Trip images

Posted a few more images from the trip on Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmac24/

Back to my kitchen table office

Well, I'm a two weeks removed from returning from my cross-half-country jaunt.

I enjoyed time with some friends. I met some new, very nice folks at some great agencies.

I return to where it started. My kitchen table office.

My hard drive is fixed. Though I lost all my music when it died a week ago.

KEXP is playing on iTunes.

I'm finishing up a freelance project I picked up on the trip.

I'm finally getting back into pocket.

So what has everyone else been up to?

Oh, here are some images from the trip. I'll post more on Flickr when I get a chance. I'll let you know when they're up there. Oh, and pay no attention to the dark black corners. Realized that it was the tape holding in the batteries for my flash. I'm going to take care of that once I pull them into photoshop.




While hiking near Red Rocks in Colorado.



The left "wall" of the Red Rocks amphitheater. Impressive.



The building Neal and I stood outside of for three hours waiting for a phone call to "come on in". DDB, Chicago.



On the road from Colorado Springs to Wichita.



A farm on the the highway between Denver and Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak is way in the distance.

Denver on a Tuesday

It was cloudy this morning. Snow cloudy. I've holed up in a great bookstore called Tattered Cover Book Store. It's near Union Station in the LoDo (lower downtown) section of Denver, I believe. It's three floors of exposed timber, iron braces, and duct work. I can imagine spending an entire snowy Saturday here in the warmth of wooden booths, creaking wood floors, and printed words.

This morning, I met with agency owner Mike Suckle of Sukle Ad & Design. He was a nice guy. Liked a lot of the work. Especially the new PBA work. Have yet to hear bad word about the new campaign. Hope this continues.

I have a meeting at 4pm with a small agency called Amelie. A friend from the Circus recently started working there. But between now and then, I'm trying to line up another meeting, as well as, calling a couple agencies in Austin, TX.

I thought I would work my way back to Memphis by going a completely different direction. South. If I can line something up there, I'll drive through Kansas to Wichita. Spend the night. Then turn right and head further south to Texas. It'll add a day an a half to the trip. But it could be worth it.

Well, it's 1:30 right now. I should probably get a bite to eat.

Denver

Got into Denver last night. The ride here was longer than expected. But beautiful. Snow and ice from a passing storm made the trip about an hour longer. That, plus a lot of construction on the highway 80 and highway 76.

Made a number of stops to take some photos. Got one of an original Pony Express outpost somewhere in Nebraska. Forgot the name of the small town. But it was cool to see that kind of history.

This morning, Lee and I headed to Red Rocks, and then for a hike. Got to see a show at Red Rocks at some time. That has to happen. We hiked close to Red Rocks. I'm not embarrassed to tell you, I was sucking wind. And I'm not blaming it on the altitude. Sure the air is thin. But I'm also lugging around a hefty amount. But it felt good to get out. It was a bit chilly. Roughly 30-degrees. But the views were incredible.

Oh, we also drove through Evergreen, CO, a small town in the foothills of the Rockies. As we went along, I looked out the window at a small park. Chilling there was about 15 elk. Including a 14-point bull! This animal was majestic. The kind any hunter would have loved to have seen in their scope, instead of noshing on some grass next to a kiddie playground.

Again, images of all this will come soon. Once I get them developed after returning to Memphis.

Milwaukee and the road

Spent yesterday showing work in Milwaukee. Went to Laughlin Constable in the morning, and C-K in the afternoon. Then to my friend Mitch's agency, BVK, in later afternoon. I met some great people all around. Good feedback from all. The new PBA campaign is getting good feedback in particular. Which I'm definitely psyched about.

Today, was spent driving. Got off to a late start. 10AM. But I bought an audio book – Dan Brown's new fluff, The Lost Symbol. It's amazing how audio books make a trip make driving less boring.

I also stopped a few times to shoot a few images. So I'm excited to see how they turn out.

But for now, I'm holed up in a Marriott Courtyard watching the Red Sox. Gonna hit the bed early tonight. Got another 7-8 hours of driving tomorrow with stops to take more images.

More later.

Three Little Pigs, Let Me In

Well, what can I tell you. The Three Little Pigs sandwich at the Silver Palm restaurant in Chicago did not fail. Ingredients: Double smoked ham, pork tenderloin, bacon, gruyere cheese, a fried egg and an onion ring on top.
It was a sandwich made for immortals. And I ate it.

