mirandomology

Moving On...

2009-09-14T00:54:00.003-04:00

Hey ya'll!
I officially moved my blog to http://mirandomology.wordpress.com. I like the designs better and am in the process of consolidating everything under a single web alias.
Check it out!

Labor Day Vacay

2009-09-09T20:58:00.008-04:00

Never in one weekend have I spent so much time, money or miles on the road. Especially in the same state. Good thing work was kinda slow on Friday because I got to leave early and miss at least some of the rush hour traffic on the way to Beth's homebase in Boca Raton. After taking an unplanned detour thanks to some spectacularly distracting lightning, we got into Tampa late that night and after greeting Bugbee, Melissa and Joey the hyper Boston Terrier, we passed out in the guestroom.

It brought back some memories to run on Bayshore the next morning and jumping in the pool afterwards was absolute perfection. That evening, we grilled out at M & M's apartment to celebrate the end of her chemo and I ate way too many delicious things. The next day I got up and started the 2 1/2 hour trek to Kate's beach house in New Smyrna Beach to celebrate her & Ben's engagement. It didn't occur to me to wear a swimsuit, like pretty much every single other person there, but that didn't stop me from playing at least 5 games of beach volleyball. And I finally got to meet the rest of Ben's brothers & sisters. I'm pretty sure some of the other guests assumed I was also one of the Whites, thanks to the blonde hair and athletic prowess.

I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to drive back to the Bay to finally make a date with Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince. Of course the book is better but the movie wasn't bad. The next day, being part Swedish & all, Beth and I stopped at the mothership, also known as IKEA, on the way out of town. Lunch was delish, and I ended up buying a futon to accommodate all the planned and unplanned guests that I'm sure will be visiting in the next few months.

I FINALLY got home a little after dinner time, only to find a mini monsoon in my closet. I made sure maintenance came to fix it the next day and now they have to replace all the drywall on the ceiling in the walk-in closet that I once thought was so fabulous. This being my second consecutive weekend getaway/closet fiasco, I think I'm going to enjoy staying in SoBe for a while.

MFTOTIRN: Life is Beautiful

2009-09-09T10:30:00.003-04:00

This is the first release from Sixx:A.M., the side project of Nikki Sixx, bassist for Motley Crue, with his buddies DJ Ashba and James Michael. Not only do I love this song, but it's got some lovely lyrics & I'm quite a fan of the grungy overlays of illustration and typography.

Life is Beautiful. :)

Fine Print

2009-09-03T15:19:00.005-04:00

Ha! Love this Coke Zero banner ad I saw while reading an article on The Onion website. The media placement is a perfect match made in sarcasm heaven.

Social Newsworking

2009-09-03T09:54:00.006-04:00

This link went out on the SoBe Pid (company-wide email) claiming that according to a UMiami study, "Boozers exercise More." It was kind of interesting, but even more interesting was the little bucket to the right of the article asking me how I feel, inspired by Twitter and Facebook statues, no doubt. At first I thought it was a banner ad, but when I rolled over it, I realized it was attached to the article. Never before have I seen a news source care about how the news actually makes you feel, let alone ask for emotional feedback.

This further supports my theory that the internet will eventually just converge into one neverending website, hardwired directly to your brain.

MFTOTIRN: Kitten Mittens

2009-08-31T00:02:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the inaugural episode of My Favorite Thing On The Internet Right Now!

I really need to start watching this show.

Flying Frontier

2009-08-30T22:33:00.011-04:00

I can't believe this is my 300th post on my beloved little blog! I wanted to make it somewhat special & it just so happens to coincide with the end of my mini vacay to Colorado, but I have some footage & photos to edit and way too much to talk about before bedtime (have to go back to work tomorrow!) so this post will be about my first experience flying Frontier Airlines. (But I have a feeling it won't be my last.)

It all started a few weeks ago on Travelocity (The only way I differentiate between all those discount travel sites is by spokesperson, and I'm quite a fan of the Roaming Gnome) when I was looking to book a flight from Florida to Colorado for a much-needed four-day vacay. Most all of the options herded me to some random airport in between, subtracting a significant amount of time and enjoyability from my trip. But then I discovered a direct flight from FLL to DIA & back. It was roughly $240 roundtrip (only about $20 more than my other options) so to get the most out of my wallet & my weekend I went out on a limb and booked it.

They only had one desk at Ft. Lauderdale, but the wait wasn't long at all. It's a little annoying that they charge an extra $15 for each checked bag, but I know most of the other airlines are doing that these days. There isn't much schedule flexibility; I was on the single flight from FLL to DIA that day. I left a little after three, but since I gained two hours crossing time zones, landed in Denver a little before five (we were about 30 minutes early based on the original ETA).

The interior reminds me a lot of Jet Blue; big, comfy leather seats with lots of legroom. There are also mini LCD screens installed in the back of each seat for individual entertainment, but UNLIKE Jet Blue, you have to pay $6 to take advantage of it. That didn't really bother me since even though I was technically on vacation, I took my trusty pink notebook along to brainstorm ideas for a project I had been briefed on the day before. The staff and beverage service were typical; and you could enhance your snacking experience for a couple extra bucks. And I know this would probably happen with any airline, but I was a little disheartened to see my pretty pink Samsonite suitcase marred with black streaks and scratches when it came around the carousel. *Tear*

On the return flight back to Ft. Lauderdale today, I noticed a few more details. The brand's tagline is "A whole different animal" and according to their website,

"With the help of some advertising genius types...Each of our "spokesanimals" has a unique and entertaining personality. Today there are more than 50 different animal photographs prominently displayed on our tails."

Today, my flight's featured creature was "LJ the baby Lynx." Not only was he wrapped around the tail of the plane, but there was a picture of him at the entrance of the plane, and the flight attendant made special mention of him before her standard safety speech. I think it's an interesting differentiator from other airlines and makes me feel a little bit like I'm flying off to have some kind of wild adventure. Or possibly like I'm on an airline owned & operated by National Geographic.

Interestingly, I noticed that the average age of the other passengers (not to mention flight attendants) was pretty old. However, it was skewed by the screaming infant in the seat directly behind me. So we already have first class with their little curtain, so when are we going to get a child class complete with soundproof barrier? I was eventually able to block it out with the help of my iTunes. I slept for pretty much all of the flight back. It's weird to be unconscious for that long between two complete strangers.

It just occurred to me that this review would probably benefit more people if I posted it on Yelp...

D-9 Debriefing

2009-08-22T22:17:00.019-04:00

My friend and I really didn't know what to think when we stepped out of the theater after seeing District 9 tonight. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what I experienced. The best way I can describe it is like watching a more cinematic two hour game of Halo.

A Halo game at which I'm not behind the controls because although I would love to be a gamer, I particularly suck at the ones in which you have to navigate and shoot with two different controls, especially when they are inverted. Why?! It's complicated enough as it is! Now I have to remember that when I aim the joystick down that I am actually looking up? My ex-boyfriend and his frat brothers took full advantage of this fact and delighted in repeatedly running me over, ambushing and sniping me. The best I could do was memorize where the turrets were, attempt to reach them and make it rain bullets! And I still rarely ended up with a positive kill score. (If we were playing Mario Kart or Super Smash Brothers, it would be a different story. Oh yes.)

Anyways, I don't really get into ARG (Alternative Reality Games) but I heard the one promoting District 9 was decent. They scattered stuff all over the web, which appeared to come from several different "sources." (I think they recently aggregated them at D-9.com since the movie is out now).

They even arrived in full force at Comic Con to warn/inform people.

I don't this ARG was as widespread or as popular as the one for The Dark Knight (which won the Grand Prix in the Cyber Lions category at Cannes this year), but hey, I went to see the movie so at least some part of it worked on me.

I still don't know exactly what to think of the movie. It left me with more questions than answers, which I suspect was it's intention. It was definitely unlike any other movie I've ever seen. Weird how movies are becoming more like video games, whether subtly like this one or blatantly like Gamer, which I will probably end up seeing thanks to all the action and explosions I've seen in the trailers.

Afterthought: I found this screen junkies review online which states that the original intention of this movie WAS actually supposed to an adaptation of Halo. Hmmm...

Meet Luna

2009-08-21T22:08:00.012-04:00

I wish I had time to post more than once a week, but as one of my CD's said today, I'm "batting 1,000" as in I'm working like crazy. I worked on all four of our different clients this week, but I loved every minute of it. However, working isn't the only thing I did this week...

Meet Luna! I adopted her from the Humane Society of Greater Miami on Tuesday. (I finally made up my mind after a brief bout of puppy fever hit the office.) She's slightly less than a year old and from what I can tell she's part Russian Blue and some other domestic longhair, like a Maine Coon. So she's pretty international.

I used to know so much more about cats when I was little, but I do know she is really chill but can be affectionate or playful and loves a good belly rub. I can't wait to get a good picture of her and submit it to I can haz cheezburger with a brilliant caption.

And I've officially crossed off #6 on my Ten Things to do Before I'm 30 list! One down, 9 to go!

Oh yea and a Happy 27th Anniversary to the parentals!

Madness

2009-08-15T18:42:00.011-04:00

...is the one word that pretty much sums up my whole life right now, but mostly in a good way. I've been averaging 60-something hours a week at the agency on at least five different clients and my weekends have been and are being booked solid. I'm actually at the agency right now. It's so different with no one here. It's raining like crazy and I rode my bike here so I have to wait for it to stop before I can go home and eat some dinner.

Anyways, yesterday a bunch of us dressed up in our best retro skits, suits & ties to honor the third season of Mad Men, which premiers tomorrow night on AMC! It was swell, and we hit up a piano bar here on Lincoln afterwards where I may have had one too many martinis. But hey, it's not like i could drink beer dressed up like that!

I also saw this link tweeted a few times today. Fastcompany has this interesting little slideshow paralleling real life advertising in the 60's to what Sterling-Cooper references on the show. LOVE that beetle campaign by DDB that revolutionized creative advertising!

And don't forget to take the Quiz on AMC's website to find out which character you are! I discovered my inner Betty Draper.

Converse Creatures

2009-08-12T22:25:00.004-04:00

I've been listening to last.fm at work lately, and noticed these strange interactive banners for Converse kept popping up. I remember them partially because they are bizarre, and partially because my group and I had a similar concept when we were in Boulder for a quarter. It was super late and we were going insane from like, our twentieth round of concepts and we ended comping up an Olympacha; a ridiculous combinition Cheetah and Olympic Pole Vaulter.

They're memorable, mildly entertaining and convey the idea of customization quite well. I think I would be more likely to make pair for someone else since I barely wear the pink and black all-stars that I have at home. (Mostly because I think living in Florida so long has made my feet claustrophobic in anything but flip flops).

The Douchebook

2009-08-11T21:48:00.005-04:00

I really, really hate this commercial I keep seeing on TV for Verizon's mini notebook things. You know, the one where this dude is sitting on a dock or something and this chick sits next to him to inquire about his worthless little device and he keeps finishing her sentences. I mean, this thing screams "toolbag." Why get something cool like an iPhone when you can carry around a whole mini computer? I have way too much other crap I need to carry around in my purse.

The best part is at the end of the commercial when the chick starts saying something like "I'm..." and then he cuts her off with "Amazed? Jealous? Wanna be me right now?" and then she smirks and says "getting one." I guess Verizon is trying to appeal to the Douchebag market with this one. If I was her, I would smack him upside the head with that little device and then throw them both over the side of that dock and hope that he gets a couple fingers clipped off by a mutant lobster. Good luck using your stupid mini keyboard after that! Ha!

