Broken Social Scene

I might be late jumping on this band wagon, but I just saw Broken Social Scene a few weeks ago at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, and it was amazing. Their music seriously puts you in a trance. It's feel good, fun to dance to, and great live. I got a little bit of an old school jam band vibe, which made me feel like noodling, and although I refrained from bringing out my inner hippie, I did manage to get my groove on. One of the best shows I've seen in a while. Check them out if you haven't already.

Animal Collective Poster

Here's a band poster that I designed. Their new album is coming out soon...

And I thought Barbies had blonde hair?

It's my head in a box, resembling a doll. Dreamlike and creepy all at once. To see more of Julia Davis's photography, click her link under my listed photographer friends. Also, Scot Long is an amazing make-up artist.

Girl Talk's Journey

Where do I get writing inspiration from?

Do I sense sarcasm?

Having a bad day?

This is Hazel attempting to intimidate with a ferocious under bite.

One Hot Make Out

Reuse, Recycle, Create

Good question...

I am not a crook.

In the 1950s, everyone was suspected to be a communist. In the 2000's (I'm not sure how to refer to the 00's yet), everyone is being suspected of having connections to terrorism. And I mean everyone. The other night I was out with friends from school at our quad-annual Baddies celebrating the end of another quarter. I wore what I thought to be a pretty fashionable outfit that consisted of a royal blue dress, black gladiator sandals, and a black and white checkered scarf. I like to follow trends and be creative with my clothes, and this was just like any other outfit you might find me in. HOWEVER, within a 10 minute span I had 3 different people come up to me to inform me that my scarf was a symbol of terrorism. This was a total shock to me since I bought the scarf from a street vendor in NYC. Oh wait... maybe... okay, the point is that I thought my scarf was fun when in fact I was told it was a keffiyeh, which is traditionally worn by Arab men. In fact, recently, Rachael Ray was wearing a similar scarf in a commercial for Dunkin Donuts and the ad was taken off the air for that very reason. Reporters blogged that a keffiyeh has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad and appears as a regular adornment for Muslim terrorists. News reporters further criticized "ignorant" stylists, designers, celebrities, and "left-winged" icons for wearing these scarves. WELL, I happened to be leaning more to the left these days and still love celebrity trends. I think it's pretty ridiculous when our country is acting to insecure that we have to ban ads where an American citizen is wearing a scarf. I mean seriously, don't we have bigger issues to worry about these days? So I will wrap up with two final points. 1) Rachael Ray is not a terrorist. 2) I am going to rock my scarf because I like it and I paid $10 hard earn bucks for it. Terrorists may have attacked our democracy, but they'll never attack our freedom of expression.

The reason I haven't had time for blogging.

Headlines? Marker comps? Folding clothes? Nope.

The reason I've been too busy to blog lately is the challenging game that is...

Minesweeper

Ma! the Meatloaf

First Dr. Pepper used his song "I would do anything for Love", and now he appears in AT&T's Go Phone commercial. Who knew Meat Loaf would be in such high demand in the world of advertising? Somehow his songs just work in commercials. And I don't know about anyone else, but I'm totally digging it. Maybe one day, I can fit him into one of my commercials. I have an iPhone, but I'm totally gonna gonna get me a Go Phone today (no, I won't do that...).


Dr. Pepper Commerical
GoPhone Commercial

Who wants to make Brunette Clique visors?

Back with my Circus girls at last. Oh how I missed the Brunette Clique! Pre-3rd quarter partying!

Good for Laughs

My friend Kim and I went to see a show at Caroline's Comedy Club featuring Colin Kane and headliner Jim Jefferies. Both are freaking hilarious comedians. Check them out!

