you. Thanks.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.32am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Awww
Dear Shannon,
I don't have a cat. I once agreed to look after a friend's cat for a week but after he dropped it off at my apartment and explained the concept of kitty litter. I have attached the amended version of your poster as per your detailed instructions.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.47am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Awww
Thats not my cat. where did you get that picture from? That cat is orange. I gave you a photo of my cat.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 11.58am
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Awww
I know, but that one is cute. As Missy has quite possibly met any one of several violent ends, it is possible you might get a better cat out of this. If anybody calls and says "I haven't seen your orange cat but I did find a black and white one with its hind legs run over by a car, do you want it?" you can politely decline and save yourself a costly veterinarian bill.
Regards, David.
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.07pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Please just use the photo I gave you.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.22pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.34pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
I didnt say there was a reward. I dont have $2000 dollars. What did you even put that there for? Apart from that it is perfect can you please remove the reward bit. Thanks Shan.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.42pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.51pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Can you just please take the reward bit off altogether? I have to leave in ten minutes and I still have to make photocopies of it.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 12.56pm
To: Shannon Walkley
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
From: Shannon Walkley
Date: Monday 21 June 2010 1.03pm
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Awww
Fine. That will have to do.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
House Hotting
We've been in our house for over a year now, so we were a little beyond a house warming party. So instead, we threw a house hotting party. It was fun, but it was a lot of work - I think I learned that fun does not have a linear relationship with number of guests (see curve below). Here we are leaving the grocery store the night before the big party (and we even made three small runs after this!):
The fun curve:
The fun curve:
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Freelance Whales!
The same night I painted my lamp, I also went to see Freelance Whales (I had a very busy night). I loved them.
They haven't been around all that long, and I think this might have been their first headlining tour (I think the whole encore thing confused them - the lead guy said it was the longest they'd ever played). So they were just so cute and humble about the whole thing. And they were amazing - I've never seen a band before where the xylophone and 5-part harmonies are integral to every song. And they rotate instruments pretty much every song.
This video is super weird, but while they were playing this song, a girl in the front passed out. So the lead singer guy put his banjo down and grabbed his water bottle and jumped off the stage to assist. And after the song, the girl in the band jumped back down to make sure she was OK.
This is how they got their start (this is my favorite song):
(This is a random video set to the actual album version)
Fun fact: The #2 guy in the band, Chuck Criss, is brother of Darren Criss, this guy:
(Gotta slip Katy Perry in where I can)
They haven't been around all that long, and I think this might have been their first headlining tour (I think the whole encore thing confused them - the lead guy said it was the longest they'd ever played). So they were just so cute and humble about the whole thing. And they were amazing - I've never seen a band before where the xylophone and 5-part harmonies are integral to every song. And they rotate instruments pretty much every song.
This video is super weird, but while they were playing this song, a girl in the front passed out. So the lead singer guy put his banjo down and grabbed his water bottle and jumped off the stage to assist. And after the song, the girl in the band jumped back down to make sure she was OK.
This is how they got their start (this is my favorite song):
(This is a random video set to the actual album version)
Fun fact: The #2 guy in the band, Chuck Criss, is brother of Darren Criss, this guy:
(Gotta slip Katy Perry in where I can)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Paint Everything: Example #2
Awhile back, my mom gave me a lamp with a glass and brass base. I liked the shape, but it just didn't look like it belonged with us. So I painted it. Because that's what I do.
Old lamp from my mother (free):
Lamp shade ($27 online - I had a hard time finding a cheap shade with a spider fitting and finally found one here):
Green spray paint ($5 - I was planning on going white but the shade ended up a little off-white so I changed my mind! And it's a little neon/bright, but there are only so many options of green spray paint):
Now I think he looks like he belongs with us!
Old lamp from my mother (free):
Lamp shade ($27 online - I had a hard time finding a cheap shade with a spider fitting and finally found one here):
Green spray paint ($5 - I was planning on going white but the shade ended up a little off-white so I changed my mind! And it's a little neon/bright, but there are only so many options of green spray paint):
Now I think he looks like he belongs with us!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Stuff
I read and think a lot about waste... side effect of the job. Today I ran across this video, and thought it was a captivating explanation of electronic waste. E-waste is a growing and tricky waste stream. This video is about 8 minutes:
This is part of a bigger project on the stuff we buy and the effects called The Story of Stuff. It definitely has an agenda...but I still like it. This video is about 20 minutes:
I think I like this mainly because I've been obsessively evaluating all of our purchases lately. I've been more sensitive to my own buying behavior since taking classes like Buyer Behavior and Consumer Psychology in grad school and realizing that we are conditioned to shop by brand and not necessarily quality. For example, do you know that Kroger brand instant oatmeal tastes EXACTLY like instant Quaker oatmeal but costs $2 less? I've tried it. I've also tried a Walgreens face wash that is identical to the Clean & Clear face wash that I use and costs almost $2 less (and yes I know I'm probably too old to be using Clean & Clear) and Kroger brand shampoo that is just like the one we buy and costs almost $5 less. In some cases, it likely is the same product, just dumped in different packaging.