(I would have posted the commercial here, but apparently the entire internet has deemed it unworthy of being posted anywhere.) Oh, and not to mention it looks like they are totally trying to rip off Apple with their attempt at design.

In Memory of Sevenmir

2009-08-05T08:02:00.011-04:00

So I got a random link from one of my old ad school friends through iChat a few weeks ago. I would expect this friend to send me a random link, so I clicked it, and it took me to a site where it asked me to enter my screenname and password for my profile to be compared to my friend's. In hindsight, I have no idea why I actually entered my password, but I did and this little bar graph type thing showed up and said that his profile beat mine. I thought the whole thing was a little weird, but didn't think much about it until people started IMing me asking me what this link was that I was sending them. CRAP! I was like "Umm, I didn't send you a link, but whatever it is, don't click on it."

So now it's a couple weeks later and when I got home from work and tried to log onto iChat, it was telling me to enter my password, instead of just starting automatically. I entered it probably 3,000 different times and tried for over an hour to salvage my beloved screenname, sevenmir. I never thought I would be attached to something that's not even tangible! I created that alias at least 8 years ago based on my high school jersey number and my name. I didn't realize how much I take being instantly connected to everyone I know for granted. I was so pissed at first, but I got over it and my new online alias is now 'mirandomology.' I decided to make a clean & consistent break and changed my twitter name to the same thing, and am considering changing the name of this blog, too.

I guess it was probably time to switch it up a little bit. My old screenname was cluttered with tons of people that I hadn't talked to in ages and thankfully I was able to retrieve some of my recent work peeps' screennames from my address book.

Anyways, I'm not the only one who got hacked - it's happened to at least five other Miami Ad School kids that I know of, so far. I wonder where it started and what the point of it is. It's not like you're going to gain any valuable info like social security or credit card numbers through AIM or iChat. Curse you, evil virus-maker man! May you be attacked by a 1,000 rabid chipmunks!

Whatevs. I'm sure sevenmir is in screenname Heaven...

Upgrade

2009-08-02T20:09:00.008-04:00

I love working in advertising, especially at an interactive agency. We get to find out about all the coolest stuff before it goes mainstream. I think we make up a lot of the innovators & early adopters according to the new product life cycle (and I thought I wouldn't use any of the stuff from my marketing classes anymore on the creative side - lol). Maybe because generally we're paid to create and promote the next big idea(s)...

Anyways, I am officially switching from YouTube to Vimeo for all of my video uploading and sharing needs. Youtube has become like MySpace for me, too overwhelmed and underdesigned by the masses. Plus, they're really pissing me off with all their copyright claims!

Vimeo has a way simpler & cleaner design (and bonus points for hybrid wordage: video + me = vimeo). The only trade-off is that your videos take longer to process and you're limited to 500 MB per week (unless you purchase the premium membership). I'll stick with the free version for now. Here's a couple videos I made from this past weekend partying at the W hotel & the Gansevoort with Christy & the girls and then a quick clip from the agency pub crawl in Key West yesterday!

Random Bull Riding from Miranda Peterson on Vimeo.

I've Got A Feeling... from Miranda Peterson on Vimeo.

Oh yea, and Happy Birthday Dad! (My sister and I bought him a case of his favorite candy, but I think his favorite gift was me getting a job and getting off his payroll - lol)

Mad Men Mania

2009-07-28T12:05:00.008-04:00

Yay! I'm super excited for the next season of Mad Men to premiere on AMC on August 16! I discovered this nifty new avatar maker MadMenYourself.com. I love the retro feel, and the navigation is easy but I just wish they had spent a little more time on the illustration for the avatar parts themselves. Like for example, the noses all look really bad, so mine ended up noseless (a la Michael Jackson... Too Soon?) Of course I had to accessorize myself with a doughnut!

The clothes and the hairstyles are pretty sweet and I like the download options. Promotion for the network guys must be getting cheaper, and more creative thanks to the popularity of social networking.

Speaking of promotion, I also think it's cool that the show partnered with Banana Republic.

The stores feature little guides that help you dress like your favorite character, and on the back of those guides, there are ticket codes that promise a slight chance of winning a walk-on role on the show and a $1,000 BR giftcard. How swell! ;)

Alice in Wonderland Trailer!

2009-07-22T17:45:00.001-04:00

I didn't think it was going to be out til tomorrow but here's the first teaser trailer for Tim Burton/Disney's Alice in Wonderland!

Curiouser and Curiouser...

2009-07-21T13:12:00.007-04:00

Hey y'all! Time to indulge in my AIW obsession once again.

The Loyal Subjects of the Red Queen, the Loyal Subjects of the White Queen, and the Disloyal Subjects of the Mad Hatter are all building armies on Facebook. The fan page with the biggest army at 7PM EST on Thursday, July 23 will get to see an exclusive new trailer from Disney’s Alice in Wonderland before anyone else. Here is the link where you can pick your page and see some pretty character portraits.

Of course I cheated and became fans of all three, which led me to the main Alice in Wonderland Facebook page where I stole these lovely new promotional posters:

It's a ridiculously simple and smart way to engage crazy kids like me and get free promotion (I twittered the link and passed it on to some other fans I know on Facebook). Thanks again to my favorite enabler, MM. :)

Eat Better All Day

2009-07-19T11:43:00.006-04:00

I like this new Nutri-Grain commercial. It's super simple and you don't usually see things from the first person POV.

The supporting website is nice too - decent design (I just wish that big red bar was white. I'm a big fan of lots of white space) and I like how you can scroll through the different varieties at the top.

I think Leo Burnett is behind these creations, although I'm sure some fellow ad kids and I could have made this in school too.

Supersized vs Superskinny

2009-07-18T14:30:00.010-04:00

I randomly stumbled upon some clips from this British tv show Supersized vs. Superskinny. Basically they parade an obese person and an anorexic person around in their underwear, and then make them switch diets for a week.

I can't embed, so here's a few links to clips where Georgetta and Amir meet and then attempt a meal swap.

(FYI: According to wikipedia, a "stone" is equal to about 14 pounds. So confusing - I hate metric! Why can't we measure things like the other 90% of the world? Whatevs.)

Of course I don't live in the British Isles so I can't watch a whole episode, even online. Despite it's good intentions, I don't see how this is really healthy. I HATE reality tv, but this is strangely addicting.

I'm actually working on my own food portioning - or at least the sugary stuff. I am so proud of myself for not ordering dessert after dinner last night! Additional beneft: my bill was cheaper too! Pretty sure I didn't need to drink that much beer tho, but it's hard when there is a huge cooler full of it for free at work. lol

This show reminds me of this eerie commercial for this Swedish clinic that treats eating disorders.

Almost

2009-07-16T21:49:00.005-04:00

Loving what I've heard off Papa Roach's new album Metamorphosis so far. Here's the latest release/video "I Almost Told You That I Loved You"

I almost love Jacoby! Yummmm

These guys are UH-MAY-ZING in concert! I saw them a couple years ago in T-Bay, and they're on tour again but OF COURSE they aren't making any stops in Florida.

But this song kind of makes me want to get a tatoo.

Summer Reading List

2009-07-15T21:19:00.017-04:00

I just finished my last term of school EVER so it's gonna be hard to get used to not having that extended vacation every year. But, I still have some books on the back burner that I've been meaning to devote some attention to. Hopefully every week at the agency won't take up 65 hours of my time, like last week. So here we go, in no particular order:

Ok, I've read this one several times, mostly when I was in Boulder last fall. But sadly I have yet to own a copy for myself. You can enhance your creativity through osmosis, right? This book may replace one of my pillows.

Another book I discovered in Boulder, that I affectionately call by its alternate title "The Douchebag Bible." I rented it from the library and got through about half of it before my workload became overwhelming and it started collecting dust on my dresser. Then of course when I finally had some time to finish it, I had to return it. Even though I've dated enough of these guys that I should have been familiar with everything in the book before I even picked it up.

I might as well round out the skinny bitch book series. I bought the original shortly after it was released, then got the cookbook for Christmas, however, I don't need the "Bun in the Oven" edition...yet.

Basically my favorite story of all time. I haven't re-read it in ages and I feel like I'm somehow hypocritical for not owning a copy of it. I have the Disney version on DVD, but that's equivalent to owning a fake designer bag and pretending it's the real thing.

Anthem is right behind Alice on my favorite books list. I fell asleep several times while attempting to read Atlas Shrugged. So it's pretty much a coin toss for me whether or not I'm going to like, or even finish this one. Regardless, Ayn Rand is pretty cool. And not just because we have the same birthday.

Get Wet

2009-07-12T22:11:00.006-04:00

I think Orbit has done a pretty decent job differentiating their product, if only for it's weirdness. Who can forget this classic copywriting masterpiece?

What the French, Toast?!

Anyways now they are claiming to be the wettest gum on the market. Ok. I wonder what kind of focus group that came out of. Introducing... Orbit Mist:

I grabbed a pack at Walgreens today, partially because the packaging is swirly and shiny and partially because I like watermelon-flavored confections (watermelon jollyranchers are the best - and if you say sour apple, I will stab you in the jaw!).

I'm actually chewing it right now. When you first pop it in your mouth, its really hard (Ha! That's what she said) and for like 6.5 seconds you can tell something is going on, but it's hardly much of a "hydrating sensation."

Still, some funny stuff from BBDO.

A New Design Direction

2009-07-11T23:52:00.008-04:00

I had to get off the island today for a little bit to stock up on food and supplies. My preferred suppliers are Publix and Target. I've been a fan of Publix's generic product design forever and apparently Target is too because they just relaunched their store brand as "Up & Up." The packaging is so similar - simple, clean sans-serif and monochromatic with generous white space. I mean, these generic packages look better than the branded ones that they're competing with. Better Design AND Better Price. Everyone wins! Yay!

It's hard to find much about it yet since the brand literally launched last month, but according to Reuters, they have about 730 products available right now and will have close to 800 by the end of this year. And according to this press release,

"By re-launching Target brand as up & up, we’re able to create a unique identity for this powerful owned brand. The new packaging incorporates an element of design, giving us the opportunity to deliver on both the ‘expect more’ and ‘pay less’ sides of our brand promise."

Target consistently reevaluates its owned brands to ensure they meet guest expectations. Before introducing up & up, Target reviewed more than 4,000 guest comments on the quality and performance of its store-brand products. This resulted in the reformulation or enhancement of more than 130 products in the line.

Like I said, the design is really similar to my favorite generic grocery brand, but unlike Publix, the Up & Up brand doesn't have a website for fans of its packaging...yet.

(Even though it hasn't been updated in almost two years, LoL. Guess they weren't THAT big of fans.) Here's a cute, more current website that encourages you to get into a "Green Routine."

It's not YourSpace, It's MySpace

2009-07-05T22:26:00.009-04:00

I'm finally doing it. I'm putting my MySpace profile out of it's misery. This email was the last straw. I'm starting to feel like MySpace is an oblivious, desperate ex-boyfriend begging for attention.

Dear MySpace,
I'm sorry. I shouldn't have led you on for this long. It's just not working out. I thought we might have a connection, but I haven't had feelings for you in a long time. I wanted to try to make things work since some of my friends like you and we have similar interests in music, but I've found other sites that better satisfy me. Please don't hold anything against Facebook and LastFM. Please don't email or otherwise contact me anymore. I hope there are no hard feelings.
Sincerely,
Miranda

Hope everyone had a fun & fabulous Fourth of July! I thoroughly enjoyed celebrating in West Palm Beach during 4th on Flagler with Steve, Carly, Jef, Carrie, Beth and Gregg and this guy:

Kevin Rudolf - New Music - More Music Videos

He was better live than I expected.

