On Blogging

At one point in time, I was a much more dedicated blogger. I started blogging in an early form back in 2000. Only back then, I was constantly updating an AngelFire HTML template that was my second attempt at a Web page.

I got into the whole programming and designing end of digital thanks to my JRN 101 professor. My first Web site was done in Microsoft Front Page. It took me forever as I recall now. I also remember fumbling a few times learning to use FTP software. About a year later, I stumbled onto Blogger and loved the freedom I had to only have to worry about tagging my text breaks and things that I wanted to bold or italicize. I also became addicted to the daily writing process. I am convinced it made me a better reporter in the long run. I'd write, write and write. It also got me into scouring the web constantly, trying to find the next cool thing to write about (thanks for the free investigative reporting class blogger!).

During my weird and wild journey through blogging, I got hooked on a few writers, one of them being Regina Lynn, a blogger, author and all around lovely woman who has been writing for Wired.com for more than five years.

Now Regina is bowing out. I'm bummed. I've read, laughed, nodded in approval and learned new things with her every Friday for the last several years. Here's to you Regina. Thanks for being a bit of an inspiration.

Cooking and Recipe sites anyone?

Last night was my last night of carbs for another two weeks.

I'm almost ashamed to admit that I've put on an additional 10 pounds since my wedding and that I'm probably getting to be in the worst shape of my life. This is very disappointing to me as I'm sure you can imagine.

So, last night, I made one of my biggest guilty pleasures - an all olive pizza that takes on a significant Mediterranean flavor. But last night, I did something different. I finally got brave and grilled my pizza.

I'm happy to report that this experiment turned out fabulous. I used a pre-made crust for my first attempt. After brushing the crust with a healthy dose of olive oil, I dusted the entire crust with herbs and a light coating of cracked black pepper and garlic salt. I made my own tomato sauce from scratch and then added Colossal Greek Black Olives, Kalamata Olives and Cracked Sicilians.

It was fantastic. The flavor of the olives penetrated the crust and the sauce... and the cheese melted very evenly. Creating unique and different pizzas is something I've started to take very, very seriously. Thankfully, I'm not as obsessed as this guy. Ask my wife, every one of my pizzas is a little different, whether it's the sauce, the seasoning of the crust, or the length in the oven. Every one is different, because every one is influenced by my mood.

But now, it's back to South Beach, which means I'm back to lots of lean meats. So tonight, I'm continuing my Mediterranean tour and plan on prepping a Tuscan-style grilled steak.

Here's the marinade, which I got from the boards over at Chow.

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

So,Chow is my go to for new recipes. Other than the Food Network Site, do you guys have anywhere you surf for new recipes.... I'm a little out of practice. Happy eating.

Sorry for the Hiatus

I'm back... and I can honestly say that I'll probably be back to regular blogging again. I had no idea how much work planning a wedding, doing a wedding, going on honeymoon and pitching new business at work would be. Needless to say, it was quite a ride. But now that weddings, Vita's medical boards, and a lot of other drama is behind me, I can get back to my cynical take on life, marketing and the web.



A reader recently asked me why I don't have a blog roll. I guess I've just never been a huge fan of them. I don't go seeking too much traffic with this site, and really maintain my URL to maintain a good snapshot of who I am on the web. I posted about that very topic a while back. But, thanks to the encouragement of some friends who also maintain blogs, I've been considering getting back into the regular foray and may endorse a few blogs that I frequent.

So, look for more topics, more stuff and more fun.

Also, if you want to read some thoughts from someone I've been reading lately, check out Ken Burbary's blog on web business. The handful of posts I've read so far are intelligent and well written.

Thanks for putting up with my constant absence from this space. Stay tuned folks, there's lots of changes on the horizon. Oh, and if you do care, the wedding was lovely. Here's a photo.

Thought

I've been a little haunted this morning, both by past memories and by my impending future. It's sort of weird to reflect and plan all at the same time. I'm getting married in a little over a month.

This morning, I had a dream. I was recalling the first time I met my future wife for the second time... the real time I suppose. Our first meeting was probably not positive. We never were really formally introduced... and now... on a Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with her dog on my couch and her soundly asleep in my bed, it's sort of surreal to think about all that now.

On Creativity

I was doing a little reading the other day and came across this little gem. It was a decent pick me up for my crazy week.

"You have the power to create. Your power is so strong that whatever you believe comes true. You create yourself, whatever you believe you are. You are the way you are because that is what you believe about yourself. Your whole reality, everything you believe, is your creation. You have the same power as any other human in the world. The main difference between you and someone else is how you apply your power, what you create with your power. You may be similar to others in many ways, but no one in the world lives her or his life the way you do."