And this isn't about being cheap. I'm still completely willing to spend money on going to dinner with Jay or on an overpriced cupcake because I place value on the experience in some way. But I'm indifferent towards my oatmeal, so I feel manipulated that someone else convinced me to pay more than the value I actually place on the product. It's about being a better, more responsible consumer.
[If you want to see the other videos in the series, go here. The bottled water and cosmetics ones are my favorite.]
This is part of a bigger project on the stuff we buy and the effects called The Story of Stuff. It definitely has an agenda...but I still like it. This video is about 20 minutes:
I think I like this mainly because I've been obsessively evaluating all of our purchases lately. I've been more sensitive to my own buying behavior since taking classes like Buyer Behavior and Consumer Psychology in grad school and realizing that we are conditioned to shop by brand and not necessarily quality. For example, do you know that Kroger brand instant oatmeal tastes EXACTLY like instant Quaker oatmeal but costs $2 less? I've tried it. I've also tried a Walgreens face wash that is identical to the Clean & Clear face wash that I use and costs almost $2 less (and yes I know I'm probably too old to be using Clean & Clear) and Kroger brand shampoo that is just like the one we buy and costs almost $5 less. In some cases, it likely is the same product, just dumped in different packaging.
And this isn't about being cheap. I'm still completely willing to spend money on going to dinner with Jay or on an overpriced cupcake because I place value on the experience in some way. But I'm indifferent towards my oatmeal, so I feel manipulated that someone else convinced me to pay more than the value I actually place on the product. It's about being a better, more responsible consumer.
[If you want to see the other videos in the series, go here. The bottled water and cosmetics ones are my favorite.]
Monday, November 08, 2010
Saturday, November 06, 2010
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Let's Do This Thing! aka Feeling Inspired
I have a sudden wave of inspiration to finish our front 2 rooms. It takes me a long time to figure out what I think a room should look like, and then I obsess over it. And I am OBSESSING over these rooms.
These rooms have been a series of projects over the last year. Have I mentioned how much Jay does not like my projects? First we painted the rooms white, and Jay switched out the light switches and face plates. Then there was a little DIY project when I fell in love with this wallpaper:
Once I saw it, no other wallpaper was good enough. Problem was, it cost $200 a roll! So I fell into wallpaper depression, trying to rationalize why I should spend $600-800 on wallpapering a single wall in our house, especially since we were eventually going to have to buy a table and chairs to go into the room. And then...THEN...I saw these panels on Ikea's website:
It was 9:30, and I made Jay drop everything to go to Ikea right that second before they closed so we could buy them. The entire project was about $100:
(Notice in that picture there is no table, just the amazing green chairs I found at Marshalls. We bought a table a few months later.) And then there was this project. And then this one. Then we followed rule #2 and hired pros to install wood floors. Love it. I have been obsessing over wood floors since we moved in. Current state:
.JPG)
So here's my game plan, people: we've got 2 small DIYs that I can do on my own...no Jay necessary. A few weeks tops, pending the shipment of my lampshade I ordered last night. And then there is a more ambitious (awesome!) project I will need him for (ie it involves power tools). And then a recovered couch and rug later, we're done!
These rooms have been a series of projects over the last year. Have I mentioned how much Jay does not like my projects? First we painted the rooms white, and Jay switched out the light switches and face plates. Then there was a little DIY project when I fell in love with this wallpaper:
Once I saw it, no other wallpaper was good enough. Problem was, it cost $200 a roll! So I fell into wallpaper depression, trying to rationalize why I should spend $600-800 on wallpapering a single wall in our house, especially since we were eventually going to have to buy a table and chairs to go into the room. And then...THEN...I saw these panels on Ikea's website:
It was 9:30, and I made Jay drop everything to go to Ikea right that second before they closed so we could buy them. The entire project was about $100:
(Notice in that picture there is no table, just the amazing green chairs I found at Marshalls. We bought a table a few months later.) And then there was this project. And then this one. Then we followed rule #2 and hired pros to install wood floors. Love it. I have been obsessing over wood floors since we moved in. Current state:
.JPG)
So here's my game plan, people: we've got 2 small DIYs that I can do on my own...no Jay necessary. A few weeks tops, pending the shipment of my lampshade I ordered last night. And then there is a more ambitious (awesome!) project I will need him for (ie it involves power tools). And then a recovered couch and rug later, we're done!
