: things we swear happened :

Henry Spencer Forsyth

2012-01-16T17:41:00.001-07:00

Raw pic from Jaime's iPhone about an hour after Hal arrived on the scene, January 12, 2012. Just a little bundle o' awesomeness.

When Patents Attack.

2012-01-11T12:56:00.001-07:00

Great infographic to accompany this great TAL Episode.

sometimes I post things randomly

2012-01-11T10:26:00.003-07:00

this is one of those times.

Father thoughts v.1

2011-12-16T15:05:00.001-07:00

People look at me bright eyed and ask "How long until...?" I tell them January 14th and their eyes get wider as they either exhale or inhale dramatically and say something along the lines of "Eee! are you excited?"

Nope. What's to be excited about?

Theirs is a rhetorical question, of course (at least it should be). I find myself falling into an awkward social rut of responding to this reaction/question with some facade of humility and something along the lines of "I have no idea of what I'm doing, but yep, very excited."

Truth is, I've been thinking of this impending due date for quite a while and I should have some inkling of an idea what I'm doing, even if there is a lot of truth to to cliche wisdom like "Your life is about to completely change" and "Your first kid is just practice, nobody knows what they are doing."

On a less-important practical level, I helped change my baby brother's diapers when I was 11 and 12 years old. Jaime has enrolled us in hours and hours of baby/new parent classes offered at the hospital. I've been reading the books and gobbling up resources and info online.

On a deeper level, the passing of my own father in 2009 forced me into a more serious reflection of what kind of dad I want to be and what things in my own life can be sourced back to the way I was raised. My ecclesiastical education constantly stresses and reinforces the simplest yet wisest of principles that inevitably lead to your own brand good parenting. And I've been hearing and reading about it since I was a kid, not just in my adult years.

Jaime and I waited over 5 years between getting married and having a kid. We've spent a lot of time together, shared a lot of adventures and dated our faces off.

There's a lot more of all of this to come, my "training" has only begun, but I do feel like this kid is a very natural next step. So yes, I'm "excited" and optimistically looking forward to the challenges and adventures.

I think I force out the words "I have no idea what I'm doing" as some sort of backwards humble-brag to myself and nod to the "the more you know, the more you know you don't know" philosophy. I spend quite a bit of time introspectively cutting through the clutter of parenting tactics and boiling down to the most basic of principles I would like to govern happiness and love in our home. Here's my first stab at writing them down. I realize this list is likely naive and idealistic. I don't care. That said, this list is bound to evolve. These are the things we'll learn through doing and witnessing, more than being told and formally taught:

We'll be nice people.
- The world does not revolve around you, but if you're nice enough people may think you're the greatest person in their world. Remember that kind words really do make people feel better, so be that person that says nice things, and it helps if you mean it. Complimenting is easy, free and quick. And do nice things. Give time, effort and charity even when they aren't easy, free or quick - because you're grateful for what you have. Be anonymous. Learn the ironically selfish benefits of warm fuzzies early and replicate the actions that lead to the symptoms as much as you can. Do your part to make the world more civil and understanding. Be nice.
We'll learn to love learning.
- Or at least strongly avoid any resemblance of an aversion to learning new things). Geek out on at least one thing at a time any given year/season of life. A geek is not socially inept (that's a nerd, btw). A geek simply combines intelligence and passion on a particular topic. This can be reading. This can be colors, gardening, or geography. It can be drums or geo-caching. This will obviously evolve and be different for a 3 year old than it is for a 15 year old, but the point is, learning is cool. Learning is not scary.
We'll be confident because we know who we are.
- Whether this is on the bicycle at 3 or 4 years old, a long hike with dad at 8 years old or asking out a girl at 16 years old, we'll believe in ourselves because our family has our back and we're Forsyths. We have divine origins and ambitions and can keep a simple and enabling eternal perspective. We'll learn and remember that hard work yields enviable results. Tough life milestones are scary and we may want to find ways to circumnavigate them, but we won't expect special treatment and we'll fight feelings of entitlement if when they creep in. We'll build confidence and independence through a series of victories over life's challenges - both those we volunteered for (e.g. learning a new instrument or sport) and those that force themselves upon us (e.g. middle school in general).

What would be on your little list? Note, the principle should be boiled down to a pithy practice, even if you expound with a sub-bullet like I have. Yes, I want my kids to learn to love and appreciate the outdoors, be independent, learn music, etc. but this isn't that list. This is my attempt to bridle the specific dreams and not live their lives for them in advance. Trying to keep it broad, wise practices and principles

Again, I have no idea of what I'm doing, but yep, very excited.

2011 Zeitgeist

2011-12-16T11:33:00.013-07:00

I already posted my own personal recap of 2011, but I left out the world events that stuck with me, as I felt those were more appropriate for a separate post. Leave it to Google to sum up the search terms that capture the zeitgeist of 2011. Makes this much easier (lazier of me, yes, but easier).

This world is just insanely fascinating when you slow down and reflect. I'm so glad I live in a time when these online resources make it so easy to glimpse into what real people are going through all over the planet (with a little bit of media literacy you can weed out the controlled biased info from unfiltered). Remember when the best year-end recap we had was a measly print issue of TIME magazine's corporate controlled year in review? I know Google is extremely "corporate" but at least this is based on real people's searches and I think it was put together very well. I forgive the ton of Google+ plugs in there, since it still comes out as a great little video in its own right, marketing motives aside. And that's marketing at its best, I think. The same reason why VW's little Vader Passat ad was so widely shared this year as well. Most people could care less about the Passat, but they made a great little video that held up on its own - and guess what? VW brand affinity and Passat sales are doing great, I think. Love it.

Posted via email from eric forsyth's posting place

2011 recap, so far.

2011-12-08T07:05:00.004-07:00

I must say, this was a good year. I feel I've grown closer to Jaime this year than any other year, perhaps with the exclusion of our first year of marriage. Plenty of micro and macro adventures. I feel I need to recap some highlights, just so they are recorded.

