The End of November's 2 Challenges

It's the last day of November. The beard is gone after No Shave November. Even the goatee. And now we've come to the final blog post of National Blog Posting Month.

I gotta say I'm kind of proud of myself for following through on not one but two challenges this month. I usually shy away from them but decided to see these through to the end (despite how trivial they are).

By the end of No Shave November I actually received a lot more compliments on the beard than I expected. They morphed from "is that a mustache?" in mid November to "I like the beard. It's sexy," by Thanksgiving. But I've decided to let it go since it's not filling in much more. At least now I know what I'll look like when the world ends and shaving is a thing of the past (can you tell I saw The Road this weekend?).

The fate this blog, on the other hand, is still up in the air. I'm not sure what the future holds for it, but don't fret, you four people who read it. It's not going away. It just might be morphing into something new. I have some things to consider in that realm.

In the mean time, thanks for reading this month. Be sure to stay tuned!

The Last Day of Beardom

No Shave November has reached its end. I have to say, I didn't expect my beard to fill out like it did (even if it is...lacking in some areas). I also didn't expect so many people to like it. I've gotten nothing but compliments on it. Not bad for a first attempt at a beard.

Alas, I feel it's time to trim it down. 30 days of a furry face is enough for me. Here's one last look at the full beard in all its glory.


And now here's a peak at what I'm sporting. We'll see how long this lasts.

Bleeding Kansas

KU lost to MU in the Border War 41-39. I saw the lose coming, but didn't expect KU to score anywhere near that many points. Now the question is what will happen to Mangino. I hope he leaves. Too much has been said, presumed, assumed and accussed to be taken back. His image is ruined by this season alone. He'll collect his $6 million and walk if he's smart.

On to basketball season! KU Football is nothing but a prelude to basketball, anyway.

Allen Fieldhouse

I get to go to a KU basketball game at Allen Fieldhouse tonight for the first time in 2 years. They're playing Tennessee Tech and I'm ridiculously pumped. If you've never been, it's by far the best place to watch a college basketball game. The fans. The history the national championship banners. It's almost a religious experience.

Plus, I get to go with my dad. Just the two of us. I think it'll make it a special trip.

Thanksgiving 2009

Oh, 2009. You've been such a wiley one. Trying to sucker punch me a couple times. But I got the best of you...bitch.

I have quite a bit to be thankful for this year. My family. My friends. Having a friggin' job. New friends. Sweet Christ -- capoeira, of course. Chocolate.

2009 started out with a kick in the balls but I feel it's wrapping up about as good as I could hope.

Thanks for reading. And have a happy Thanksgiving.

Lazy Days

Half days at work make me lazy. Which means two things: afternoon naps and almost criminally short blog posts. Five days left in NaBloPoMo.

Texting!

Some new technology may change the way we "type" on touch screen phones like the iPhone or table PCs. I say "type" because if you watch the video you'll see that all you have to do is trace a pattern over the letters in the words you're trying to spell and voila. It interprets what you input, even with misspellings.

Welcome to the wave of the texting future. LOL

Blog Writing

Seven more posts and NaBloPoMo is over. Then I have some decisions to make about the future of this blog. If anything, this has been an interesting exercise in writing. Just goes to demonstrate how difficult it is to come up with content for a blog every day. I can’t even image how big of a challenge National Novel Writing Month is.

Speaking of novels, no new updates on Harvest Island’s fate yet. Hopefully we can get art rolling soon and shortly after that get into a relationship with a publisher. I’m still hoping for a 2010 release, which at this point is still possible. But, with the holidays here and increased workloads of my associates things could stagnate just as easily. But for now all is hopefully.

That’s a nice thing to experience for a change.

Week 3 of Beardage

And so begins the last week of No Shave November. For God's sake, fill out! You bastard!

Flight Club: The Things You Own End Up Owning You

Flight Club was released on a special edition Blue Ray DVD this week honoring it's 10 year anniversary. It got me thinking.

