You Ain't Got No Alibi

I decided that I’m going to search for the new contemporary aesthetic. This whole steel and glass thing is getting a little tiresome. Every bar you go into now has the frosted glass with the colored lighting, the clean lines and brushed stainless steel accents. It’s getting quite ridiculous. The idea is about 50 years old for crying out loud, though granted it only became an interior style in the last decade. The bottom line is that I’m ready for something new. I see a possible rebellion, favoring to a more organic style [but not a Gehry-esque fusion of the two.]

As a culture, we’ve pretty much exhausted retro styles from the last century. It’s actually pretty scary that I was alive during a decade that has already had a retro phase. It seems like each decade was cool for a couple of months. So it’s time to evolve. And if nobody else is gonna step it up, well I might just have to start pushing things along. [Step 1] I will start by unabashedly announcing if something is ugly. Buildings, furniture, art, animals, people… even holy ones who could cause me eternal damnation like the pope. Nothing will be spared. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Please understand that I mean this classification not as an insult, but simply as a step towards compiling an archive of things my new style should not reflect. I will inevitably find myself face-to-face with my reflection, and reflexively shout, “Ugly!” This will most likely further hinder my chances of becoming a socially appreciated individual, but sometimes you gotta take one for the team. I will announce Step 2 shortly, but for now I’m concentrating my efforts on Step 1.

If you need any assistance in determining whether or not something is ugly, just send me a picture, and I will post it along with my judgment call. All submissions deemed “ugly” will be catalogued for future reference. If are interested in participating in the creation of a new, de-uglified contemporary aesthetic, consider a tax-deductible donation to my cause. All views expressed in future classifications of ugliness are solely mine, and do not necessarily reflect societal norms and/or basic common sense.

Here's My Card

I’m officially working now. No, I mean really officially. How do I know this? I have business cards now. These silly little rectangles of thick paper with the company logo and my name and contact info. I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do with them, seeing as I’m not really in the type of position that involves professional networking. Plus, I’m almost embarrassed by my job. Now I have to explain to people that I meet that my occupation really doesn’t enter into my identity; it’s just the place I go to chill on weekdays. And I really do chill… the nice thing about having a job that doesn’t impact me as a person is that I don’t really get too stressed out when things are busy or when I screw up. It leaves me plenty of negative feelings to apply to other areas of my life.

I really need to get my dad a Father’s Day present, but I have no ideas. Any suggestions for what to get a workaholic kind of guy? Help.

Gigs and Secrets

So I got a freelance gig designing an artist's website of sorts for a friend of mine, which I'm pretty psyched about. I certainly don't expect to generate any sort of future business from this venture, but it will be a way to get my design skills out there, and I'll have made a website for someone other than myself, which is important for portfolios and such. I also added pictures of my work to my Flickr site and set it up so they appear in the sidebar on this page [scroll down]. Listen to me, now it's as if I can't stop thinking about my professional development. As it turns out, my current position doesn't really do much to quell my ambitions, primarily because they are entirely unrelated. While this comes as no surprise, it's a bit disappointing.

I just realized how this blog makes it seem as if I don't have much of a life… although this is true, maybe I shouldn't be advertising it. I also have a new quest, but it's a secret. I’m not as brave as CBS. Plus, I like having secrets. I may just be one of the best secret-keepers you will ever know.

New Title Banner! Photoshop is fun. So is Roy.

Tattoo Removal

I've decided to rename my blog. Just like when you tattoo the name of your spouse on your body, then get a divorce, and you have to either cover it up, tweak it, or laser it off so you aren't constantly reminding yourself and other people of your failed marriage. So I’m lasering "Job" and leaving "The Search" because while the job search is over, what is life if not one century-long search? We are always searching for something, whether or not we are conscious of it. Sometimes it is something tangible, like a job or a significant other or good music [see below], and sometimes it is deep and corny, like "meaning" or "ending poverty" or "finding the perfect piece of chocolate cake" [I personally know of several women who are subconsciously engaged in this search.] So what am I searching for now? Well, I am sort of passively searching for my passions. I know I want to go to grad school, but I am not sure of what area of the creative process I want to pursue. Fortunately, I've bought myself some time.

Albums...

These are the albums sitting in my iTunes cart. I want them, but I can't bring myself to click the "buy" button. I need some prodding. If you've heard any of them, give me feedback.

1. Mike Doughty - Haugty Melodic or Skittish/Rockity Roll
2. Phoenix - Alphabetical
3. Herbaliser - Blow Your Headphones
4. Nightmares On Wax - Carboot Soul
5. The Decemberists - Picaresque or Her Majesty

You know how you enjoy some albums you've purchased so much that they almost become intergrated into your identity? And then there are the albums that get played a few times, and left to gather dust with your Hootie and the Blowfish and Green Day CDs from middle school? Since my middle school albums have enough company, I want to feel any new stuff I get. Most of my recent acquisitions have been through resources that do not require monetary input, but I've pretty much exhausted those for the moment. So I need a fix.

Oh, and yesterday was my birthday, so all you bastards that forgot should start feeling ashamed right now. Then go out and buy me presents [see above if you need ideas.] Atonement is required before we can be on speaking terms again.