Colin Kane
Jim Jefferies

New York Day 8

This morning I got to sleep in which was amazing. Besides the honks and sirens outside, I enjoyed a few extra hours of rest. Kim and I ventured uptown and went to the Guggenheim Museum. I was a little disappointed because part of the permanent collection was closed for restoration so I didn't get to see a lot of my favorite paintings. But the main exhibit was by Cai Guo-Quiang who uses ink and gun powder in most of his pieces. All of the paintings were life size canvases and were pretty powerful to see. The rest of the afternoon we sat at Kim's apartment and watched MTV. Why you might ask... I'm really not sure. I really don't think I enjoy a single show on that network (wait, I take that back, I love The Hills) but other than that, most of the shows on MTV are pretty trashy. And when on earth do they play music videos? That channel seriously needs to change its name. Anyway, we watched Parental Control, where parents (one's with extremely low values and morals) choose significant others for their son or daughter because they hate the their current significant others. The way these kids talk to their parents blows my mind. I know it's all for TV but my parents would disown me if I talked to them like some of these kids talk to their parents. However, as cheesy and trashy as this show is, it was pretty funny. Maybe because Kim was imitating the pleasantly plump girl with the flower in her hair but I found myself laughing pretty hard. Okay, enough about this show, we're going to Caroline's Comedy Club tonight to see Kim's friend perform. His name is Colin Kane and he's supposed to be a pretty big deal (I mean he does have a website...). I've never been to see a live stand up comic before so I'm really excited. Drinks, laughing, drinks, falling, drinks, making people feel awkward, drinks, stealing the jukebox from Georgia Bar, drinks... Kim and I always manage to have a good time!

New York Day 7

Today, Kim and I walked around Greenwich Village. I got to see part of NYU, Washington Square, the market at Union Square, the Flat Iron building, and the trannys on Christopher Street/Gay Street. (It's really named Gay Street). What I loved most about The Village was that everywhere I looked, people were walking their dogs. Kim and I even found a pet store and went in and played with the puppies. One baby black pug was jumping around like a maniac and pouncing on all of the other puppies who were trying to sleep. We dubbed this one the "Hazel" of the bunch. Did I mention that I miss my dog? I have been away from Hazel for 12 days now and it seems like forever. Yes, I miss my friends too, but I REALLY miss Hazel. I have also seen a total of 2 puggles since I've been here. One was a lot bigger than Hazel and the other one was about her size but looked more like a beagle than a pug. (Hazel definitely has more pug in her). I can't wait to see the little one on Saturday!

New York Day 6

On Wednesday, my Siamese twin Angelle was leaving. Sometimes, I think we are connected at the hip, literally. She was going home early so we walked around touristy Times Square to kill some time before she had to grad a cab for the airport. We just happened to stumble upon the naked cowboy and got pictures with him (yes, both front AND back). I don't understand how he can stand outside all day in the freezing cold with no clothes on, it's crazy insane. After Angelle left, I went to my friend Kim's apartment where I'll be for the remainder of my trip. Kim and I went to a fun sushi restaurant and then went to her acting school, the Neighborhood Playhouse, to watch a student showcase. This is where the 2nd year students perform 3 minute scenes that they have written themselves for various local agents to hopefully get signed. Kim called it a meat market. In kinder terms, it's a little like scouting for football. Either way, it was really entertaining. I was impressed with most of the scenes and even had a few favorite actors myself. Who knows, maybe I will see them in a movie one day.

New York Day 5

On Tuesday, we did more shopping. Even being so broke that I probably won't eat for the rest of the week couldn't keep me away from shopping. Angelle and I went to the lower east side (my favorite area of the city) and went to a bunch of vintage stores (my favorite kind of stores). We headed up Orchard Street and just happened to stumble upon a movie set. We saw Zooey Deschanel (she's been in Almost Famous, Failure to Launch, etc.) and the old guy from the show Taxi. Anyone who can remember his name please help me out. We couldn't remember his name but everyone was shaking his hand so we new he was famous. That afternoon, we went to Chelsea to visit another friend Christina at the art gallery that she manages. The paintings in her gallery were really cool. One in particular was a charcoal sketch of an eye that I desperately wanted to buy and hang in my apartment. Tuesday night we went to see Jersey Boys. It was SO GREAT! I mean REALLY great. Everyone that gets a chance should see it. It's the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The oldies music was so fun it made me dance in my seat.