- Don Miguel Ruiz
Excerpt from The Mastery of Love

So, what are you creating today?

An itch that needs scratchin'

While I've always been a big fan of automotive design, lately I've been taking a lot of time to take a good look at motorcycles. My closet passion for bikes has taken on a frenzy as of late, and I'm to the point where I've actually researched classes and am prepared to sign up when dates are announced. Now, that leaves me with one problem... once my course is over, I'll have no bike.

Ahh, the fun begins.

I absolutely see no point in purchasing a crotch rocket nor anything as burly as a Road King.

So where am I leaning? Somewhere towards the smaller cruisers actually. If I had the money, I'd probably just buy a nice Sporster 883 Custom. I like the lines, the classic styling and the midrange power of the bike.

I'm not going to pretend that I don't see myself tearing up the road at some point or another, but for this particular ride, I'm looking to slow down, feel some wind against my skin and think about nothing but the open road and engine noise.

On Sleep Deprivation and Marketing

I've said it many times before, and I'm saying it again. I'm exhausted. Sleep struggles seem to have decided to rear their ugly heads in my world again and to be honest, it's really messing me up. My wife to be (we're inside three months people, scary!) kept shouting at me last night for snoring. Every time I was just asleep, I apparently was snoring and kept her awake. I finally forced myself to be awake until she fell asleep, then couldn't get back to the state I had been in that caused my snoring in the first place. It wasn't a good situation.



I got up, played a little God of War and then began frantically wireframing a Web site for my friend Melanie. I've been designing something for her for a long time, but hadn't put any of the final touches on anything for a while now. I need to pass those initial plans along to her.

So all this lack of sleep has begged me to ask the question - Why can't I seem to want to use or purchase any sleep aids? Part of the problem, admittedly, is that I refuse to consult a physician on my little sleep problem. So, why then, am I hesitant to take over the counter solutions?

It got me to wondering how marketers could better position OTC sleep aids.

So, I started clicking, especially on LexisNexus (Thanks GR Press!) and found out that apparently, more Americans aren't actually insomniacs - marketers are just really great at their jobs.

The 60 percent increase in the use of sleeping pills between 2000 and 2005 is due to marketing rather than an increase in insomnia. This trend became particularly noticeable when a luminous green moth floated onto U.S. television screens in April 2005 and quickly became a well-known emblem of Lunesta, the prescription sleeping tablet.

For every 10 percent increase in advertising for a given type of medicine, prescription sales for the category rise 1 percent, according to a 2003 study by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation of Menlo Park, Calif. In 2002, every extra dollar drug companies spent on ads pushed up revenue by $4.20, the research found.

I just can't tie advertising/sales figures to OTC. I'm looking into it though. I know why I don't want prescription drugs - as it requires a trip to the doctor and I think the ads are BS. I just want to find some hard data for the OTC.

Pleasant surprises

I'm doing something today that I normally don't do. I'm sitting my bed, past 7 a.m. I've been puttering around on the computer and spending time with the dog, drinking coffee and catching up on sites I once used to frequent.

I was pleasantly surprised when Rafiki tensed up and got defensive at the edge of our bed. That usually means the mail has arrived or Vita is home. This time it was the later. Vita got home several hours early from call and we've been spending a nice cool sunny morning in bed... chatting, listening to iTunes and picking songs for the wedding. I don't have enough mornings like this anymore and it's nice to have the opportunity to spend time in bed with my lady, even if I know she'll be passed out a good chunk of the morning coming off surgical call.

I've already received a few emails from my digital-inclined friends about the redesign. I'm happy to report that the bulk have all been praise, while others were very constructive. Admittedly, Version 1.0 was looking really dated and was difficult to read at times due to its width in the center column. I'm happier with the new design. It's growing on me, but I'm not totally sold on the header image yet.

On a reading and link front, check out this feature in PingMag. It's about a photographer's adventures on an Alaskan fishing boat.

Some nice images and a pretty good little interview.



It's also a good reminder that Michigan isn't the coldest place on earth right now. Grab your coffee and your girl... it's a good morning to stay in bed.

Danieleizans.com 2.0 update #3

Good morning.

I'd like to report that my redesign is largely finished. It has been temporarily delayed thanks to work-related content and a Web site I'm developing for a dear friend.

At any rate, I'll launch the redesign sometime Saturday night or Sunday morning. I now have the pain in the ass of working the redesign into the blog template. Basically, what you'll get is still a dark site with light type, but I've reworked the navigation a bit, made links more intuitive and basically streamlined the wordy graphs that once introduced each section.

All in all, I think it will be a more user friendly experience and eliminate the problems I had updating some pages in the past.

Look for my emergence, and return to at least 4 times a week blogging on Sunday.

Thanks for the patience, the e-mails and well... for being you.