The Chicken, The Egg, or Social Networking?

2009-07-01T23:30:00.010-04:00

Whoa, whoa, whoa.
WHOA!
Since when could you start recording videos through YouTube?

I saw this little button when I was uploading this completely random video I found buried within my hard drive from my days on the squad (sidenote: why are cheerleaders the only ones on a 'squad' when pretty much every other athlete is considered part of a 'team?').

Anyways, I was pretty sure this wasn't possible a few months when Aron & I concepted and submitted our future lions campaign idea for Hallmark which included mass video greeting cards on which you can upload yourself instantly.

But when I investigated further, I got stuck in YT limbo, clicking on the same two links a few times before I figured it out it wasn't going to work...Is it not functioning because I'm on a Mac or because I need to register for/download something or is it just plain not functional yet?

Can anyone enlighten me on this subject?

I ran into a similar scenario recently when I was simultaneously posting a tweet on my iPhone and driving (was technically in the backseat at the time - not literally driving) from home in South Carolina back down to Miami. I was suddenly inspired and posted this:

"Just crossed the border into Georgia! I want to invent a roadtwip app using twitter and gps/google maps!" 12:11 PM Jun 17th from TwitterFon

And out of nowhere someone replied to that tweet last week:

"KurtyD@sevenmir your roadtwip sounds fun. check out what we did http://roadtwip.us/bk.html c'mon!1:14 AM Jun 29th from web"

It's exactly the same name. I mean I guess it's not THE most original thought ever, but still. The internet is so incestuous.

Un-Say-What?

2009-06-29T19:45:00.009-04:00

I apologize in advance for still sipping the fast food ad haterade (or is it just "H" now since the sports drink abbreviated itself to "G?"). But I saw this ridiculous new ad for KFC slamming Subway. WTF? I mean the only connection I can think of between the two is that maybe eating buckets upon buckets of fried chicken is how Jared gained all that weight in the first place?

The commercial has like three business guys eating lunch. The one guy eating the sub is being taunted by the other two for only getting a sub-par sandwich (chips and drink not included) for 5 dollars. Then the KFC advocate says something like "Yea look at what I get for 5 bucks: two pieces of chicken, mashed potatoes dripping with gravy, a biscuit dripping with butter and a large soda...and love handles and a spare tire and a future heart attack." Only FIVE DOLLARS for all that!? Ok so I might have paraphrased a bit. But come on! They actually managed to make the tagline worse than it already is: "Taste the unsub side." (This is like the antithesis of one of my favorite fast food tags "Think outside the bun.").

And what better way to promote their new image than with this "Grillz" app. I can't put my finger on it, but this has gotta be borderline racist somehow... buckets of chicken...bad grammar...sparkly dental accessories...lol. I think braces are a better investment, but that's just me.

There are two things I REFUSE to work on: KFC and Cigarettes. But speaking of fake health, I'm watching a Colbert Report rerun right now so I'm in actually in a good mood. :)

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Commonsense Health Care Reform Infomercial

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

Mark Sanford

Even Stephen mocks advertising! "A gabazillion dollars?!...Just 4 easy payments of we-have-no-idea-99!"

Wendy's is waaaay overdue

2009-06-28T20:32:00.008-04:00

It's about time Wendy's started looking for a new ad agency! According to the AP and BusinessWeek, the company is "reevaluating its advertising and advertising and marketing stratey," which has been driven lately by KBP (kirshenbaum bond + partners). The campaign is so schizo and outrageously aspirational. "Its waaaay better than fast food?" No, I'm sorry. You ARE just fast food. And you're not even the best - you are number three. And spelling it with 4 a's makes it even worse. (However, I do occasionally crave your fries and a frosty to dip them in).

I remember in Boulder I heard this one radio commercial so many times that I wanted to rip my radio out of the car, and then run over it repeatedly. It sounded like they recycled it from 1952 and included retroish writing gems such as "peppy little dynamos" and "no one wants to spend the day in blahsville."

The ads are all over the place, like the aftermath of a watermelon dropped off the balcony of a penthouse apartment. Threeconomics here, Frosty boys there and wannabe gourmet everywhere else.

No sir, I do not want to get 'frosty' with you.

Whyyyy is the type all skewed? It irks me.

There's waaaay more where this came from on the Wendy's website.

I do have to give a few props to the agency website, though. I think they do some cool stuff for other brands.

Colin and Cannes

2009-06-28T18:08:00.005-04:00

Cannes draws huge crowds this time of year, not only for this little film festival you may have heard of, but also for the presentation of the Lions to the best and brightest in advertising. Looks like Sapient acquired quite a few this year:

Including a Gold Lion for these sweet interactive vending machines:

(At a tech convention)

(At a mall)

Not that I personally had anything to do with any of that... but let's see what happens in a few years.

But back to the film festival. I got to catch up with a friend from Miami Ad School last night and he told me about this film Colin which was killing at Cannes, literally and metaphorically.

Horror's not really my thing but there are a few twists to this zombie story. Apparently it's from a single zombie's perspective, trying to figure out what has happened to him rather than a person trying to escape hoards of flesh-eating freaks. Then there's the fact that the entire budget was about $70, which was spent on a crowbar, tea, coffee and some tapes. It's the debut film of director Marc Price and Nowhere Fast Productions. Price lives in London and has no formal film training but picked up his skills from watching the DVD commentary of other directors. He's attracted the attention of some Hollywood and Japanese distributors, who are currently bidding for the rights to it.

And the entire cast of over 100 people worked for free, most of whom were found through Facebook and MySpace. All the make-up artists volunteered their services as well. And when asked where the idea came from, Price said
""A couple of friends were round a few years ago watching Romero's 'Dawn of the Dead,' recalls Price. "And we were lamenting the fact that we could never make a zombie film -- we wouldn't be able to acquire a budget."

"Then I just woke up before everyone else -- I was probably a bit hungover -- and I wondered if a zombie movie from a zombie's perspective had been done before."

Here's a few interesting articles about it from CNN and Times Online.

One / Three = Scandal

2009-06-24T10:26:00.007-04:00

So Calvin Klein had this orgy-tastic new ad up in New York until recently. Well, they had to do something to get attention. I for one kind of forgot the brand even existed.

They haven't really been a big designer name since the early 90's when Cher (Alicia Silverstone) name dropped it in Clueless.

I don't see why it was such a big deal. They were just trying to appeal to a much-neglected polygamous niche market. Anyways, they replaced it yesterday with a less scandalous and more generic bikini-clad chick.

Movie Mirecommendations

2009-06-22T12:17:00.014-04:00

Thanks to MM and Julio for sending me links (First Look and USA Today and Coming Soon) to UH-MAY-ZING pictures and art from Tim Burton's work in progress that is Alice in Wonderland.

Johnny Deep looks creepy as usual, Anne Hathaway looks gorgeous as the White Queen and Helena Bonham Carter looks more like the Red Drag Queen. Lol.

Rumors are that it is more like a sequel, "Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn't remember..."

It's supposed to be released in theaters March 5 of next year, and I CAN NOT wait to start seeing the promotional materials and trailers. In case you hadn't noticed, I'm obsessed with anything related to the story. I even have my awesome cheshire cat mug for tea-making at the agency. My first official day is Wednesday! Yay!

And speaking of movies in the making, I found this article through Digg, where director David Yates talks about plans for the final two movies based on the last book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

And its about time The Half Blood Prince finally came out! I'm gonna try to reread the book before the movie comes out on July 15! SO EXCITED!!!

My Miami

2009-06-19T11:04:00.003-04:00

I feel so blessed because everything seems to be working out! I graduated last night from Miami Ad School, I got all the papers signed on my new apartment at the Flamingo, and I finally start getting paid for doing what I love next week! (PS, Sapient seems to be one of the only agencies prospering in this economy; they acquired Nitro this week. Its the first time a digital agency has acquired a traditional one).
Maybe growing up isn't s bad after all!
For now, I'm relaxing with the fam for a few days here in MIAMI!

Twitter Taking Over

2009-06-15T10:25:00.006-04:00

Speaking of social media, here's a more positive post to lighten the mood of my blog. I was checking my favorite fake news site, The Onion when I stumbled across this banner ad. Even though I specialize in interactive and digital advertising, I never click on banner ads. But there are always exceptions to the rule.

It really does filter words from your recent tweets, but I'm pretty sure there is no real analysis involved and it directs you to the Routan every time. If you think this is cool, check out the Banner Blog where you can actually interact with the best banners the web has to offer.

Now back to Twitter, who has partnered with Threadless to offer tees inspired by peoples' tweets.

Killer Kids

2009-06-15T09:11:00.012-04:00

So there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that in Palmetto and Cutler Bay (where the old Sapient office was located) some psycho was mutilating & killing cats, then placing the gruesome remains like trophies back where he found them. There were 33 reported cases, and now the good news is that this kid was arrested and is being charged with 19 of them.

When I first heard about the story last month, I theorized it would be some disturbed, suburban teenager in the area that was bored, sick and somehow starved for attention. I wonder if C.S.I. Miami or Law & Order will make an episode about it (the disclaimer always says the stories aren't inspired by true events, but I don't believe it).

I find it particularly interesting the role that social media is playing in this case. Before, when someone was arrested, you just saw their picture on the news or in the paper and other than that you were pretty disassociated with them. Some of the news stories I saw online pulled pictures from his MySpace account and they post links to his Facebook page as well as a group in support of catching and some prick even started a group just plain in support of the alleged cat killer.

You think he's a sick bastard? You can tell him that directly through Facebook or MySpace. Not to mention the countless people emailing, Twittering, re-posting and otherwise sharing links and news clips.

I'm glad he's 18 so he can be tried as an adult. Even if the judge isn't the biggest PETA supporter and lets the kid off lightly, he's still screwed because this stuff is in every nook and cranny of the internet. I personally don't think he should go to jail. He should be placed in the custody of the Miami Metro Zoo and share an enclosure with the Lions after the zookeepers "forget" to feed them for a couple days. I like my justice served with a side of irony, thanks!

(Kind of like how I wish this kid in Australia had actually fallen into the Croc enclosure:)

A Little Bit Of Lily

2009-06-09T22:22:00.007-04:00

It's not typical Miranda music, but I'm loving Lily Allen. Great Lyrics, so straightforward and not sugar-coated even though they sound sweet.
And I love this video for "The Fear."

Her latest album is called "It's not me, it's you." Perfection.

And here's another great song/video, LDN:

Familiar Faces

2009-06-08T23:07:00.007-04:00

So the guy at Smoothie King this morning asked me if I was in movies. I was a little confused but said "No" and "Thank You." He may have just been hoping for a tip, but he said I "could be a double for Heath Ledger's wife." Michelle Williams. Umm ok, we're both blonde, I guess.

I think more accurate was this post I had a few months ago.

Speaking of faces, I found this via MM's blog. It's called Face the Future and was created by the University of St. Andrews. I doubt it's accuracy, and it's kind of creepy, but it's fun to see what you might possibly look like as a another age or race.

my original picture
"young adult"

"Afro-Caribbean"

"East Asian"

"Older Woman"

"Baby"

"Anime"

Yep, That last one is especially creepy.

