I'm enjoying my break from school. Although it's been just as busy as school was. I'm working. I'm at Sephora corporate helping on the website. And I've been hanging out with some people from school. Joined a gym. Took a dance class. Took a boxing class. Joined a burrito club. (Yes. Really. A burrito club). Saw Julie & Julia. Went to the smallest pub there ever was. Went to the diviest dive bar there ever was. Dyed my hair black. Repierced my ear. Went to Glen Park. It's not as far away as I thought it was. Had a fresh pretzel from a German bakery. Didn't take any photos though.
Now class is starting in a couple of weeks and I'm trying to get myself organized. I'd really like to read a couple of books for classes to get a head start. And I'd like to buy a large format printer. Maybe do a few warmup ads to get back in the mindset. I have, what I think, is a good idea for a beer campaign.
Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) for the first month of fall term I'll also be working. Hopefully things at school won't be too crazy the first month because I've already been told I'll be working long hours.
Looking forward to vacation first though. Tahoe, LA, San Diego. Should be fun.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Why is it no one ever sent me yet One perfect limousine, do you suppose? Ah no, it's always just my luck to get One perfect rose.
So in addition to an advertising class I also took a creative writing class. It was a lot of fun. I wrote a lot. I don't want to clog up my blog though, so here is just a sample. For this exercise we had to write a story from one point of view and then write the same story from a different point of view.
VERSION 1:
It was a Tuesday. Or perhaps it was a Wednesday. You were just back from tennis, so it must have been a Tuesday. I was sitting on the porch swing, readingThe Great Gatsby and having a mint julep. You kissed me on my forehead, called me your beautiful little fool and ran inside for a shower. You didn't know then. You didn't know then because I hadn't told you yet. I hadn't told you yet because I hadn't found the proper words.
When you were done with your shower you joined me outside on the swing. You talked about your day. You told me about the case you were working on for the firm. You told me how you'd won two out of your three tennis matches. I was rather proud of you. I told you how the garden was coming. I told you about the letter that had come from our old neighbors inquiring about when would be a good time to visit. I told you about the new noise the car was making. We swung. We sipped our drinks. We held hands.
It started to rain. You suggested we go inside. I pleaded with you to stay on the porch for just a while longer.
We sat through dinner barely saying a word. I'd made lamb with baby potatoes and greens. We had watermelon for dessert. Then you retired to your office to phone California about something or other to do with the new case.
I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I could hear you downstairs for hours pacing. Back and forth. Every so often you would raise your voice. The call to California must not have been going well.
I laid up reading and waiting for you. I was at the part of the book when Gatsby and Daisy start having their affair. Before things got really complicated.
A little past midnight you came upstairs. You changed into your nightshirt and brushed your teeth. You laid out a suit for work. You packed your briefcase.
You got into bed. I was facing the other way, pretending to already be asleep. You turned out your bedside lamp, kissed my cheek and said "goodnight dear." I whispered "my mother died today" and fell asleep.
VERSION 2:
Jonathan and Cynthia Little led separate lives. Jonathan was a partner at a major law firm. He was an extremely competitive person who spent his days battling in the courtroom and his evening battling on the tennis court. He was punctual, clean cut and always did what was expected of him. When Jonathan got home to his dear wife he was often tired and the last thing he wanted to do was converse. Cynthia was a self-proclaimed artist. She stayed at home working on her paintings, although she did more work in the garden than anything else. She rebelled against life's mandates and tended to be over-sensitive.
The day Cynthia's mother died began like any other summer day. But at 3:48pm Cynthia's father called to inform her that, although her surgery last week had been successful, she had passed away due to unforeseeable complications.
Cynthia spent the next three hours and twelve minutes reading the same line in The Great Gatsby over and over - "So we drove on toward death in the cooling twilight."
Jonathan arrived home like clockwork at 7pm. As he pulled up in his sensible sedan he could see his wife sitting on the porch swing, flustered and drinking. Not wanting to deal with whatever was upsetting Cynthia, he rushed past her, using the need of a shower for an excuse, taking only enough time to say "beautiful little fool," before going inside.
He made that shower take as long as possible. Cleaning and recleaning every square inch of flesh. After that Jonathan partook in all forms of male grooming to avoid Cynthia. Jonathan loved his wife dearly, he just didn't always like her very much.
Knowing he could stall no longer, Jonathan fixed himself an extra large scotch before joining Cynthia on the porch. He talked about his day. He told her about the case he was working on for the firm. He told her how he'd won two out of his three tennis matches. Jonathan tried to dominate the conversation for as long as possible but eventually his exhaustion got the best of him. Luckily for him Cynthia wasn't ready to talk about her mother's death. She told him how the garden was coming. She told him about the letter that had come from their old neighbors inquiring about when would be a good time to visit. She told him about the new noise the car was making. When there was nothing left to say they sat in silence, letting the creak of the old porch swing do the talking.
When it started to rain Jonathan wanted to go inside. Cynthia begged for just a few more moments on the swing. Not wanting to argue he submitted.