Redesign coming along

My redesign has been coming along quite well. Part of what has been slowing things down has been the fact that the last time I updated my portfolio section was some time in 2006. I've completed quite a bit of work since then that I'm actually quite proud of. Therefore, figuring out a way to organize everything has been a little challenging.

I've been surfing around and looking at different photographer and ad exec portfolio pages. And while they're very nice, flashy and pretty, they're not me. Warning: Life rant ahead.

I've always thought of myself as a linear creative. I LOVE really nice clean lines, basic gradients and colors and subtle background patterns.

I'm not sure where this grew from. I always dated artists (until Molly and Vita), and most of them liked crazy patterns, bright colors and bigger, bubbly type. For some reason, I always like to paint myself into the background. I don't like to pop too much with my online presence.

K... Back to redesign.

If it's really possible, the site is getting smaller. By smaller I mean more compact. Somehow, I've managed to increase font size (a common complaint of the current design) and still make things more compact. I'll chalk it up to the fact that I've been doing wireframes and skinning for Chevy I guess.

More later. I have a few articles to sift through and three magazines to plan before 11 a.m.

"Shooting out car tires sounds like loads of fun..."

On the iPod "Too Drunk To Fuck" - Nouvelle Vague

As you can tell by now, I make a whole lot of promises on my blog that I seldom keep. It's more than a month later, and still no new site, still no new musings, and still - no blogging consistently. I'm not going to pretend I can get back to daily blogging, but I will pretend that I'm going to rededicate my time to my own web space. These damn MySpace accounts, my new relationship with Facebook and a host of new projects at Work, have had me slammed. I have a new title - Associate Editorial Director. Yeah, I don't know what it's supposed to mean either.

More later. Yes, I promise.

Flashback

So, I'm back to testing software. I'm currently taking a look at the ModX CMS platform for a project I'm helping pitch with Work.

I've also been busily getting ready for the holiday season. Thankfully most of the shopping has already been done. Vita and I are simply in the stage of getting ready for the flurry that will be visiting our extended family. We'll be spending some down time together as well before she hits the general surgery rotation.

Aside from all that business, we're charging ahead on the wedding. And if I can commit to one of the several templates I designed for a mini site a few months back, I could finally get a mini page up to replace our spot over at The Knot.

I'm also toying with redesigning the old danieleizans.com. This thing will be 2 years old in June, meaning it's almost overdue for a redesign.

Just a quick update. Look for my ModX templates soon.

On the iPod"Manifest Destiny" - Guster

I haven't written here in a long time. For that I'm very sorry. Somehow I got back on the MySpace kick and neglected my corner of the net. No more of that. I'll be dual posting here and on MySpace. I miss the feeling of looking for comments here and greatly regret that I've been a turd about sharing my new life in Advertising and Marketing. I should really use this space to be more proactive about sharing wedding information, plans and my life. MySpace posts seem a little quiet, reserved.

At any rate. We'll have some big updates here later. I'm putting finishing touches on invitation design, wedding site and working on new stuff for my Rocky.

Flickering along

On the iPod "Coffee" - Copeland

So, things around the mitten have been good for me. I'm now fully into swing at the new gig and am enjoying myself for the most part. I don't miss journalism nearly as much as I expected I would. The deadlines in advertising are still strict enough to keep things interesting and I'm certainly encouraged to use all of my faculties here. Here I've been given a path that I can follow as opposed to someone's perception of where we "could" be going. There were some empty promises made by my last few employers.

In wedding news, the planning has come along slowly but surely. We've identified our photographer, officially put the deposit down on Waldenwoods and are now in the process of setting up invitations, gathering ideas for centerpieces and narrowing guest lists. I'm just hoping things start to run a little more smoothly. It's been tough sledding at times so far.

Finally, for all you Transformers fans, there's an interesting interview with one of the original toy designers over at PingMag.



Click here to go directly to the article.

Happy Fourth.

Reorganize, revisit, rebuild

Do you ever feel like you’re revisiting a previous version of yourself? I’m going through a bit of an idealist Dan revival at the moment.

I’ve slept just over three hours the past three nights and have found myself awash in thought. And since I didn’t have my computer working again until late last night, I’ve been scribbling in blank books, something I haven’t done regularly since college. I’ve sketched, felt ink on my fingertips and smudged by own lines. It feels like I’m coming down from an incredible high.

I’m inspired and seek simplicity. I’m finding that all of a sudden I’m attracted again to the raw emotion that came from the music of my younger years, that I’m attracted to the ideas and ideals that I once held so close to my breast before I entered the workforce.

