|
 |
|
|
|
|
September
2003 Archive
Tuesday, September 30, 2003My Brain Is FullI spent about 5 and a half hours listening to Edward Tufte today. It was good. He's a fantastic presenter and has all the right ideas about presentations and information design. I'm too much of a web zealot to align 100% with his supremacy of print philosophy. Tufte recently wrote a booklet called, "The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint." Since I do excellent work in .ppt for my clients, usually illustrating process models, I was worried that he was going to be plain ol' snarky about the program. Some snark, but far outweighed by good points. The biggest mind shift of the day was how the short, bulleted phrases in Powerpoint really sets up a different/weaker way of processing the information. He also emphasized that you should respect your audience and the last thing you should do is "Keep it simple, stupid." An example of what not to do . Happily, the day was both affirmative and educational - meaning it affirmed a lot of stuff I already do right, and learned a lot of new things and ways to do things better. The crowd surprised me. Seemed to be more business people sent by their bosses than information designer types. I dunno - I guess I expect the latter to look more like me. And now I understand what really happening with the Challenger explosion, which happened on my 12th birthday. If you dig Tufte's ideas/books, definitely invest in the one-day course . He mentioned there were a few walk in spots for the remaining Chicago classes - in case any Chicago readers want to jump on it. My brain is full. I'm happy to cook a frozen dinner and watch teevee tonight. Tomorrow, I take over the world. posted on 9/30/2003 07:46:11 PM
Friday, September 26, 2003ProgressOk, so I'm still feeling bleary, but I did finish my recap of the Renegade Craft Fair. I know it's detailed and full of unsolicited advice, but I hope it's entertaining and useful to someone. Read it! posted on 9/26/2003 10:24:35 PM Bleary
Wednesday, September 24, 2003Important Decision ReachedEveryone has their own beloved phallic architecture, but The Most Phallic Building in the World has been determined. Both cut and uncut. The Chicago entries are more monolithic than phallic - but they are [*cough*] BIG. Ah, the accomplishments of Man. posted on 9/24/2003 12:56:13 PM
Tuesday, September 23, 2003MARITA!Yes, I had a 10:30 appointment with you. I was running late, couldn't find 330 N Wacker, had no phone # and am sick. No balls were in my court this morning. If you just happen to read this blog, that's the sorry excuse. I'll email when I get home tonight and I hope we can reschedule soon. I'm at Harold Washington Public Library at the moment. I am SO flummoxed by 330 N Wacker. I Mapquested it just now - I've got a South, an East and a West. Musta written something down wrong! Grrrrr... Update: Happily, my allergy-addled brain read it right. Marita mistakenly wrote Wacker instead of Wabash. So, I wasn't losing my mind. *whew* Simple mistake, remedied with a rescheduled meeting Thursday! posted on 9/23/2003 11:56:58 AM
Monday, September 22, 2003Thank you, Sofia CoppolaJust saw Lost in Translation. I enjoyed it and laughed more than I have at any movie within memory. Bill Murray's face is infinitely watchable. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I dig movies about two people and movies about faces. Afterwards I was in a state of suspended observation afterwards. I rode the 36 bus home watching Chicago the way I watched Tokyo on the screen. It was so quiet walking home - a nice contrast to the noise in my head from allergies and illness. Oh, and anytime Annie Coleman wants to tell you about the games she plays with her pets - listen. posted on 9/22/2003 11:02:13 PM
Saturday, September 20, 2003Ol' Renegade MeI'm bright eyed and bushy tailed and off to participate in the Renegade Craft Fair. Wish me luck. And this weekend, I'm missing my Aunt's annual Girl's Weekend Up at the Cabin in Northern Minnesota. I hope they are eating some snacks and going for a walk in the woods for me! posted on 9/20/2003 07:13:11 AM
Friday, September 19, 2003Mothertrucker.Tomorrow is the Renegade Craft Show. I've been solidly working on this show for this whole week and a good portion of the previous two. Meanwhile, I've been battling ragweed/hayfever allergies. Three days ago, I officially got fed up with the allergies and started praying for the first frost. Yesterday, the allergies seemed to turn into a sinus infection. My sinuses are pounding and are making yellow snot nonstop. My brain hurts. My teeth hurt. Swallowing hurts like a mothertrucker. Dammit. I got to bed early, but woke up a dozen times to excavate the sinuses. The up side was that daylight seems to take a very long time to come, so I kinda feel like I got sleep - in fitful increments. Luckily, what I HAVE to do today, T- 1, is boring and doesn't require much movement. I've got to update my inventory and make sure everything's got a price tag. Maybe more sign making and jewelry making. I'll be movin' slow and methodical, with tissue, water and sucrets always within arms lengths. Why can't I call in sick today? posted on 9/19/2003 08:18:31 AM
Wednesday, September 17, 2003Mmmmmm...I endured Jay Leno to seeing Eddie Izzard just now. I dig Izzard. Happily Jim, Pat and I going to see him front row on October 1st. Hummana, hummana. And my loins stirred when I saw Mr. Izzard was wearing nail polish on the show. That was a fad I wished had caught on. I do so like a man wearing nail polish. posted on 9/17/2003 11:40:01 PM
Sunday, September 14, 2003Late NightI've been dicking around online since I IM'ed Lauriean. I've had this vague doomed feeling - like I shouldn't be up this late. Yes, I'm tired and I've got nutso allergies. My sneezes are exhausting me. But what's making me feel like a oughta got to bed? It's Saturday night/Sunday morning. Besides, I work for myself, so it ain't like I'm throwing my Monday 9 am schedule out of whack. Hmmm. I think I'll go to bed now. posted on 9/14/2003 02:27:31 AM WOAH.