Monday Mirecommendations Vol VI

2009-06-08T00:07:00.008-04:00

Today's theme is design, both visual and audible.
I'm sure most of you have heard of Pandora by now. I used it for a while and still have the iPhone app, but I've moved on to Last.fm. It features a wider variety, doesn't repeat the same songs so much and features more non-mainstream music. It's actually where I discovered my new favorite audio-artist, Celldweller.

I'm a huge fan of hybrid music that mixes genres, and Klayton has pretty much mastered this art. The main course is usually a high energy rock/metal vibe with side dishes of everything from rap to electro to orchestra. All together it's quite a tasty musical meal. His work is featured in lots of movies and he also co-produced and cameos in Criss Angel's theme song for his Mindfreak show.

Here's a couple of other notable songs:

Ok that video is a little weird. Is he wearing a skirt? Erroneous!

On to the visual part. I'm getting a new apartment soon and fully intend on utilizing some Blyk wall graphics. Don't have the time or talent to customize your walls? They have tons of options to fit any wallspace, taste or mood and some of them are re-stickable! You can match the t-shirt you just bought from Threadless, recreate your favorite scene from Super Mario Brothers, or display some more famous designs, like those of Charles and Ray Eames. (You may have heard of their chairs.)

The Wrong Vibe

2009-06-06T16:11:00.009-04:00

So I was watching the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner last night and saw this amazing commercial for Trojan's new "Vibrating Touch."

Ok I have to admit it's inherently awkward due to the nature of the product, but this ad must have been written by a guy who is completely clueless or is at best trying to be as P.C. as possible. Thanks to the fantastic acting, now you know that your paranoia of people eavesdropping on your literature and conversations are confirmed. And it's so inaccurate! Silly commercial, old people don't use...the internet. And I guess it's appropriate that it comes in a box. LoL

The website is even better. The writing and design are a mess and it's kind of one continuous "that's what she said" joke. I would have much preferred some kind of comedic choreography to one or more of these classic hits:

I think this commercial by the THEM Agency in London is more what I had in mind.

Miami Madness

2009-06-06T14:28:00.015-04:00

Let me clear up a few misconceptions you may have about living in Miami Beach, if you have never lived here before. At least during the summer, it is not the sunny, sandy paradise you see on the postcards and in movies. It's very wet because A) the intense humidity that flattens or frizzifies your hair (depending on what kind you have) as soon as you step outside and B) the daily thunderstorms that always drop a few inches of rain and sometimes hail. Usually they do minor damage and blow over in about an hour. But yesterday I was convinced that we were in the middle of the first hurricane of the season.

Our new office on Lincoln Road is equipped with windows along every wall and is safe from flooding on 6th & 7th floors. It's like I had box seats to witness the madness below. The thunder slightly shook the foundation and lightning streaked across the sky, sometimes striking the building that was under construction next to us. The power flickered a few times and the elevators were in and out of service. I thought the rain was just hitting the windows more heavily than normal, but raindrops don't bounce. It was definitely hail - ranging from marble to golfball-sized. I wasn't scared of the storm so much, having lived on Florida coasts for the better part of the last six years, but more scared for figuring out how I was going to swim home with my laptop. I took a few pictures with my iPhone from various views in the office.

During:

The Aftermath:

The stores and restaurants across the street were definitely flooded and it was a little different to being seeing not boats, but cars, with trailing wakes. I found this great video on YouTube that will gives you a street-level perspective on the whole thing - if you didn't see it on the news already.

I was still working on a pitch project til about 9 pm when Aron and Chris drove to pick me up because we were going to see Nicole's hubby's Improv show in Coconut Grove. Aron had to walk, or wade home from class earlier and said there were cars with water up past the windows and they even saw two guys in a kayak going up and down Alton Road.

Anyways, we got back to the beach between midnight and 1 AM and it was pretty much like driving through an obstacle course between the deceptively deep street-ponds and the abandoned cars throughout the street that had apparently stalled out earlier.

I was so excited when I woke up this morning and actually saw the sun. I put on the pink bikini and headed downstairs to the pool, only to see the clouds roll in out of nowhere about an hour later. I wanted to get some of my tan back and start reading Twilight. I consider it pretty much a hazing ritual to get into my team at work because they have all read it and I am being all but forced to do so as well. I tried to keep the cover hidden because I don't want my rep getting tarnished. So far it's an easy read but I'm definitely not swooning and I don't think it's better than Harry Potter. It's so unrealistic, not because the guy is a vampire, but because he has this complicated emotional persona with pure intentions. Ha!

I definitely have no intentions of watching the movie and we'll see how far I can get into it before I barf or get bored.

On a final note, I finally got version 3.0 of my website revised, up and running at mirandapeterson.com. I designed then coded the whole thing in Flash and Dreamweaver. I'm still working on getting my final book together, so don't bother clicking on that link. I wanted it to have a simple, sketched look to it and be easy enough to quickly navigate and update. I mostly think of it as an aggregate for all my creative outlets. Oh, and hopefully it will help me get a job.

Bringer of Destruction and Doom

2009-06-02T22:05:00.007-04:00

Professor Chaos is my new hero. Is that ironic since he's technically considered a "villian" on South Park?

Now all I need is a cape, some tinfoil and little, fuzzy minions. So next time the treat you want in the vending machine gets stuck, or you can't find the other matching sock or your pen is out of ink, I'm probably lurking in the shadows nearby.

You can watch the full episode of the birth of professor chaos here and south parkify yourself here.

Just 'Do It

2009-05-30T16:24:00.008-04:00

I finally forced myself into a new look for my locks. The hair has looked like soggy spaghetti long enough. I didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I knew I wanted it shorter and more textured. Thanks to my account planner last quarter, and the fact that I could go there immediately and impulsively, I decided to check out the Aveda concept salon down the street.

I was placed in the magical hands of Mark. I expressed my deep-seeded fear of scissors and he said he could make it different, but not drastic, because "he's not into crying clients." LoL. I guess you can always cut more off easier than you can put it back. Turns out he does a bunch of peoples' hair here that work at Crispin.
Anyways, his inspiration was this chick from Gossip Girl. I've never seen the show, but I'm guessing this is her:

So here's the before and after:

There's a lot of super-short layers on top and he used this powder stuff called pure abundance hair potion to give it body and texture. The stuff is so good that the place was sold out and i have to go back next week to buy some.

Definitely happy with this hair; beachy blonde, low maintenance and it more matches the nosering. :)

Maybe I'll even get brave enough to cut off a couple more inches or play with the color...

Office Fun

2009-05-28T21:35:00.005-04:00

So I got a citation today...

And I guess wearing Abercrombie at the office is a crime now. LoL. I did a little research and should have guessed it came from perpetual kid:

I love PK. Cute design with a dash of sarcasm. Since I'm going to be getting a real, grown-up job soon, I'm gonna need some new office stuff!

Funtastic!

2009-05-27T23:58:00.008-04:00

Can I reiterate how excited I am to be going into such an innovative industry? When people ask me what I do I'm gonna say "I'm in the idea business."

Like Bugosky says "Figure out what you like to do best in the world of marketing and forget the rest. Focus your energy in those areas and develop your own philosophies. We’re all making it up as we go along. Nobody knows anymore or any better than you do so tap into that personal passion. And if it’s not fun, figure out why and change it."

I've had so much fun at the Lincoln Road office the past two days and I can't wait for us to move there for good next week.

So moving on to some cool stuff I've seen lately that is competing to go to Cannes. First is a Future Lions idea submitted by my friends Ronney and Eric. Sick idea for fusing video and photo in several digital-scapes.

Flip Fuse from Eric Roller on Vimeo.

I also checked out the banner blog today and thought it was cool that they are endorsing some of the student-made videos for the 48 hour brief I mentioned a few posts ago.

This one is so simple, yet so innovative. I'm surprised I didn't think of it. Even if I had, I wouldn't know how to make it interactive like this:

The only thing that bothers me about it is that they have a pause button flashing instead of a stop button. And it should link to the online petition, not the contest itself. But the kids that came up with this one get mad props nonetheless.

Also, thanks to MM, I found out about the CP+B Hero Factory. So of course I had to make one. Kinda resembles my superhero self at their Christmas party last year, lol.

Let's Learn Something New

2009-05-26T23:52:00.010-04:00

Reflexology

Learn to read your foot

More about reflexology

Basically it's somewhere between massage and medicine in which you apply pressure to different parts of the feet (and sometimes the hands) to release tension in other parts of the body. I bought a book about it, which got packed up when I left Miami last year and is stashed at home in a box somewhere.
I've always liked giving and getting massages. (Hey, these manhands have to be good for something!) And feet don't really bother me. Well, as long as they look and smell normal and not hairy like hobbit feet and are relatively clean. I knew this kid in high school with a couple of gnarly toes that were all askew. That kind of freaked me out.

Feng Shui

Since we are officially moving to the new office soon, a couple people have brought up the idea of "feng shui-ing" our new space. I've always been curious about it since I like Asian interior design with minimalism and clean lines and things. I can't wait to get a semi-permanent place to decorate after I graduate next month! Maybe I'll practice with this Feng Shui Flash game I found...

Exercise & Nutrition

I try to be healthy. But there's so many different health food fads and a new infomercial for a magical piece of exercise equipment every time I watch TV. I think Livestrong.com is a pretty good site but the amount of info is overwhelming. (I recommend it for tracking weight and calorie intake). And I don't care what anyone says. I want a Wii Fit!!!

One thing I mostly believe in is Skinny Bitch, which I've posted about a few times before. SAWEEEET! They have a new motivational book out! I'm gonna look into it because their first book motivated me to go veggie. Here's a little preview:

* Quit crying in a corner ‘cause your boyfriend dumped you; you know he was a lame lay, anyway. Bask in the glory of being single for a while! (That doesn’t mean sluttin’ it up with every guy you meet.)
* Whatever you’ve been dying to do or try but have been too scared—today is the day! Carpe diem, bitches! Carpe diem! This ain’t no dress rehearsal!
* You spend eight hours a day, five days a week at your job…and you hate it? Quit, bitch! Life is short and time is precious!

Let's go ahead and throw 'cooking' on this list too, because my culinary expertise doesn't extend much past the microwave. Although, I'd rather just find a boy who's into all that fancy food making...

MMM... most delicious is his accent!

Monday Mirecommendations Vol V

2009-05-25T22:58:00.009-04:00

Going to be a quick post because once again I wasn't able to finish my must-do list. I guess on the bright side I finished me and Aron's Future Lions entry at the cost of getting any sleep last night. I also get to walk to the South Beach office on Lincoln Road instead of driving 45 minutes each way to Palmetto Bay.

Anyways, I caught Clerks 2 on Comedy Central when I was working the other night. I never saw the first one, I guess because the fact that it's black and white initialy turned me off. But Dogma is one of my all time favs so I guess I'm a semi-fan of Jay and Silent Bob. I guess more accurately I'm a fan of Kevin Smith's kind of comedy.

Here's a scene where they make fun of Lord of the Rings.

I really do think the original Star Wars is better than LOTR and I didn't like the recent SW prequils at all. However, they failed to mention my totally favorite trilogy of all time, Indiana Jones (I don't completely count Crystal Skull because of the ridiculous ending). Maybe I only like trilogies starring Harrison Ford.

And here's the trailer for Dogma in case you've never seen it:

So I guess basically I have the movie taste of a frat boy.