Perhaps this new feeling has come from the liberation I’ve achieved in my new job, where they encourage the expression of every creative synapse in my brain. Perhaps it comes from my revisiting of Wittgenstein’s wonderful works, or perhaps it’s just the drive and passion that I let go dormant from seeing the worst of the people around me. As much as I enjoyed being a police reporter, it changed me. It changed how I looked at the world, how I see people.

I played my electric guitar for three hours last night. It’s like rage was oozing through my fingertips, finally letting go. I’ve been listening to all of my old emo-core, hardcore and post punk from the early and mid 90s: Mineral, Fireside, Quicksand, Whirlpool, Sense Field, Sunny Day Real Estate, Boy Sets Fire, Braid, Bluebird, Jawbox, Jawbreaker, Avail, Hot Water Music…. And it’s relit a fire in my belly.

Now, how do you hold onto something within yourself that you thought was long dead and gone? Better still, how do you integrate it into a man 12 years removed from that initial spark?

"Just this human heart, filled with this human flaw"

On the iPod "Red Elephant" - Sunny Day Real Estate

It's strange how life starts to shift on you. I've finally started to get some fulfillment on the work front and everything else starts slipping. I'm tired. I know that I always say that I'm tired, but in all honesty, I'm really, really tired. I can't sleep and just can't seem to find a routine that works that will get me out to Warren from Westland in one piece. I feel sleepy on the drive to work. I love my job, but I miss being in the city. I like the bustle. I like seeing the black men with storied wrinkles, their weathered shopping baskets and smelling the market.

The finance is back in Kirksville for another month and it's just me and the dog. I went to bed cold, only to not be able to stand the cold. The dog and I slept together the rest of the night.

I'm adjusting to a lot of things. I'm not sure if I'm doing it right, but so far, it has been very, very interesting. Now, if only I could fill this human heart with a little less of the human flaws.

You were new on the scene

On the iPod "Middle School Frown" - Josh Rouse

So, as you’ve no doubt gathered from the previous post, I’m now working in advertising. It’s been surreal so far. Everything is different than what I’m used to, but I see oodles of opportunity here. Admittedly, my creativity was stifled in journalism on more than one occasion.

And while I see plenty of avenues that might do the same thing in this new field, there is no shortage of encouragement to think outside the box, to dream big and to crack my knuckles and do some good hard work. So far, it has been satisfying.

I’m not doing any programming of the sites I’m working on, but I do have some say in the types of content that are being developed. I’ll share some of the work as it is produced.

So far, the people have been fun and I’m really looking forward to getting into full swing on some of the projects I’m working on.

On a personal level, things are going well. The finance is home and is just a few days away from taking her initial board exams. I’m very proud of her. I’ll also be happy when she has them behind her and we can go back to some sort of brief sense of normalcy before she begins her rotations in the fall.

We’ll be taking a little break and heading down to Indianapolis to the Brickyard for a Formula 1 race next Thursday. I’m looking forward to getting out of the state and getting some camping in.

I also have a lot of philosophical thought to espouse and a few critiques to deliver. Give me a little time, I’m getting settled.

Thanks for hanging in there with me. I’m feeling much happier and healthier since I made this move. I’ll be back to full strength soon.

Namaste.

Once upon a time...

On the iPod "The Storm" - The Doves

Once upon a time, there was a young man named Daniel. Daniel was a young, hopeful journalist with aspirations of one day reporting and editing for The New York Times. Daniel began his professional journalism career in Grand Rapids, MI. He wrote about lots of things, from murders, to fires to human-interest pieces. Daniel was happy in Grand Rapids. Not too long after he began his career, Daniel took a job in Monroe, MI at the Monroe Evening News.

He became a beat reporter, covering police, courts and fire. After two-years, Daniel became tired and slightly burned out.

The tired journalist then tried his hand in Detroit at Crain’s Detroit Business. It was here he grew into a programmer and code slinger, running the publication’s Web site.

Still, Daniel wondered when he would finally feel like his work would mean something to the world. He began looking outside the narrow world of newspapers and magazines.

In May of 2007, our young fulfillment seeker took a new position as a digital editor with Campbell-Ewald, the nation’s sixth largest advertising agency. Daniel believes this new opportunity will allow him more time to write, more time to be creative and hopefully help him find the fulfillment he has been yearning for.

This is Daniel’s story. This is Daniel’s newest beginning in a history of new beginnings.

Yikes. I'm getting lazy

On the iPod "Let's Go Die" - Hüsker Dü

I apologize. No. I mean it. I'm really sorry I've been neglecting my personal blog. I have a lot of reasons. Not all of them are for explaining in this particular forum, but some of them are the usual suspects. I've been working a lot more lately following a few changes in management. But some of the work has been really great. I'm finally back to doing some audio editing, and getting pretty handy at creating storyboards for online video.