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
How many hipsters does it take to change a light bulb?
According to Wikipedia:
Hipster is a slang term that first appeared in the 1940s, and was revived in the 1990s and 2000s often to describe types of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, indie rock, independent film, magazines, and websites.
These days, Hipsterism has gone mainstream. Urban Outfitters is like a training ground for "all things hipster"...the vinyl, the Obama t-shirts during the last election (hipsters are into "progressive politics"), the flannel and thrift-looking stuff... You can even now be a Hipster Christian.
Another typical characteristic of a hipster is that they are employed in music, art, or fashion. In other words, all of our friends. And we all went to a hipster-lovin' concert last week:
(I posted to another video with the same song here, but I liked this live version to capture the animal animation on stage.)
Jonsi is the lead singer of an Icelandic band called Sigur Ros. I think that if Bill and Ted were to form Wyld Stallyns today (ie the music at the core of the future's Utopian society), it would be Jonsi / Sigur Ros. It's such a strange concert to go to because (besides the fact that EVERYONE is wearing skinny jeans and v-neck tees while taking pictures with their iPhones using the hipstomatic app) everyone stands silently, just holding their breath and experiencing the music. It's that amazing. I'd been to Sigur Ros several years ago and have been waiting for them to come back to Houston so that Jay could experience the awesome-ness for himself. Jay actually has Jonsi on vinyl, so consider him hipster.
[Sidenote: Unlike Sigur Ros, Jonsi does some upbeat stuff. Take for instance this song, in which he actually sings in English and to which he jumped around in an Indian headdress at the concert.]
And in regards to how many hipsters it takes to change a light bulb--it's a really obscure number. You've probably never heard of it. (that cracks me up every time!)
Hipster is a slang term that first appeared in the 1940s, and was revived in the 1990s and 2000s often to describe types of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with interests in non-mainstream fashion and culture, particularly alternative music, indie rock, independent film, magazines, and websites.
These days, Hipsterism has gone mainstream. Urban Outfitters is like a training ground for "all things hipster"...the vinyl, the Obama t-shirts during the last election (hipsters are into "progressive politics"), the flannel and thrift-looking stuff... You can even now be a Hipster Christian.
Another typical characteristic of a hipster is that they are employed in music, art, or fashion. In other words, all of our friends. And we all went to a hipster-lovin' concert last week:
(I posted to another video with the same song here, but I liked this live version to capture the animal animation on stage.)
Jonsi is the lead singer of an Icelandic band called Sigur Ros. I think that if Bill and Ted were to form Wyld Stallyns today (ie the music at the core of the future's Utopian society), it would be Jonsi / Sigur Ros. It's such a strange concert to go to because (besides the fact that EVERYONE is wearing skinny jeans and v-neck tees while taking pictures with their iPhones using the hipstomatic app) everyone stands silently, just holding their breath and experiencing the music. It's that amazing. I'd been to Sigur Ros several years ago and have been waiting for them to come back to Houston so that Jay could experience the awesome-ness for himself. Jay actually has Jonsi on vinyl, so consider him hipster.
[Sidenote: Unlike Sigur Ros, Jonsi does some upbeat stuff. Take for instance this song, in which he actually sings in English and to which he jumped around in an Indian headdress at the concert.]
And in regards to how many hipsters it takes to change a light bulb--it's a really obscure number. You've probably never heard of it. (that cracks me up every time!)
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Sing-A-Long
Jay and I and I have quite different tastes in music, and we love music for different reasons. I think he appreciates the craftsmanship where I just get drawn in by the overall aesthetic/feel.
Take, for example, what we would each pick for a sing-a-long:
In college I use to go to concerts all the time with this small group of crazy music lovers. The other girl even DJed for a local indie station. One time we went to a Rilo Kiley concert in Austin and listened to Rilo the entire way there AND back. THIS was a particularly good one for our sing-a-long group due to the group vocals and clapping (yes we did clap in the car).
And for songs like those, the sing-a-long becomes the greatness of the song.
Take, for example, what we would each pick for a sing-a-long:
- Jay = Michael Jackson
- Me = THIS (the pictures put to this are hilarious)
In college I use to go to concerts all the time with this small group of crazy music lovers. The other girl even DJed for a local indie station. One time we went to a Rilo Kiley concert in Austin and listened to Rilo the entire way there AND back. THIS was a particularly good one for our sing-a-long group due to the group vocals and clapping (yes we did clap in the car).