Not Enough Hours

2009-05-19T22:08:00.007-04:00

That was a horrible, horrible post on Saturday. I feel like I need to delete it before it tarnishes the rest of my beloved blog. I probably won't even have time to update for the next few days since I am in the middle of a monsoon, figuratively and literally. The rainy season has begun once again and my calendar is so booked I don't even know everything that's on it. I'm now taking applications for a personal assistant.

I still can't figure out why I freaked out at the last minute and spent only the last few hours of the allotted time to do the 48 hour brief sponsored by Young Lions.
This past weekend was weird. And quite a waste.

I won't embed the final product of my futility but I will post the link in case you're curious. Oh and I'm giving up facebook and twitter for the next couple days; partly to see if it's possible, but mostly so I can get some serious work done so I can enjoy some of the weekend with all my friends that are migrating here for memorial day, including my Boca BFF!

But I guess in the words of one of my heroes, Van Wilder/Ryan Reynolds, "Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere." Write that down.

Building A Better Bag

2009-05-11T15:04:00.008-04:00

Sunchips is teaming up with National Geographic to promote the world's first 100% compostable chip bag.

They also launched a microsite called The Green Effect where you can submit your idea to make the world a greener place for which you may or may not win a $20,000 grant. And fly to Washington D.C. which has the opposite intended effect on the environment. But hey, no one's perfect.

Yay! Not only are their chips delish, but they're eco-socially responsible too! And it's only natural that Sunchips should be made using solar energy. If only they were organic...

The lucky agency that owns these Sunchips innovations is Juniper Park based in Toronto, Canada.

Pretty! Shiny! Sparkly!

2009-05-09T15:23:00.012-04:00

Just wanted to sahre some eye candy that Ive enjoyed recently.

I'm not that into fashion, but living in South Beach you're bound get into it a little bit, even if you're a blind nudist. Flipping through channels, I stumbled upon the Fashion Channel and saw this company called Yamamay. At first I just thought they were cool b/c the company name is a palindrome. But I checked out the site and it's got some beautiful Flash animation and their latest Summer 2009 collection was shot in Africa.

I've also always like M.A.C.'s Viva Glam ads. They recently launched the sixth lipstick in the line, which is being promoted by Fergie.

And if you're ever in Japan, check out the 100% Chocolate Cafe which uses chocolate in all the food and drinks on the menu in addition to 56 pre-packaged varieties. The design is equally as delicious and features one of my favorite fonts, Avant Garde!

KWTFC

2009-05-06T14:06:00.008-04:00

So apparently Oprah is partnering with Colonel Sanders to give away free meals from KFC.

My bad. I guess they are KGC now. Besides the fact that I'm vegetarian, this is a bunch of Kentucky Fried Crap.

The food is still not that good for you and they have some of the worst factory farming practices in the industry. I won't even eat the non-meat items at that place after visiting Kentucky Fried Cruelty.

Make your own KFC sign at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com

Not to mention this whole "Unthink" campaign is pretty much a rip-off of Saturn's Rethink campaign.

Bring it, Kingons!

2009-05-05T21:27:00.007-04:00

I'm not much of a trekkie but that doesn't mean I can't LOVE the new Kingon Defense Academy campaign by BK/CP+B. Yet another campaign that gives me hope that I can possibly get paid to just make up new words all day.

Here's a little preview:

Oh and here's the commercial I saw that prompted my investigation.

Check out the Academy.

Brilliant insight with this campaign considering that hard-core trekkies and similar nerd-types are victims of these attacks on a regular basis. Or so every stereotypical sitcom involving a high school or college campus would lead you to believe. In reality, I don't think bully/nerd dichotomy is that prevalent.

BOOYA!
That's right! I'm a K.D.A. commander, bitches!

Monday Mirecommendations Vol IV

2009-05-04T02:53:00.004-04:00

Woo Hoo! It's been Monday for about 3 hours now. I thought all-nighters would end with my last quarter of classes. Clearly, this is not the case. If only I hadn't procrastinated so much, but I'll deal with that problem later.

Here's a great song that I heard all the time when I was living in Boulder about 6 months ago. But once I left I never really heard it again until I was driving home from the agency last week.

Now I know it's because the group is called 3OH!3 and they're actually from Boulder. I guess their stuff is finally going national! I downloaded a bunch more songs of theirs and I also recommend Punkbitch, Richman, Electroshock and Starstruck. They're kind of a blend of rock, rap and electro. Yay for more hybrid music! It's probably going to be my workout soundtrack for the next couple weeks.

Check 'em out on their website.

Blueberries!

2009-05-02T23:38:00.007-04:00

This blueberry themed post is just for MM! Since I started drinking beer recently I've found one of my favorites is Sea Dog Blue Paw, a blueberry flavored microbrew from Maine. I always buy it at Publix and Zeke's on Lincoln Road usually has it too!

They have a couple other fruity flavors including apricot and raspberry. And I know it's technically not beer but I like woodchuck and strongbow ciders too.

And I can't help but remember this scene from Willy Wonka where Violet transforms into a giant blueberry. I only like the old one. Tim Burton's remake was terrible. And way creepier.

Speaking of Tim Burton, he better not screw up the version of Alice in Wonderland that he is shooting right now because it's pretty much my favorite story of all time. It's due out sometime in 2010; less than a year to go now!

Lastly, I think the best use of blueberries is in muffins. They are barely above lemon poppyseed, only because they pose no risk of failing a drug test. I'm sure most of you have already seen this video, but it's still funny.

I Don't Understand!

2009-05-02T01:07:00.005-04:00

Hey ya'll! It's the first day of May!
Anyways, I wanted to post a semi-rant of things I just don't understand.

The first is this Dunkin Donuts commercial:

What? The only thing that TV and Donuts have in common is that they are both bad for you. At least with the tube you are just sitting idly not burning calories as opposed to consuming them (the worst kind, too) while eating doughnuts. Not to mention it's one of the worst puns I've heard in a tagline in a while.

Youtube, you let me down! Nowhere on the site is there this commercial I was looking for, but luckily I found a link at Creativity Online. In the shorter version running on TV right now, she doesn't cuss like someone with Tourrets Syndrome, but that doesn't mean the ad makes any more sense. I'm pretty sure if you drive your car through the bathroom wall, you have bigger problems than mold and mildew.

However when I did search Youtube, I discovered that Disney pretty much claimed the page to announce the debut of their show starring the Jonas brothers. It's called Jonas. It must have taken a whole team of imagineers to think that one up.

I don't understand what could possibly be on the show that is worth watching. I much prefer the South Park Episode about the boys and their notorious rodent boss.

I guess I have to admit one of them is pretty cute. Is it possible to be a cougar at 24? LoL

So what did we learn today, kids? Eating doughnuts is way better for you than watching TV! Driving a car through your bathroom wall makes it sparkle! And Disney stars are everyday kids just like you, except they sing, dance, write & record music, act, are really really ridiculously good-looking and have millions of dollars to support themselves and their stage-parents.

PS, I may or maynot be a little buzzed off my blueberry beer right now.

Ice Creamocracy

2009-04-29T11:46:00.006-04:00

Ben and Jerry's has officially released their latest pun flavored promotion! Do The World A Flavor and come up with a new flavor of ice cream to add to their cold & creamy collection! Props to the cute Flash animation!

I created "Birthday Everyday" because I used every single cake or brownie related thing that they had. I mean you eat cake and ice cream every year anyways so why not just combine them? Yea I know Baskin Robbins has been doing it forever but this is in pint form. Just take off the top and stick in a few candles. Done!

I've had an unsatisfied craving for some B&J's since Nick's ice cream comedy on Monday...

Babies Are Back in Style

2009-04-25T21:41:00.012-04:00

For some reason, I've been finding a lot of cool baby stuff lately...

Ran across this super cool/cute website called Rattle and Roll. Who doesn't want their kid to be a little rockstar?. They also dabble in graduation and birthday announcements.

And speaking of babies, I love this new Huggies commercial! It's one of the first diaper commercials I've seen that (I'm pretty sure) targets guys and uses humor, rather than a bunch of babies crawling around or being coddled. According to Brandweek, it was done by JWT New York.

Geez! Another cool baby thing! Stumbled across this on the Lovely Package blog. Wry Baby decided you shouldn't have to wait to find out what your kid is going to be when he/she grows up. For just $12.95 Mysterio will send you future-telling t-shirt.

Infographistics

2009-04-23T22:18:00.008-04:00

There are some pretty cool infographistics (information + graphics + statistics) that are informing the internet masses right now. The first is this cool new commercial from sprint by Goodby Silverstein in San Fran. Simple concept and superb execution. The website, the Now Network is nuts! See what Ad Week had to say about it.

And here is something a couple of my friends twittered: What if the world were condensed into 100 people? This simple .swf really puts things in perspective.

And finally, did you know all this about technology? Disclaimer: This may or may not blow your mind.

And I have to throw in this nifty little video about how marketing and advertising has dramatically changed. It was originally made by Scholz & Friends, a German agency, and included in a presentation by one of our guest speakers at school last quarter.

And the last one about social networking. Also from one of our guest speakers last quarter.

It's fun to learn new things! Which reminds me, I need to sit down and play with After Effects and Flash some more. I need more hours in my days. Ugh.

Happy Birthday Mother Earth Day!

2009-04-22T13:28:00.006-04:00

Happy Earth Day ya'll! I'm hoping there will be some still awe-inspiring reruns of planet earth on the discovery channel when I get home tonight. Hands down, this is the best slow motion sequence in the whole series. The ocean off South Africa is effing scary (especially if you are a seal).

Speaking of Earth Awareness (shouldn't we be more aware of it everyday?) I fianlly got to experience the craze that is augmented reality.

Check it out at GE's Ecomagination website. The design and animation are amazing and to play with the AG application, you have to print out the form with the little black picture on it and hold it up to your webcam. Then voila!

It's really interesting but there's really no specific use for it in this example. It's just a cool techie gimmick to play with. I wonder what some other possibilities are...

Coffee Copy

2009-04-22T00:01:00.008-04:00

So having an internship is a lot alike and lot different from school at the same time. It's the same in that I still have homework. Which I am hopefully finishing soon. It's different in the fact that you have a ton more restrictions, i.e. clients, superiors, budgets, brand guidelines, etc. And the fact that I have to get up way earlier, commute, and am at an office all day... which reminds me that I still need to decorate my cubicle.

Anyways, I have a ton of stuff I've been meaning to post but haven't had the time. I don't even really have time now, but I don't want to disappoint my fan(s?). Do I have more than one? LoL

Here are some cool long copy ads for the Ugly Mug Coffee Co. Cute Name, and I like the gritty, earthy design. Everything fits together like a puzzle. It's like Starbucks for hippies and non-pretentious college students.

On the way back to the beach today, I was rocking out to this new song called Something in your Mouth. The lyrics are oh so suggestive yet hilarious and I thought it was Theory of a Deadman at first, but it turned out to be Nickelback. I hate to admit that I still kind of liked it. Ahh!

I also recently heard the Black Eyed Peas' new track, Boom, Boom, Pow. A hybrid of hip hop and techno? I bet this song is super popular in Europe. "I'm so 3000 and 8, you're so 2000 and late." LMAO It makes me think of the matrix mixed with cirque du soleil on acid and appears to be an extended commercial for HP.

Breadtality

2009-04-21T00:29:00.003-04:00

Gotta throw a random toast post in here every once in a while...