I have a lot of other thoughts, and little will to try and organize them right now. I'll try tonight. I'm just writing for the sake of letting the few of you regulars know that I am, in fact, breathing.

I'm digging for fire.

On the iPod: "Do You Remember?" - Jack Johnson

A user (a Texas A&M Computer Science major named Cole) instant messaged me last night and conducted an informal interview. One of his questions was as to why my bio page was so thin.

Well, I suppose that's because I've done my best to try and keep this page as business as possible, despite the occasional rambling about my engagement, wedding planning or my thoughts on books and film. While it was something I once enjoyed, I don't really care to be the center of attention too much these days.

But since Cole asked me an interesting mix of computer geek and art/music/culture geek questions, I'll go ahead and make that public. Cole and I conducted this little chat via Google Talk yesterday. Here's the transcript, which he graciously allowed me to repost. Thanks for the interesting conversation Cole. Note: Spelling has been corrected, grammar has not.

Cole: Hi Dan. I'm a computer science major in Texas (Texas A&M actually). We're doing this project on CSS in my Web design class and I came across your page thanks to a template you posted in an open source forum. I'm using your personal site as one of five in my case study.

Me: Hi Cole. That's a pretty big compliment, since design is more of a hobby of mine. My job is really content management and programming related.

Cole: Yeah, I saw that on your bio page. I like the design of your site though because it's simple. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me about the site, and some of the things that interest you?

Me: That sort of depends. I'm not big on sharing too much about me.

Cole: Well, I have a theory that a Web designer's personal page is heavily influenced by the media they use and by the Web sites they visit. Would you be willing to answer some questions about that?

Me: Doesn't sound like it will be overly painful. Fire away.

Cole: Awesome. It's pretty apparent that you like music. A lot of different music. Can you give me a top five CDs?

Me: That's like asking me which of my children (not that I have any) I would kill first, but I'll make an effort. (1.) "Pet Sounds" – The Beach Boys, (2.) "A Rush of Blood to the Head" – Coldplay, (3.) "The Moon My Saddle" – Chamberlain, (4.) "Jersey's Best Dancers" – Lifetime, (5.) "World Waits" – Jeremy Enigk/"Aja" – Steely Dan.

Cole: Same kind of list, but with movies.

Me: The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction, A Waking Life, Tape, Kill Bill Vol. 2, The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, Stagecoach, Melvin Goes to Dinner, The Burbs.

Cole: The Burbs?

Me: Tom Hanks man... his best work ever. Forget Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Big... The Burbs is fantastic.

Cole: Never heard of it.

Me: That's unfortunate. Go get it.

Cole: Any books stand out?

Me: I read non-fiction mostly. Mostly philosophy books by Immanuel Kant, Aristotle. Lately I've been delving back into medieval philosophy though. My fiance can tell you I have an obsession with Thomas Hobbes at the moment, mostly because I think his argument for the State of Nature has a lot of validity to the present state of our world. She'll also probably tell you that she hates whenever I utter the words state of nature.

Cole: Any fiction?

Me: Vonnegut... Salinger, probably all of those insightful writers that most post graduates read to feel liberated, edgy and angry at the world around them. I wasn't all that different than a lot of other upper middle class suburban kids trying to "find the meaning of it all." I was really big into poetics in high school and my first year of college. Frost, Ginsberg, the beats. I was your typical wannabe trendy, arts guy.

Cole: Does that mean you didn't play a lot of sports?

Me: No, actually, I love sports, both playing and watching. I may have been that guy in the coffee house talking up girls with my guitar, but I was also the guy who played every intramural college sport I could get involved in. I also coached soccer for a while. I believe I was really good at one point. I'm a bit more stationary these days, but I do love sports.

Cole: Are you playing any right now?

Me: Does walking my dog count? Ha, no I'm not at the moment. I've been looking at getting back into drop-in hockey, roller hockey, and I'll do a lot of camping/hiking and paddling this summer if I follow through on my plans.

Cole: Outdoorsy then?

Me: Absolutely, I love being outside. I'm big on camping, paddling rivers, in canoes or kayaks. I spent a lot of my summers in northern Michigan, fishing, hiking and getting into trouble. My brother does extreme outdoor sports. I'm much more laid back about it. I enjoy recreational top-rope climbing, some sport climbing, fishing and paddling.

Cole: What are some web sites you visit a lot?

Me: Pingmag.jp is a big one for me. I also visit designobserver.com, typofile.com and a lot of newspaper web sites.

Cole: Any other media we should know about?

Me: Actually, I dig video games too, though I don't play them nearly as much as I did in high school or college. I haven't gone so far as to get an X-Box 360 or a PS3. But I do play my PS2 from time to time. I also have an old Sega Genesis and an original NES that get dusted off from time to time.