In 1999 I was 16 years old. I was what you might consider a typical high school kid -- worked hard enough to get through school. Kept my head down. I did just enough to not get noticed.

1999 was the year I rebelled. I'd lost two grandparents in one year. I'd lost all faith in God as a result of losing them and seeing the effect of their deaths on my mother and aunts. I made it my mission to defy his existence every day I walked into my Catholic high school. I did everything I could to rebel against an existence I didn't want a part of any longer. I was depressed, apathetic and lost.

And then I saw Fight Club.

I immediately fell in love with the movie. David Fincher instantly became my favorite director. Chuck Palahniuk became my favorite author over night.

The dark cinematography; the nihilistic narrative of Jack, the main character; Tyler Durden's complete lack of acknowledgment for any law, rule or standard of American society all spoke directly to me. The Dust Brothers soundtrack added a deep and at times playful tone to the entire film. It wouldn't be the same movie without it. I was able to put myself in the shoes of the main character, Jack. He was a man confused about his place in life. Everything he was promised as a child never came true. He worked a dead end job he hated. He suffered from insomnia. He had nothing to live for until he found something that tested him. Something that was bigger than him.

Unfortunately his creation, Fight Club, outgrew itself and it quickly self destructed. But without the club, without Tyler Durden's constant test of Jack's limits, Jack would have shrunken to a worthless, cold shell of a man. Instead, and Palahniuk always has a knack for this, Jack becomes a demigod in the eyes of the other members of Fight Club. He finds a woman. More importantly he finds himself and a purpose amidst the chaos that Tyler and the Club created. He had control of his life for the first time. He had what he wanted -- something to live for instead of just existing in a world run by corporations. His rebellion had paid off.

That's not to say my little teenage rebellion was quite as cathartic (or destructive. I blew up no buildings in my youth...that they can prove). But Fight Club showed me I wasn't alone in the way I felt abandoned by what I once believed. I followed religions and adults blindly, believing everything they told me. I reached a time in my life where I was questioning everything and Fight Club made it feel okay to go against the grain of society, to think for myself.

It's 10 years later and Fight Club is still, by far, my favorite film. I'm no longer that quite, scared 16 year-old kid but at times I feel like one. I'm supposed to be an adult. I'm supposed to buckle down. Be responsible and start a family. Well, that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

Fight Club continues to speak to me. I am Jack. I've yet to find and fulfill my calling. At times I feel like a phantom -- filling a space and nothing more. Just like Jack. But then I'll go to capoeira class and feel more alive than ever before. I get tested. I get hit. I feel worn out, hurt, exhausted and sometimes beaten. It's the most alive I ever am. It's my Fight Club.

I'm approaching my fifth year of training capoeira. It's embedded in me. It's become part of my daily routine and is a lifestyle I enjoy. The experiences, friends, trips and things I've learned are irreplaceable. They've molded me into the man I am today, just like Jack getting tested by Tyler. I've been pushed to the edge and there's no going back.

Now, thanks to those experiences, I can apply what Fight Club preaches and what capoeira has taught me to other parts of my life. I am more assertive, more confident and more willing to question the satus quo. To think for myself and not believe everything I'm told, like in these two classic scenes from Fight Club.



Those words will always ring true with me and every time I watch that movie I get reminded that I can make a difference in my own life. I just need to be willing to stick my chin out, take a risk and be willing to take a hit in the face. Then when it comes I know I can hit right back and leave my mark.

And by God, I'll leave it.

More Art!

It's Friday. Thank God. Here's a special Friday edition of Meeting Artwork. This is brought to you by a mandatory in-house webinar. Oh the joy.

Random Beard Fact

Random beard fact of the day: Women are more prone to respond to a new beard with "when are you going to start shaving again?" accompanied by a curled up lip and stare.

This is quite the contrary to the "nice beard. Let's make out" reaction one might hope for.





Live and learn.

Another Installment of Office Artwork

...Because I've had a shitty day and I don't feel overly entertaining right now.