So tired. Will put actual effort into a post soon.

Stuff I'm Diggin'

2009-04-14T22:00:00.005-04:00

Hey kids! Looks like the forecast for the internship the next few days is busy with scattered stressfulness. I just wanted to post a few things I'm diggin' right now before I start freaking out and don't have time for anything fun.

LOVE this gamefly commercial! It's so absurd that it's awesome. I really like the guy throwing the books off the shelf. He's my fav.

And some music that I am currently dancing around my apartment like a fool to. Believe me, you don't want to see it. Even though I cheered in college, I was always in the back for the dance sequences. And not just because I was the tallest one.

LG is my new hero. She is freakin' cool, not just another artificial pop tart. She actually writes all of her lyrics and melodies and designs and makes a lot of her stage outfits. Her big influences are Queen and David Bowie rock-style which she combines with modern electro and pop and we all know I like hybrid music.

This song is just fun. The lead singer kind of makes me want to get another piercing. That would put me up into the double digits. Hmmm...

I've also recently really gotten into Unwritten Law. Gotta throw in a does of bitter, angry rock. I also recommend Shoulda Known Better, F.I.G.H.T. and everyone knows Seeing Red.

I also recently discovered Demetri Martin on Comedy Central. His show is pretty funny and random (my favorite adjective) and reminds me of a younger, less strung-out Mitch Hedberg. So I checked out the website and found these great posters to promote his show. I wonder if he actually made them. The craziest thing is, he totally looks like Owen and Luke Wilson at the same time!

I'm going to get to bed at a decent time (before midnight) and actually run and/or swim tomorrow (like I have been intending to do for the past week and a half).

Monday Mirecommendations Vol III

2009-04-13T23:52:00.011-04:00

It's Monday again already?! Well I have good news and more good news. The monologue went well, kind of. I got "nearly an A+" for content (not bad for an art director) but a B- for presentation because I can't freakin' quit laughing. But it's hard for me not to laugh when other people are laughing, which is the whole point of stand-up. So it's a mixed bag.

Last week for the class we had to sit in front of the class and be thoroughly yet anonymously judged by our peers. G Michael typed everything up and read us our alphabetical results this week.

Here were some of my favorites:
"Sunshine"
"Sweet Bangs"
"Piercing Fest"
"Cheerful person portrayed by clean wardrobe"
"Looks like she came from a plantation"
"Needs to do something or she may lose it and go nuts"
"Easily Amused" and "Easter colored"
And the two adjectives that apparently describe me best are "tan"and "blonde." No surprise there.

So onto the recommendation. I found this sweet pair of chopsticks in the desk drawer at my cubicle today. They were for this local restaurant called Sushi Maki which comes highly recommended by my co-workers. Partly because the sushi is good and because it is open late and delivers when you are trying to meet a deadline. I take their word about the quality part. I think sushi tastes like sea barf.

FUN WITH CHOPSTICKS -or- (WHAT NOT TO DO ON A DATE)

[The Walrus, El Diablo, The Fu Manchu, The Donkey, My Favorite Martian]

On the reverse side:

WARNING: Professional Chopstick Stunt People were used for the drawings above. In real life, chop sticks are dangerous - even lethal in a ninja warrior's hands. You could poke your eye out, or tear your rotator cuff or something. So our lawyers tell us that we have to warn you that they can be dangerous and cause serious physical harm if you use them for anything but eating. Sushi Maki is not liable for any damage or harm that may come to you from the improper handling of these utensils. Parents, watch your children closely and please exercise caution. Or just ask for a fork. Which could be dangerous too, we guess. Eating with your hands would be safe, but messy. Good luck.

Proof that you can make anything creative; even packaging for a mundane pair of Asian eating tools. I'm kind of infatuated with the copy. And the design isn't bad either. The website is very nice and check out this Get out of hunger free card:

Rise and Shine

2009-04-12T23:06:00.010-04:00

Happy Easter, everyone!

This year's was unprecedented as I celebrated it with more Jewish people than Christian people. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Boca Raton to hang with Beth and assorted friends and family. The weekend also involved line dancing, my favorite drool-prone cat and being ON A BOAT (minus Andy Samberg and T-Pain).

Oh yea, and although they are usually my favorite Easter time treat, I DO NOT recommend the ones made with Splenda. Ick!

OK now back to attempting to write and memorize six minutes of funniness among other things for class tomorrow night. It's gonna take another miracle for me to pull this off...

Good Taste in Advertising

2009-04-09T23:39:00.010-04:00

Being in advertising is probably going to send me to Hell, the first (and probably not the last) reason of which is it made me break my Lenten discipline that I just mentioned in my post yesterday. But this idea was worth it. And the chocolate was really small. LoL.

This chick Danielle Saltrese thought it would be a cool idea to make really weird flavors of chocolate, send them to major agencies in mystery boxes, and see how many people correctly guessed the flavors. Even though I'm still just an intern, I got to play!

Look! It matches my outfit!

No idea what my flavor was. It kind of tasted like flowers.

I was wrong. It was the taste of basil. And failure.

You can see the live results at Agency Taste. It will be more interesting once (or if) the other agencies participate.

Sweetness

2009-04-08T22:07:00.011-04:00

So I discovered these at Whole Foods recently because I had to satisfy my sweet tooth despite the face that I gave up chocolate for Lent. Let me introduce you to QB's, the All natural crispy treat filled with ice cream." Although upon sampling, I wouldn't use the adjective "crispy." The texture is more chewy, then creamy, or melty, depending on how long it takes you to eat it.

So why are these frozen snacks named after an abbreviated position in football? What is the purpose of these snacks, as it would appear in the dictionary? What do these treats like to do in their spare time? I'm glad you asked. Just refer to the amazingly awesome back of the box.

QB n. (cube-EE): An all natural cube shaped ice cream treat that satisfies the taste buds and makes you smile.

Well there you go. I just can't get over the copy.

So they come in three flavors, Dave, Suzy Cube and Esquivel. What the eff kind of name is Esquivel?! It almost as bad a Gerbie! (Only a few people will understand that reference). And why is he removing his crispy garment?

I guess in addition to lewd and lascivious acts of exhibitionism, Esquivel enjoys extreme activities and high action sports. But chillin' is a definite must. That's not contradictory. And what the eff kind of sports would a crispy covered block of ice cream participate in? I guess they would have to be winter sports. Maybe he uses those popsicle sticks with those really bad jokes on them as snowboards.

And for some reason, my treats are trying to escape out of the right side of the box! Or maybe they're just being exposed to intrigue people. Again with the exhibitionism! Come to think of it, I think I saw Paul Reubens endorsing them in a commercial recently.

I think the contemplative king in the top left corner sums it all up: QB's or not QB's? There is no question.

Monday Mirecommendations Vol II

2009-04-07T00:09:00.007-04:00

Ok so technically it's Tuesday but I literally haven't had time to post anything until now. After waking up at 6:30 this morning and working out a bit, I was at my internship by 9:30, worked all day, left at 5:00, stopped home just long enough to eat an All-American veggie burger then power walked it to MAS for my stand-up comedy class at 7:00. It's one of those rare classes that actually goes the whole three hours and according to our teacher even beyond that. This class is definitely gonna kick my ass but I like that my "research" includes watching the Colbert Report this week.

Then of course I had to watch the tarheels' inevitable victory over Michigan. I can't remember the last time I yawned so much during a basketball game. It was a well-deserved victory though. The only way I wouldn't have cheered for them was if they played Wake or Clemson, my first and second tier teams. Yes, I can cheer for three teams in the same conference!

So onto the mireccomendation: M.I.A., also known as Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam. I'm a big fan of hybrid music, and she's one of the most experimental and international artists I can think of, putting people on the map from Africa to Australia and more recently India, with her song O Saiya featured in Slumdog Millionaire.

She's also an interesting fashion and graphic designer. I would describe the style as American Apparel refugees on crack.

I think her big break (at least in the US) was when her song Paper Planes was used in the Pineapple Express trailer and movie. Here's a link to the music video because I can't embed it. And the pineapple express trailer:

I wasn't so impressed the first time I saw it. Maybe it's one of those movies I have to watch more than once to appreciate it like Napoleon Dynamite or Wedding Crashers.

Anyways, some of my other favorite songs of hers include Hussel, Sunshowers, Mango Pickle Down River and Come Around featuring Timbaland. T.I. also recently did a huge collaborative track with Kanye West, Jay-Z and Weezy called Swagger Like Us using part of her paper planes in the chorus. This song was performed by the "rap pack" live at the 2009 Grammys and M.I.A. was even pregnant!

M.I.A,T.I.,Jay-Z,Lil Wayne,& Kanye West - Swagga Like Us
by Alisvideo

I guess I've been on a music kick lately. I need to be more faithful to my blog title and switch things up a bit.

Music Mess

2009-04-04T17:58:00.016-04:00

My credit card hasn't had a workout in a while, so I couldn't resist when I had to head out to Dadeland Mall for a Genius Bar appointment. Most of the damage was done at Sephora, Abercrombie and Macy's.

I got grabbed walking through the middle of Macy's make-up land by the Benefit beauticians and got a "free" cosmetic consultation, or cosmetation (b/c I like to make up words). I really like some of the packaging design, each one is different and reflects the mood of the product. However, the "beauty book" publication they gave me was ironically ugly.

(This photoshop fairytale does not have a happy ending.)

Anyways, driving back to the beach I continued my quest for a decent radio station to listen to. About half of them aren't in English, so those are out. A bunch are like R&B babymaking music, and that's not happening in my car, literally or figuratively. So that leaves the 80's and light rock stations, which I maybe like 1 out of every 7 songs played and the Pop Station which is the most decent of the ones I've discovered but still hit or miss.

Today was mostly misses. There are some songs that trigger my gag reflex and I have to switch the station hastily before I asphyxiate. So please remember never to play any of these in my presence.

"Strumming My Pain" by the Fugees. Bleh- starting to cough just typing it.
"Not Gonna write you a Love Song" by Sara Barealleslalasses
"Hey There Delilah" by the Plain White Tees
"Your Body is a Wonderland" by John Mayer. Actually, I hate anything by John Mayer. And anything that sounds like John Mayer. What a douche.
Anything by the Donnas. or that Michelle Branch chick. Not to be a traitor to my gender, but there are very few girls that can be legit rock stars.
"Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" by Jack Johnson. Keep it at the coffeehouse, buddy.
"These Words" and "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield (Although she's really pretty and I like her style)

Oh, and Britney Spears' latest release "If You Seek Amy" is possibly one of the worst songs ever written/recorded. However, that did not keep me from downloading it anyways. If you're in a musically masochistic mood, here's a link to the video. How surprising, more "orgyography" (choreography that reminds me of a massive orgy).

Other than all that, I'm pretty eclectic. LoL.

Now it's time to pop a few painkillers and hit the couch to tune in for a Tarheels victory!!!

Day and Night

2009-04-01T21:21:00.002-04:00

Ok I had to post this! Love the song [Day and Night by Kid Cudi] and the music video!

Totally looks like something my super cool friend Jessy would concept/art direct! (I wish our BCY videos were this cool!)

Fools and Fixers

2009-04-01T20:26:00.013-04:00

I found this a few days ago, but wanted to wait until today to post it since the whole thing is based on pranking. Axe has unveiled the The Fixer Show promoting their menhancing shower products and encouraging you to prank your buddies based on everything from questionable hookups to the morning after.

"Pranking...rhymes with spanking!"