Cole: What games specifically?

Me: I play a lot of sports games. Boxing, Hockey, Football and Track and Field. I also like some war strategy stuff. I'm a big fan of the Metal Gear series. Anything that's semi-tactical, I really enjoy.

Cole: Thanks a lot. I'll send you a copy of my report when I'm done.

Me: My pleasure.

I guess we're really doing it.

On the iPod: "Black and White Town" - The Doves

So. I suppose that I know have to get married for sure. The wife-to-be created a wedding page on theknot.com. It's officially, official now.

The templates the knot offers seem to be heavily bride-focused, catering to the pastel pinks, oranges and greens that dominate the MySpace set. I haven't seen all of the templates just yet, but I think the finance picked a decent template, even if I'm not a huge fan of vertical stripes.

We also put the deposit down on our wedding site and are fairly confident that we have a few other pieces decided. Thankfully, we get to be a little dormant for a while in regard to the planning, allowing her to focus on her studies and finish up her last three months of medical school before she returns home to the Mitten for rotations.

I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that my fiancé is in medical school. I'd have to look back through previous posts.

At any rate, here's what's been determined for sure:

• The Date: June 1, 2008


• The Location: Waldenwoods (Heartland, MI)


• The Format: Non-religious and outdoors

Anyway, I have more rants to talk about. For my fellow wine fans, I have three new wines I reviewed over the weekend. See the wine journal to your right.

The anticipation has got me blue

On the iPod: "Expo '86" - Death Cab For Cutie

They say if you don't have anything nice to say, you shouldn't be speaking at all, hence the silence the last few days. But I'll brake it momentarily to talk about my best friend's wedding (no, not the movie). My buddy Andy got married on Saturday to his lovely (and absolutely perfect for him) new bride Amy.

It was a fine afternoon. I stood in the wedding party and also acted as chauffer from the church to the reception and reception to hotel. Andy and Amy had the sort of wedding I would hope to have. They shared these intimate moments. There were whispers, smiles and touches that made me wish I was acting in the capacity of photographer. While I think their photographer did a fine job, I would have been stealing those private little moments, because those private little moments are what are burned into my thoughts of that day.

And seeing those moments made me realize what a special talent and gift photography really is. There are all these basic rules that need be followed, but at the same time, the process is totally subjective. I find it fascinating to learn about why a shooter might decide to open up to f 2.8 in a bright light setting or why depth of field is so distorted for a certain shot.

For me, (and this probably comes from dating a woman for the better part of three years who shot in this fashion) full frame photography is incredibly impressive. So few shooters do it well. In fact, many books seem to avoid teaching good full-frame shooting practices. They focus more on developing the shot into the rule of thirds as opposed to finding the way to best use the negative space.

Maybe digital is slowly killing off the need to shoot in full frame, which I think is a shame. You can really get the most out of your shots, digital or otherwise, when you know how to properly frame a moment. It requires the shooter to be more thoughtful, more creative – to be an artist. So many "photographers" today aren't artists. They know how to make a picture, but not how to work in the medium of photography. So many of today's shooters seem to be better with Photoshop and not so great with the camera itself.

On music, inspiration.

On the iPod "Unfinished" - Mineral

My drive to work, was the first time I truly felt alone in almost two weeks. Having my fiancé here really reminded me of how having someone important in your life takes your concentration from yourself. And while that's not always a good thing, it was fantastic to be distracted for a few days. I found myself staying further away from the computer, taking a little more time when I ate, enjoying an extra glass of wine and just taking a few minutes to take it all in.

This morning, I sank back into my routine, but the drive was different. I put on some records from my high school years. I listened to Mineral for a good chunk of the trip in on snow covered I-96. It took me back. As I listened, I was reminded of the woman I was dating when I first started listening to the band and then reflected on the woman that ended up meaning the most when I needed that band like air. And after I reminisced for a spell, I listened to the record again, for the first time in years. I listened to the record for what it was, not the emotions I had tied to it.

It was inspiring. The March snow falling, the poetic lyrics of one of my favorite bands being heard again for the first time and my tired mind started allowing wonderful new design ideas to flow forward into my head. When I got to work, I started pouring out code, sketching concepts and building new graphics.

So, I now have a new plan for the rest of this week: Revisit, rewind and redesign. So far, so good.

Happy Monday.

On being tired.

