Walked to the park today after dinner and passed by a forested area that I used to play in when I was younger. The brush was overgrown, and I'm not quite as small and nimble as I used to be, but I managed to find the trail into my former stomping grounds and weave my way in, past the bramble and brush.
Upon entering the clearing, memories flooded back - the curve of tree limbs, the smoothness of the earth below, the nooks carved out along the trail, the lush greenery of the ferns growing around gnarled trunks. I thought back to summers with friends, dragging stumps and fallen branches to furnish our wooded retreat and carpeting logs with the softest moss, in an attempt to create cushioned seating.
Why yes, in a former life, I must have been a hobbit house-builder.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Monday, June 21, 2004
fastidious
I have nothing amusing to blog about today, so I'm stealing an anecdote from and e-mail my friend Lisa sent today. She's been in Japan for the past two years teaching English. Here's and exerpt from her adventures today:
keiko and lisa model their newly acquired t-shirts to japanese bar patrons.
A pretty great shirt, don't you think? I swear, those Japanese really do know how to speak English properly...they're just claiming ignorance as an excuse to get away with saying anything!
I'd have asked Lisa to pick one of those t-shirts up for me, i'm not sure i'd have the guts to wear it here either. However, I have no problem posting a picture (albeit slightly doctored to mask the true identities of the wearers) for all blogdom to see and admire.
For some reason, it makes me think of that classic highschool cheerleader's chant: "Be aggressive! Be, be aggressive!"
Keiko and I went shopping and there was a Father's Day t-shirt sale. We were just talking about bad Engrish/Kanji t-shirts and look what we scored! Pretty funny. We had a fun time wearing them out to the bar. I would not wear this shirt in North America, I think I would definitely get the wrong kind of attention!
keiko and lisa model their newly acquired t-shirts to japanese bar patrons.
A pretty great shirt, don't you think? I swear, those Japanese really do know how to speak English properly...they're just claiming ignorance as an excuse to get away with saying anything!
I'd have asked Lisa to pick one of those t-shirts up for me, i'm not sure i'd have the guts to wear it here either. However, I have no problem posting a picture (albeit slightly doctored to mask the true identities of the wearers) for all blogdom to see and admire.
For some reason, it makes me think of that classic highschool cheerleader's chant: "Be aggressive! Be, be aggressive!"
Sunday, June 20, 2004
something wicked this way comes
Went to the theatre to day to catch Cuaron's take on the adventures of our favourite boy wizard. I enjoyed it, but would have done so much more if not for the annoying, squabbling children sitting around me. When they weren't chomping on their popcorn like barnyard animals or throwing it around to annoy their friends sitting in front of them, they were talking about "what's supposed to happen next," or pulling each other's shoes off. Finally I got fed up, leaned over and said scoldingly, "Would you boys please behave?!?"
Man! I'm like, officially old now.
Whatever. It did the trick. Those boys sat up straight and remained quiet for the duration of the movie. Of course they probably blasted me once they left the theatre, but I didn't care. I got to enjoy the rest of the movie in relative peace. If only they had adult-only screenings of movies like they do with the books.
i *heart* ny
after the movie, i grabbed a burger at A&W (I love that they serve their fountain drinks in chilled glass mugs), then went to chapters to pick up a copy of TONY in preparation for my visit in August. They only had the eating and drinking guide from the first week of may in the stands, but I thought, what the heck, it's as good an issue as any to pick up. Then I went to the park, sat on the grass with my barefeet, and leafed through the magazine, while enjoying the last few hours of sunshine. I'm getting more and more excited about visiting the bright lights, big city with each week that passes.
Man! I'm like, officially old now.