I tried one of one the lamer/easier ones out:

Here's the commercial promoting the site. It's pretty cool:

And here's a link to their youtube channel. And one of my favorite wake up prank videos. It's impressive but even more so is the location. Where the hell are they? Southeast Asia? The Amazon? I want a sweet hammock like that on my balcony!

Kudos to Axe and Mekanism. I could think of some other common guy problems I would like them to fix...
;)

Celebritwins

2009-03-31T11:13:00.011-04:00

Hells to the yeah! I don't know how accurate this software is, but I like the results! (We are both part Scandanavian so its at least a little believable) So if I have a similar face, I just gotta work on the body now...lol

Upload your face and find out what celebrities you look like at My Heritage.

Monday Mirecommendations Vol I

2009-03-30T20:13:00.013-04:00

Is there such a thing as being too random? Maybe. I was recently inspired by some of my blogging buddies to add a weekly segment to prove I can have some sort of method to my madness. Hence, this is the first entry for the Monday Mirecommendations.
Basically I'll highlight some of my favorite movies, music, artists, whatever.

I was watching TV the other day because it was raining and I've learned the hard way that pretty much the whole island freaks out whenever we get precipitation. One of my favorite underrated movies was on, Into The Blue.

An abundance of action, sweet plot twists, buried treasure, starring Paul Walker in board shorts and Jessica Alba in a bikini. What else do you need in a movie? It's kind of like The Beach mixed with a modern day Pirates of the Caribbean with a dash of the Discovery Channel.

And the best part? Karma bites people in the ass. Literally. They get attacked by sharks. Not as dramatic as Jaws, but still pretty cool.

I don't know what's up with the first schizo, over-photoshopped poster. This second one is much better. They look like two different movies. But they have one thing in common: cheesetastic taglines.

Pop Culture Clash

2009-03-30T18:09:00.013-04:00

My dad said he "about fell off the couch laughing" when he saw this commercial during the UNC game yesterday!

I mean, how else could you combine College Basketball coaches Bob Knight, rivals Mike Krzyzewski (Duke) and Roy Williams (UNC) and Rick Pitino, Risky Business and Metallica and video games?

A perfect example of why we advertisers should stay on top of all types of pop culture. I wasn't surprised to find it out it's by CP+B since I saw a ton of GH comps up when I was out there. It makes sense since they already have Microsoft, which makes XBOX, which supports the game.
Read More...

>>> 10:13 PM >>> UPDATE!!! >>>>>>

I just saw the follow-up commercial to this one! The house is empty then you see the coaches tied up outside then you see Metallica blow up the house. FRICKIN AWESOME!!!

Get more Metallica madness at the website.

Personal Space

2009-03-29T10:52:00.012-04:00

Here's some stuff that will make you feel like an insignificant speck in an infinite universe...

Found this via one of Anne's twitter posts. Interactive Art Direction specialists at Hyper Island in collaboration with the Swedish Space Corporation is sending our messages to space! Hurry, tho. There's only 8 more days til the launch!

I was a little surprised to see one of the first messages from a familiar name. :)

Yea, my message is a little cheese-tastic. But it's true.

Gotta love those Swedes! It almost makes me want to drive up to Disney World in Orlando just to ride Space Mountain.

Next, I found this little social experiment called twistori. It's inspired by We Feel Fine, which I've posted about before, but it anonymously aggregates peoples' tweets in real time based on a couple of keywords.

It was created by Amy Hoy and Thomas Fuchs of Slash7, and you can even download it as a screensaver (for macs, anyways).

Night Lights

2009-03-29T03:52:00.009-04:00

Here's a couple photos my friends and I created collaboratively to celebrate Earth Hour here on Miami Beach a little while ago. All you need is a camera, a flashlight and some good company! Thanks Aron, Julio & especially Cristina!

See more pictures and videos of the rest of the world showing their support for Earth Hour 2009!

Vote for Earth!

2009-03-27T14:41:00.010-04:00

Ok I totally stole this from MM's blog, but I think it's important enough to repost. Earth Hour is a great concept, cause and I love the art direction!

It would be even more awesome if they could coordinate a massive game of manhunt since all the lights are supposed to be out...

Check out the website and see all the stuff you can do from 8:30-9:30 tomorrow night.

A Recent DisCovery

2009-03-27T14:12:00.008-04:00

Has anyone else seen the latest Cover Girl commercials on TV featuring Ellen DeGeneres?

I was all kinds of surprised. I mean, I know they've been branching out from the stereotypical supermodels that graced the ads when I read Seventeen magazine in high school by using Drew Barrymore and Queen Latifa recently. But they are actresses, not a far reach from models.

Ellen is in a whole nother league occupationally, generationally and sexual orientationally. (I may have made up that last word.) I do have to admit she is pretty and it's cool to see someone outside the glamorous celeb-o-sphere endorsing beauty products. Also interesting is that CG is partnering with a semi-rival brand, Oil of Olay. (I say semi-rival because I feel like they only have products for my mom).

Methinks this Cover Girl campaign is at least a little bit influenced by the Dove Real Beauty revolution. After all, they're only separated by an aisle or two at Target.

Sidenote: I've always wondered who wrote their ridiculous tagline: Easy, Breezy, Beautiful, Cover Girl. So basically if you wear the makeup you are promiscuous and an airhead, but hey, you'll be pretty because that's all that matters. lol.

10 Things To Do Before I'm 30 (Part II)

2009-03-25T20:24:00.013-04:00

and the list continues from yesterday...

05. Create Outside the Computer

I miss my sketchbook and my oil pastels. I just don't have much spare time or money to invest in more traditional art. I still doodle a lot and LOVE it when I get to illustrate stuff for a campaign. My Anime skills must be pretty decent because Ronney told me I draw like an Asian. I guess that's a compliment. :)

I also want to do something with music. I would definitely be more in tune with an instrument if my mom hadn't forbade me to play the drums in sixth grade because it would make too much noise. (Of course my sister started playing the trumpet the next year which is way worse, even if you are good at it.) But I guess if I had been more into music I wouldn't have gotten so into sports so I don't have too many regrets.

Besides, I aced a piano class in college. I pretty much just practiced and memorized where my fingers were supposed to go. So if i do become better friends with my old friend music, I would lean towards the piano or guitar. I've had some prior experience with both, if you count Guitar Hero.

My Canon Rebel has also become a victim of neglect. I think I'm better at capturing candid moments with the cybershot... Which I recently lost the battery and charger for, so I guess I have no choice but to use the Rebel more often anyways.

Lastly, I love writing. You usually don't hear that from an art director but my first advertising internship was as a copywriter. I have so much content, especially from my quarter away experiences, to collect and put into a single novella. I'm not saying it would make the best seller list, but it would be pretty entertaining. Especially if I include illustrations of the notoriously topless grandma and the bird from the Bohemian Bordello.

04. Date A Non-D-Bag

I'm pretty bad at picking guys, and I have proof. Facebook news feed alerted me that one of my ex's had uploaded some St. Patrick's Day pics, so I sent one to a great little blog called Hot Chicks with Douche Bags and it was uploaded with creative commentary the next day. (He's on the left.)

I haven't exactly been in the best of Douche-free markets lately. My university was unfortunately plagued with My New Haircut guys and Miami isn't much better. I literally cringed when I heard the obnoxious New York/Jersey accents a few chairs down from me at the pool today and almost barfed when I saw the gang of tanorexic, spiky haired steroid addicts from which said aural annoyance was emanating.

On the bright side, I don't really have time to worry about guys anyways.

03. Work at CP+B

You can love or hate the agency, but you have to respect most of the work that comes out of it. I got a little appetizer when I was out there for Greenhouse, which left me craving an entree. My planner Pam described me as "drinking the Crispin Kool-Aid." I mean I think I could see myself in one of those little cubicles lost in the 'factory' and spending my days in Boulder, Colorado. The view of the mountains is amazing and I would definitely have to invest in a snowboard and a bike, which leads me to my next goal...

02. Compete in a Triathlon

I recently got back into running consistently, which is making me a bit more ambitious. Obviously I would have to train. A lot. Maybe I'll summon all that I learned on swim team in Jr. High and hit the pool here early in the morning. And I've been meaning to get a bike anyways. I much prefer this kind of exercise to being stuck in the gym. I've even started researching it and there are annual triathlons in all the major US advertising markets: New York, Chicago, LA, San Fran and Dallas. Coincidence?

01. Win Something

It would be awesome to win any and/or all of the following: Addy, Clio, One Show Pencil, D&AD, Cannes Lion, Young Gun.

[These were in no particular order. I just felt like writing.]

10 Things To Do Before I'm 30

2009-03-24T22:22:00.019-04:00

So I was laying out at the pool today after a decent run, thinking about how I have been 24 for over a month now, and I am approximately 3 months away from being done with school forever. Then comes the perennial priority of finding a job.

But there's lots of other things I want to do after I finish school as well, and I'm giving myself a 6 year deadline. Cause I feel like life is a whole lot less fun once you reach your third decade. Or at least it's a different kind of fun, and by fun I mean the responsibilities you get when you have to start settling down and growing up for real.

10. Surf in Hawaii
Although I've lived in Florida the majority of the past six years, I haven't ever found time time to take up the sport. I'm already a fan of anything on a board, particularly involving a wake or snow. And it's not like the waves on the Gulf or Atlantic side are that impressive. I guess the closest I got was skimboarding in Cocoa Beach one time.

And I've always wanted to visit Hawaii. It's just one of those super touristy places that you don't care is super touristy and want to visit anyways. I think it would be more fun to live such a laid-back life like the chicks in Blue Crush. And I could definitely eat coconut and pineapple for the rest of my life.

09. Skydive in Australia
Ok I've been absolutely infatuated with the land down under forever. See, my dad would only let us rent videos from the library when my sister and I were young. So there were pretty much two options: Disney and National Geographic (I guess the Lion King kind of counted as both).

Anyways, I generally preferred to watch a cheetah chase and capture a gazelle (even though I still felt a little bad for the gazelle) than the standard singing, dancing princess. So I watched this NG series of videos specifically made for kids, called really WILD animals with this little globe mascot whose name really was something like Globey. I guess the "Wonders Down Under" was the one that started my lifelong obsession with one day visiting what I thought was the coolest place in the world.

Later I became and still am a fan of The Rescuers Down Under and Crocodile Dundee. I still want a koala for a pet. They seem pretty low maintenance, high off eucalyptus leaves all the time.

Anyways, I swore I was going to study abroad there in college, but dual degrees and being president of everything kept me on campus all 4 years. Then I found out I had the possibility of interning in Sydney through MAS, but considering I already have my last quarter all set to intern at Sapient, I doubt that's going to happen.

And the skydiving part? For some reason, pretty much all of my friends that have visited any part of the continent all did it. I want to continue the tradition.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to marry a guy from there just for his accent. I'm just kidding. Kind of.

08. Learn Another Language
I've come to learn that I am definitely in the minority being unilingual in Miami and especially at Miami Ad School. Growing up where I did in suburban South Carolina it's not considered imperative to learn a second language because most people there never leave the state, let alone the country. I only took two semesters of Spanish in high school because (a) it was required and (b) it sounded more like English than French or German.

I also picked up a little Deutsch living in Hamburg for 3 months. Even though most everyone there speaks English, my friend's mom who I had to communicate with frequently since I lived at her house, was not one of those people. She was fluent in German, of course and Spanish. Not so much English. So we kind of spoke a hybrid Gerspanglish. I further improved my Espanol by talking with her nephew who lived in Spain but was at the house a lot since it was summer. He was six. He was already fluent in German and Spanish and starting to learn English.