New York Day 4

Monday was an interesting day to say the least. Angelle and I decided to go visit her friend Melissa in Williamsburg. I was super pumped to go because I've been dying to see what all the hype is about (and I was also hoping to run into one of my favorite bands, you know just on the street or something). However, it was raining. And cold. And windy. So windy, that my umbrella (ella, ella) kept flipping inside out every other block. Once we got off the subway in Brooklyn, we had no idea which way to go so we just started walking. We got lost at one point in little Israel where all the kids had yamakas and we couldn't read any of the signs since they were in Hebrew. I felt like we were in a different century (or at least something comparable to Amish country). Thank goodness for the maps on our iphones that brought us back to the 21st century! Once we found our way, we started heading towards a diner where we were meeting Angelle's friend for lunch. It was a pretty long walk and I think I pouted a couple of times. I really just wanted to hail a friggin' cab, but apparently cabs do not exist in Brooklyn. So we kept walking. I saw a few hipster kids and felt a little comfort. We finally got to the diner, ate lunch, and headed back to the city. I wish I had gotten to see more. I'll be back for sure, but next time it will be on a warm, sunny day with a GPS system.

New York Day 3

You won't believe what we did today! We got brunch. Again. And waited an extremely long time for this restaurant on Houston but I guess that's what you do on Sundays in the city. We were all a little hungover (and therefore grouchy because we wanted food) from the night before. Saturday night was a blast. We started off the night at Jordan's friend's party. He has an apartment on the Upper West side on Park. This place was amazing- roof top access, an elevator, nice beverages, the works. We also brought jello shots that soon became the hit of the party. After that we went to a bar, I think it was called Sui Sui but I could be wrong about the name. It was filled with people from UGA and Richmond. I love that, I come to NYC and see everyone I know. It's a pretty small world. However, my main concern for the night was getting Ray's Pizza which I had been craving for hours. So Jordan's roommates and I went home early (and by early I mean around 2:30). I proceeded to walk 4 blocks by myself in order to get a slice of pizza (which of course I regretted the next morning) but at the time, I couldn't have been happier.

New York Day 2

Everyone in NYC does brunch, everyone. It's all people keep talking about especially since it's the weekend, so we're going to brunch. Jordan wants to go to this place on Houston called Jane's. I just checked out the menu online and it sounds amazing. They have Creme Brulee French Toast, umm... yum! After brunch, we're going to do a little shopping on the lower east side and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Tonight, Jordan's friend from camp is having a party and Jordan tells me his apartment is awesome! It's on the upper west side on Park, holy crap! The weather is great and I'm looking forward to a lovely Saturday afternoon. When's brunch? I'm starving...

New York Day 1

I'm in New York visiting friends from college and lovin' life right now. Angelle and I went to MOMA yesterday. I've never been before (not sure why?) but I really enjoyed it. Despite the angst of Art History courses coming back to me, it was awesome to see some of my favorite pieces of art. I saw works by my favorite artists: Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, Gustav Klimt, and Jean Miro. (Firestone would be proud.) After MOMA, I met Jordan at Food & Wine (where she works) and went out with her work friends for Happy Hour. After a few Stellas and soco & lime shots (one especially for me since I was "the visitor from Atlanta"), we went to the East Village to meet friends from Richmond who were having a birthday party at Professor Toms. I have discovered that most of my friends that live here live within a one block radius of each other and considering the size of Manhattan, that's extremely coincidental. All in all, it was a great first day in the city but I'm exhausted already. It's going to be a fun week.

Summer Olympics 2008

Summer Olympics 2008 in Beijing.

Yoga Mat Design

My latest Yoga mat design. Namaste.

Fabulously Fierce

Christian is so FIERCE!

Slash

my love...

Hello Good Citizen, My Name is Batman

Hungry? Why wait? (one of my favorite ads...)

America's Top Next Runway Art Director Idol

The writers’ strike is over! While I wasn’t on strike and continued to manipulate stories to my liking, the writers in Hollywood went on strike for more than four months while network executives sat on their lazy asses until finally coming to an agreement about benefits and copyrights in the entertainment industry. Well, the strike is over and personally, I couldn’t be more excited about new episodes of Entourage, Gossip Girl, and… shit, what else did I watch? It’s been so long I can’t even remember.

So what did I do during the writers’ strike? That’s simple. I watched reality TV. Reality TV in all its shocking and trashy glory played constantly on re-run and surprisingly, it grew on me. I’m a huge fan of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Rock of Love 1 & 2, but my favorite reality shows were the competition shows like Project Runway. What an awesome career opportunity for a creative fashion designer! Being creative minded, I appreciate these types of shows (ex. Top Chef, America’s Next Top Model, that one where they design homes, etc.) So where is the competition show where advertising creatives compete to win client work? Well apparently there is one. It’s called AD FIGHT and it’s premiering soon on the Oxygen Network. I wonder if Heddy or Balser will be guest judges?

