So It’s Been Like A Year
Yeah! Almost a year since either of us have done anything on the site… with the wedding fast approaching we’ve been focusing more and more on getting everything organized! I have also been working towards establishing a new business which certainly has put some restrictions on my time! We’re gonna try to get back into this, maybe even add some old posts to cover what we missed!
You Tell ‘Em, Lance!
So there’s been some hub-bub in the media recently surrounding Lance Armstrong and his comeback to Le Tour de France. I for one don’t care about the hype; I see it as an athlete who will continue to better himself and continue to inspire millions of people, just like me. I too am a cancer survivor and I have proudly worn my LIVESTRONG bracelet since I received my first one from a close friend who’s mother was a survivor. I wore it in her honor as well as millions of others who survived, were struggling with or currently battling cancer. In 2006 when I was diagnosed with cancer I was wearing my LIVESTRONG bracelet. When I had to go to the hospital every other Friday for four-hour-high-dose-chemotherapy sessions that destroyed me mentally, physically and emotionally… I was wearing my LIVESTRONG bracelet. I have literally been wearing one for almost 6 years and I will continue to wear it. Despite the jokes and bullshit posers who would wear them to look “hip”, I wear one because it means something to me.
I recently saw a new Nike commercial featuring Lance Armstrong where he puts the critics to rest and sets the record straight about who he really rides for. As a fellow survivor, I understand this determination. I also understand how the experience can lead you to care less about what critics think and focus more on what can be done and what those actions truly mean.
It’s 11:15, June 25th And Michael Jackson is Dead
It really didn’t hit me till now that Michael Jackson is dead. The news came across the Twitter feed earlier this evening and after a little searching I found that the news was true to some degree. For about an hour I looked into different feeds and news reports and heard everything from his cardiac arrest to his apparent hoax in order to boost upcoming tour ticket sales. Eventually I just turned the channel to CNN and saw that the LA Times made it official that the King Of Pop, Michael Jackson, was dead.
I, like many of my peers, grew up with Michael Jackson in the 80’s. From his early days when “Rock With You” and “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” were hitting the charts. Through the “Thriller” years and the “Bad” times, he was an icon like no other. I first got my Michael Jackson jones on when Thriller hit the airwaves in January 1984. As a child I was a huge fan of horror. My dad was a horror movie nut and we used to watch old movies on late night tv… there was a show that came on after “Saturday Night Live” back in the day called… (Forgive me, I believe this is correct) “Saturday Night Dead” that my dad and I used to watch. Staying up late was a big thing for me at that age I guess, and just the time spent with dad was worth it. Anyway, when I first saw “Thriller” I just became hooked. Not only was is Michael Jackson turning into a Werewolf but it was the voice of Vincent Price eerily guiding your journey through the Thriller! The video had incredible special effects for the time and was number one on “MTV’s Top Videos Of All Time” for many years until a little band named, “Nirvana” came around. It was an instant hit off the “Thriller” album. I wanted this LP so bad when I was a kid… but I didn’t have a record player anyway… so it wasn’t a big deal. I was only 4 and the urge to acquire such vinyl came much later, but appreciate it, I certainly did!
I remember winning shitty keychain prizes at the local fair or carnivals with the “Thriller” album image on it and magnets with yellow werewolf eyes. Michael Jackson was huge! He was everywhere! I was a total Michael Jackson fan. I still remember arguments I had with other children my age (by this time, Im 7 or 8 I suppose) about which leather jacket was better; the red one from “Thriller” or the black on from “Bad”. When I say Michael Jackson was a big deal, I mean he was a big deal. I guess he was my first and probably only “Pop” icon.
His fame soared for a number of years. He released hit after hit, after hit, after hit. I subtly joked this evening with Maria about how he made all of China and Japan weep this day. I recall so many clips of videos where he’s singing “Man In The Mirror” or some other song where they show the crowd just exploding in tears and it made me wonder what it as like to have such a strong and passionate following… I’m not sure what that fame or that exposure does to you. I don’t know if it was the fame or the intense pressure of being a child star turning into an adult superstar that eventually turned MJ into somewhat of a side show act. There came a time when we joked about how we “knew Michael Jackson when he was black”. After numerous plastic surgeries on his nose and chin as well as supposed treatments to lighten his skin, Michael Jackson turned into more of a spectacle than an entertainer. I won’t even go into the years and years of history under MJ’s belt; from his years with Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, that Feldman guy, that Home Alone kid and so many others in Hollywood… his scandalous years and times of uncertain accusations and now, just hours after his passing you can view his Wikipedia page where it already list his death as this day.