And for songs like those, the sing-a-long becomes the greatness of the song.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Movie Screening Night!
Tonight I went to a free movie screening for "Life As We Know It," a very predictable romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. It was actually a pretty cute movie, but that's not the point...the point is IT WAS FREE. And things like this go down all the time!
Without over explaining, we went to a screening that doesn't take any sort of special invitation, you just sign up. But they reserve the best rows for press/bloggers and have "special" screenings all the time that you can't just sign up for. We got there an hour early and got OK seats, until my cute friend asked the guy in charge if we could sit in the empty blogger seats (ie best seats in the theater). So I'm sitting next to this slightly awkward woman who smells like little girls' toys (somewhere between plastic and powder...like the fake fruity scent you would expect to find on Strawberry Shortcake), and she tells me about her blog. I just looked it up, and it's nothing special...she does post every day...and she does have some ads...but seriously...it's ugly and not interesting.
So this gets me thinking, what else are people getting for free out there and how much effort does it really take to get it? If we just blogged more would they let us come to all the free movie screenings? And then I thought...if I just stayed at work for the hour we waited in the theater, I could have paid for all three of us (plus our bottled water, string cheese, bananas, and cookies we bought at the grocery store on our way)...
...but it's still, on principle, it always feels good to get something for free!
Without over explaining, we went to a screening that doesn't take any sort of special invitation, you just sign up. But they reserve the best rows for press/bloggers and have "special" screenings all the time that you can't just sign up for. We got there an hour early and got OK seats, until my cute friend asked the guy in charge if we could sit in the empty blogger seats (ie best seats in the theater). So I'm sitting next to this slightly awkward woman who smells like little girls' toys (somewhere between plastic and powder...like the fake fruity scent you would expect to find on Strawberry Shortcake), and she tells me about her blog. I just looked it up, and it's nothing special...she does post every day...and she does have some ads...but seriously...it's ugly and not interesting.
So this gets me thinking, what else are people getting for free out there and how much effort does it really take to get it? If we just blogged more would they let us come to all the free movie screenings? And then I thought...if I just stayed at work for the hour we waited in the theater, I could have paid for all three of us (plus our bottled water, string cheese, bananas, and cookies we bought at the grocery store on our way)...
...but it's still, on principle, it always feels good to get something for free!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Equal Opportunity Music Listeners: Part II
Fine. You don't have it in your heart to love Katy Perry. I can take a hint. So today I give you 100% non-pop, inidie-lovin' awesome music.
First is something for you hipsters, xylophone and all:
First is something for you hipsters, xylophone and all:
- Freelance Whales - "Hannah"
- Freelance Whales - "Generator 1st Floor" live (I love these harmonies...no words...)
- Freelance Whales - "Ghosting" also live
- Metric - "Give Me Sympathy"
- Metric - "Black Sheep" (from "Scott Pilgrim Versus The World"...loved the movie by the way)
- Temper Trap - "Sweet Disposition" (500 Days of Summer)
- Temper Trap - "Fader"
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Equal Opportunity Music Listeners
In our house, we like music. We like variety. I tell Jay (and he agrees) that he has the musical taste of a man in his mid-50s, but he's actually broadened his horizons substantially since we've been together...though he's still angry about going to see Mates of State with me FOUR YEARS AGO.
We have a recent musical obsession. I like to think of her as our new best friend...a new member of the family. We love her. The funny thing is, Jay is the one who downloaded one of her albums (we have since downloaded her latest). I'm afraid to tell you who it is because she sings dumb pop music. But then she went and did this amazing, jazzy Unplugged. And she's a really amazing singer. Who knew?!
Now don't judge...we love her...
We have a recent musical obsession. I like to think of her as our new best friend...a new member of the family. We love her. The funny thing is, Jay is the one who downloaded one of her albums (we have since downloaded her latest). I'm afraid to tell you who it is because she sings dumb pop music. But then she went and did this amazing, jazzy Unplugged. And she's a really amazing singer. Who knew?!
Now don't judge...we love her...
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
You'll Never Guess Who Sat Behind Us...
...at the Paramore concert:
And if you don't know who he is, maybe this one will help:
And if that doesn't help, than you don't really need to know [I actually recognized him from SYTYCD not DWTS]. He sat down with an Asian woman and a large black man who looked important, but they were whisked away back stage pretty quickly before we could eavesdrop enough to figure out who they were. But the real mystery is: What in the world is Louie doing at a Parmore concert in Houston?