It started by flying to London on Jan 3rd. I spent most of the next eight and a half months there. I got to know our Hoxton / Shoreditch neighborhood pretty well. Turns out the London winter wasn't so bitter cold as people warned. It's just that the sun rarely showed itself. We walked a lot. The first 4 months are chronicled by Jaime on her temporary blog abroad here. Scrolling through it, I realize that we did quite a bit in the first 4 months during little forced gaps/weekends when I wasn't working:

Spent some time the Somerset English countryside and fell in love with the area and people.
Took the Eurostar through the Chunnel to Paris a couple times for work and brought Jaime along once. That was something I've wanted to do with her since I went there for work in 2010. We had a wonderful time taking in the city, eating good food and just spending time together for a couple days. (Jaime's Day 1 post here.)
Took a train up to explore my Scottish heritage in Edinburgh. Ate Haggis. Smiled proudly when Jaime ordered her own Forsyth tartan scarf. Was nice to hang with the Scots, even if it was cold and wet up there.
Took the quick 3-day trip of the year with Jaime to Munich, Germany and Salzburg & Hallstatt, Austria. Rented a new VW Scirocco 2.0 TDI 6-speed and drove on the Autobahn, around lakes and windy Austrian Alp roads. And it was towed in Salzburg, just to add to the overall adventure. Such an amazing trip.
And of course explored all over London. Lots of street markets, good food, parks, museums, more food, London Symphony Orchestra, playing open mic nights, living the London life. Lots of walking, buses and the underground.

We missed our dog a lot. To the point where it ached sometimes. I had my work to keep me (very) busy, but Jaime was pretty much on vacation. Which was great but could be quite difficult for her too. No friends. No dog. No job. No church calling. Just London and me (when I wasn't working). My 3-6 month assignment kept being extended and she went back home at the end of April to relieve the best house sitters in the world, our friends Ben and Breanne.

I stayed in London through the middle of August and without Jaime I fell into the life of a London local. Not so much touring around (except the weekend Triumph motorcycle ride and showing visiting friends the sites). Just a lonely guy without his wife, working long hours and continuing to explore London on the weekends. With Jaime not around I ate a lot more Vietnamese, Indian and street food and I cooked for myself more, whereas when Jaime was in London, she did almost all the cooking since she didn't have much else to do.

I was in London when the riots went down which was very interesting to follow both on the UK news, US news and in person.

I was able to come home to Colorado for a couple weeks in May and then again in June, so splitting my time was nice, even if it did throw my brain for a fry fest, always working on London time regardless of where I was or how much I was able to sleep. I was able to play a couple gigs while I was home in Colorado and play open mics and work on new songs while in London.

Even with all these new experiences, the biggest change of 2011 came when Jaime picked me up at the Denver airport in mid May. She didn't wait for me to get in the car, she was beaming and told me right on the curb that she's pregnant. A boy, due January 14, 2012, just in time for the Mayan calendar to run out, I guess. Jaime makes for a very cute pregnant lady and we feel very blessed and excited. And then I was off, back to London for a few weeks. Then back to Jaime in Colorado for a couple weeks in June. Then back to London until August 14th. Jaime visited London for a week over my birthday in July, which was really nice break from my long distance life in London.

Then back home to Colorado for good (for now) in August. Besides generally enjoying being back in Louisville and Boulder and taking advantage of the normal day to day joys here, here are some other things I've been up to since being back stateside, not necessarily in order:

A Trip to Yosemite with Daniel and Francesca right away, climbed Half Dome in personal record time.
I climbed Longs Peak with Nate Woods and Zach Olsen in September.
Generally preparing for the baby and all that goes along with that (lots of classes Jaime signed us up for, shopping, researching, thinking, talking, more shopping.)
Remodeled the bathroom, painted the bedroom finally (which needed to be done since we moved in 2009), playing gigs, a hot air balloon ride on Jaime's 25th birthday, Durango Songwriters Expo for me.
A trip back east to hang out with my mom and Ian. A day in NY. 2nd annual "Vampire Weekend" and paintballing fun with friends at a rented cabin in Estes Park.
A great, simple Thanksgiving with Jaime's parents at home in Louisville, CO. My Grandpa Gordon Forsyth's 90th birthday we were able to share with him while he was in town. A cold spell, snow, and here we are. Almost Christmas.

What next? Oh yeah, a baby. Crazy. This year of deprived sleep patterns was probably good practice for next year.

KUNC and The National Day of Listening

2011-12-01T14:59:00.006-07:00

Have you heard of The National Day of Listening? NPR features StoryCorps interviews/stories every now and then, and the National Day of Listening (the day after Thanksgiving) is their way of encouraging everybody to take part and interview someone you love or admire (like a parent or a teacher) and record it for posterity. If you do it through StoryCorps, they catalog it in thr Library of Congress, and they may air it on the radio if you give permission.

KUNC was nice enough to offer up their professional resources to their listeners for free and we had a nice time pulling some interesting memories out of Grandpa the day after Thanksgiving. I had the chance to sit in on my aunt Heather Forsyth Kehr interviewing my grandpa Gordan James Forsyth in a pro radio booth at KUNC studios in Greeley, CO

Tangent: Wendy Wham is a DJ / Producer at KUNC who plays my music on the radio. I wanted to swing by her office / booth and say hi and meet her in person while I was there but she pre-recorded her show that day to take the holiday off. She later heard I was there and called me a couple days later and asked me to come in and record a feature on my music with her, so I'll be going in and doing that next week. Looking forward to it. If it turns out well and is aired, well, let's just say I love KUNC.

Enough about me, back to Grandpa. On Tuesday, they came over to celebrate Gandpa's 90th birthday at our place in Louisville, CO. I made three pizzas and I dare say it was some of the best pizza I've ever made. You really missed out. But you can listen to a recording of the interview from the National Day of Listening here on my posterous (and you can download the MP3 below).

01_Gordan_James_Forsyth_interview_No.mp3 Listen on Posterous

12 Things Happy People Do Differently (+1 more from me)

2011-11-23T17:07:00.002-07:00

I came across this article today on 12 Things Happy People Do Differently. As I went down the list, most of these items called out an aspect of my life/psyche I feel I've cultivated quite well, but some could use some work. My personal notes are in italics after each point from the article below. I felt compelled to add my own 13th point to the end. Take a look and see what you think.

Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have. [When I was a teenager, something inside me clicked and I realized happiness doesn't bring about gratitude nearly as much as gratitude brings about happiness. It helps to live in a naturally beautiful place as well, but maybe that just the grateful granola in me. More on that on #9 below. (Many of these points overlap, I’ve found)]
Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times. [I think healthy ambition fits in this category too - say "Yes. I. Can." with confidence and optimism and then do it, and do it well. That way it's not just optimism (read: hope) in the face of challenges, it's a proven track record of accomplishments that serve as a comfort and positive outlook before the next hill to climb. This is very much linked to #10 below.]
Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority. Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out! If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an older version of yourself. [We all do this to some degree. This one seems to be a big deal these days with the 99% vs. the 1%, the London youth rioting because they want what the wealthy seem to have in the media, people wanting to look like Hollywood celebrities, etc. There’s not much I can say here except that a sense of self-worth and respect is best instilled at the early age, as a child. Tough to train adults in this. Also I think #4 below helps avoid this rut of comparison. Give of yourself to others, especially in service to those who are less fortunate.]
Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin. Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names. [As I spent 3 hours early Saturday morning volunteering to vacuum, mop, scrub and dust my church building, I felt surprisingly happy in my labor. A Gordon B. Hinckley quote that stuck with me since my teenage years: "Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”]
Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships. Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely? WHOA! There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with. We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence. [I love my friends and I’m very grateful for them. I hope they know that. That said, I’ve added a 13^th point below about being okay with solitude.]
Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable. Forrest Gump knows the deal. It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal. [Make decisions in advance. Are you a jerk when you’re stressed? Have you ever seriously considered the possibility that your spouse or dog may unexpectedly die one day? What if you lose your job? How will you handle it and what will help you get through it with wisdom and grace? Give some general ‘craptastic’ scenarios some serious thought before they happen, even if it’s uncomfortable to consider. This leads to some soul searching. Don’t run away from it, you’ll come out stronger if you take the opportunity.]
Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system. You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day. [Life’s too short to hold grudges. Actually, life is too long to hold grudges. Either way, let it go.]
Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still. It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are merged. You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing. Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus. [This is guitar for me. When I sit down in a quiet room and play well-crafted guitar and sing to nobody but myself, I get lost in it. There’s no self-consciousness of a performance for others, no worries about my bills or my job or my future. Just the current acoustics of the room. Find that thing you can do with your hands or your senses that lets you reach that state of flow.]
Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences. When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them. [This is going to sound cheesy, but then you’ll do it (or you already do) and you’ll agree, it’s magic: Listen to good jazz in your dark living room. Live somewhere beautiful where you can take morning and evening walks and savor the scenery. Find foods you love to cook from scratch. Add to this list with your own simple joys you savor.]
Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose. [Related to #2 above. Make a list of "impressive or difficult things I will do." Write out a plan for each one, and then do each one. If it's the prospect of bragging rights and a level gained expertise that keep you motivated, that's what works for me - just make sure to harness the bragging once you've actually achieved the goal. Be the nice guy that does cool/hard things. You'll still be left with a satisfying sense of fulfillment, and more people will like and respect you.]
Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us. We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever. It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists. Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.” [My eternal perspective and desire to be spiritually in tune definitely contributes to overall happiness. No doubt about it. If you’d like to know more about what I believe, let me know, or watch some videos on Mormon.org. J]
Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be. If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected. Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft? Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth. [Jaime has commented many times that I look happiest when I walk in the front door after having come down some mountain. No matter how exhausted I may be, I’m also genuinely happy from the inside out. I think half of this is simply being out in nature and the other half is the natural exercise I get from it. Lately I’ve also been training myself to feel the mental and physical benefits of simply eating better, stretching every day (my own amateur version of yoga) and doing pushups and sit ups. Doing these things leaves my mind clearer and happier directly afterward.]
Find joy in solitude. The original list only had 12, and I’m adding this one. I love time alone to think, listen to the radio, play guitar, write or cook. Some things are great to share, and some things are great to do alone. It’s an overlapping venn diagram, and I think it’s important to be okay with solitude. Embrace it when it’s available. I worry about people who can’t handle solitude even in small doses. When their loved ones aren’t readily available, they tend to be miserable because sharing, talking and directly interacting is the only way they know to be happy. This is not to diminish the very real gift of friends and authentic social stimulus (# 5 above). It’s just to say that if they aren’t around, happiness should still be within reach and life should still be an adventure.

Health - Thanksgiving, part 1

2011-11-10T14:12:00.003-07:00

I have friends and family that aren't healthy and suffer through some serious physical challenges. Having just completed a full physical with blood and urine analysis, I feel humbled and very grateful to be really healthy. It's probably a good idea to dwell on this gratitude while one is healthy. I thought I'd record it here on my blog to make sure I never caught myself saying "You don't appreciate what you have until it's gone." I think I'll take a hike this afternoon with Annie. If/when I get sick one day, I'll look back and be able to say "I used my healthy days well."

I have daily allergies and my vision isn't perfect, but that's about it. It makes me want to reach out and be whatever kind of support I can to my friends and family that are going through tough illnesses, cancer, chronic pain, etc.

From http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington:

Dad, two years later

2011-11-06T00:56:00.006-06:00

Two years since my dad died. If you ever want to examine the ingredients that made me exactly who I am today, take some quiet time to listen to tracks 4-7 that were recorded from his memorial service here.

My simple song "Mourning is Love" is the epitome of what I meant in titling my EP "The Thin of Thick Things." That song is a meager thin expression of the thick feelings, thoughts and truths surrounding his unexpected passing. If you want to hear the inspiration behind the song’s title, you can listen to Tim Flanigan's eloquent words on track 9.

The story behind the picture above (taken just several months before his accident) is also in Tim's talk. :)

Ideology can be annoying, I know.

2011-11-03T16:34:00.001-06:00

But I can't help it sometimes.

The more I look at the presidential field, the more I think that if a person really, really wants to be POTUS, and he feels he should be sitting in that seat, that pretty much makes him the type of personality I don't really trust in that seat. If on the other hand a good, balanced, educated, humble, prayerful leader type is reluctantly dragged by his colleagues and fellow citizens into the election and office and then simply does what he feels is best, that would make for a situation I feel better about. I don't think that's happened since George Washington, though I may be mistaken.

A guy can dream, right?

"He did not infringe upon the policy making powers that he felt the Constitution gave Congress. But the determination of foreign policy became preponderantly a Presidential concern. When the French Revolution led to a major war between France and England, Washington refused to accept entirely the recommendations of either his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, who was pro-French, or his Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, who was pro-British. Rather, he insisted upon a neutral course until the United States could grow stronger.

To his disappointment, two parties were developing by the end of his first term. Wearied of politics, feeling old, he retired at the end of his second. In his Farewell Address, he urged his countrymen to forswear excessive party spirit and geographical distinctions. In foreign affairs, he warned against long-term alliances.

Washington enjoyed less than three years of retirement at Mount Vernon, for he died of a throat infection December 14, 1799. For months the Nation mourned him."

Just a quick little history reminder for you and me. Carry on.

Boulder show at The Laughing Goat w/ Olivia Rudeen - Nov 19

2011-10-28T02:26:00.002-06:00

laughing goat oliva show poster_v2.pdf Download this file

Toilet Seat Covers, Episode 3: "Waiting in Vain"

2011-10-27T13:45:00.001-06:00

Toilet Seat Covers

2011-10-27T08:52:00.001-06:00

A series I started and now have to keep going, lest I become disappointed in myself. Here are the first two. The ones to come won't have so much talking in them, promise.