Tuesday

Very good day today.
Met with Craig Likhite at C-K. Very cool guy. Had a good conversation with him.
Look forward to meeting with the folks at C-K in Milwaukee on Thursday.

Also, got into DDB. There Neal joined me to meet with Susie Steinberg. She was great too. She liked a lot of the work, which is always a good thing. She gave us the rundown of DDB. Not hiring. Which we knew going into it. Regardless of that, it was really great to meet with her, and to show her my face.

All in all, a good day. Now I'm gonna go to the Silver Palm restaurant. It was featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations show on the Travel Channel. They have a ridiculous sandwich there called The Three Little Pigs. Check it out here: http://www.thesilverpalmrestaurant.com/Menus.php?theSource=Specials

Oh yeah...

Uneventful day 1 in Chicago

Spent the entire afternoon walking around town, trying to get in touch with folks at DDB. Finally when we did, we waited around until 5pm for a call back. Never happened.
Kinda sucks.
But we're gonna try again today. After my meeting with Cramer Krasselt at 11am.
Slao going to try and get into energybbdo today or tomorrow. Then out of town Thursday morning. Up to Milwaukee to see, hopefully, two agencies up there.
Well, I should jet.
I'll keep you posted.
-d

Crowdsourcing

Is it just lazy creatives who:
1) can't think of anything else
2) don't want to think of anything else
3) say they want to get consumers in on the action – to feel more a part of the brand.
Well, I know that's how I'd sell it to the client. But then I would feel dirty all over and wouldn't feel like I earned my paycheck.
The latest version of crowdsourcing can be found here:
http://creativity-online.com/work/mcdonalds-honor-angus/17501
Though it's a tame example, compared to CPB's attempts of opening up an assignment to any designer to craft a logo for a client (with the winner receiving a paltry $1,000).
So crowdsourcing to me is just plain lazy.
C'mon people. Are we out of ideas just like Hollywood?

the new site is complete

I finished the site and have uploaded it.
After doing so, I realized I could change a couple things.
So this'll be an ongoing effort.

www.dkmacdougall.com

sand beauty

I could watch this video for days. Amazing talent.

Comic Book

In the midst of writing the first draft of a comic book that's going to be given to Memphis kids in grades 1-6. It's kind of a cool project. Never written a comic book before. I've done a couple single frame comics. But not a 16-page book.

The comic is to help kids understand how to call 911 in an emergency. With the highlight of doing so from a cell phone. It's a different procedure from a cell. In the act that you have to tell the 911 operator exactly where you are. Because they can't trace calls to cell phones. They can triangulate your general area. But can't pinpoint your exact location.

Well, I'll post some images of it on here once it's complete. Back to it.

The Great '09 Road Trip

Started making plans to drive to Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Denver.
Trying to meet as many people at agencies as I can.
It's going to be interesting to see if I can schedule all these visits with the people I want to meet.
Some of the agencies I want to talk with include:
Chicago: Energy BBDO (and Proximity), DDB, Zig, and Leo Burnett
Milwaukee: Just seeing a friend from Atlanta at his agency. Don't know too many up there
Minneapolis: Periscope, Colle + McVoy, Carmichael Lynch, Fallon, and Mono
Denver: TDA (they're actually in Boulder) and Factory Design Labs. Unlike 98% of the clingers out there, I'm not going to do the Crispin thing. We just don't fit stylistically.
Got to remember to bring the camera and video camera. Want to document this trip for this blog.
Hopefully leaving for this great Journey on Sunday, October 4. Should take close to two weeks to accomplish. right now the itinerary looks like this:
Sunday the 4th: Arrive Chicago.
Monday the 5th: Meet peeps
Tuesday the 6th: Meet peeps, drive to Milwaukee
Wednesday the 7th: Meet peeps, drive to Minneapolis
Thursday the 8th: Meet with peeps
Friday the 9th: Meet with peeps
Saturday 10th: Drive to Omaha, spend night.
Sunday 11th: Drive to Denver
Monday 12th: Meet peeps
Tuesday 13th: Meet peeps
Wednesday 14th: Drive to KC, spend night
Thursday 15th: Back to Memphis
This might change a bit, a day here or there.
But this is the general time frame.
I'm getting excited about this.
Driving in parts of the country I've yet to drive.
Should be fun. Hopefully there's a job for me out there.