Depending on how ambitious I feel I would love to learn an Asian language like Japanese or Mandarin, but I will probably end up buying the Rosetta Stone series for Spanish (or just tuning in to Dora the Explorer more often) since I already know a little bit of vocab and it's probably the most useful for me.

07. Become a Better Designer
Thanks to my Marketing major, I spent all four years of college learning about balance sheets, the product life cycle, market research and management strategies. I could do it all, but I always had more fun picking the color schemes for pie charts and designing the Powerpoint slides for the presentations as opposed to the carefully prepared content that we were actually being graded on.

I'd say I'm not that bad of a designer considering I just learned Photoshop and Illustrator a little less than 2 years ago. I'd rate myself about a 6.87 on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being Paul Rand or Chip Kidd or Stefan Sagmeister. I always knew I wanted to be an art director. It just took being a Marketing Major, Communication Major, Media Intern, Public Relations Assistant, Corporate Marketing Intern, Copywriting Intern and student at Miami Ad School for two more years to get there.

Trading in my Cosmos and Elles for Prints and CMYKs and HOWs is a good start. I've also invested in a Wacom tablet and check/comment on several design blogs. Finally, I've vowed never to use Comic Sans or Papyrus or Curlz MT. Ever.

06. Own a Cat
It's a simple goal. I've wanted my own little furball since I graduated college, but it's hard to keep track of myself and my inanimate stuff, let alone a pet when I'm moving every few months. Hopefully as soon as I secure a job and apartment for an extended period of time, this will probably be the first thing to be crossed off the list.

I don't know much about the cat right now, but I know I am adopting it from a shelter or the Humane Society and its name will be Fluffernutter. Until then, I get my feline fix on I can has cheezburger.

I am now exhausted and it's nearly 3 AM so I'll finish part deux tomorrow. (I had a couple hours of sabbatical because one of my friends stopped by to enjoy a comedy buffet of Jim Gaffagin, John Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny.)

PES + Bacardi

2009-03-23T14:26:00.006-04:00

LOVE LOVE LOVE these Bacardi ads by stop-motion master director PES. They are fantastically art directed, down to the last detail. Everything is made out of cocktail paraphernalia. I'm guessing the concept is Bacardi takes you to the party? (I couldn't embed, so you have to watch them on PES's website.) The ad agency behind it is David & Goliath based in Los Angeles.

Self Secrets

2009-03-23T10:56:00.006-04:00

So although MAS has a schoolwide paperless policy, I was still required to print two books for Ron's Brand Called You class. The first was just a compilation of all the random projects we had to do for the class and the other was a book of poems; one written and illustrated for each year of our lives, so I had 24.
I'm not really into rhyming or long written narratives, so I decided to do mine Post Secret style. I mean if haikus count as poetry, then this style does too!
Here's a few of my favorites:

I highly recommend blurb for all your personal publishing needs!

Small Shop Talk

2009-03-22T23:23:00.007-04:00

An interesting article in Ad Age by Alex Bogusky about the importance of smaller agencies, especially during this lovely economy. Thanks, Julio!

And, the Top 10 Media and Marketing Books of All Time. I've read two of them; Hey Whipple, Squeeze This which I borrowed from Christy last year and The Book of Gossage which my TIR teachers Carl and Anya from Crispin required us to buy for the class they taught. Blink is definitely next on my list; it's the only Malcolm Gladwell book I haven't read yet.

Jack Attack

2009-03-22T12:08:00.011-04:00

Check out this ad I saw during the commercial break of a Scrubs rerun yesterday:

Wow, a blatant attack by Jack in the Box on Burger King. According to my new favorite blog, Agency Spy, the ad was done by Secret Weapon Marketing. It's like all the fast food chains are disregarding the McBehemoth and are focusing on battling each other for runner up. (PS, is that a new logo at the end? According to Brand New, apparently so.)

Speaking of McDonald's, I think their ads, especially for the filet o fish, have been floundering lately (haha pun intended).

This one really, really gets on my nerves:

Spring and Sports

2009-03-20T20:45:00.015-04:00

To celebrate the first day of spring, Google themed it's home page by paying tribute to Eric Carle's book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

This was totally one of my favorite books when I was a kid!
According to this article,
The book, published in 1969, still sells one copy every 30 seconds in the world, 40 years after it was originally published.

Written and illustrated by Eric Carle (a graphic designer who later became art director of an advertising agency before moving into book illustration), it has sold more than 29 million copies, and is published in 47 languages.

Mr Carle, who turns 80 this year, said he got the idea from a hole puncher.

"One day I was punching holes with a hole puncher into a stack of paper, and I thought of a bookworm and so I created a story called "A Week with Willi the Worm". Then my editor suggested a caterpillar instead and I said "Butterfly!" That's how it began," he said.

I love the illustrative style. I hope to do other things than just advertising art direction too, like maybe also write a book, go surfing in Hawaii, go skydiving in Australia, possibly do a triathalon. The usual. LoL

And speaking of sports, Wake Forest plays their first game of the NCAA tourney against Cleveland State in about two minutes! They better win, even though my brackets are all messed up now because Clemson lost last night to Michigan....

...12:04 AM: And Wake is out. First round. 84-69. Hmm, deja vous, a la the ACC tourney. Oh well. I guess I'll root for the Tarheels now!

Yummy Bubbies

2009-03-18T15:29:00.010-04:00

I discovered these at Whole Foods a couple weeks ago. They are hella expensive, probably because they have to stay frozen all the way from Hawaii to here.

Bubbies are basically ice cream surrounded by a soft, chewy shell made from rice. My friend Aiden said these things originated in Asia (like one of my other favorite treats, Bubble/Boba Tea!). I've tried the vanilla and lychee flavors and they are both fantastic.

If you are ever in Honolulu, you can check out one of their yummy boutiques, which have very creative names for their frozen treats.

Avoid Broken Ankles

2009-03-17T13:23:00.004-04:00

Just in time for March Madness! Kobe Bryant tells you how important it is to have Ankle Insurance.

It's true! Although I didn't technically break it, I tore all the ligaments in my ankle playing basketball when I was 16. Crutches at the beach is not fun.

I love the fact the Wieden + Kennedy has him sitting on a horse for no apparent reason. This campaign is kind of reminiscent of the Coke Zero Taste Infringement campaign by CP+B, but still funny. "If you or someone you love has ankles and plays basketball..."
Learn more at notmybrokenankles.com.

Hularious

2009-03-16T23:24:00.005-04:00

I've also been meaning to post the Hulu commercials from who else but CP+B. When I was there last quarter, we pitched it as one of the five possible brands that we wanted to work on. Kat immediately shot it down and now I know why.

Very Men in Black. I wouldn't be surprised if celebrities really are aliens... especially Tom Cruise...

A Whole Lotta Bull

2009-03-16T21:58:00.007-04:00

What do a break dancing b-boy, fearless surfer and world record-holding motocrosser have in common? Red Bull, of course.

Ronnie Abaldonado, 2007 Red Bull BC One Champion and America's Best Dance Crew 2008 (with Super Cr3w), Ian Walsh, a super cute surfer from Maui who recently conquered 70 foot monsters in Tahiti and aussie Robbie Maddison who set a Guinness World Record by jumping his motorcycle 100+ feet onto the Arc di Triomphe in Las Vegas this past New Year's Eve (as part of Red Bull's New Year, No Limits promotion) are the extreme rulers of the World of Red Bull.

Footage of their feats are the subject of the current red bull commercials on TV right now, which I highly recommend watching.

I figured I would dedicate a post to the energizing libation since it helped me survive the last week of school.

And we always hear about how certain soda brands are trying to compete with energy drinks so I find it a little strange that Red Bull seems to be digressing by introducing it's own brand of cola.

Even stranger that they're focusing on the fact that it's "all natural" since the ingredients in their staple product are far from it. Oh well. They seem to do a lot of things that don't make sense. Like having a bull for a mascot and a tagline that claims to give you wiiings. Bulls can't fly, silly.

WTF

2009-03-12T17:50:00.006-04:00

What...the...facebook?

I find it ironic that the basic idea of twitter is facebook statuses with a character limit, and now facebook is attempting to turn itself into twitter. I hate it. It's like social network incest.
Pretty soon its just going to be one big myfacetwitbookspacer and it will be directly wired to your brain like the matrix so your statuses will be updated as soon as you think them.

Facebook has progressively been sucking more and more. I just have too many friends and photo tags to get rid of it.

Multitalented

2009-03-09T14:49:00.007-04:00

I love Mike Shinoda. His art, his music, and his philosophy (especially about celebrity worship and overconsumption). And he's kind of hot too. ;)

...stupid current tv. Here's a link to the video I was trying to embed.

He's part of a little known band name Linkin Park. Although I'm not as big of a fan of their new album, Minutes to Midnight, they were my favorite band all through high school and college. I have all their albums and have seen them twice concert.
Mike also started a more hip-hip gig on the side called Fort Minor, for which he actually designed the promotional art.

Here's some work from his art exhibition, Glorious Excess.

He's even dabbled in shoe design for DC!

Not to mention he also emcees, sings, plays piano, keyboard and guitar and has written/produced tons of songs for his own bands and others.

Could someone be more talented?

Facebook For Real

2009-03-06T23:04:00.008-05:00

I'm absolutely swamped with work because it's the end of the quarter, but I wanted to do a quick post while I'm taking a break. It still hasn't completely set in that I am never going to have classes again because I am finishing with an internship next quarter.

Anyways, I ironically stumbled across this on facebook. It's a brilliant idea and the accents make even more enjoyable. It's got over 2 million hits on youtube alone, so you've probably already seen it...

It's so true! How weird would facebook rituals be in real life?

One of my pet peeves is when people from my high school that I was never even friends with (and sometimes people I've never even met) request me as a friend. I mean we were never actually friends in real life, I am probably never going to see you again, and I really don't care what you are doing. Really.

Street Art, Literally

2009-03-03T00:48:00.011-05:00

Stumbled upon these little gems which are part of the 6EMEIA project by Anderson Augusto and Leonardo Delafuente in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Basically their goal was to liven up the drab & dirty city streets and prove that art doesn't always have to be in a gallery.
Loves it!

A few of them even inspired a print campaign for Asics!

Burger in a Bottle

2009-03-02T20:51:00.012-05:00

I wish I would have posted this closer to V Day, but whatevs.
Burger King is now officially the first fast food chain to market a cologne. I first saw an ad for it on my iPhone. If you visit www.firemeetsdesire.com, you will get to play with a fun little microsite that "sets the mood no matter what mood you're in the mood for."
Here's a little preview:

Just spray to change the visual and enjoy the soothing voice of a Barry White wannabe.

And here's a commercial that shows the effects of the scent of seduction with a hint of flame broiled meat.

It's very entertaining, but can you actually buy this stuff? Yes you can for one easy payment of $3.99...plus $7.95 for USPS standard ground shipping. I think it's a little ridiculous that the shipping is more than the product itself, but can you really put a price on seduction?

And according to this guy, it actually smells like a whopper. I was incredibly freaked out when I actually started smelling meat as I watched this...only to discover later that my roommate was cooking something.

Looks like Crispin covered all their bases. LoL
I'm all about good-smelling guys but I'm pretty sure this would turn me off being a vegetarian and all.