DIY Bathroom Remodel - Before & After

2011-10-17T16:53:00.002-06:00

An adventure in demolishing, painting, flooring, vanities/sinks (yes, plural purchases, returns and attempts), plumbing, mirror hanging, toilet installation, shelving, 401 trips to Home Depot, 2 trips to Lowes and unexpectedly doubling my tool collection.

I can now cut right through copper pipe and/or saw off a door frame flush with the floor. Just in case you were wondering.

New song demo

2011-10-07T01:31:00.001-06:00

5000 Miles Dse 2011 by Eric Forsyth Listen on Posterous

Recorded tonight for some critique listening sessions the next two days at the Durango Songwriters Expo.

Star Wars LDS humor

2011-10-05T09:40:00.002-06:00

Late night musings and unedited ramblings

2011-10-04T02:12:00.001-06:00

My sleep patterns now have me awake at 1:52am, Mountain Daylight Time. I find myself catching up on emails, work, watching movie trailers, and thinking.

Thinking about how cliche it is to feel that having a baby will change the way I see the world, but noticing it happening already, 3 months before his arrival.

Thinking about my dad and the eternities.

Thinking about my dog one day dying. Which makes me think I'm just totally a debbie downer. Who dwells on that?

A huge pack of coyotes just started howling and yelping in a hyper-carnal frenzy around the corner. A communal sound that probably means they just made a kill. It's like straight out of a scary movie. Sounds so wild and rabid. Happens almost every night in this neighborhood and the adjoining open space.

Thinking about playing guitar, rock climbing, eating good food, taking my annual nap that can actually be considered a nap and not just sleeping in the afternoon because you didn't sleep the night before.

And they are up and at 'em in Europe now. Emails starting to roll in. Time to start working again.

Lessons from the Mountain (Longs Peak, The Sequel)

2011-09-30T16:53:00.004-06:00

I climbed Longs Peak a couple years ago and posted a bit about it here. I went back up with my friends Zach and Nate earlier this month. Neither had done it before but Zach rides his bike to work everyday and Nate is a rock climber, so I figured they'd keep pushing me up the mountain. This climb was more difficult in some ways and less difficult in other ways compared to last time.

More difficult: I was seriously sleep deprived this time. Working on London time from Boulder, and working a few too many hours each day, I was barely sleeping the two weeks before this climb. But I was excited and determined to climb. I packed the right energy foods and electrolytes. I was all but physically prepared for a 5,100 foot elevation gain and scrambling up steep boulders at altitudes above 12,000 feet. (Longs is 14,259 ft. and the highest point in RMNP). Unlike last time, the altitude and sleep deprivation made me almost pass out in exhaustion/exersion at one point on the way back down from the summit. At one point, I stopped to sit down, and when I would blink, I would fall asleep. I couldn't sit and blink without the blink turning into unconsciousness. That was kind of concerning for safety reasons and the ensuing schlep back down was an exercise in mind over matter.

Also, there was some slippery/icy/snowing conditions on some of the already very tough scrambles for about a thousand vertical feet below the summit.

Less difficult: The weather at the keyhole was relatively mild and pleasant, but because we were climbing later in year, it was cold all the way up and down. I didn't take my fleece off the entire climb, no matter how hard I was hoofing it. Also, I knew where I was going and what I was doing this time, so my preparation made for a better and quicker climb. I think I was in better climbing shape this time too. But that was pretty much cancelled out by not starting with enough rest.

The thing that blows me away about this hike/climb is how long it takes to get back down. Our descent was almost as long as our ascent, which can be baffling, considering how tough the ascent can feel. I think it's slow coming down for two reasons:

1) The same scrambling that is tough and dangerous on the way up is tough and dangerous on the way down. "Slip and die" situations are just as much "slip and die" going down as they are going up. The ice and snow don't help to speed things up coming down.

2) We were energetic and stoked going up, so we made good time, even if I was backed up on 2 weeks of sleep. By the I was 9 hours into a grueling day and my only fuel was the 500 or so calories I could stomach (but lots of water, don't worry), I was reminded of the true clinical definition of exhaustion.

The lessons a climb like this teaches / reminds me:

Some things need to be done, not despite them being incredibly difficult but because they are incredibly difficult. You learn things about your own abilities on days like this. Especially when you start with the physical handicap with which I have to admit I started with, if I'm being honest about how stupid my experiment in sleep deprivation was. I've done this and other difficult climbs before and the life lessons and principles don't ever get diluted. Conquering a peak like this leaves you exhausted, but confident in other challenges in life. It proves that you can do things that others can not (or will not). Let that carry over to your personal and professional life, attack challenges smartly and with the tenacity of a 14th century Scottish warrior and you can do most anything. But starts and stops with the will. Physical preparation is important, but mental strength conquers all.

All things are relative. I climbed the standard full Half Dome trail (in Yosemite) a couple weeks before this climb. Some of my party on that hike didn't make it to the top. I felt great and made it to the Half Dome summit well before the rest of my party. That's a 14+ mile round trip hike with a 4,483 f.t elevation gain rising from about 4,000 feet to 8,483 feet, then back down again, of course. Except for the cable climb at the end, Half Dome is pretty much just a giant, fair weather StairMaster walk with incredible vistas all the way. No real adverse high elevation effects.

Longs Peak on the other hand starts at a trail head elevation above where Half Dome tops out. Longs Peak is also a 14 mile round trip day, and it gains 5,100 vertical feet, only about 600 more vertical feet than Half Dome, but the similarities stop there. Elevation makes a huge difference (to most mortals with normal lungs, hearts and brains effected by altitude). Also, the nature of the largely trail-less scramble up Longs' Keyhole route makes for a more strenuous experience on top of the effects of altitude. Longs Peak's high altitude struggle makes Half Dome feel like a lovely stroll through the Garden of Eden (which it is, by the way, and that's what's great about it).

Here's the elevation profile for Half Dome (round trip):

And here's the elevation profile for Longs Peak (just from the trailhead to the summit (notice the start and summit elevation difference):

Wilderness if good for the soul. 'Nuff said.

In conclusion:

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't - you're right." Henry Ford

My mom read me The Little Engine That Could a lot when I was a little boy. Thanks, mom.

Now, go climb a rock.

Humblebrag about Jaime after five years of marriage.

2011-09-30T13:56:00.007-06:00

Just a few (hundred) words about my roommate. Warning, this likely won't be a very manly post. Skip over to your favorite Ace Hardware or Motorcycle Chopper blog if you want a manly post today. I have other manly things to post about climbing mountains and home improvement projects and tripling my tool collection in the past month. I've got some catch-up blogging to do later. This is for Jaime.

On September 23rd, 2011 we had been married 5 years.