Enjoy

What a Day for Sport in Kansas City

Well, turned out to be a big day for sports in Kansas City.

Kansas Men’s Basketball takes on Memphis in a 2008 Men’s NCAA Championship rematch in St. Louis tonight. That should be incredible.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has been suspended for four games thanks to his ‘dabbling’ in performance enhancing drugs. As if it matters. The Chiefs weren’t using him to win any games this season anyway.

Zach Greinke won the 2009 American League Cy Young award. Quite an accomplishment for a young pitcher…and a Royal at that. Finally some good news comes from the Kansas City Royals.

Chiefs (former) running back Larry Johnson signs on with the Cinncinatti Bengals and actually comes out the winner in a controversy he started that lead to his firing in the first place. More money and a playoff bid await him. Double trouble for the lack luster Chiefs.

And last but certainly not least, KU Football coach Mark Mangino’s job is at risk thanks to his shitty season and shitty attitude. Now granted, I’ve experienced Mangino’s…presence…first hand and he is a bit of a pompous jerk. BUT – lest we all forget that he’s accomplished more than any other KU coach has in years with numerous bowl appearances and an Orange Bowl victory in 2008. That certainly counts for something, but perhaps it’s time to try something different.

Office Artwork

Another enchanted chapter of Meeting Sketches. These are for sale, by the way. Tell your jet-owning friends.

Beard Update!

No one tells you that having a beard is like gluing hay to your face. At least the itching has stopped.

One Year Later

One year ago today I lost my first advertising job. The job I toiled two years to land and only enjoyed for nine months before it was gone. So much has happened in the months since that day. So much pain, darkness and uncertainty. But also a remarkable amount of opportunity -- not just in terms of finding work or making money. I'm speaking of opportunity to find something great within myself.

In late 2008 and early 2009 I lost everything I held dear to me. I lost my job. I lost the one I was with. I lost my home. In a matter of months I experienced a full regression. I ended up single, unemployed and living at my parent's. Life: 3 Ego: -1,000.

The biggest challenge I faced was landing a new job in one of the worst economies on record. One might think resurrecting my relationship would be priority #1, but, alas, the damage was done. You can't un-light a fire. You can only watch it consume what surrounds it until it finally dies. And die it did. The job hunt, on the other hand, had to continue. It was getting so depressing and competitive that I was seriously considering leaving the country to teach English abroad and earn some cash.

February was a terrible time in my life. But by the time March came around I had collected myself. My family and friends were holding me up. I started writing a graphic novel with two friends just to keep myself occupied when I wasn't looking for work. At the time it really wasn't anything more than a creative exercise to keep my soul alive. Well, by the time April was over the book was written and now after a long summer and fall of searching for an artist it looks like we're picking up steam on trying to present it to the world. I can't wait.

In May I interviewed with a company I interned for in college. Two days later I was offered a job. My hunt for work ended on May 18 -- my first day. Six months and four days of searching, calling and hoping finally ended. I've learned so much in the six months since getting hired, both professionally and about myself. I no longer measure the success of my life by what society deems important -- having a job, getting married THE RIGHT WAY (whatever that is), starting a family and so on. My life is no measured by what I consider to matter -- my family and friends. Supporting the people who supported me when they now need it. I measure my success by what fulfills me, not how I compare to how others live. I'm living my own life. My job pays the bills. I'm finally having fun again. I'm actually pretty happy.

In the year since losing the 'American Dream' I have accomplished the following:

- finished a novel with two friends
- gotten a new job
- traveled to Canada and advanced in what I love, capoeira. I also met some incredible new friends
- started teaching capoeira
- got featured in InkKC magazine

Not bad for a guy who had nothing a year ago. Not bad. Thanks again to everyone who helped me during that time. You know who you are, and I would have been lost without you. It feels good to be in the other side.

Graphic Novel Update

Light post today. I'll make up for it tomorrow. I promise.

Got some good news about the graphic novel. Nothing to get too excited about yet, but if it pans out more details will come. Sorry. You'll have to be patient.

