November 2005 Archives
- November 30, 2005: Suddenly, There was Light || No. of Comments: 8
Don’t you love it when there is a big meeting scheduled that requires lots of preparation and there isn’t enough time for all of that work and so you’re kind of worried about how everything is going to be ready in time and as the meeting draws nearer the feeling of dread deepens and then suddenly, the day before the meeting, your client calls and has to cancel it and reschedule to another time that surely won’t be until at least January and you pretend to be sad that it’s cancelled but really you’re lifting your imploring eyes to the…
- November 27, 2005: Red Remains || No. of Comments: 4
Click for bigger/sharper image….
- November 27, 2005: How I Spent My Saturday Night || No. of Comments: 3
A co-worker of mine likes to comment on my penchant for Western shirts. Tonight I learned where that passion comes from: My family. My grandfather is a card-carrying member of the local Moose Lodge (as well as the American Legion). Every Wednesday and Saturday he and my grandma carefully pick out their clothes, make the proper phone calls to ensure the attendance of friends, and head to the lodge to kick up their boots with the other old folks. This evening I, along with several other family members, had the pleasure of joining them. I can’t say that I blame…
- November 25, 2005: Black Friday || No. of Comments: 1
My agency’s retail clients have been getting ready for this day since the summer months. I’ve sat in countless strategy meetings and debated the proper hour to open, the proper discount to offer (make it as small as possible! Margin you know…), the proper way to promote the event (newspaper? radio? outdoor?), blah blah blah. And now Black Friday is here. The biggest shopping day of the year. Whoopty doo. I have the great fortune to spend this glorious day in the second-richest metropolitan area in the country: Detroit. The city may be poor but the suburbs are rich rich…
- November 23, 2005: When Walls Fall || No. of Comments: 3
What happened immediately after the Berlin Wall fell in 1990, nearly 30 years after its construction? Three decades of separation, of sizing up an impenetrable wall, of resignation to a life constrained to only one half of a city, and then, at least as seen by my nine-year-old eyes, the wall was suddenly gone, reduced to rubble. Did a gleeful people run with shouts over the rocks that once were the wall? Did they charge headlong into the other half? Or did they tiptoe up to the edge and peer into the other side, afraid that their eyes were deceiving…
- November 20, 2005: Ollie ollie oxen free || No. of Comments: 5
A couple of weeks ago someone kindly welcomed themselves into our garage and stole the garage door opener from my roommate’s truck, along with a tire pressure checker. Strangely, that’s all they took. It was more than enough, though, because since then we’ve had to park on the street and unplug the opener so they can’t welcome themselves back into our garage whenever they want. So this morning when I was staring out the window lost in thought and two kids streaked by into our backyard, I was pissed. When 10 minutes went by and they were still back there,…
- November 19, 2005: People I Know || No. of Comments: 1
People follow me. More and more they do, traces of my past appearing where I least expect them. In line for lunch I hear someone’s voice and think it’s a former college classmate. It takes me 10 seconds to realize that’s a remote possibility, that she’s probably in a third-world country right now, carrying naked children on her hips. On the street I see a smile and think, “Is that Chris?” And then it’s not. Chris is in Indiana. Or I meet someone at a party whose smile and eyes bear strong resemblance to a long-lost friend. And I immediately…
- November 18, 2005: It’s Friday || No. of Comments: 3
In all its glory. It’s 43 degrees outside and 85 in our office. The Hershey’s bars behind the receptionist are melting and there is sweat between my ass cheeks. No one feels like working, especially after the week we’ve had of “I’m not digging these concepts” and “Um, OK, we’ll do 12 new print ads for you in TWO DAYS. And without photography (cause you’re too cheap). Not a problem.” In 15 minutes it’s time for happy hour. In the meantime, I’ve stripped my sweater and am getting whooped by an art director at ping pong. Art directors aren’t supposed…
- November 17, 2005: 1,117,440 Minutes || No. of Comments: 6
As of today, I’ve lived in the Twin Cities for two years and 47 days. Is a place home when you forget to mark the anniversaries of your arrival? When I moved north for my first real job out of college I knew exactly two people in the whole state of Minnesota. And they don’t even live here anymore. Sometimes when paging through my phone book or hanging out with friends, I think of that and it makes me smile. And never want to move to an unknown city again….
- November 15, 2005: Eyeing the Altar || No. of Comments: 5
The below was written as a “personal story” for an upcoming campaign with Outfront Minnesota. Thought I’d share it with you all, as well. In September 2005, I watched as my sister was married to the man she loves at the altar of a small church on Lake Michigan’s eastern shore. I sat alongside the rest of my family in the front pew on the left hand side of the aisle, while behind us breathed dozens of distant relatives and longtime friends, all looking intently at my sister and her soon-to-be husband as they fumbled with words and he fought…
- November 10, 2005: Alternate this || No. of Comments: 4
“Alternate Ending!” the DVD packaging screamed. Exclamation points always add so much excitement, don’t they? Alternate ending? I thought. How can there be an alternate movie to this movie? THE TITANIC. Does the ship NOT sink after all? Was it all a big hoax? Did singing angels with crowns of glory fly in and lift the boat out of the frigid water using only the pinky fingers on their left hand? I guess I’ll have to buy the DVD to find out….
- November 10, 2005: Sappy, I Know || No. of Comments: 12
A few weeks ago I e-mailed two close friends and gave them all the contact information for my family members. I’m not expecting death or destruction, I wrote, but just in case… One of the recipients thought at first glance that it was a suicide note. It certainly was not. Life continues to expand and so does my joy in living it. But age is taking its toll, and not necessarily in a bad way. The recklessness and invincibility of youth is gone. Back in the day I used to tightrope walk on live electric wires strung high above active…
- November 7, 2005: So Glad it’s Monday || No. of Comments: 8
Sometimes I pretend I’m an actor playing the role of something I’m naturally not: An extrovert. I can occasionally and for short intense bursts of time play this role very well, worthy of an Oscar almost. Only the most astute observer will notice that the bathroom breaks I take during these extroverted scenes are not because duty calls but because I need to breathe for just a couple of minutes. Actually, even the most astute observer wouldn’t notice this trick unless they are observing my bathroom breaks. Which, I assure you, they are not. Usually I don this role because…
- November 2, 2005: 9 to 5 || No. of Comments: 8
Sometimes it’s difficult to explain how I spend my days. This is it. Today: Four hours in a recording studio. What you can’t see here are all the differing opinions humming around the room. My job is to take those opinions, soften the blows and make sure everyone leaves happy. Sometimes it’s a little like jumping in front of a moving truck and then saying, “Thank you! That turned out well now, didn’t it?” (But usually it’s not that bad.)…