Whatever. It did the trick. Those boys sat up straight and remained quiet for the duration of the movie. Of course they probably blasted me once they left the theatre, but I didn't care. I got to enjoy the rest of the movie in relative peace. If only they had adult-only screenings of movies like they do with the books.
i *heart* ny
after the movie, i grabbed a burger at A&W (I love that they serve their fountain drinks in chilled glass mugs), then went to chapters to pick up a copy of TONY in preparation for my visit in August. They only had the eating and drinking guide from the first week of may in the stands, but I thought, what the heck, it's as good an issue as any to pick up. Then I went to the park, sat on the grass with my barefeet, and leafed through the magazine, while enjoying the last few hours of sunshine. I'm getting more and more excited about visiting the bright lights, big city with each week that passes.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
shoe fetish
As if I didn't have a large enough selection of footwear already, I went out today and picked up another pair. In my defense, these were calling my name, and since I didn't have a pair of orange ones yet, I was able to justify the purchase. They're a bit loud, but mighty fly nonetheless. I shall call them my citrus sneaks.
Now that I've checked out other styles of Pumas online, I also want these, and these, and these...oh, and maybe these as well. Oh, what the hell, these too.
super support man
Tyler, my part-time assistant started today. He'll be working one day per week until I go to Philly, after which he'll be working full time to fill in for me. Now comes the task of giving him a crash course in the life of a crazy graphic designer. It feels like a lot of knowledge to impart, but he'll have j & k just a phone call away, so he should be okay...I hope.
He was actually supposed to start on Wednesday, but The Medium Cheese (not The Big Cheese) wasn't very clear when he made the job offer, so Tyler didn't know when we expected him. I was slightly amused (or was it annoyance masked as amusement?), but not really surprised, as The Medium Cheese has done the same thing before to a contractor we have working with us. The sloppiness and lack of clarity is starting to become symptomatic.
Perhaps he's too busy playing superhero. Mo and I were teasing him today about it. In retail, there is usually a support manager function - someone who acts as The Manager (as in "I demand to speak with The Manager!") and fields calls from angry or annoyed customers, etc. The Management team rotates this responsibility so that one person doesn't have to carry the burden of this on a regular basis. The Medium Cheese seems to relish under the weight of this extra responsibility though. It's like a little power trip or something.
Anyway, he gets really theatrical when he has support manager duties...always running from one so-called emergency to the next, while we look on, bemused. When he puts on his safety vest to go through the warehouse and open the store, he has a habit of making a performance of it. It's a dramatic right-over-left motion as he fastens the velcro straps of the vest securely to his chest. This is followed by what I like to call fastwalking, with support phone clenched in his right fist. "Can't talk...I'm Support!" he'll say as he whizzes past us in a hurry to put out the next little fire.
As he did his thing this morning, Mo raised her arms above her head, a la Superman in flight, and shouted in a singsongy voice, "Support Manager to the rescue!" I laughed and froze in Running Man pose as I exclaimed, "Off I go to preserve Justice, Peace, and the Swedish Way!"
I relayed the story to Sharri later in the day, and laughingly, we concocted a scheme to fashion a long flowing red cape for him the next time he's the support manager. The plan is to pin a sheet of red fabric to his vest and hang it on the back of his chair. In order to perfect our scheme, he needed a superhero name, so after a little thinking, Sharri came up with 'Super Support Man.' Once the words left her mouth, we paused, looked as each other, and giggled like immature little school children because it sounded like the name of a bra or jockstrap.
Perfect!
Now that I've checked out other styles of Pumas online, I also want these, and these, and these...oh, and maybe these as well. Oh, what the hell, these too.
super support man
Tyler, my part-time assistant started today. He'll be working one day per week until I go to Philly, after which he'll be working full time to fill in for me. Now comes the task of giving him a crash course in the life of a crazy graphic designer. It feels like a lot of knowledge to impart, but he'll have j & k just a phone call away, so he should be okay...I hope.
He was actually supposed to start on Wednesday, but The Medium Cheese (not The Big Cheese) wasn't very clear when he made the job offer, so Tyler didn't know when we expected him. I was slightly amused (or was it annoyance masked as amusement?), but not really surprised, as The Medium Cheese has done the same thing before to a contractor we have working with us. The sloppiness and lack of clarity is starting to become symptomatic.
Perhaps he's too busy playing superhero. Mo and I were teasing him today about it. In retail, there is usually a support manager function - someone who acts as The Manager (as in "I demand to speak with The Manager!") and fields calls from angry or annoyed customers, etc. The Management team rotates this responsibility so that one person doesn't have to carry the burden of this on a regular basis. The Medium Cheese seems to relish under the weight of this extra responsibility though. It's like a little power trip or something.