The new website

So I'm pretty dumb when it comes to technical things. Well, not all technical things. Mainly coding. I'm sure if I had to spend time to learn it I could. But it doesn't really excite me. That's why I admire the folks who I've worked with that deftly busted out banners, mini sites, and every other kind of online experience.

Well, when it comes to my own site, I had a friend design it. I told him I wanted something simple. And that's what he delivered. I liked it a lot. But I couldn't update it. Problem. Big Problem.

Solution. Dreamweaver. I've been using it for the past month as I slowly work on my site. What's great about Dreamweaver is you can design as if in InDesign, basically, and it writes the code for you. Even better, you can split the screen and watch it write the code as you design. I know this isn't a new technology. But I was so not a web guy. But this project is like some baby steps into the process. It's been fun. Frustrating. But all together rewarding. I even added a twitter feed to the site. It was real simple to do.

I'm almost done with my site now. Putting the finishing touches on a spec campaign for the PBA, Pro Bowling Association, then I'll upload the work. I'll do a little beta test and make it public. Kind of excited. Well, below are some images of some of the pages.

Oh, my site address is dkmacdougall.com.

Eight years past

About this time eight years ago, I was sitting in my bedroom after having pulled an all-nighter at the Creative Circus in Atlanta. I was due back to the Circus 30 minutes earlier to work my shift in the library, but I couldn't get up from the foot of my bed.
The flicker of the TV, the numbness in my extremities, the clammy palms, the meatball-like lump in my throat, the tears pooling in the corner of my eyes, the hatred in my core beginning to fester – it all had me cemented to my bed as I watched two scarred buildings smoke like chimneys.
What was this? Why was this? Who was this?
Was I lucky that I didn't personally know anyone in those buildings or on those planes? No. Luck had nothing to do with it. Because at that moment, everyone was family. Everyone, a friend. And we all grieved as such.
Afterwards, we stood together. An entire nation brought closer. An entire nation that felt more like a small community. A community of 278,000,000 neighbors.
I think about this day eight years past. And how on some days we forget we were attacked because of our way of life. Because of our foundation as a country. Because of our freedoms. I will never forget what happened, for my life had changed – all our lives had changed.

Draft #2 - Big Money League

I just took part in my second fantasy football draft of the year. With one more to go on Tuesday. Tonight's draft is the one with the most cabbage on the line. And as luck would have it, I had the first pick. But this was one of the weirdest drafts I've ever been a part of. Just didn't follow form to what I expected. Well, above is my team. I like it. What do you think?

Team 1

Scored this team for one of my fantasy football squads.
I picked 7th out of 10.
Not bad having the #1 and #2 receiver on your team.
But they have to make up for receiver #3. Woof!

Sunflower Sunday

Betty and I went to Shelby Farms on Sunday.
She wanted to photograph her 5-yo cousin, Andrew.
I was just there.
When she asked if I wanted to have my picture taken by the sunflowers, I relieved her of her picture taking duties. Do I want my picture taken? C'mon, you should know the answer to that ?.
Instead, I snapped off a couple shots my bad self.
Some were shit. Some looked okay.
Here are the okay ones.

week dos

Into the second week of my freelance project. pasted the wall with ideas. seemed the CD was overwhelmed by the thoughts. Which is good. Hopefully we can narrow it down to 2-3 ideas so that I can begin to write and finalize executions. only four 1/2 days left.

What's happening after this week? Gonna get back to my web site. Learning Dreamweaver. Finishing my PBA campaign. and sending work out around the country. But I'll be doing it was some extra scratch in my pocket. Nice.

Well, hello there again PF Changs.

Celebrated 4 months of married existence with a meal at PF Changs.

It's the first time I've been back to this chain Chinese restaurant since, oh I think, '98 or '99. Reason being, the service was the worst I've ever seen. I went with a friend of mine from high school (my prom date actually). We both worked in the Copley area of Boston at the time and decided to head to the PF.

