Timing

I finally got a new watch. Timepieces are a luxury to me but I always like having one good one in rotation. After almost 5 years with the same old watch it was "time". Next up, one similar to the watch above, an all time favorite of mine.

Not much to report today other than the fact that our friend Dustin will be moving in with us at the end of the summer. Another good friend to trade waves with. Should be a good time. Pretty much just trying to power through the week and survive the meetings and deadlines. Lots of small little stuff, but man, does it add up.

Olympics

Watching the summer games is a family tradition. My dad always says that it's the only time that the sport of swimming gets its due credit when they take center stage for 17 days. The opening ceremony was visually amazing, an onslaught for the senses and it's always great to see the countries walk in. It is a time of unrivaled patriotism and energy and world unity. It's too bad that we can't have the same attitude every day, every year.

One aspect of the games that I am so critical about is their increasingly eye numbing logos. There used to be a time when the Olympic committee, or whoever decides these things, actually had taste. What a monstrosity these things have become. You can see the progression from classic to modern to crap. The history of the Olympics summer games logos. From the mouth of Aaron Draplin, "It was better back then." Firm believer here. It seems as though design, in the truest sense of the word, has become jaded by the end that our capitalistic society has created. It's all about the big bucks. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for making money, but not at the expense of good design. A perfect example is this garbage. The good on the left, versus the bad on the right.

Lot's going on this week. Research, inspiration, categorizing, developing, conceptualizing. Good stuff. Gearing up for the weekend. Saturday is packed with goodies. Breakfast at the church with a bunch of the guys. Foosball, some Wii, some pancakes, some chit chat...all around good times. Then it's off to Takumi's 1970's Olympic Era birthday extravaganza. Who knows what to expect here, except good times, a few drinks, a back yard decked out for "Olympic" activities...

Meetings

There is something truly mesmerizing and daunting about sitting in meetings all day long. "Well the issue is here", "Hindsight is always 20/20" and the ever classic "Well, it was a bad graphic". Everyone has an opinion, everyone is a critic, everyone is an expert. Enough said.

Moving on...and continuing with my thought crime, I am absolutely astonished at California. So, just in case you don't live here, we're having budget issues. Much like the federal government, the State of California has racked up quite a lot of outstanding debt and are looking to right the ship. Even though the State has now collected 40% more revenue since 2004, they still can't figure out how to "live within their means" as we as citizens are expected to do. If I amount a certain amount of debt, it is my responsibility to repay said debt. I'm supposed to spend within the means of what I make and not go into the red. However, when it's our governement, they can spend an insane amount of money on bullshit programs that don't benefit the taxpaying citizens of this state. Meanwhile, our schools, emergency services and other forms of local services feel the brunt of the misappropriation of funds through cuts and lack of funding. Consider this, if you had $2000 dollars this month for rent, bills and life overhead costs and you decide to spend the money on plants, you won't make rent, and if you continue along this path, you will be out on the street. Supposedly the legislature is working on the budget meanwhile we have bills and laws being passed that prohibit the use of cel phones while driving. I can still shave, drink my coffee, pick songs on my iPod, text message and read the paper at the same time while driving and not get a ticket. Really? This is their focus? I've lost confidence. Positions of public service are designed around service. To me it sounds alot more like disservice at this point.

Tomorrow morning I will wash it all off when I get in the water. I gotta clean the "society" off me.

Back To Business

Been filling up my notebooks, pages expired, pencils sharpened, deals brokered. Lots going on, life, full speed ahead. Plenty of randomness, much like the entry above, courtesy of those good, factory type guys at Field Notes. Get over there and pick up a set and start filling them up with ideas.

This week I'm rolling up the sleeves and prepping to get design dirty. Tons of projekts to tackle, some with deadlines, some without, all fun and challenging in their own way. Got a projekt being pitched to Paramount Pictures tomorrow morning, super top secret. I'm taking a look at how we live our lives in and around our homes hopefully taking a stab at making it just a little bit better. Also on deck, some projekts dealing with time and a literary endeavor.

I took a hiatus from this blog monstrosity hoping to focus my life and find a little bit of balance. All too often, when your job is your passion, the lines begin to blur and I have a hard time turning things off when I really should. Work is work and life is life, and that's that.

Something to add to the list of lists, The Annual Report. Absolute brilliance. Feltron. Consider me stunned. Each year. Dig around in there, beautifully organized, visually appealing.