Anyway, he gets really theatrical when he has support manager duties...always running from one so-called emergency to the next, while we look on, bemused. When he puts on his safety vest to go through the warehouse and open the store, he has a habit of making a performance of it. It's a dramatic right-over-left motion as he fastens the velcro straps of the vest securely to his chest. This is followed by what I like to call fastwalking, with support phone clenched in his right fist. "Can't talk...I'm Support!" he'll say as he whizzes past us in a hurry to put out the next little fire.
As he did his thing this morning, Mo raised her arms above her head, a la Superman in flight, and shouted in a singsongy voice, "Support Manager to the rescue!" I laughed and froze in Running Man pose as I exclaimed, "Off I go to preserve Justice, Peace, and the Swedish Way!"
I relayed the story to Sharri later in the day, and laughingly, we concocted a scheme to fashion a long flowing red cape for him the next time he's the support manager. The plan is to pin a sheet of red fabric to his vest and hang it on the back of his chair. In order to perfect our scheme, he needed a superhero name, so after a little thinking, Sharri came up with 'Super Support Man.' Once the words left her mouth, we paused, looked as each other, and giggled like immature little school children because it sounded like the name of a bra or jockstrap.
Perfect!
Friday, June 18, 2004
it's getting hot in here!
vancouver weather - current conditions
(as of 20:00 PDT, Jun 17 )
Mainly Sunny | Temp: 22.60°C | Humidity: 53%
it's hot, and muggy, and sticky...unfortunately for those of you expecting a show, there will be no removal of clothing.
philadelphia weather - current conditions
(as of 22:54 EDT, Jun 17)
Cloudy | Temp: 24°C | Humidity: 89%
....and it only get hotter in july and august, or so i've been told by my pal, Auntie Gwen, who calls Philly home - or has for the past few years. As it happens, I'll be there when the weather is muggily armpit-like. Joy! She's also warned me of locust infestations around that time of year. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was trying to stop me from visiting. Luckily, I hear that her home is outfitted with not one, not two, but yes (count 'em), three air conditioning units. La Casa Gwen will certainly be one of my first stops!
Lisa e-mailed me from the project site to reassure me that air conditioning was one of the first things they installed in the building, just before they moved everybody in from the trailer offices. The graphics area, at least, will cool and breezy when I arrive. Call me self-centred, but that's all I care about. The interior decorators and visual merchandisers can melt to the ground for all I care. (No really, I'm not that cruel. I'd let them seek relief from the air conditioner for a few seconds before i shove them away and resume my rightful place in front of it.)
parade of the expensive sweaters
Yesterday, the company bigwigs descended upon our little hole in the wall as part of their whirlwind cross-country tour. The self-important name that they dubbed this momentus occasion? "The Board Meeting." I called it "Parade of The Expensive Sweaters."
don't hate the player; hate the game
Why, you ask? Well, we have pictures of the country bigwigs adorning the hallways of our offices with little blurbs soliciting feedback from co-workers on how to make the company better, make more money, take over the world, etc. In those pictures, said bigwigs look friendly and approachable in their expensive sweaters. In real life, they're not so friendly and approachable, but they still don those expensive sweaters instead of power suits and ties in an attempt to make themselves seem as such. Hence "The Expensive Sweaters," a nickname which Auntie Gwen bequeathed to them during one of our back-and-forth rant e-mails at work last year.
Whenever they visit, everyone seems to go into panic mode, as if preparing for the Queen's visit or some such festive occasion. This often means my inbox get piled with useless creative briefs 'in preparation' for their arrival. I usually ignore the particularly stupid briefs because I'm a rebellious bad ass with no regard for authority, and I can sense that this makes many of the 'yes-men (and women)' managers nervous. But from my perspective, whenever the bigwigs visit, all they do is tour the store as a pack, point out flaws, and hope that we address them. (Hence the "Parade.")