Well, three hours later we were finished with our lunch. Three hours, yes. Apparently, the server couldn't comprehend the many nuances of serving. Which is to serve your guests. Especially during lunch time. which should have been quicker than shit. And it wasn't just our table. There were 3-4 tables all looking around at the kitchen area, the bar, at each other, wondering where the hell this kid was. My thought was he was blazing a joint in the back alley forgetting the fact that he was working. But I have no evidence of that. Just a hunch.

And this was the first and only time I never tipped a server. I'm a notorious over-tipper. I understand the job of serving, and hate it so much. It's just not in my DNA.

So when Betty asked if we could go to PF Changs to celebrate our four month anniversary, I hesitated. But ultimately relented. A 10-year protest, well, that's long enough I suppose. The food was ok. The atmosphere, ok. The company, perfect. So it wasn't a total loss. But I don't think I'll be going back for another, I don't know, five years this time.

Slow first day

Only doing half days for this freelance gig. That way it can last for a couple weeks. They only have so much $. Which is cool with me. I feel like I'm getting my feet wet again. Hopefully we can come up with something good. Time will tell.

Meeting

Got a meeting this morning with an agency here.
From the little I know, they want to talk to me about a project, and meet some folks.
Sounds positive.

Afterwards, it's back to the gym for me. Boy, is that gonna hurt.

Not much today.

Read above.

A few photos for a project

Mmmm. Beer and bowling.

The Saturday Morning Quiet.

Growing up, I despised the morning. Most people do, I guess. How many teens do you know get up at 6 AM because they want to? Not many, I'm certain.

These days, I wish the mornings would last longer. I wish the world would stay curled in the warmth of bed while I went about my business. Which usually consists of coffee and reading.

Even in my mid-20's I liked to get up early and enjoy the Quiet. Usually that was on a Sunday. Ever notice how a Sunday morning Quiet is much different than Saturday morning Quiet? And a Summer Sunday Quiet is different than an Autumn Sunday Quiet, that's different than a Winter Sunday Quiet. My favorite is the Autumn Sunday Quiet. Especially when I was living in New England. There's something about that crisp Sunday morning walk to get the paper.

Way back in those 20's, I worked at a bank and Saturday mornings meant getting ready for work. Sunday was my only morning to enjoy. While my roommates (old high school friends) were sleeping away their drink from the night previous, I was up. Reading the Boston Globe. Sipping warm coffee. Paul Simon softly hanging in the air. The sun painting blocks of light on the walls and floor. When my friends stirred, I quietly wished them back to sleep. "Give me one more hour. Just one more hour." Sometimes they acquiesced. Other times, they arose – slumber stumbling into the living room grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. Ugh. Noise.

Today morning, in addition to reading (and writing this), I'm doing yard work. Yes. Yard work. At 8 AM. Starting with a nice dousing of water for the back lawn. Next, gonna trim the bushes in the front.

It'll be in the mid-90's today. So now you see why I'm so gung-ho. Don't need to be melting under that fireball this afternoon. Besides, there are errands to run and a cookout to prepare for tonight.

And I'm doing all this now so that I don't have to tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll wake again early. Coffee. Paper. Quiet.

An Idea to Help Blinker-challenged Drivers

I must be getting older.

The reason I know this (besides the gray hairs and the face sag) is I'm constantly complaining about people's driving habits. The lack of considerate people on the road is staggering. We're all in such a hurry, minding our on business, focused on the prize, and every other cliché out there, that we forget there are other people who populate terra firma.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't use their blinker, turn signal, directional, or whatever you may call them. It frustrates me beyond belief. You can ask Betty.

Now I'm not saying I'm the best driver. I know I do things that I shouldn't. But when it comes to making a turn and I know there's a car behind me, in front of me, or waiting to turn out of the street that I'm entering, I use my signal. That way, everyone knows what I'm doing. And it allows them to drive accordingly. Besides, it's one of the easiest things to do.

With that said, I had this idea that'll help those drivers who have trouble pushing up (or down) that pesky, plastic stick on the left side of the steering column. It is so hard sometimes, I know.

The idea is this: make the turn signal automatic.

How do you do this? Well my thought was to incorporate it into the GPS system. I'm sure there are a lot of holes in this reasoning, but this is just to get the ball rolling. If you have any suggestions to this, feel free to comment below.