After a uneventful dinner, Jonathan went to his office to finish up some work while Cynthia went upstairs to read. Cynthia tried to make out Jonathan's phone call but the floor muffled his voice. She could only make out a word here and there, mostly when he was yelling. Jonathan didn't really need to make the phone call that night, but he figured if he stayed downstairs long enough Cynthia would fall asleep.
Shortly after midnight Jonathan went upstairs and got ready for bed. He said "goodnight dear" to Cynthia. She whispered back "my mother died today." Cynthia fell asleep. Jonathan did not.
VERSION 1:
It was a Tuesday. Or perhaps it was a Wednesday. You were just back from tennis, so it must have been a Tuesday. I was sitting on the porch swing, readingThe Great Gatsby and having a mint julep. You kissed me on my forehead, called me your beautiful little fool and ran inside for a shower. You didn't know then. You didn't know then because I hadn't told you yet. I hadn't told you yet because I hadn't found the proper words.
When you were done with your shower you joined me outside on the swing. You talked about your day. You told me about the case you were working on for the firm. You told me how you'd won two out of your three tennis matches. I was rather proud of you. I told you how the garden was coming. I told you about the letter that had come from our old neighbors inquiring about when would be a good time to visit. I told you about the new noise the car was making. We swung. We sipped our drinks. We held hands.
It started to rain. You suggested we go inside. I pleaded with you to stay on the porch for just a while longer.
We sat through dinner barely saying a word. I'd made lamb with baby potatoes and greens. We had watermelon for dessert. Then you retired to your office to phone California about something or other to do with the new case.
I went upstairs and got ready for bed. I could hear you downstairs for hours pacing. Back and forth. Every so often you would raise your voice. The call to California must not have been going well.
I laid up reading and waiting for you. I was at the part of the book when Gatsby and Daisy start having their affair. Before things got really complicated.
A little past midnight you came upstairs. You changed into your nightshirt and brushed your teeth. You laid out a suit for work. You packed your briefcase.
You got into bed. I was facing the other way, pretending to already be asleep. You turned out your bedside lamp, kissed my cheek and said "goodnight dear." I whispered "my mother died today" and fell asleep.
VERSION 2:
Jonathan and Cynthia Little led separate lives. Jonathan was a partner at a major law firm. He was an extremely competitive person who spent his days battling in the courtroom and his evening battling on the tennis court. He was punctual, clean cut and always did what was expected of him. When Jonathan got home to his dear wife he was often tired and the last thing he wanted to do was converse. Cynthia was a self-proclaimed artist. She stayed at home working on her paintings, although she did more work in the garden than anything else. She rebelled against life's mandates and tended to be over-sensitive.
The day Cynthia's mother died began like any other summer day. But at 3:48pm Cynthia's father called to inform her that, although her surgery last week had been successful, she had passed away due to unforeseeable complications.
Cynthia spent the next three hours and twelve minutes reading the same line in The Great Gatsby over and over - "So we drove on toward death in the cooling twilight."
Jonathan arrived home like clockwork at 7pm. As he pulled up in his sensible sedan he could see his wife sitting on the porch swing, flustered and drinking. Not wanting to deal with whatever was upsetting Cynthia, he rushed past her, using the need of a shower for an excuse, taking only enough time to say "beautiful little fool," before going inside.
He made that shower take as long as possible. Cleaning and recleaning every square inch of flesh. After that Jonathan partook in all forms of male grooming to avoid Cynthia. Jonathan loved his wife dearly, he just didn't always like her very much.
Knowing he could stall no longer, Jonathan fixed himself an extra large scotch before joining Cynthia on the porch. He talked about his day. He told her about the case he was working on for the firm. He told her how he'd won two out of his three tennis matches. Jonathan tried to dominate the conversation for as long as possible but eventually his exhaustion got the best of him. Luckily for him Cynthia wasn't ready to talk about her mother's death. She told him how the garden was coming. She told him about the letter that had come from their old neighbors inquiring about when would be a good time to visit. She told him about the new noise the car was making. When there was nothing left to say they sat in silence, letting the creak of the old porch swing do the talking.
When it started to rain Jonathan wanted to go inside. Cynthia begged for just a few more moments on the swing. Not wanting to argue he submitted.
After a uneventful dinner, Jonathan went to his office to finish up some work while Cynthia went upstairs to read. Cynthia tried to make out Jonathan's phone call but the floor muffled his voice. She could only make out a word here and there, mostly when he was yelling. Jonathan didn't really need to make the phone call that night, but he figured if he stayed downstairs long enough Cynthia would fall asleep.
Shortly after midnight Jonathan went upstairs and got ready for bed. He said "goodnight dear" to Cynthia. She whispered back "my mother died today." Cynthia fell asleep. Jonathan did not.
The pursuit of excellence is less profitable than the pursuit of bigness, but it can be more satisfying.
I am done with my first term of grad school. Man that was a lot of work. But I loved it and am extremely happy with my decision to go back to school. Here are the ads I came up with for my final project. The brands are Tesla (they make an electric car), Tabasco, LG (for a washer they make that gets out 95% of allergens using steam), and for Vietnam tourism.
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