If this goes as well as I hope I may have something huge to celebrate in the coming months. That'd be a much welcomed change of events.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 breaks record – ruins lives of girlfriends around the world

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 debuted on PS3, Xbox and PC Tuesday and it’s already broken the record for single day sales revenue, beating the previous record held by Grand Theft Auto IV. According to CNET, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has sold 4.7 million copies and earn $310 million in the U.S. and U.K. alone. That’s a lot of guys who will be going on a 5 day marathon of no sleep, Cheetos, trash talk and ignoring of girlfriends. Not to mention the weeks and months of online play that will follow.

I dare say all this recession talk gets a bit lame when you hear about this many people buying a $60 video game.

I don’t have much room to talk, though. If I had a PS3 (and the debut of this game is enough reason for me to want one, I assure you) then I’d be one of these guys (sans the girlfriend, which I guess means I could go on a 7 day marathon if I wanted. Woot.). When Call of Duty: World at War premiered last year I spent way too much time on the Wii. It didn’t help that I was unemployed and my only other forms of entertainment were yelling at a cat or…never mind.

Happy gaming, gents. I look forward to fragging you soon!

Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day to all those brave men and women who did what I couldn't do. I salute you. And on a related note, the Marine Corps turned 234 years old yesterday. Semper Fi.

'Shit My Dad Says' Lands on CBS. Gives Me Hope

So, the Twitter account Shit My Dad Says got picked up to be a TV show on CBS. Some are saying it's checked out programming on the network's behalf. I call bullshit on that. I think it's recognizing a good idea.

As someone who thinks he has as good idea to sell himself I may be biased. But, regardless, I happen to really like reading Shit My Dad Says. I'd watch the show. I'd watch it with my family. Why not?

I think this is a prime example of someone having a good idea (creator Justin Halpern) and someone else recognizing it as a good idea (CBS). This dude started his Twitter feed in August of this year and now it has 7 million followers. That's insane! Insanely successful! It'd be a waste for him not to profit off his good idea.

You can read more on this story at Ad Week.

This encourages me in a time when I'm trying to sell my own good idea -- the graphic novel. To see something reach such high success (although of course not guaranteed for me by any means) helps me cope with the idea that this thing I wrote may really be of value to people and entertain them. And I like that.

Plus, Halpern follows one Twitter user. Who, you ask? LeVar fucking Burton! I rest my case.

That's my two cents, anyway.

Creative Monday

As in all jobs, mine consists of its share of meetings. Here are a couple sketches that help keep me awake, er, I mean, engaged.

Beard Update: Week 2

Contrary to popular belief, men with beards get carded at restaurants. They also require additional napkins.

So here's how it looks at week number two. Hopefully the damn thing fills in this week, otherwise this will be a long month.

Nic Cage Blows All His Money. 4 People Care

1 Gulfstream jet
2 yachts
2 islands in the Bahamas
30 cars
18 motorcycles
2 albino king cobra snakes

This is a short list of bat shit crazy reasons Nic Cage is broke. According to PopEater.com, Cage is out of cash and owes $6 million in back taxes. Big shock.

My question isn't why he's broke, it's who's paying him this much money for his shitty movies?

Cage has blown more than $150 million on houses, cars, jets, boats parties, PETS and...shrunken heads?

I hope he stays broke. Maybe it'll give him incentive to make better movies than National Treasure 3: The Search for Shit in My House I Can Pawn.

Art of the Deal

Another successful Art of the Deal wrapped up last night. Following a dip in sponsorships and budget sliced more ways than deli meat, AOTD went off without a hitch as what I’d consider one of the most successful yet. Berg Studio was this year’s gracious host. Houlihan’s, InkKC and number of other last minute sponsors rallied to help provide food, drink and auction items.

All the proceeds went to Animal Haven, KC’s largest no-kill animal shelter.

I’ve been involved with AOTD for three years in planning, production and volunteering. I was afraid this year’s would disappoint but I was way off.

Here’s to next year.