Now you may say, not every car has a GPS. Well, I understand this. But a lot of vehicles are offering them these days. Soon, my guess is, most every model will have a GPS once the cost to incorporate them decreases. How long is that going to be? I don't know.

Okay so let's say that hurdle has been jumped, and every vehicle now comes complete with a GPS system. How does it activate the turn signal? Well, GPS systems already give you turn-by-turn directions – it knows every single turn you'll make. And the systems currently warn you when you're getting close to a turn. Now all we need to do is to wire it to the directional. So when you're 100 feet away from your upcoming turn, the signal automatically turns on. Boom. Solved.

Also, the GPS would be able to save all the destinations you drive to most. And it'd have a voice activated feature. That way, you'd just tell the system where you're going.

Okay, so it's not totally solved. There are some obstacles.

Like, what if you're in the left lane and you need to make a righthand turn and you can't get over in time? Well, I think that's going to have to be solved with driving practice. People need to understand to merge right (or left depending on the turn) as they get closer to a turn. A mile out or so. You have to be able to foresee and plan for the turn. I know foresight can be a bitch sometimes. it means you have to pay attention to what you're doing. But hey, I have faith.

Another obstacle: "But what if I'm daydreaming (on the phone, yelling at my kids, singing to the song on the radio) while I'm driving, and I miss the turn." Well, maybe you should be concentrating more on driving.

Yet another obstacle. What if you don't have a particular destination? What if you're going on a Sunday Drive? Hmmm. This one I have to think about. Maybe the system has an option where you don't input a destination. And maybe the turn signal, isn't completely taken off the steering column, just for this reason. That way, you'll still need to manually signal you're going to turn. Might have to think this one a little more. Maybe it's that the GPS system learns your driving habits and can tell when you're about to turn. I mean if Volvo is making cars that can stop on their own, this shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Maybe we can use some lasers! Lasers are cool!

Now, I understand this idea would not solve all the terrible driving we encounter on the road. There are always going to be those a-holes who could care less about our, and their own, safety. But I think this might help.

Just think about all the accidents that may be avoided because of this idea. Then think about how it'll affect everyone's insurance. Premiums could decrease drastically.

Maybe not, though. It's just an idea, remember. Someone who has more experience in traffic study, auto design, or whatever hoozeewhatsis this would fall under needs to take a look at this.

Now someone may already be designing such a system. I don't know. It's really something that kinda sprang into my head while I was driving this morning and continued to think about as I drove home from the supermarket.

See, I told you I'm not the best driver.

Cool tune. Even cooler video.

I put this on FB yesterday. Got it from my friend Kristi. Thought it was great enough to post in a few places.
Hope you enjoy.

Don’t call me a brand.

I’ve been hearing it for some time now. From people at my former place of employment. From folks at other agencies, digital shops, et al. During round tables and conferences. They keep referring to people as brands.

Huh? Brands? Really?

So if I don’t like a particular person, er brand, do they have a customer service department I can call to complain? Or should I just report them to the Better Business Bureau?

Sorry all you designer eyeglass wearing, deftly coifed head-mop advertising honchos filled with self-importance. I’m not a brand. I’m a person.

I’m a person. A human being. One with a heart, feelings, insecurities, pulse, dreams, busted nose, rational thought, faults, opposable thumbs, and all the other things that make me, me.

A brand, says Merriam Webster, is: a class of goods identified by name as the product of a single firm or manufacturer. (So would that make my parents my manufacturer?)

Brands are things. Inanimate things that I give context to so people can purchase them if there's a need. Or not.

Just because I blog, and twitter, and have a website, and learn new ways to communicate to people, and master new computer programs does not mean I’m building Brand Don.

I’m just trying to make myself a better person. Someone who may be more employable, yes. But someone who is naturally curious and wants to learn about the world and what’s possible.

Must you give everyone a title. Can’t they just be a person?

It's been a while.

Haven't posted anything in a while. Been busy and not so busy (read into that: lazy) at the same time. It's a strange dual reality that's confusing and stress-free. But I don't wish this on anyone. It's a perplexing mess.

