Life on the road?

I've always kind of wondered if I could actually pick up my life and live out of a suitcase. After a 2 week vacation from coast to coast, i'm starting to second guess myself with that kind of lifestyle. I think there is a reason why people started going on vacation rather than just moving from place to place. It feels good to get back home and have some order in my life and not have to eat out every single meal. Or maybe I was just exhausted after 2 weeks of non-stop tourism. Although my wallet took a hit and got a lot smaller, so did my bucket list. I think a simple list of everything I did should suffice for the rest of this:

Road trip to San Fran

Client pitch to Haagen Dazs

Cal Berkley campus tour

Lombard Street

Fisherman's Wharf

Car robbery (Sorry Jeff)

Japan Town

Haight/Ashbury

Agency visits with DDB and Goodby, Silverstein, and Partners

Authentic Mexican Food.

US OPEN

Drive home

NYC flight

Central Park

Tom's Restaurant

Statten Island Ferry

Rocaway Beach

Lost on the Subway

Brooklyn Bridge

H&M

Movie in Bryant Park

Canal Street

Strand Bookstore

Donut Plant

Times Square

Jersey Boys on Broadway

Stardust Diner

South Street Seaport

Puma City

World Cup game

Coney Island

Agency visits to Ogilvy and BBDO 

Manhattan Temple

Rockafeller Plaza

NBA Draft

NYU

Washington Square

La Guardia Airport - 17 hours, no flight

Try again

Chicago

Green Bay

Lambeau Field

Lombardi Trophy

Chicago Airport - 13 hours

Home.

I never thought I'd be so happy to go back to work and have a regular schedule again. Yikes.

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He does it again

I spend every 2-3 years waiting for Jack Johnson to release a new album. 

I'm not going to take a stand about downloading music off the internet (and by downloading, I mean without paying), but there are certain guidelines when it comes to favorite musicians. I am definitely paying full price for this album. No stealing. I feel like anyone who considers themselves to be a musician, even in the slightest sense, needs to do the same. The best part is that he is donating 100% of his concert tour profits to the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation.

For some reason, Jack took some grief for his last album, but I still loved it. It's more than just the music, it's the feeling and attitude that comes with it. Well done on this latest album, Jack. Well done. I love it already.

Jack is back. Life just got that much better.

You can listen to the new album here: http://www.spinner.com/new-releases#/1

 

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Best spot ever?

For any company to claim that something they have just produced is "among the best they have ever done" is no small statement. And for a company like Nike, who is known for captivating TV spots and other advertisements, to make such a statement sparks an interesting question. If you haven't seen the new spot produced by Weiden + Kennedy, Amsterdam, here is the link: http://adage.com/article?article_id=144010. 

So what do you think? Is this really among the the best Nike has ever done? The spot is no doubt very well done. In fact, it may actually be one of my favorite spots, personally. But why would Nike go out on a limb and make a statement like this before the spot even launched? 

Here's one reason I thought of—what was your first reaction when you heard that Nike itself thought it was the best? Did you want to see it? Did you think to yourself, "I'll be the judge of that?" If you are anything like me, you made sure it was the first thing you watched when you woke up in the morning. My guess is that millions of other people around the world will do the same thing. Nike made a believer out of me. 

I don't want to suggest that this was only a tactic used by Nike to increase the exposure of the ad, because maybe they really do think this is one of the best. If it is, then the statement solidifies their position as a brand and the impact it has over sports fans worldwide, and the spot will become an instant internet sensation. Well done, Nike. Well done, Weiden + Kennedy.

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Guilty Pleasures

Let's be honest...

We've all got at least one. I realized one of mine recently. Ellen. And I'm not ashamed of it, because it is one of the funniest talk shows I've ever seen. If you agree with me, then I know you'll be excited for this blog. If you think I'm crazy, then you have obviously never watch this show. But you owe it to yourself to watch it. Take this for example:

Even though I am a Droid user, I am secretly very jealous of every iphone owner. Just because they have some 'exclusivity' deal with sucky AT&T, I will have to wait. But I always love when people are able to poke fun at the big guy. In this case Apple. 