Update: I found Louie on Twitter, and he was in Houston to practice his first dance with his dance partner for this coming season's Dancing With The Stars - Margaret Cho, the Asian woman he was sitting with. Her comedy (?) tour was in Houston. Their first dance is a waltz, FYI.
And if you don't know who he is, maybe this one will help:
And if that doesn't help, than you don't really need to know [I actually recognized him from SYTYCD not DWTS]. He sat down with an Asian woman and a large black man who looked important, but they were whisked away back stage pretty quickly before we could eavesdrop enough to figure out who they were. But the real mystery is: What in the world is Louie doing at a Parmore concert in Houston?
Update: I found Louie on Twitter, and he was in Houston to practice his first dance with his dance partner for this coming season's Dancing With The Stars - Margaret Cho, the Asian woman he was sitting with. Her comedy (?) tour was in Houston. Their first dance is a waltz, FYI.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Paint Everything: Example 1
Step 1: Take old, awkwardly located brass chandelier down from above the front door (where anyone over 6 ft tall scrapes head walking under).
Step 2: Clean and prep; spray with white spray paint; let dry; repeat.
Step 3: Rehang in dining room, replacing light fixture that would be better suited for a Bennigan's.
Step 2: Clean and prep; spray with white spray paint; let dry; repeat.
Step 3: Rehang in dining room, replacing light fixture that would be better suited for a Bennigan's.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
How Did I Never Hear About This?
I've been in a painfully boring two-day training, and so to ease my pain in the last hour today, I started clicking through Twitter profiles to see who my friends follow. And I found this guy (his Twitter feeds to a website).
It's hilarious. Hilarious enough to make into a NY Times bestseller (which is why I'm so surprised I've never heard of it...that and it's hilarious). Basically, this guy moved back in with his parents at the age of 27 and started tweeting funny things his dad says. It's totally inappropriate (ie don't read to small children or to anyone who is easily offended by cursing...poo...more cursing...).
Some of the dirty ones are really funny, but here is a sampling of the clean:
------------
"Engagement rings are pointless. Indians gave cows...Oh sorry, congrats on proposing. We good now? Can I finish my indian story?"
"No. Humans will die out. We're weak. Dinosaurs survived on rotten flesh. You got diarrhea last week from a Wendy's."
"I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly."
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
"Pressure? Get married when you want. Your wedding's just one more day in my life I can't wear sweat pants."
"We're out of Grape Nuts... No, what's left is for me. Sorry, I should have said "You're out of Grape Nuts."
"I hate paying bills... Son, don't say "me too." I didn't say that looking to relate to you. I said it instead of "go away."
"The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain't spitting it out."
"I need to change clothes? Wow. That's big talk coming from someone who looks like they robbed a Mervyn's."
"You sure do like to tailgate people... Right, because it's real important you show up to the nothing you have to do on time."
"Just pay the parking ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double parked."
"I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it...No, I'm not gonna stop, I'm just saying yes, I get that concept."
"The worst thing you can be is a liar....Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2"
"You need to flush the toilet more than once...No, YOU, YOU specifically need to. You know what, use a different toilet. This is my toilet."
Why would i want to check a voicemail on my cell phone? People want to talk to me, call again. If i want to talk to you, I'll answer.
"The dog is an outside dog. You want an inside dog, you go get your own inside."
It's hilarious. Hilarious enough to make into a NY Times bestseller (which is why I'm so surprised I've never heard of it...that and it's hilarious). Basically, this guy moved back in with his parents at the age of 27 and started tweeting funny things his dad says. It's totally inappropriate (ie don't read to small children or to anyone who is easily offended by cursing...poo...more cursing...).
Some of the dirty ones are really funny, but here is a sampling of the clean:
------------
"Engagement rings are pointless. Indians gave cows...Oh sorry, congrats on proposing. We good now? Can I finish my indian story?"
"No. Humans will die out. We're weak. Dinosaurs survived on rotten flesh. You got diarrhea last week from a Wendy's."
"I didn't say you were ugly. I said your girlfriend is better looking than you, and standing next to her, you look ugly."
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
"Pressure? Get married when you want. Your wedding's just one more day in my life I can't wear sweat pants."
"We're out of Grape Nuts... No, what's left is for me. Sorry, I should have said "You're out of Grape Nuts."
"I hate paying bills... Son, don't say "me too." I didn't say that looking to relate to you. I said it instead of "go away."
"The baby will talk when he talks, relax. It ain't like he knows the cure for cancer and he just ain't spitting it out."
"I need to change clothes? Wow. That's big talk coming from someone who looks like they robbed a Mervyn's."
"You sure do like to tailgate people... Right, because it's real important you show up to the nothing you have to do on time."
