wake up, work, work, eat, work, sleep.

repeat.

The leaves have begun to turn, a signature event of the Northeast, and I find myself chained to my desk days, nights, and weekends for the next month. Bummer.

I wouldn't be involved in this stuff if I didn't think it was worth it, however. I am currently working on a design competition that will be displayed at the Bronx museum (our team won the first round to be a finalist) for the Grand Concourse. It's become insanely stressful due to condensed time schedule and difficult personalities/ office politics. On top of that I get to lead the whole thing- just lovely. (what a great professional development opportunity!!!) I have faith the efforts will turn into something wonderful. They will. They must.

Also, this marathon business has sucked up our time, as well. But on an awesome note, they are using my design to make gear, supposedly. I may be announcing my design on Puma or Northface stuff soon, no lie. Ha. World is a funny place.




It's movie release month for me though, getting out for those will be a nice break: oddly, I've not been to many if any before, and last week I got to go to the release of Coco Before Chanel, this week I'm going to see the screening of Whip It, and on the 15th I'm going to the 826 benefit release of Where The Wild Things Are with Dave Eggers, Spike Jonze and some other awesome people.

VERY EXCITED FOR THIS!!!

Again, the world is a funny place. My life is such a different version of what it was 11 months ago when I moved from Seattle. Still a Northwesterner, though, I get caught saying "pop" and
feeling sentimental toward overcast skies.

music of the moment, in the moment

I can relate to this guy.

Happiness and Gender

Some Sunday paper food for thought-

The sexual revolution was supposed to liberate us all. But now women have so much going on, we aren't necessarily more happy though men report to be, note Maureen Dowd and Arianna Huffington.

Part and parcel of the deal for now, I guess. Focus on your happy.

side project

my "free time"

for the Maasai Marathon effort - first it was a little blogging, then a lot of blogging, now also some graphic design. (I am excellent at overcommitment right now; I'm also supposed to be drafting up some competition sketches and studying for a major professional test I'm taking Friday.)

Following is the evolution of some possible designs for promotional/fundraising materials for the marathon- who knows, might show up on a teeshirt:

I Know You Forever

produced and performed by kids at 826 NYC in Brooklyn as part of a songwriting workshop: I Know You Forever- play here. I had to play it a couple times at first. Love it.

826 is a phenomenal nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering creative writing in children. Witty and imaginative, they have centers in quite a few major American cities with creative shopfronts that raise money for the writing centers they front. The one in my hometown, Seattle, is super cool- the Space Travel Supply Co, and NYC's Park Slope storefront is Superhero Supply, where you can buy things like Additional Gravity, Mutant Mind Probes, a customized lair, or a Prehistoric Guardian Fern. My favorite of the shops thus far however is the original, 826 Valencia in San Francisco, with its awesome pirate theme. Super cool (but then again, I have a weakness for pirates).



I just put in an application to volunteer, not because I have an iota of spare time at the moment, but because it's an incredible organization and I'd like to have the opportunity to clear my schedule and work for a awesome cause doing fun and imaginative work with cool people. They say they need gardeners and people with design skills, so that could work out well for everyone, if so. We'll see.



No Feather Shall Be Taller or More Delighful Than The Captain's.
Bring Your Own Citrus.

Design, in These Times

Interesting article from the NYT, affirming thoughts I've had, that although these are painful times for most of us, there is value to economic downturn: Design Loves a Depression

running, and not away from wildlife

As I mentioned recently, I've taken on a second blog project. Ed Norton, David Blaine, some African community leaders and I (and a few others, including my lovely coworker friends) are raising money for the Maasai Wilderness.

Today we rolled out the overall marathon cause website; now we can really forge ahead.

Check out our blog: thousandmilers.blogspot.com. From there you can link to the cause and donate to sponsor Brian, our team's marathon runner, to help support the Maasai.

Until the marathon on November 3rd, I'll be juggling my life and mind's eye with that blog, which currently owns me. Bear with me, and definitely support the cause in the meantime.