I feel really good about this woman. I hope she keeps on keeping me. I could list off the the ways she impresses me, but I've been thinking about it and I've decided to condense it into three main pieces of amazement.

Her laid back cheerfulness. I only list this because it's to the nth degree. She is what everyone wants to come home to and what everyone desires in a travel companion. She is cheerful, happy and loving enough that it perfectly counters the stress at work or other inconveniences of life that may be invading my busy mind, but she's not so bubbly head cheerleader ra-ra-sis-boom-unicorns-and-rainbows-ba that it annoyingly feels as though she doesn't know what life is really like. If things are going well, she makes them feel even better. If things are tough, she makes them feel fine. She's not an alarmist (like I am sometimes). She's nice. She thinks of others. She thinks of me a lot. She's cheerful in a comforting way, not an annoying way. I'm noticing now as I'm trying to write it, that this is quite difficult to express why this is so impressive in today's world. I figure you either know her and you get it, or you don't and you think I'm just going on and on about something kind of abstract and generic.

When I was in London for about 3 months without her this summer, that time served as a perfect case study for how her presence can clear the clouds of life. Or rather, how the lack of her presence can make a big difference. Now I'm home and kind of twitterpated. Sorry.

Her work ethic. Chalk this up her being raised well. I like to think I'm a crazy hard worker, but I know I didn't teach this to her. I'm sure all that nice stuff I mentioned in the above paragraphs plays an integral role here as well. She's had steady work keeping her busy since we've been married. Ever since the very first week when we I moved her life to Miami, then Boulder, she goes after local jobs and gets them. She has other unexpected gigs offered to her just because people like her so much. She proven trustworthy, smart and very likable and so I guess people throw opportunities at her (mostly to take care of their kids). The thing that really opens these opportunities up to her: She's open to them. She wants to work. Lately she's been nannying for a disabled boy and her brother, babysitting others at night, substitute teaching at Boulder Country Day School and working at Pottery Barn Kids as a seasonal gig, just for the discount.

Now that she's nesting and getting later in the pregrancy, I've been begging her to stop working so much and I think she's starting to humor me this week. I've been working hard for over 5 years so she can afford to do that now. She's got a dog, the pending birth of our first kid, church callings, friends and part time gigs to keep her plenty busy in the meantime until she's got her hands 110% full with our infant son. Her cheerful desire to work and stay busy is nice. I think I'd be pretty annoyed if I married someone who didn't have this important character trait. It would probably be a huge point of tension. Instead, it's a huge motivation for me to keep up with her, and is good for our communal ambition, thus resulting in a healthy level of prosperity for (and in preparation of) our our little growing family. She deserves a lot of credit for that.

Her beauty. She's just getting better and better looking. I love her jaw, her tiny nose, her eyes, her hair, her teeth, her giant dimples and other parts of her body I'll spare description. You know how they say pregnant women glow? Well Jaime glows anyway, so whatever.

I often hear realists warn that marriage is hard. That it's a lot of work. With my limited experience I'd like to counter that with a clarifying correction: Life if hard. A successful life takes work. Marriage, when cared for and your friend and partner is picked wisely, is a treat that makes said life a whole lot better. So stop saying that marriage is hard and takes work unless you're just picking on marriage as one aspect of a general life principle of work.

And if you think I'm just luckier than most, then fine. I can live with that. And no, you can't have her.

Love this girl.

Marty McFly's BTTF Nikes finally exist for sale (auction, actually)

2011-09-09T09:46:00.001-06:00

Headshot? Headshot.

2011-08-25T13:04:00.002-06:00

My best clean shaven haley joel osment impersonation.

Go climb a rock.

2011-08-23T01:57:00.003-06:00

Posted from the summit of Half Dome, August 22, 2011

Sent from my Windows Phone

Telling this with a sigh

2011-08-14T17:49:00.003-06:00

The Road Not Taken:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost, 1915

London Epiblog

2011-08-11T22:21:00.003-06:00

Jaime here.

As was probably mentioned in a previous post, I returned home from London the day before "The Wedding," but Eric had to stay behind and work. He came back for nearly two weeks in May and June, and I returned to London for the last week in July. Living without your soul mate/partner in crime/lover sucks - that is the nicest word I can think of to explain my June, July, and August. I haven't wanted to blog because my life has simply been full of nannying and skyping with Eric. My friends have been awesome, and Annie has kept me busy, too, but she's no substitute.

I consider myself a fairly independent person, so typically when Eric is out of town on business or whatnot, I like having space. However, for those of you who don't know but somehow happen to read our blog, I have been pregnant since April (found out the day Eric came back to the States for his first visit). I feel really blessed that he has gotten to be here for a couple of my DTD (down there doctor) appointments - specifically our first ultrasound/hearing of the heartbeat. But he has missed out on a lot of the morning sickness, cramps, exhaustion, and all around belly growth that comes with the first 18 weeks of pregnancy.

But no more tears or sad faces, Eric is finally coming home in less than 6 days. We get to have date nights, go to the new Ikea that just opened, he gets to help clean up, I get to cook dinner for more than myself, and we get to hold hands and cuddle. Most importantly he gets to experience my pregnant self. Eric has been absolutely wonderful in preparing to be a father though. It is very possible that he knows more about the actual labor/delivery process than me, and is becoming very mentally prepared for our new baby, and for our future.

Now about London, when I last saw my er bear. I picked up these little souvenirs via Cath Kidston and thanks to my mom who sent me money to get some fun stuff in London. The blue doesn't necessarily mean we know we are having a boy - we find that out September 1st - but I figured this could be used for either.

More baby stuff to come later; and there will be plenty.

Luckily it was Eric's birthday when I was there, but unluckily that was about the only day we took pictures. So here we go: in the morning of Eric's birthday we went to The Colombia Road Flower Market. The pictures follow:

Always super crowded, especially on a sunny day.

There were so many beautiful flowers; a few of them I had never even seen before.

Look how amazing those roses are: "Free (3) for a fivuh!"

These guys were playing at the end - how awesome do they look? They sounded even better.

Eric's sneaky snap shot of me with the flowers that he bought me for his birthday. So nice.

I was literally a thousand times happier being with Eric than I had been the entire month previous. People in the street who were trying to get me to sign up for stuff were perplexed by my happiness.

That night, we went to the home of one of Eric's co-worker's, Dayoung, whose mom and sister made us real-deal Korean food. Being pregnant, I almost threw up once or twice, but most of it was AMAZING!

Dried squid (think Squid jerky). I almost threw up from the smell.

Eric got to play the drums. I love it when he plays the drums - Look at his cute happy face.

Brittany, Rebecca, Gen

Brittany, Gen

Jenny

Dayoung and her mom behind all the yummy food they made.