"Just pay the parking ticket. Don't be so outraged. You're not a freedom fighter in the civil rights movement. You double parked."
"I turn the kitchen faucet on and the shower burns you, yes, I get it...No, I'm not gonna stop, I'm just saying yes, I get that concept."
"The worst thing you can be is a liar....Okay fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but THEN, number two is liar. Nazi 1, Liar 2"
"You need to flush the toilet more than once...No, YOU, YOU specifically need to. You know what, use a different toilet. This is my toilet."
Why would i want to check a voicemail on my cell phone? People want to talk to me, call again. If i want to talk to you, I'll answer.
"The dog is an outside dog. You want an inside dog, you go get your own inside."
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sky Sailing/Falling
Now doubt Adam is an incredible songwriter and programmer. As a fan/listener I didn't expect something completely different, but I was really disappointed to find too much of the same. I feel like after my first listen I was able to find most of the melodies in the previous record. The melodies were what drew me to the music initially. I think that depending upon the type of music anyone may write or compose it (the music) may still do well regardless of relevance or creative ground breaking abilities simply by the majority audience. So I guess what I'm saying is that maybe simply because the masses want to hear the same thing regurgitated - Adam may very well be relevant. But maybe then as creatives we should redefine what relevant is and or become something different all together. I personally wanted to see another side of his creativity. I guess I just wanted more. Too bad.
Friday, July 02, 2010
Another Story About The Office Dude
...and this one might be worse than the airline story: He cuts his fingernails in his office! A lot!
And I can hear it!
I mean, isn't there an understood rule that any activity intended to take place in the bathroom should be restricted to the bathroom? Or perhaps the backyard? (I'm thinking of all the times Hudson has peed in the bushes at Giga's house, and somehow it's acceptable.)
Bottom line: Fingernails are dirty. They should be clipped in private.
[And hey, if he somehow finds and reads the blog, maybe he'll quit!]
And I can hear it!
I mean, isn't there an understood rule that any activity intended to take place in the bathroom should be restricted to the bathroom? Or perhaps the backyard? (I'm thinking of all the times Hudson has peed in the bushes at Giga's house, and somehow it's acceptable.)
Bottom line: Fingernails are dirty. They should be clipped in private.
[And hey, if he somehow finds and reads the blog, maybe he'll quit!]
Monday, June 28, 2010
I Don't Think It Counts As Eavesdropping When They Know You Can Hear
I can hear every word that is said in the three offices behind me. The three occupants know this and filter their conversations or shut their doors accordingly. The one in the far right office speaks more quietly on the phone, so I tend to know less of his personal business but do know he was quite frustrated with a particular VP today... The one in the middle office was very supportive of his wife today as her grandmother passed away last night and was expecting to be in the office until 10 tonight working on a presentation for the board... And the one in the office on the left...well he's just an idiot.
We (and I say we because he was using speaker phone so I was really right there with him) were on hold today with an airline for a long time. Horrible waiting music and all. For a long time. Apparently, he went on a business trip last week and accidentally paid for his airline ticket with his personal credit card instead of his company card. He wanted it refunded, was told no, and was trying to talk to someone higher up the food chain. When we got to the third person, he finally picked the phone up, which is unfortunate because I would really like to know what the woman's responses were. Choice excerpts from his (angry) side of the conversation:
"So if one of your flight attendants was pushing the beverage cart down the aisle and ran into me and took my leg off, you would be unable to give me a refund? [pause] And you don't think the airline...and I know it wasn't your airline but the other airline...was able to give those people that landed in the Hudson river a refund? [pause] I just don't think that's true...Could I please speak to someone in accounting?..."
Even if it is policy to refund passengers when they lose limbs to the beverage cart or survive a crash into a body of water, somehow I just don't think the same compassion is granted to an idiot guy who used the wrong credit card. Have the company reimburse you - it's a business expense, idiot.
We (and I say we because he was using speaker phone so I was really right there with him) were on hold today with an airline for a long time. Horrible waiting music and all. For a long time. Apparently, he went on a business trip last week and accidentally paid for his airline ticket with his personal credit card instead of his company card. He wanted it refunded, was told no, and was trying to talk to someone higher up the food chain. When we got to the third person, he finally picked the phone up, which is unfortunate because I would really like to know what the woman's responses were. Choice excerpts from his (angry) side of the conversation:
"So if one of your flight attendants was pushing the beverage cart down the aisle and ran into me and took my leg off, you would be unable to give me a refund? [pause] And you don't think the airline...and I know it wasn't your airline but the other airline...was able to give those people that landed in the Hudson river a refund? [pause] I just don't think that's true...Could I please speak to someone in accounting?..."