I really think it sucks. Disregarding all the bullshit about his court cases and all the accusations, you can’t deny what Michael Jackson brought to the table of the last three decades. Incredibly creative and emotional, he brought his fantasies and dreams to life for the world to see and to share. He showed us a world beyond the reach of certainty and reality; just far enough to take you on a short journey through his eyes, guided by his music and genius, giving us lucky few that chance to say we were alive in the presence of a legend. Like many prolific musicians, artist and poets before him, he helped paved a path through history and through the lives of millions upon millions of fans all over the world. His inspiration and love for the world he lived in has stirred the deepest of emotions and tried the most terrible of times. Michael Jackson was, in many ways, and not to cut on Pepsi, the Voice of A Generation.
I really don’t know what else to say. I am shocked about the news… especially considering he was one of those guys who did ridiculous things in the name of health… I suppose I’ll watch the news for the next couple days and watch the specials that come on about him. I suppose I’ll fall back in memory and remember those good times… those good times that just wouldn’t be as good without him. We’ll all miss you, Michael, MJ, King… Mike.
If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me…
That was the theme to our out of the blue “I need to go to Confluence“ road trip. Many of you know my friend Jackie . Jackie and I pondered the thought of who would visit us either in their grave or in their mind if we passed away. Morbid I know but…we have similar pasts and we both have lost loves. he lived in Confluence almost 11 years ago and had someone that lived there (he was very special to her) pass away, Jimmy. We went to visit his grave and see her old stomping ground. It’s about 31/2 hours fro Lancaster. We forgot several things on our trip, #1 being a camera, although I took pics with my camera phone they suck! I uploaded them to the gallery but you can hardly tell what they are. The best picture you won’t see is when we were right on the outskirts of Confluence, “cows at a bonfire”. We stopped the car so I could get a pic of all the cows socializing at the bonfire by the road, I was laughed at by the towns people and I was told they are keeping warm! All the cows looked up at me as I was taking the picture, when I turned around to leave, Jackie said they all looked down at the fire again. I googled “cows at bonfire” hoping I could get a pic but it’s so unusual that this is all that really came close.
Cow at bonfire
To make our car ride more entertaining we popped in our “Road Trip To Long Island NY 2002″ mix. It was very interesting we rocked out to Avril, Morrissey, Ani, and Mary Me Jane (it was an angry chick mix) ! We also realized that we are not good listeners when it comes to Mrs. GPS. It was a beautiful day when we left in our flip flops and short sleeves but Jackie recalled how chilly it gets up on the mountain! #2 of our important things for a road trip that we forgot…socks. We arrived at our destination around 7:30ish Friday night. It was still light out so we went to find Jimmy’s grave and visited a bit. After,we went to the small town bar called Dodd’s (it opens at 9am). We were gawked at briefly when we walked in. The town has a population of 200 so they know out -of -towners. I was waiting for some lifetime movie to play out but it turned out to be non climatic. We drove around and Jackie showed me various places such as the Community Center which has a roller skate rink and a rabies clinic??? in it. It was dark and we were tired so we set out for a hotel close to Confluence. We used the resourceful GPS and found a hotel 6 miles out called National Trial Motel at 4617 National Pike Markleysburg, PA 15459, you can reach them at 724-329-5531. They asked us to “pass the word” so there ya go. It did the job, we needed beds and a toilet. We watched the 5 channels till we fell asleep and were woken up at 3am by people next to us and I had dreams about drugged potatoes???
We woke early and headed back to Confluence for some breakfast at Sisters Cafe. We went to see Jimmy’s grave one last time and set out for a new route home. This was the best part of the trip! We went down the windiest hills and curviest roads. (Jackie get your breaks checked) This one road had “runaway truck ramps” the roads we so steep, first time I ever even heard of them!
We also went to Fallingwater, but now they charge admission so we made a big U turn.