I've spoken with one of the bigwigs before and he's admitted that they're only there to offer suggestions. Whatever we do with their feedback is our decision, as it directly impacts our own store's bottom-line, and as a result, our jobs and futures. Plus, we know our market better than they and can more accurately determine whether a particular solution would succeed or fail, based on our market conditions. Funny thing is, many of the 'yes-men (and women)' managers forget this and revere the words of the bigwigs as scripture, which in turn, makes them fill out ridiculously stupid creative briefs which just end up in my recycling bin anyway.
Oh the joys of working in retail graphic design!
i say "hip-hip," you say "hooray!"
On a more positive note, the bigwigs took notice of a piece that I've been working on. It's now going to be printed and distributed nationally once I finish making it less market-specific and have it translated into French. My portfolio cheers!
(as of 20:00 PDT, Jun 17 )
Mainly Sunny | Temp: 22.60°C | Humidity: 53%
it's hot, and muggy, and sticky...unfortunately for those of you expecting a show, there will be no removal of clothing.
philadelphia weather - current conditions
(as of 22:54 EDT, Jun 17)
Cloudy | Temp: 24°C | Humidity: 89%
....and it only get hotter in july and august, or so i've been told by my pal, Auntie Gwen, who calls Philly home - or has for the past few years. As it happens, I'll be there when the weather is muggily armpit-like. Joy! She's also warned me of locust infestations around that time of year. If I didn't know better, I'd swear she was trying to stop me from visiting. Luckily, I hear that her home is outfitted with not one, not two, but yes (count 'em), three air conditioning units. La Casa Gwen will certainly be one of my first stops!
Lisa e-mailed me from the project site to reassure me that air conditioning was one of the first things they installed in the building, just before they moved everybody in from the trailer offices. The graphics area, at least, will cool and breezy when I arrive. Call me self-centred, but that's all I care about. The interior decorators and visual merchandisers can melt to the ground for all I care. (No really, I'm not that cruel. I'd let them seek relief from the air conditioner for a few seconds before i shove them away and resume my rightful place in front of it.)
parade of the expensive sweaters
Yesterday, the company bigwigs descended upon our little hole in the wall as part of their whirlwind cross-country tour. The self-important name that they dubbed this momentus occasion? "The Board Meeting." I called it "Parade of The Expensive Sweaters."
don't hate the player; hate the game
Why, you ask? Well, we have pictures of the country bigwigs adorning the hallways of our offices with little blurbs soliciting feedback from co-workers on how to make the company better, make more money, take over the world, etc. In those pictures, said bigwigs look friendly and approachable in their expensive sweaters. In real life, they're not so friendly and approachable, but they still don those expensive sweaters instead of power suits and ties in an attempt to make themselves seem as such. Hence "The Expensive Sweaters," a nickname which Auntie Gwen bequeathed to them during one of our back-and-forth rant e-mails at work last year.
Whenever they visit, everyone seems to go into panic mode, as if preparing for the Queen's visit or some such festive occasion. This often means my inbox get piled with useless creative briefs 'in preparation' for their arrival. I usually ignore the particularly stupid briefs because I'm a rebellious bad ass with no regard for authority, and I can sense that this makes many of the 'yes-men (and women)' managers nervous. But from my perspective, whenever the bigwigs visit, all they do is tour the store as a pack, point out flaws, and hope that we address them. (Hence the "Parade.")
I've spoken with one of the bigwigs before and he's admitted that they're only there to offer suggestions. Whatever we do with their feedback is our decision, as it directly impacts our own store's bottom-line, and as a result, our jobs and futures. Plus, we know our market better than they and can more accurately determine whether a particular solution would succeed or fail, based on our market conditions. Funny thing is, many of the 'yes-men (and women)' managers forget this and revere the words of the bigwigs as scripture, which in turn, makes them fill out ridiculously stupid creative briefs which just end up in my recycling bin anyway.
Oh the joys of working in retail graphic design!
i say "hip-hip," you say "hooray!"
On a more positive note, the bigwigs took notice of a piece that I've been working on. It's now going to be printed and distributed nationally once I finish making it less market-specific and have it translated into French. My portfolio cheers!
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