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?