Oh and important item #3 toothbrush and tooth paste! Anyway, let me list a some things we saw and learned on our journey…
- 30 Bison that I thought were buffalo
- 3 rivers; Yough, Casseman, Ohiopyle
- retention ponds
- there are ATM machines that dispense $5
- History of Johnstown flood
- flip flops not a good idea
- strip mining
- new Depeche Mode album is better than the new Pet Shop Boys
- Flight 93 Memorial (I left my guardian angle there)
- the difference between 0.3mi, 300ft
- Rt 30 goes far
- saw giant working windmills
- tissues at a rest stop cost $4
I’m On IMDB!
I received an email from a friend of mine, Jake Stetler, who is also a talented film maker, that I now have an entry on IMDB, the Internet Movie Data Base, for my design work on Jake’s new film, “No Sanctuary“. I designed a logo for the film and film company, something that Jake gave me direction on. I also had a small bit in the movie where I shoot a swat shotgun. The filming was fun and I am very happy to see Jake is still diligently working away at his masterpiece! Nice job, amigo! Keep up the great work!
Aw Bummer!
Well we finally found out the winner of the SAMMY award and while it was great to be nominated, seeing the winner kinda pisses me off. I’m not exactly sure how voting goes, but it is clear that the winner knew how to get votes. The winner of the Sammy was the company that I thought for sure would NOT win… Safety Care. If there was a possible better site then the one I designed I would have given it to Allied Fire & Security. Overall I’m upset that Safety Care won. It’s an incredibly basic site which isn’t bad, but when compared to the competition, honestly, it doesn’t stand up. It’s also nowhere near optimized for search, at least from what I can tell. This tells me that the folks at the SAMMYs (or at least those who vote) don’t know good design and certainly don’t know internet marketing. Both my site and the Allied site are well designed and optimized for search… so how the hell did Safety Care win? Okay, maybe I’m a little more than upset! 
Today Is The Day! SAMMY Awards Announced!
Today at 4:30 PM, somewhere in Vegas, the website I designed for my former employer Select Security is up for the “Best Website Design”. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the judges thought of my work. After looking at the competition I can imagine the judging going either way between my site and one of the other sites. It all depends on what the judges see as a more effective homepage. I would hope that they look at the full site and see some of the nice work I did on the interior pages too. Of course I have to wait till this evening, but how great would that be to win!
Fun Friend’s Project – Hookah Lounge Logo
I got an email from one of Maria’s friends, Jackie, the other day and she wanted some help with a school project. Her group had to create a full business plan for a fictional venture. Along with the business plan and all the details going into that, the teacher recently dropped the bomb that the students would also need to design a logo and full visual standards for the business as well! Jackie explained that her group decided to plan an “upscale hookah lounge” they aptly named “Alchemy”. She asked if I would be interested and offered a little compensation for the work. She included art boards with samples and designs… textures and colors they liked and felt would represent the “Mod-Moroccan” feel they were looking for. I designed two separate logos with different feels. One was more 60’s and colorful; the second was more mod and professional. There were a few standouts and it just so happens that Jackie and the group felt the same way about my designs. With a few minor changes I sent the logo out hoping to help the group score and A+ and feel good about a job well done!
Doin Time In The Shade!
Since my layoff in February, I have been reluctant to flood the job market with anymore of my resumes, references, cold emails and cold calls. I did it months ago, I did it weeks ago, I have been doing it the entire time that I had a job! The fact is that there just isn’t anyone hiring for my position or even offering close to what I need as a salary. My reluctance also hinges on a small venture with an up and coming internet marketing firm, Shade Tree Marketing. It looks like this may be the break I’ve been waiting for.
I think every designer wants to work for themselves. From the time you graduate your design school, or start your journey into the working word, the idea of being self-employed is an intoxicating thought. Setting your own hours, working in a comfortable environment, having the freedom to go when and where you need to and not having to answer to a boss who knows squat about good design. You’re the boss. At the same time, it’s a challenge. You have to be able to budget what money you can get and try to keep up on your bills. It’s a great freedom but it has a price, just like anything else. In my current position the idea of going freelance or contracting to a business seems like the best opportunity for me to keep working, expand my portfolio and begin to live that life we all dream about. I am happy to say that so far things seem to be working out. I have two new websites under my belt, a few new logos and one big project on the horizon… and possibly a lot more work to come!
Sure the times are tough but we are getting by fine. I hope that I can keep this gig running and keep doing what I ultimately want to do, work at home, work for myself and just be happy!
Pandora
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Why didn’t people tell me about this before?!
Lancaster, PA