Saturday, September 13, 2003Sharpie LoveREAD THIS NOW As always, I happened upon this in a very circuitous websurfing route. Like this site too. I adore Sharpie markers. I want a white t-shirt with the logo on it big and black. Because I am both a sharpie myself and a Sharpie fan. And that's saying a lot because I normally take off all the visible tags on stuff.* Last month I wrote an email to Sanford asking about a shirt. I got a polite, but totally ho-hum response - basically "thanks for your interest, but we don't have those." BUT THEY SHOULD. *And no, I don't expect to sell and of my logo goods on CafePress.com. But they are there if anyone is zealous. posted on 9/13/2003 01:45:08 PM
Thursday, September 11, 2003Art 1" in DiameterHooray! The Button-O-Matic project was just featured on Eight Forty-Eight! Button-O-Matic is/are vending machines filled with plastic bubbles, each with a 1" piece o' wearable art inside. Yours for 50 cents. Created by the lovely ladies at Busy Beaver Very Fluxus. The current theme is Portraits. The upcoming theme is Patterns. Since I've got patterns running through my blood, I asked Christen Carter, empress of Busy Beaver if I could contribute. Happily, she said yes. A couple weeks ago I sent off my five tiny designs. Don't know when the projects will turn over, but I'll let you know. But check out the site and seek out the establishments with the vending machines. I recently became a Busy Beaver customer and I've been very happy with their quality and service. I gotta admit I'm a bit obsessed with 1" pins as tiny, snazzy object and as the currency of cool. The latest order is 500 pins featuring the loosetooth.com logo and Pillhead, that I'll be giving out at the Renegade Craft Fair. posted on 9/11/2003 11:09:12 AM
Sunday, September 07, 2003Movin' Right AlongMy best friend Jim knows the best movies to drink red koolaid to. Tonight, Jim, Pat and I watched The Muppet Movie. I thought I was real hot shit in first grade because we sang the Rainbow Connection for recital. Tonight, I realized that if I were bald and wearing a lab coat, I'd look like Dr. Bunsen Honeydew - although there are a handful of folks from my secret life as a biologist who know me as Beaker. posted on 9/7/2003 10:33:20 PM Props
to Grinnell
Saturday, September 06, 2003Baby, It's All Right NowJust put in a mix cd I haven't listened to in ages. Again, I am reminded that I make kick ass mixes. If my cd drive weren't on it's last leg, I'd make another one for the season. Hmmm... When I was about 14, I was volunteering at Springbrook Nature Center every Sunday night. I had seen a infomercial for some great mix album. I proudly told Scott, the naturalist there, that I had heard about some really great "copulation album." Scott stifled a laugh and said, "Uh, Brandy, I don't think that word means what you think it means. I think you mean compilation album." Uh, yeah. But we all know some good copulation albums too, don't we? posted on 9/6/2003 04:48:29 PM Ahh...
Love....