Really yummy.

More Friends

View from the balcony.

It was a fantastic week we had together. Eric had a big TV commercial shoot to do that week, so he was super busy and sometimes didn't get home until late. But my favorite part was 1) Eating at Nando's, and 2) Just sitting on the couch or in bed watching Treme together. I can't hardly wait for 6 more days.

Sometimes I blog things just so i won't forget to reference them later

2011-08-07T16:35:00.001-06:00

like breakfast when I have my kitchen back. 2 weeks.

Commonly confused words

2011-07-20T06:28:00.005-06:00

My mom, who I consider a vocab queen, has rubbed off on me. I'm noticing that people are using words in ways that don't fit their actual meaning. I'm not just talking about the abuse of the words "literally" and "unique" (when "literally unique" is abused, that's the best*), but those are good stereotypical examples of the problem.

Find out if you've been incorrectly understanding any of these other commonly confused words.

(Click for a larger view)

*denotes sarcasm

Our standard date night these days.

2011-07-19T04:59:00.005-06:00

It's been just over a month apart now. Sometimes we just leave Skype on while we're hanging out, I'm working, she's shopping for baby stuff online, spending all my money, etc., so it's almost like she's here. Or I'm there. Kinda. Jaime's coming out to London for a week at the end of this week, which is really, (really) really, (really) great.

This one is for the good folks in analytics who often don't have an easy job.

2011-07-17T14:33:00.001-06:00

Milk Carton Kids

2011-07-14T03:48:00.001-06:00

I have Joey Ryan's albums where he initially recorded this tune as a solo record. This is a fantastic progression.

Fwd: Annie

2011-07-13T17:18:00.002-06:00

The important email updates I get from back at the ranch, seven hours behind me. Dogs and pregnant women get to nap. Sometimes I'd like to be a dog. That's as far as I'll take that.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jaimebug
Date: Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 11:56 PM
Subject: Annie
To: Eric Forsyth

Nap time at the Forsyth home.

Sent from iJaime

Pathetic confession time: Annie and Me

2011-07-10T15:39:00.001-06:00

Things I do, although I shouldn't at the moment: Watch Marley and Me on TV when I miss my dog. The end of this movie makes me feel less of a man (no reason, don't ask), and more of a man at the same time ('best friend,' after all.). Jaime's home with Annie and she says Annie misses me too. Not sure how she knows that, but I'm going to believe her, since I know Annie's not hitting the neighborhood trails as hard as she does when I'm home.

I've said it before, but I connect to this movie (and book, which I read before the movie was released) quite a bit, since Jaime and I are following a similar path to the couple in the movie:

- I work in media. He a journalist/columnist, me in advertising.

- I married (and/or met) Jaime up north where it's cold, then immediately we moved to South Florida.

- We got our crazy lab dog in South Florida as newlyweds, just like them. Dog beach adventures, obedience school, etc.

- We moved to a hilly, region when we left Miami, like they did (And I've lived in Suburban Philadelphia (Bucks County), where they move to).

- We're starting a family now, but feel like we started our family with Annie a while ago, in a sense.

That's all. Don't mind me.

Progeny Prep (if there is such a thing).

2011-06-24T14:03:00.006-06:00

Knowing you're have a baby, a kid, a human, coming in seven months or so is the weirdest feeling ever.

I thought my life was full of excitement and mystery and "what's next?" already. But now I feel I've barely touched the surface thus far. Although this kid was planned, the 'holy poop, we're going to have Forsyth progeny and what on earth are we going to name him/her and what will our governing parenting principles be and what about schools and college and the shotgun I'll have to buy if she's a girl' thoughts still descended rather suddenly on me like the heaviest helium challenge and responsibility I've ever attempted to carry.

I'm pretty sure "attempted" is going to be the operative word over the next 20+ years as we bushwhack on this journey.

I say 'heaviest helium' because it's still a positive, floating feeling. We're ecstatic and hopeful.

I was having a good talk with my good friend Dave almost 2 years ago, shortly after he and his wife Jessica had a (cutest) girl (ever), Penny. Jaime and I weren't trying to have a kid then, but I was voicing my stereotypical concerns of being able to afford all the things I'd want for my future child (both financially and time-wise), and some hesitation to jump in. I must have used the word "scared." He responded with some friendly empathy and then expressed in his newly-minted father voice "Being afraid of having a kid is like being afraid of winning a million bucks."

You may think that's clear, but Dave has his masters in Economics, so I hope there wasn't some complicated allegory that I missed on how a million dollars is actually not much, or actually a horrible thing, or something. I think not, though.

Dave's words are pretty much what I'm going to ride until mid-January at which point I won't I won't be mentioning it around Jaime anymore - lest in the delivery room she break every bone in my hand and scream at me "THIS! IS NOT! A! MILLION! BUCKS!" Wouldn't want to seem flippant, now.

Oh man. Here we go. Wish me luck and give me wisdom and courage. I recon the course of one's life is pretty much determined by those three things all kickboxing each other in a triangular ring.

---

p.s. I am hereby declaring and time stamping it on the interwebs for all to see: I'm pretty confidant we're having a boy. I'll get into my logical reasoning on a later post (these things are determined by logic, right?).

Why we love our neighborhood

2011-06-23T06:40:00.006-06:00

I was home in Louisville for two weeks in May and two weeks in June. When I'm there, I love to take walks/runs around my neighborhood, which actually means walks around the beautiful open space against my neighborhood. Louisville open space borders Boulder open space (say that five times fast), so you can keep going for a long time. Here are a couple videos of a standard walk Jaime and I took last week, just within the Louisville open space minutes from our door. Not so standard for everyone, but I love that it's standard for us. Feeling lucky.

There may, or may not, be a surprise for those of you that make it through both videos.

Salzburg and Hallstatt videos

2011-06-20T04:18:00.002-06:00

I just realized I never posted these videos from our weekend in Salzburg and Hallstatt, Austria in April.

The first one is from the top of Festung Hohensalzburg, looking at Salzburg below and Untersberg (the mountain) in the distance.

Then we drove to Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Amazing room, right on Hallstättersee. Can't wait to go back there and jump off that diving board right into the lake on a warm day.

Personal freedom vs. Having federal law support all your personal beliefs. Pick one. Only one.

2011-06-15T22:19:00.001-06:00

Or at least put down the ducky if you wanna' play the saxophone.

I don't usually blog my political thoughts. Tonight's an exception. Stop now if you hate that kind of stuff.

I don't understand how some can insist they want government (especially federal) off our backs for the sake of our individual liberties and freedoms, but push so hard to amend the United States constitution and/or create federal laws and regulations that impose their particular beliefs on 100% of the population.