On the iPod "Time Bomb" - The Dismemberment Plan

I'm not feeling very well at all. I honestly just feel completely sapped of energy. This week, I've had a lot of responsibilities to my fiance's family, wedding planning, the Catholic church, our dog and to work. That hasn't really left much time for taking care of myself. It's starting to show. I'm looking a bit like a zombie, can't seem to stop my body from aching and all my head can think of is my rapidly depleting bank account. Pretty soon, I'm sure the other shoe will drop and I'll just crash. I'm looking forward to a little sleep and a few hours where I don't have someplace I need to be; some time that doesn't have to be spent talking about how we're hurting other people's feelings for wanting to have a wedding done our way, and some time when we're not talking about a wedding, a location or items associated with a wedding, period.

We're having fun right?

On Wedding Designs.

On the iPod: "So Lonely" - The Police

My wife to be and I went with our mothers to a bridal show at Waldenwoods in Hartland, MI yesterday. Aside from being the only person with a penis in the room that wasn't attached to a wedding-related booth, it was somewhat educational. It also confirmed my belief that this whole wedding thing is quite the racket.

While there, we saw about 17 different options for a table setting, hundreds of different color pallets and wedding photos of all kinds. What I did like was getting a good look at the various ways you can design a tablescape, decorate a room or create an invitation. Admittedly, I'm not as interested in what will be happening at the ceremony as I am in some of the things that precede it. I'm talking font choices for invitations, web sites favors. This stuff is what has been keeping me interested in this thing, as I'm generally of the opinion that this entire event will continue to be stressful and financially taxing up until the day I wait for that beautiful finance of mine to walk down the aisle and instantly make me a better person through association.

So, we're fairly confident that Waldenwoods will be the site. I'll keep you posted on the rest of the journey.

On religion.

On the iPod: "Mistress" - Red House Painters

About a year or two ago, I flirted with becoming a practicing Zen Buddhist. But, as it has been with a lot of other religions/faiths I looked into, I found struggles in accepting a lot of what it espoused. I believe what makes adopting a religion so difficult for me is the guidelines. Everything has a set of rules, and I just don't believe faith works that way.

And though Zen Buddhism doesn't necessarily require a faith in God, it still has these rules. You shouldn't eat meat, you shouldn't be mean to other people, you shouldn't poison your body.

Well, some days I want to be mean to people, some days I want to have a glass of wine with my friends and I think cows are delicious. I think it is very possible to enjoy poison, delicious cows and be mean at times and still find enlightenment.

I realize this belief makes me seem selfish.

But I believe most religions have a core problem in that they don't take a realistic view of the world. It's either all pessimism or wild optimism. They create a culture of community, but motivate that community with imaginary fears and sins.

What I liked about Buddhism was that it allows you to see exactly what "you" are, which allows you to objectively view what the world around you is, as opposed to someone's interpretation of it. And that is the way to true freedom and peace.

Personally, I don't think I'll ever find a "religion" that I can put all my stock in. I think the most important thing is putting stock in yourself.

7 more days

On the iPod "Umm..." - Onelinedrawing

When significant events get close, sometimes I think it makes the waiting that much harder.

March is oddly enough shaping up to be a really important month for me. My best friend is getting married, my wife to be is coming home so our parents can meet for the first time and I have a few other things that are totally up in the air. I can't remember a time when I believe I've been more in flux in my life.

It's strange to think about marriage. It's a scary thing. It's like diving off the edge of a building. There really isn't any turning back from a dive like that. It immediately changes everything - just like our swan dive. Bones are going to break, there is going to be pain, but it might just put everything else into an entirely different light.

The thing about marriage is that it effects everything, your interaction with your immediate family, your responsibilities, your financial situation, how you see yourself and how you see yourself among others. It's not just about you anymore, it's about your family unit. It's been an interesting thing to see how my mind has totally warped since being engaged. The first thing I think of in the morning right now is what shape her hair would be making on the pillow next to me if she were there, then it goes directly to the plan. How are we going to pay for this? How are our families going to handle that? What would she think about this kind of bread? How pissed is she going to be that I'm eating this sodium laden pickle?

Nothing is really about me... and I don't think it will ever be that way again. It has suddenly become us, the family. And for the first time, I believe I have real love. You can't design it, put it on paper or code it in any way. It just exists, exclusive of any real definition. It exists.

7 more days.

On being busy.

On the iPod - "The Boy's No Good" - Lifetime

My apologies for being really, really busy. I have a few things to touch on, so let's get right to it.

First and foremost: MySpace. Yes, I deleted my personal profile. I'm working on a new page that I will use solely for business and marketing purposes. I have a lot of reasons for deleting my personal account, the main one being that the people I was writing or commenting to on a regular basis are already directly touching my life in some way. Everyone else was hanging on to threads that were long frayed anyway. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't have the time, energy or will to give anyone reason to hang on to a fading heartbeat.

It's never been a secret to anyone I'm close to that I go through periods of extreme isolation and that I eschew relationships on a fairly regular basis.