Friday, September 05, 2003TWO?!?!I was just on the IMDB Board looking for the release dates for Lost in Translation. I got mesmerized by the preview when I went to see American Splendor. Anyhow, someone said that if Sofia Coppola is nominated for a Best Director Oscar for it (always lots of hopeful Oscar speculation on the boards) that she'll be the third woman in Oscar history nominated. Huh?!?! Holy moley. Only two women in 75 frickin' years - Lina Wertmuller, Seven Beauties (1976) & Jane Campion, The Piano (1994). posted on 9/5/2003 10:16:05 AM
Tuesday, September 02, 2003Tuesday MatineeToday's movie was The Italian Job. I frickin' ate it up with a spoon! Love. Love. Loved it. Haven't been this plain ol' keyed up by a movie since Ocean's 11. So full of attractive people - even Norton was a sexee babee with his obvious-answer-villian-facial-hair. Thoroughly entertaining heist movie. I even spontaneously clapped at a certain point and didn't even feel foolish about it. I dug this movie, can ya tell? Go see it. Go see it and then go buy a Mini Cooper. And then go have sex dreams about all of the characters. I suspect subliminal messages somewhere... Feelin' Myself Even before seeing the Italian Job, I was, as the black ladies say, "feeling myself." How could I not while wearing bright red shirt, bubblegum jeans and sock and red sneakers. I sauntered up Michigan Avenue between the Planned Parenthood (where I got my magic birth control) and the movie theater. Wearing more color than anyone. I got two free cans of Vanilla Coke (yee-yum) handed out on the street. Momentarily debated not seeing the movie, because it was going to put me back on the street right at commuter traffic time. I work from home and rarely endure sardine buses and trains. I'm spoiled. Got over that. I obviously saw the movie. Love. Love. Loved it. AND it put me on a 147 Express bus not sardine packed but just full enough I got to bus surf all the way home. I like the bus surf. I'm good at it. I was listening to Johnnie Ray and cavorting with physics. Again, I was feeling myself. Thwarted Arrived to my apartment building with 40 pounds of books in my backpack and two broken elevators in my building. Two men waiting to see if the freight was working were talking politics and conspiracy theories. One said, "I heard that our building owner owns 50 buildings and is funneling money to terroists." Huh. Spending all of our elevator-fixing money on terrorism. Hoping to get home later with one fixed, I've detoured to Jim's house. I'm blogging here. Soon Thai food. [Update: No dice on the elevator. A dozen flights with the book-full backpack. Harrumph.] Go see the Italian Job. posted on 9/2/2003 06:37:41 PM End
O' Summer
Monday, September 01, 2003Rainy Days and MondaysI just took a very hot bath while listening to Nick Drake's Pink Moon. I'm blogging now. Soon I will curl up in bed in my bathrobe and read about Charles and Ray Eames. With the wind whipping around and the constant rain it certainly feels like summer has ended. I don't mind one bit. I do have a few pangs of sadness for those planning a sunny watermelon-eating BBQ today. Things here have been introspective and productive. Just over a week ago, I quit the band. 10 months of being an accordion player in a square dance band. The gigs were amazing - watching all sorts of people drop their inhibitions and dos-a-do. My bandmates got their chops and knew how to put on a good show. Annie Coleman is remarkable. Rehearsals were ________. I don't know. Not enough fun. Not enough learning. A bunch of accordion schlepping. I've been told all bands are dysfunctional, but I'm not buying it. I could have fought to make it better, but didn't have the fight in me. I felt very gray about the band. Then two Thursdays ago I was watching Charlie Rose. Caught it a few minutes in and started watching this fascinating man talk about Art History. I was eating it up, he was feeding my brain. I thought, "Who is this guy? How do I not know him?" Kirk Varnedoe Professor, Institute for Advanced Studies across the bottom of the screen Great conversation. I was riveted, except for centipede-catching-interruption.* Late in the conversation, Varnedoe explained his decision to leave the MOMA and accept a research professorship. While the MOMA was the (externally) glamorous job/title and he enjoyed acquiring work for the museum, he knew that other people could do a good job doing that. He wasn’t spending his time doing the stuff he (in particular) was exceptionally good at – lecturing and writing and working on his ideas. Very sadly, the show was a memorial rebroadcast because Varnedoe died two weeks ago from cancer. I laid in bed thinking about what he said, thinking about being so damn smart, thinking about dying at 57, thinking about doing what you're really good at. That was perspective maker for me. I decided that I should be spending my grumpy-accordion-playing-time doing something I'm exceptionally good at. Happily, I’ve got some of those things that outweigh being a mediocre musician not enjoying myself enough. Life’s too short for staying in a ________ situation. The wind was whipping outside, so I had a fitful night's "sleep" listening to the wind, thinking, and penning a resignation letter in my head. The next day I wrote a letter to the band. Was planning on giving it to my bandmates after our Empty Bottle gig. Dropped that idea b/c the gig ended at 7:30 and I didn't want to throw a wrench in their Friday nights. Emailed the letter the next day. Feel good about the decision. All in all, an interesting chapter. Since then, I've been thinking a lot about Art and Design and have been making stuff. More to report soon. *Few things freak me out - but centipedes do. Yeee-uck. posted on 9/1/2003 02:05:24 PM
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