Stealth Tactics

So for a teams class assignment, I had to research ninjas. Yes, that's right. I go to a school where I get to research ninjas. So here are some fun facts about ninjas, that I'm sure are all true.

Ninjas don't sweat, not even during ninja sex. Ever.

Bullets cannot kill a ninja.

Ninjas never wear headbands with the word "NINJA" printed on it.

Ninjas can breath underwater anytime they want.

Ninjas invented the Internet. All of it.

Ninjas don't eat or drink very much, and they never have to go to the bathroom.

Ninjas always move to America when making a new start as a non-assassin. (good to know...)

Ninjas can crush golfballs with two fingers, any two fingers.

To read more, get your ninja on at
http://www.entertheninja.com/ninja_fun/coldhardfacts.php
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Ninja/Facts
http://www.writing.com/main/handler/item_id/870081

So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.

Favorite quotes that I bet you didn't know were by who? who I say?
Dr. Seuss

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities.”

"I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. "

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good."

It's Hazel's Birthday!

My puggle puppy Hazel turned 1 year old today! Happy Birthday Hazel!

Vampire Weekend

As my friend Leigh put, what really gets better than amazingly good looking musicians who wear hipster clothes and tight jeans, but graduated from Columbia University? Vampire Weekend is blowing up right now and their music has a really cool new sound. Try downloading Campus, Boston, Oxford Comma, or anything from their self titled album. I've been telling everyone to go see them, and through my own procrastination, I failed to get tickets for their upcoming show in Atlanta because... it's ALREADY sold out and it's over a month away. I'm currently working my magic to get tickets, so if anyone is selling theirs, please let me know! Kwassa kwassa.

Octane

Octane - local artists' work, macbooks, panini sandwiches, comfy couches, awesome Vanilla Chai Lattes, random photographer in the corner, and then there's us... the noisy Circus kids. You can usually find us here with our sketchbooks, logos, marker comps, & half sipped coffees covering the table while we're trying our best to avoid doing work by playing on myspace or blogging.

Who Made the Cut - Super Bowl 2008

Last night, the NY Giants came back to beat the undefeated New England Patriots and claimed the championship title in Super Bowl XLII (42). As much as I love football, the game seemed to drag on up until the 4th quarter and the only thing holding my interest for three and a half hours were the commercial breaks. Well, that, and a little Rock Band session during halftime where I scored a 94% on the guitar (I know, amazing... right?)

As I was reading some of the reviews this morning for the 2008 Super Bowl ads, they all seemed to complain about the constant use of "frat boy humor". Now, granite I just graduated from college and I was watching a FOOTBALL game, but I found the frat boy humor to be pretty f*cking hilarious. So here's my run down of favorite Super Bowl ads for 2008:

5. Bridgestone "Headlights" - First a deer, then Alice Cooper, then Richard Simmons doing jumping jacks. What could be creepier to see on a winding dark road? My friend thought it would have been better to have Gene Simmons and his 8-inch... tongue. I thought, "That is fantastic!"

4. Vitamin Water "Horse Race" - Honestly, I thought this ad was a great use of celebrity endorsement. Shaq as a jockey? I can't believe he could even get on the horse! But I must say, I was completely surprised to hear it was for Vitamin Water? huh?

3. Doritos "Mouse Trap" - What gets better than a guy in a mouse suit? They should have combined this one with Bud Light's "Wine and Cheese" party.

2. Amp "Jumpstart" - Donkey Lips... enough said.

1. E*Trade "Babies I and II" - Now if a talking baby doesn't get me to use E*Trade, I'm not sure what else will. Hey kid, thinking about the stock exchange and all of those numbers kind of makes me want to vomit too. Oh and clowns, they're totally creepy!

Getting the creative juices flowing...

I will be spending the next two years, and perhaps the rest of my life, writing. Writing headlines, taglines, copy for ads, and maybe a few greeting cards here or there. So I thought what better way to stay fresh with mad verbal skills than creating a blog. I don't really read a bunch of blogs which gives me the idea that not many people will be reading mine. Either way, it's a personal venture that could or could not turn into something great. We'll see.