This is just one example why I think Ellen is hilarious. Call me crazy, but I think you will too.

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Do we even need the penny anymore?

Let's be honest...

When was the last time you thought a penny was useful?

What's the point of the penny anymore? They are annoying. That's about it. I dug through my backpack today and found enough change to venture to the vending machines. Five quarters, three dimes, two nickels, and five pennies. If you haven't been adding the total amount in your head, it ended up being $1.70. It was just the right amount for some chocolate milk and a snack since I didn't have enough time for a real lunch.

Well turns out that vending machines don't even accept pennies. So rather than having the perfect amount of change to tide me over, I was left with five pennies again, followed by a memory flashback to the reason they were in the bottom of my bag in the first place. I definitely don't want them, and if vending machines won't even accept them, then who will? Why can't we just abolish them? Round it off to fives. Nickels are at least bigger and not as annoying. And although dimes are smaller in size than pennies, they are still worth ten times more than a measly penny. I can handle that. Is there anything that costs less than five cents anymore anyway? Honest Abe is already holdin' it down on the five dollar bill, so it's not like a service to him or anything. If I were him, I know I wouldn't want to be associated with something that everyone hated.

All I'm asking is that we find a solution to this problem. Because I don't feel justified in throwing money away, even if it's just a penny or two. So don't make me feel guilty, because I can't hold out much longer.

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Change the world with cookies

Let's be honest...

Inspiration comes in unexpected places.

I found some inspiration this week when I wasn't really expecting it. We were watching the movie "Stranger than Fiction" starring Will Farrell, and I learned a really cool lesson. Or rather, I found a great way to express myself in what I hope to accomplish in life.

There is a scene with maggie gyllenhaal's character where they are eating cookies. She is explaining how she got started as a baker. It was surprising because of the rebellious nature of her character, but she explained how she was attending Harvard Law School at the time. She enjoyed baking, and would spend time preparing snacks for the other students in her law study groups. She enjoyed it so much that she started looking for more and more recipes and spent less time studying than baking. Many more people started showing up for the study sessions. After a while, she was left with multiple books full of recipes, and a "D" average in school. That's when she said she realized that she wasn't going to change the world by becoming the next great lawyer, but that she could change the world with cookies. 

 

Click here to download:

stranger_than_fiction_clip_(cookies_).mp4 (12673 KB)

Change the world with cookies.

For some reason, that resonated with me all night. Some people are meant to be world leaders and politicians, some scientists and doctors, others are simply meant to improve the lives of those around them by whatever means possible. 

Change the world with cookies.

As I enter the world of advertising, there are many things I'd like to accomplish. Even if I never find the cure to cancer or win the Nobel Peace Prize, there are still many things I can do. I can change the world. My "cookies" may be bringing laughter and happiness to other people. To create things that enlighten the lives of others. Advertising has a reputation of being unethical, but I feel like that is only in the eyes of the beholder. It can be done in an effective and worthwhile way. I'm going to change the world...one cookie at a time?

Here's the link for the video if it doesn't work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rCmX-TAl1w&feature=related

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Playoffs Playoffs Playoffs

Where does amazing happen? In the NBA Playoffs.
Where does beating a team that had your number all year happen?
Where does winning a best of 7 without your best of defender happen?
Where does advancing to the second round without 2 starters happen?
The answers to all of the above are of course with the Utah Jazz.

Where does free tickets for the playoffs for the first time ever happen?
Where does 10 jumbotron and 3 national TV appearances happen?
These answers come from being a Utah Jazz Rowdy.

After struggling in game one, dominating for three straight games and pushing the Nuggets to the brink of elimination, the jazz now find themselves with the pressure to win game 6. It is an essential game 7 considering the circumstances if we lose this one. And I'll be there to cheer them on every play of the game.

GO JAZZ!