Now, on being really busy. I have a wedding I'm in the middle of planning with the finance (not a typo, that's what I call her. It's endearing), working solo in a three person department and dealing with a fussy dog and a few personal demons. Thankfully, most of that is melting like a lot of the snow here in the mitten. The wife-to-be will soon be home and I can get some sleep again.

In design related news, I'm plugging right along on learning Flash, Dreamweaver (you'd think I'd know that one by now) and the ins and outs of my new CS2 Suite. I've also got a new client that I'll tell you all more about in a future post.

So, that's my quick update. I have also been reading a lot when I can't sleep. I have some articles to reference throughout the week, so this shouldn't be static for long. Also, I'll clean up a few pages around my own site. I'm getting an off center display on some machines and browsers. Are you seeing things dead center or are they off to the side? Comment and let me know.

Thanks.

Htting the road

On the iPod - "Pony's Last Trick" - The City on Film

I'm hitting the road for Kirksville this afternoon. I'd be lying if I said I really didn't enjoy the drive. It's one of the few times I really tune out the rest of the world, my work week and all of the other problems I'm facing. I enjoy the time, the vast areas of farmland I pass in Illinois and the quiet of Missouri roads between Hannibal and Macon.

Of course I love seeing what I've got at the end of that trip as well. It's going to be a fantastic weekend. I can just feel it. I'll blog when I return home on Monday.

On the quiet.

On the iPod "Cannons" - Jeremy Enigk

There really is nothing quite like a quiet newsroom. Normally, these are busy, bustling places. People yell, swear, demand copy and hurriedly push news to wires, pages and Internet tools. This morning I walked into a bit of a ghost town. Apparently there is a meeting somewhere that I'm missing. I couldn't be happier.

I quickly linked in the iPod and put on my current musical obsession – which is actually a blast from my past – Jeremy Enigk. His voice has been very soothing to me lately. And to be honest, I haven't been too up on much of the music I used to be so passionate about. I've been less passionate about music in general. Jeremy's latest album "World Waits" has been one of those albums that has reminded me why I began loving music so much in the first place.

It's an ethereal, soaring record with extreme highs and lows. The record is a perfect alone time record for me, so when I had the shot at a quiet newsroom, reflection and Enigk, I jumped. I feel so much better about being here already. Some days I forget how powerful music can be to your psyche. If there is a God, it truly is a special gift.

On patience.

On iTunes - "Wonderful" - Josh Rouse

I've been yearning for a game of chess. I think it's the angles, logic and the strategy that goes into it. I like picking things apart to the most basic of levels, whether it's someone's defenses on the chess board or in their ability to navigate an argument.

I think missing Vita (the at times aforementioned better half) has me missing the game more than usual. I've been teaching her since just before the holiday season. And while it is still apparent that she has some things to learn, she has the makings of a fine chess player if she'd learn to be a little more patient and to look a few moves ahead. That comes with time. It's something I learned only after years of being the mop for my grandmother's superior play.

Chess taught me patience, and how to wait for the right moment to strike. There are so many parallels between life and the game of chess that it's frightening. Every time I play, I look back on the impatience of my youth. In my younger days (as young as 12 and 13) I was preaching the benefits of Communism and Communitarianist thought to Grandma. She forced me to defend my ideas in the same way I had to defend my king with a rook and a pair of pawns.

I found myself reflecting on the same lessons this afternoon, right before I flew off the handle at someone in regards to a Web issue. I sacrificed a little time and humility in lieu of being able to fight another battle another day. As little as two months ago I would have flown off the handle. I'm happy that my old lessons have started to reappear in my 20s when I need them most.

Sorry for the soapbox. I'm just taking a moment to reflect on a tough day. Oh, I have labels (see the end of this post) and individual archive pages working for the blog. I had the template set up all out of whack. I believe this blog should be much more functional now. I'll also start posting some of my "Web World" columns from work from time to time as well. I'm not sure if I'm legally allowed to do it, but I'll check into it.

See you tomorrow.

I always say this... but...

On iTunes - "Wonderful Thing" - Garrison Starr

I need an outlet. The writer in my is screaming, pounding on my insides and pushing my veins out as strongly as my rising blood pressure.

I'm finding myself drinking coffee in the evenings again, shying away from designing Web pages and yearning for the feeling of ink on my fingers as opposed to the clicks and clacks of computer keys.

I gave up on my novel about 7 months ago. It has become incredibly stagnant and gone into a hibernation of sorts. I have found that I don't want to write music and don't really want to play shows. I haven't even dusted off my guitar and two of them could use a good restringing. I'm not sure why, but it feels like that part of me (the musician that is) is really becoming more of my past.

But there is something in me. I just need a medium. I really, really need a medium.