Even if it is policy to refund passengers when they lose limbs to the beverage cart or survive a crash into a body of water, somehow I just don't think the same compassion is granted to an idiot guy who used the wrong credit card. Have the company reimburse you - it's a business expense, idiot.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Baking
I made snickerdoodles last night from scratch because I just felt like making something and we happened to have all the ingredients. Do you know how much butter is in those things?! Seriously, next time I'm just going to roll a stick of butter in some cinnamon and sugar and call it done.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Eyjafjallajökull
I know the volcanic ash from Iceland has caused a lot of problems, but
this video makes it so amazing and wonderful.
As a side note, Jonsi (the music) is Jay's favorite running music. I want him to go to a Jonsi/Sigur Ros concert to experience the unexplainable, amazingness that is a Sigur Ros concert, but they never seem to come here anymore. What does everyone have against Houston? Eh?
this video makes it so amazing and wonderful.
As a side note, Jonsi (the music) is Jay's favorite running music. I want him to go to a Jonsi/Sigur Ros concert to experience the unexplainable, amazingness that is a Sigur Ros concert, but they never seem to come here anymore. What does everyone have against Houston? Eh?
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
The Best Songs From My Running Playlist
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
We Do Love Our Projects
I feel like we would have pictures to post of all the house projects we've been working on...but nothing is finished! I just don't know how it happens, but our projects never seem to wrap.
Current projects:
Current projects:
- Backyard: Jay was out of town one weekend, so I decided to clean off the patio, which led me to search for a use for all these random bricks, which led me to line and clean out a bed (or the remnants of an old bed). This apparently inspired Jay because he spent the next week ripping out EVERYTHING in the backyard. Days and days of ripping. And believe me, it needed ripping. So now it's at least cleaned out...I would put a picture of his handy-work up but can't figure out how to get pictures off my phone...Jay?
- Guest Bathroom: One of the most dated and icky parts left in our house is the guest bathroom. And people, do you know how expensive those things are to get redone? So my mom and I decided we would just start painting. Painting takes time. And coats. So currently, the walls are (mostly) bright white (because we literally paint everything in our house white or grey), the cabinets are peely yucky off-white, and the floor is ugly. Got a ways to go...but looking better...
- Furniture (or lack thereof): I finally got around to ordering a dining room table and patio table...back ordered. Thanks for nothing Crate & Barrel.
- Front Living Room: Here we're making some progress. Jay's parents gave us a piano (!) and record player (as in giant piece of furniture record player - which we painted white because that's what we do)...both dads gave Jay their records so that in a matter of a month Jay went from owning no vinyl to being the envy of his hipster, H&M-loving friends. And so for my birthday, I had Jay help me make display shelves for the records. And tomorrow (hopefully) we're going to get an amazing midcentury modern-ish couch I found on Craigslist (my first Craigslist experience-and I convinced the lady to throw in the matching chair she was selling for $150 for $50)! And hopefully redoing the floors soon...and see what I mean...things just can't reach a finishing point... Just so we all feel better, here is a picture of our finished display shelves (Jay has since swapped out the records so that the coolest are up there):
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
"Home Work"
I produced my first worship record this last fall for a leader named Neal Mabry. Neal is the youth worship leader at Fellowship Bible Church in The Woodlands. I think the church actually calls itself something else, but that's how I know it. Anyways - it turned out great and I am really proud of it. Neal myself and a couple of other guys worked really hard on it. We also had the help of some great musicians from Nashville and Houston.
Producing for me was a lot of work. Producers look at every aspect of the song: From the melody, lyrics, arrangement, tempo and key to the instrumentation. Working out of my house was great, but also hard to be disciplined enough to work in the morning and be done when Linz got home. Here's a pic of my studio below.
Working on so many aspects of the songs I ended up co-writing with Neal and a friend of ours who also recorded the bulk of the guitars on the record (Andy Watson) quite a bit. It was a ton of fun and very fulfilling. So on top of working on all the songs independently, demoing them, re-working and re-writing certain parts - I then had to record them. We started at Red Tree Studios in Magnolia with my friend Harold Rubens (Audio Engineer for Robbie Seay and Caedmon's Call) who engineered drums for me as I tracked drums first. Below is a video of the session.
We recorded the EP in stages. There are different ways to record a song/record: you can either put a lot of guys in the same studio and record at the same time or you can do things one at a time which is called "overdubbing". Overdubbing means that an artist or musician can lay down scratch material (some kind of instrumentation that will later be deleted in order to form a road map or guide for the song) with a click track (a metronome that is digitally played alongside the musician who is recording to ensure that the tempo stays the same). Drums and Bass usually go first in order to lay the foundation of the song and the dynamics.