But wait, I'll let you in on a not-so-secret that you probably ought to keep in mind when reading the rest of this verbose post: I'm a christian. You might think I'm pretty big-time, actually, if you gauge by how much time I spend "living" my religion and how much of my life is directed by my beliefs (even not-so-transparently in some ways). I don't thump bibles or say "Hallelujah" or predict the day of the Apocalypse or anything crazy. But it's safe to say that I'm super-duper Christian when it comes to the foundation of my faith. Sorry if you're disappointed. If you are, I can all but guarantee you it's because you don't actually know me. My great Atheist, Jewish, gay, Flying Spaghetti Monster, whatever, friends know what I'm talking about.

There are many things that I believe very strongly. I even strongly disagree with those that openly oppose and antagonize my personal* beliefs, even if I ought not to sometimes. I admit, I'm known among my friends and family to appear hungry for a debate (on any topic, usually not religion, actually - I learned years ago how to talk about religion without debating) and even "like to argue" (which I like to deny, at least in the antagonistic, negative definition). However, just because I believe something - and often because I believe something - I do not want to impose those beliefs on others. No matter how sure of myself I am. On the contrary, it is the freedom to believe whatever I want that has led and allowed me to find so much contentment and happiness in my beliefs. If I turned around and rallied to revoke that freedom from those who believe contrary to my beliefs, it would seem very hypocritical and narrow-minded, wouldn't it? (Because of my belief in this guiding principle, some of my peers are often surprised out of their gourd to learn quite late in our relationship that I'm - gasp! - an active, normal Mormon. But that is neither here nor there.)

You can't have one foot in the Atlantic Ocean and another in the Pacific. (Keep your Panama Canal and Cape Horn jokes to yourself, clever kid. It's figurative, leave me alone.)

I propose you try an exercise I played out in my head earlier this week. Follow these steps and don't skip ahead until each step is done:

Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. Fetch your favorite pen or pencil in your favorite color, just to make sure we're having loads of fun here.
On the left list all your strong personal beliefs, whether they be based on theology, spirituality, patriotism, tradition or general principle.
Now clear your mind. Take a short break. (This is optional, but I think it might influence the end. Maybe not.)
On the right, list all the things you think every American in every single state should be coerced by federal law to do, or be prohibited from doing. Think about this carefully and make sure you understand that this is not a list of ways you wish the world were better or easier for you to live in. This is a list of laws and regulations you wish were in the federal law books and if not followed would make a person a criminal anywhere in the USA. These are principles you should throw someone in jail (or heavily fine or otherwise harshly punish) for believing and acting against anywhere in this country.
Now, observe both lists. How much of your two lists are the same? Could you make a giant Venn diagram out of it? Why or why not?

That's all.

You can draw your own conclusions from your personal lists. Here are some guiding questions for pondering: How many of your personal beliefs are just that - *personal, no matter how "correct" they seem to you and your friends - and how many of them do you wish were mandated universal behavior codes? Can you recall any stories where an individual or leader - even an individual with a ca. 33% approval rating and large following - also wanted to coerce 100% of the population to believe as he believed and do as he did?

Here's a related list exercise, if you want. Grab that favorite pen that makes your hand happy. List all your favorite musicians, artists, writers, filmmakers, explorers, athletes and respectable leaders.

Would they agree with everything on your previous lists?
Does that bother you when you actually take the time to think about where you likely don't have the same beliefs? Why or why not?
Would you want to force them to comply with your beliefs if you could do so simply and legally?
If you could go back in time and snap your fingers to gently brainwash them into agreeing with your entire lists while they were still young and impressionable, would you like to have that chance?
If you did that, do you think they'd still grow up to become the musician, artist, writer, filmmaker, explorer, athlete or the same respectable leader you admire or enjoy today? What do you think the hypothetical ramifications of universal dictatorial coercion of polarizing beliefs are? Best case scenario? Worst case scenario?

We're all different. While what you believe may very well be universal truth, it's a different thing entirely to want to forcibly blanket an entire country as large and diverse as the United States of America with your "truth." For example, if it means people literally have to choose between being American and being gay, or having an abortion. No matter how much I appreciate the divine inspiration and intervention with which I believe this nation and it's constitution were founded, that does not mean I or the federal government get to take away the right to choose. Even if I fiercely disagree with how you handled your choice. Live and let live.

Let's pretend for a moment that I felt very strongly about Bill Bryson books and Calvin and Hobbes comics. I think they're great for the human mind and spirit. Very uplifting and edifying. To not even give them a chance is to offend me personally. That doesn't mean I want the Dept. of Education to make them required reading, punishable by a failing grade or a federal tax increase or a fine if you fail to comply. Even if 65% of my fellow Americans agree. Even then. I think you catch my drift and I hope you see the principle behind it.

States, counties and cities on the other hand - go for it. Let democracy thrive, even if a polarizing opinion and crippling government regulation prevails every now and then in some communities. And if you can't stand living there after democracy has had its way, you have every right to move to another state, county or city where your neighbors don't make your blood boil (as much as I realize that's quite inconvenient). Or you could, of course, take part in the democratic process (could? or should?) and fight (civilly) for what you think is best for your community. You can even run for office. Who's stopping you?

In the meantime, I invite you to think outside the partisan bases - a place where otherwise good folks wander in and unsuspectingly (or willingly?) have their peripheral vision scratched out by stubborn bigots seeking a false sense of "community" in collective beliefs.

The larger, actual community is at stake. But you won't be able to see that far from a narrow point of view. The very freedom that allows you to participate and scream and yell (or not) is what's at stake.

This is how I'm thinking today. I may learn new things and think otherwise in a week or a year or a decade. Sometimes I chill with the ducky. Sometimes I rock the saxophone. But l'm having a hard time watching others try to do both at the same time.

Work hard, be kind, and realize that it's okay that life will change what your dreams are.

2011-06-13T14:11:00.005-06:00

The economy and the world is very different than when I started college in 2000. But this would have been good advice back then as well. Pretty funny, too.

"It is our failure to become our perceived ideal that ultimately defines us and makes us unique. It's not easy, but if you accept your misfortune and handle it right, your perceived failure can become a catalyst for profound reinvention."

Gardening, Painting, Going for Walks, Driving to Ohio

2011-06-09T10:44:00.000-06:00

My time in Colorado since I returned home from London has been relatively relaxing. I have started working again which has been nice, but the family I work for is vacationing in Hawaii, so it's project time. Of course I have had to make up for four months of missed friend time, so I have been visiting them, too.

I am really happy that I got back in time to plant my veggies for the summer. It's been fairly hot here, so I have had to go out and water them every day, but everything is flourishing and growing just splendidly. I'll be eating salad from my garden before I know it.