So I posed this question on twitter earlier: What would it cost brands to get the media coverage that the swine flu has received over the past week and will continue to receive in the coming week(s)? It was proposed more terse than that, what with Twitter's character limitations. Well, I asked a brilliant PR guy I know. His response:

No idea at all.  Since it is the primary topic on every news outlet around the world, I would have to guess in the billions.  Figure the cost of buying the first ad in every publication and on every news program around the globe.

In other words, impossible to measure.

Wow. What does this all mean? I don't know. I was just curious if there was a quantifiable number we could associate with all this hype. Wondering if brands are jealous of all the attention this story is getting. 

I myself don't understand it. Sure a good number people have died from it. Not more than 100, though. There are 331 confirmed cases of swine flu around the world. Yet, people forget to remember, there are 6.8 billion people on earth! I failed math. But that's a really small percentage. I put it into a calculator and it gave me this: 4.86764706 × 10^-8

What the hell does this mean?!?!

Something really small I'm sure.

Well, I guess the saying is true, there's no such thing as bad PR. I'm sure all the pharma companies that make flu medicine are loving all this. Not like they're already wiping their A's with hundred dollar bills.

As for the job hunt, things are slow on the Memphis front. I've expanded the search. Where? Well maybe that'll be in next post should I get a bite.

Night y'all.

two steps forward

This morning brought a second good meeting with an area shop. But more on that later.

Yesterday, I met with JE (I'm withholding people's names for sake of privacy). the meeting went well. JE had an agency in Memphis for years. Much like my career, the economic turmoil ran his small agency through the ringer, and like Luca Brasi, it sleeps with the fishes (that's right, another Godfather reference). But it hasn't stopped JE. He's created a company that pulls together talent to work on specific projects for companies. Kind of like a freelance consortium. Kinda cool.

So yesterday's meeting has led to another meeting this afternoon with a big name brand about a project. Score! Gotta feel good about that. Anyway, JE and I have some similar thoughts about the industry locally and overall. We'll see where that all leads.

As for this morning, I met with a 3+ year-old design-focused firm. They seem poised for some growth from what I could gather. And any kind of growth now is good. Do they need a fulltime writer? No presently. But they do have some project work lined up. Projects that I may be a part of. Maybe another score. We'll see.

Well, I have to do some research before today's client phone call.

But before I go, I have to say, What about Josh Beckett yesterday? Nasty. Seven strong innings with 10 k's. Looking tough! And we have Lester going tonight. Lots of confidence in that stud lefty.

I'm out of here. Have a good y'all.

Week two

Well, it's the start of week two. 

I knew from the get-go that I was going to wait one week after my honeymoon before I started looking for work again. Who knew that the one week would blow as much as it did. My psyche has never been lower. 

After leaving my last job, I was full of optimism. If they didn't want me, someone out there did. I was going to find them and do the job I know I'm capable of doing. But after a week of cleaning and organizing my new home, running errands for my wife, and cooking breakfast and dinner for her before she leaves and comes home, I just wonder. Especially since my home is not even close to being organized. I need the kind coffee Michael Keaton drank in the second half of Mr. Mom to whip this place into shape, to relieve Kenny from his unhealthy, crack-like dependence on his Woobie, and to get back into shape again. 

I need a good bit of luck. And it may happen this week. I have two meetings with agencies here. One tomorrow and one on Wednesday. Not for full-time work. Heck, maybe not even for freelance. Just a meet and greet. With a possibility? 

Having moved from Atlanta to Memphis, my market has shrunk. Not that there aren't agencies in town. They're just smaller. Having worked here before, I know there's not too much movement from one agency to another. So finding my space has become harder. 

Maybe I need to create my own space. My own place. Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. We'll see if that's true. 

Nonetheless, even if the two meetings lead to nothing, I'm still playing the game. And that's important. Keeping my mind where it needs to be before it turns into a slimy goo that seeps from my ears.

Also, Betty and I received a new 35mm camera as a wedding gift. She thinks it's for all the concerts she goes to. Silly girl. I'm going wrap my meaty paws around that thing and shoot again. 

Anything to keep the brain occupied on creative endeavors. Even this blog. Though I'm not spouting anything that hasn't been said before by many talking heads, it's still a cathartic exercise.

Well, I'm off to clean the garage. My stuff is piled up in there, and Betty wants to be able to park in there again.

