The quote of the day yesterday comes from my dad:
"I just wish I could take a day off."
My sentiments exactly. We haven't had one of those in a month.

Comments?

AMERICAN COPPER

My dad and I have been working day and night on his Leapfrog. I don't want to give too much away, but I'll just say that his frog design involves a whole lot of copper. I've used copper before, but never on this kind of scale. It has quickly become new favorite metal.

This project probably ranks up in the top three most fun and rewarding projects I've ever done. I really can't wait to see it finished. We still have a bit to go, and the deadline fast approaching, but I'm certain this frog will be worth the wait. But, the problem for me is that I've got four other projects on deck and I just got the call from Washington that I'm needed for the upcoming quarter end crunch. So, I have a lot to do in the next week or so, before I ship off to DC. Who needs sleep anyway?

Comments?

THE FASTES SIX MONTHS OF MY LIFE

It's hard to believe, but six months have come and gone, and Calculus is now finished. My Meridian contract is over and I'm on to other projects (among them, wire ornaments and my dad's Leapfrog, but more on all that another day).

Calculus was great fun. For those of you just tuning in, I've been working for my old company, for the last six months, updating the 3D art that I originally created for their calculus book, about six years ago. I actually enjoyed the project a lot more this time around, and I hated like hell to see it come to an end.

Being away from Washington has really made me appreciate how much more comfortable I am in a smaller less crazy city. So, once I get through this handful of projects, I'm going to have to make some heavy decisions. Do I return to the job in Washington where 70 hour weeks are more likely than not? Do I stay here and continue to make a living doing freelance design projects? Do I start over in a new city, an awesome city like, oh... say... CHICAGO, where I already have a number a good friends?

Decisions, decisions. Time will tell, I really don't know yet what's going to happen, but for now, I'm up to my ears in copper (like I said, more on that later).

Comments?

A LITTLE HEALTH TIP

When you're sporting a sore index finger, which you injured weeks ago at volleyball, be careful not to slam that very same finger in a cooler door at a convenience store. It will hurt... a lot. And, you will most likely yell "OW ****!" in front of a person who's glare clearly tells you that she doesn't want to hear that kind of talk.

Comments?

OLYMPIC FEVER

This sneaks up on me every two years. I cannot explain it. I'm not a huge sports fan, and yet I always seem to catch Olympic Fever. It doesn't matter what country is playing or what the event is, but during the Olympics, my TV is tuned into whatever I can find. Yes, I've watched Olympic Kayaking, Weightlifting, even Water Polo (but I never, ever watched Ballroom Dancing). Now, this is not to say that I enjoy every event, but I'm still watching.

There are things that I'd like to see changed, though. Take Men's Basketball. I'm not sure if this year's team is worthy of being called another Dream Team, but my dream is to one day see the Harlem Globetrotters go to the games and represent the United States. Can you just imagine this? The bucket of confetti... the yo-yo basketball... Oh man, the games would never be the same.

The other thing that needs to change is Bob Costas. When I tuned into the opening ceremonies last night and saw that he was going to be commentating AGAIN, I just sank in my chair. Years ago, Costas had a late night talk show, "Later with Bob Costas" which I really enjoyed. It was a simple format with two chairs and one guest per show. He conducted some really good interviews, with well prepared questions and no BS. But last night, if he wasn't making negative comments, he was making one dumb remark after another, just like he did in the last Olympics and the one before that. I honestly think he believes he's being funny, but he's not. I wish I could remember the exact words he used when he said that he hoped Bjork didn't get pulled off her platform when the athletes were being covered by her gigantic dress. If NBC wants an Olympic announcer who can keep the conversation light and throw in an occasional joke (and I'm not even sure that's what they're looking for), then they should put Conan O'Brien on a plane to Athens immediately. He's the funniest person they've got on their network, and when he makes himself look stupid, it's because that's exactly his intention.

Comments?

I wish I had discovered this months ago, but there is a site out there where eight different Leapfrog artists kept a journal during the creation of their frogs. Very cool. Check out The Frog Blog.

Also, happy last day of work, Kori! I can't wait to visit you and Mike in Chicago!

Comments?

THREE IN A ROW

Last night it occurred to me that the last three movies I've seen have all been really good. That's very unusual for me because so often I walk out of a movie and can sum it up in one word: "Sucked."

So what are these three movies? Well, you might be surprised (I certainly was). First, "Dodgeball." I was afraid that all the funny parts of the movie were already shown in the trailers, but that wasn't the case. I laughed throughout. It was silly, ridiculous humor, and found it highly entertaining.

Next, "The Village." This was also one that I thought looked good in the previews, but probably wouldn't hold my interest for 2 hours, but actually, I thought it was brilliantly written. M. Night Shyama-Lama-Ding-Dong did a fine job with this one. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll say no more.

Finally, and my favorite of the three, is "Saved!" I've been wanting to see this one for a long time. It was hard to find a theater that was showing it, but when I finally did see it (last night) it completely lived up to my expectations. It's the kind of movie that will probably piss off any christians that can't take a joke, but for everyone else, it's a fine comedy.

Comments?

I wonder what would happen if a vampire had an underbite. Hmmmm....?

Comments?