I met a bass player and keys player in Nashville when I was recording drums for Jackie Key's record which will be released this year. It will be great. I asked those two guys to record on Neal's project. It was a lot of fun. Tony Lucdio played bass and Cason Cooley played keys. Tony has played on just about every Christian record you have ever heard and so has Cason. Cason also started the band "The Normals" with Andy Osegna.
Anyways. If you would like to check out some mp3's of Neals EP go to www.myspace.com/nealmabry
It should be on itunes in a month or so.
J
Producing for me was a lot of work. Producers look at every aspect of the song: From the melody, lyrics, arrangement, tempo and key to the instrumentation. Working out of my house was great, but also hard to be disciplined enough to work in the morning and be done when Linz got home. Here's a pic of my studio below.
Working on so many aspects of the songs I ended up co-writing with Neal and a friend of ours who also recorded the bulk of the guitars on the record (Andy Watson) quite a bit. It was a ton of fun and very fulfilling. So on top of working on all the songs independently, demoing them, re-working and re-writing certain parts - I then had to record them. We started at Red Tree Studios in Magnolia with my friend Harold Rubens (Audio Engineer for Robbie Seay and Caedmon's Call) who engineered drums for me as I tracked drums first. Below is a video of the session.I met a bass player and keys player in Nashville when I was recording drums for Jackie Key's record which will be released this year. It will be great. I asked those two guys to record on Neal's project. It was a lot of fun. Tony Lucdio played bass and Cason Cooley played keys. Tony has played on just about every Christian record you have ever heard and so has Cason. Cason also started the band "The Normals" with Andy Osegna.
Anyways. If you would like to check out some mp3's of Neals EP go to www.myspace.com/nealmabry
It should be on itunes in a month or so.
J
Sunday, January 10, 2010
A Message to Jay
If your cereal comes with a toy in it, I think you're too old to be eating that specific kind of cereal.
Update: The same rule applies if there is a cartoon character on the box (he bought Cinnamon Toast Crunch yesterday because I made him self-conscious of the toy that comes in Lucky Charms).
Update: The same rule applies if there is a cartoon character on the box (he bought Cinnamon Toast Crunch yesterday because I made him self-conscious of the toy that comes in Lucky Charms).
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Posterity = Overrated
Growing up, my mom would let us keep mementos in a "posterity box." When they moved into their new house, my parents gave me the box, along with several other boxes I had left at their house for several years. Revisiting the posterity box, I've discovered that most if it is just crap and I have no idea why I thought I should keep it (like 4 t-shirts from my 1 year of cheerleading and anything I ever wrote in the third grade). Combined with my own "posterity" items that I just haven't thrown out since moving out of our apartment, we have a lot of crap. A roomful, people.
So I decided that life is just too short to worry if I'll ever wear some shirt again that I haven't in 2-3 years. So now I'm getting ruthless. We've almost filled up 3 trash bags worth of stuff for Goodwill and 2 trash bags of true trash. All of Jay's t-shirts once again fit in his t-shirt drawer. All of our documents are neatly organized in labeled binders (bought a labeler - I love it) that all fit on a single book shelf. And the boxes are dwindling.
Side note: I was telling a friend about throwing stuff out and she said I should donate all of it. When I told her a lot of what I was throwing out was class notes, she said you never know...someone might need that kind of stuff in a movie...like in the background of some sort of classroom scene. What?!
I still have 2 boxes to go, and it's the hard stuff I haven't been able to make a decision about. [Plus both mothers have said they have more...] And we'll keep the posterity box (cleaned out of course), though I'm sure in a few years half of what I put in their today will just be crap.
So I decided that life is just too short to worry if I'll ever wear some shirt again that I haven't in 2-3 years. So now I'm getting ruthless. We've almost filled up 3 trash bags worth of stuff for Goodwill and 2 trash bags of true trash. All of Jay's t-shirts once again fit in his t-shirt drawer. All of our documents are neatly organized in labeled binders (bought a labeler - I love it) that all fit on a single book shelf. And the boxes are dwindling.
Side note: I was telling a friend about throwing stuff out and she said I should donate all of it. When I told her a lot of what I was throwing out was class notes, she said you never know...someone might need that kind of stuff in a movie...like in the background of some sort of classroom scene. What?!
I still have 2 boxes to go, and it's the hard stuff I haven't been able to make a decision about. [Plus both mothers have said they have more...] And we'll keep the posterity box (cleaned out of course), though I'm sure in a few years half of what I put in their today will just be crap.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)