Also, the Sox open up today at 2pm. Opening Day at Fenway. Nothing more beautiful than that. Go Sox!

peace.

Coming up with the idea of this blog seemed so simple. One of those, "Well, duh." moments. Why hadn't anyone else thought of doing a video blog? I'm gonna be the first! 

Well, maybe not the first. Some dude in Uzbekistan may have a video blog. But is his about the trials of being laid off in the worst economy since my grandfather was a teen? And the subsequent, daily trials of trying to secure gainful employment in the advertising business? I think not. Our Uzbeky friend is probably blogging about this year's barley crop. To each his own.

So the idea was to film my last days at my former agency. You see, I was told in October that I was being laid off at the end of the year. How nice, right? It gave me time to get my files in order, contact all my friends, my friend's friends, and complete strangers to tell them that I'm soon to be a free agent. This blog was going to help to that end. I was going to capture everything I could think of. Phone calls with leads, meetings with prospective employers, random thoughts throughout the day, and most definitely my last day at work. 

I got the okay from HR to film my last day. So I borrowed a video camera from my, now, sister-in-law (I recently got hitched to a beautiful girl from Memphis). On the last day at work, the creative department was quite empty – end of the year and all. So I shot myself packing up my work space. I had my former partner, Lisa help me shoot this one scene of me pulling a dolly down a long hallway (would have been a good time-lapse scene, I thought). She continued to follow me as I wheeled my belongings to my car. Sure, we captured a shot of me outside of the office building, looking up to the 15th floor, then giving it the requisite bird. But the coup de grace was my exit interview. Yup. I was filming my exit interview.

Now you might think I was filled with anger. I wasn't. You see, This shit happens. I understand. Like Hyman Roth said to Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II, "This is the business we've chosen." Ok, so no one is getting whacked, here. We're only getting laid off. But sometimes, it kinda feels the same. Not that I know what getting whacked feels like. I'm sure it hurts a little bit more physically. 

Now I'm not a technophile by any means. I assumed my sister-in-laws camera would work. And it did, to some extent. It shot well. But when I tried to transfer the material to my computer, I couldn't figure it out. Upon reading the owner's manual, I found that it wasn't compatible with Macs! 

Awesome.

Now what?

Well, I would have bought a video camera. But knowing I was soon going to be unemployed, and being in the middle of planning a wedding, I thought the purchase was unwise. So I put my video blog on hold.

Shortly thereafter, I secured a freelance gig for a couple months leading up to my wedding in March. Only thing is, it was in Maine. I was in Atlanta at the time. But if you get to know me, I hate not working. So I packed up some things and drove to Maine. My blog would have to wait a little while longer. I was working again. 

For two months I braved temperatures ranging 3-33 degrees. It was tough. But invigorating. 

After two months, I moved back to Atlanta for 2 days. My fiancee was helping me pack my stuff, and I was moving back to Memphis. We got married that next weekend. Spent 6 days in Mexico. 

Now, I'm in her living room, writing thank you cards, organizing our presents, merging our belongings, donating things to Goodwill, planning a garage sale for bigger items (anyone want a sofa? Washer and dryer? Good price. Anyone?), and trying to cohabitate. I'm out of practice with the whole roommate thing.

Anyway, I thought this would be the best time to start up my blog. Seeing how I have some free time. So if you got through this verbose post, wow, you must be bored. But thank you. What do I plan for this space? I really don't know. Maybe some musings that are longer than the 140 characters Twitter allows me. Maybe I'll throw up some work I like. Maybe some work I don't. Could this blog morph into a critique site? Possibly. We'll just have to see, won't we. 

Thank you all.

Myself

I'm a freelance writer in the Memphis area. Worked in big ad agency environments, medium agency environments, and small agency environments. Unlike that single-minded tramp, Goldilocks, I can handle all three.
I'm married to a wonderful woman. I'm a consummate Boston Red Sox fan. But not one of those "new" Sox fans. I've suffered since the early 70's. I've been seen hacking it on the golf course. Scrabble is a nice, warm blanket. Thanks to my wife, the craziest thing I've ever eaten was chicken feet. No wait. pigs feet. I'm gonna draw the line right there.
Oh, and if you want to see some of the work I helped to produce, go here: dkmacdougall.com