Thanks for planing my flowers before I got home Breanne!

Starting from closest: sweet peas (the big dark leaves), carrots (parsley looking stems dispersed throughout), lettuce (leafy light green mass), more sweet peas, and a few tomato plants. I also planted some hot pepper seeds by the tomatoes, which 1 or 2 are coming up, but you can't really see those very well right now.

We have some painting projects we have been putting off and decided we better get those started. We need to paint our hall; as you can see it is a sick yellow. (Eric is the best at taping before painting.) And we also need to paint our room. Our room is strange: it gets mostly all natural light, so apparently that means that the color of the walls change all day. I have painted 6 different swatch colors and they all look good for only part of the day. We may just resort to off-white.

I also took a road trip with Annie to Ohio about two weeks ago. My parents live there, so it was really nice to go see them. Annie really enjoyed running in the forest in their back yard. She also enjoyed running through the mud puddles. I can't say the same for her enjoyment of getting hosed off after the mud puddles, but she's always a good dog.

Mom drove back with me and she got to experience Boulder on Memorial Day. We were on Pearl St. and we saw Batman, Superman, Cat Woman, Captain America, The Joker, Penguin, Spiderman, Superwoman, and about 5 other villains and heroes walk by us as we were eating lunch. The little kids there had the best Memorial Day ever. And so did I: I got to eat at Smashburger with my Mom.

Annie had Luxury First Class out there and back...and made a new friend.

Eric is back for this week and next week, then he's off to London again through the end of July :( sad face - he has to spend his birthday alone in London. :( :( double sad face. I will miss him a lot, but at least I don't have to clean up my organizing chaos in between. It will be nice to really get projects done, but I would way rather have Eric home.

Um, Santos 2012.

2011-06-06T18:42:00.002-06:00

http://drypen.in/advertising/agency-structure-of-advertising-agency.html

So you want to work in an ad agency?

2011-06-01T18:11:00.010-06:00

I sometimes get notes and phone calls from random college students and recently graduated job seekers that heard from someone that I work at an agency they admire. I was on a roll and just wrote this latest kid a novella, since I can't sleep tonight anyway. Thought it might make for a blog post if you're having trouble sleeping too.

WARNING: If this doesn't make you go to sleep then you may need to go into advertising.

On 06/01/11 3:31 PM, XXXXX XXXXXX wrote:

--------------------

Eric,

Thank you for getting back to me so soon. A lot of my questions revolve around two main points. I am new to the whole idea of working at an agency. Until recently it hadn't even hit me as an option. But now that I have been more involved in my advertising and design classes I realized that is where my strengths lie. So I guess my main questions for you are what are the different opportunities/positions available at an agency, and what can I do to prepare for an internship at an agency?

I would also love to hear your story and experience. Xxxx Xxxxxxx told a bit of your background with working for Volkswagen, but it would be great to know more. I'd also love to hear from you what agency life is like. Pros? Cons? Favorite aspects? I am just an ad agency sponge that wants to soak it all in.

Thanks so much for taking your time to help me out with this. I appreciate it.

-----

MY REPLY:

Oh dear. So much to learn. It's good you want to learn. But you'll have to become your own student and not rely just on school and formal programs. Be a geek if you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, what do you enjoy? Do that. Here's a giant checklist to start so you're never bored.

1. Subscribe to the daily AdAge and AdWeek Emails. Read the articles. Other options are BrandWeek, and a quick updating, kinda gossipy ad trade blog agencyspy.com. Be in the know. Know way more about agencies all over the country (and world) than your young gun peers. If you are the most ad industry savvy of your peers at BYU-I, that doesn't mean much, but it's where you should be anyway. It's a good start.

2. Pick up books by ad veterans, like Paul Arden (i.e. "Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite," and "It's Not how Good you Are, It's How Good You Want To Be." They are super cheap and worth owning and reading about once a year.) Watch movies like "Art & Copy." Read books about culture that interest you. Know what's going on, even if you don't have time to know everything deeply, just know it's there.

3. Get digital. Follow websites like thefwa.com, be a geek on gizmodo.com and understand what flash is, HTML 5 is, different types of web banners, email marketing, CRM schemes, social media trends of the hour, social media marketing campaigns of the hour. How does an agency go about building an entire website to serve a client's goals? Why do the sites do what they do and how do people end up there? Where do they go from there? What's a KPI when it comes to online marketing? This will evolve about as quickly as you learn it, so it's a fun hobby to stay on top of.

4. Become a fan and student of advertising that's not advertising at all. Powerful messaging comes from a powerful product truth. How can the company bring that product truth to life in the consumer's life in a way that changes culture, not just takes advantage of current, already existing trends?

5. Get an internship at a big agency for the exposure. Doesn't have to be giant with offices all over the country/world, but should have national accounts and do really smart, strategic, creative work. If you start there (EVEN FOR FREE), you'll have many more options in your future. You can always settle down for a boring job that isn't as chaotic and demanding later. But you may not always be able to jump into the creative bandwagon. Be willing to move and live in Miami, Minneapolis, LA, NYC, Portland, San Francisco, Austin, Boulder, Richmond and other cities I'm surely leaving out. If you're hesitant to drop your life in one location and go for the gold at a crazy low paying job at a worldly agency in a place you've never been, then you'll be limited to what your options are in the future. If you're flexible and adventurous in college and the first 5-8 years after (and work like a mad man and never stop learning), it'll open up more doors and put you near the top of recruiters lists later. Be willing to work your butt off - nights, weekends, be the guy that will go pick up food at midnight and build binders or proofread copy when what you'd rather be doing is hanging out with your family and friends. It'll get better, promise. Kinda.

6. Be humble and smart. Although you may be intimidated by all the progressive hipsters that seem to fit in so well in this industry, you can be yourself. Be natural and real. But make sure that "yourself" is super smart and nice to have around. Of course, if you're a creative urban type, that's an advantage and will help you fit in on top of your smart humility. But first and foremost surround yourself with people smarter than you and soak in everything you can.

7. The resume and interviews: What makes you stand out? (Not just 'what makes you qualified,' although that's obviously important.) Find it early and make it something worth having, hiring and paying for. Make sure it's clear on your resume and the cliche' stuff isn't getting in the way of seeing why you would be the kind of person that a CEO would want representing him and his company / agency. Make sure to do your thorough research on the agency culture wherever you may be applying.

8. (Editor's note: #8 was added in retrospect, after I already sent my note to him.) Keep in touch with your favorite and most influential / open-door professional contacts you meet along your adventure. Aka 'networking' and aka 'duh.' Nobody should need to tell you this is basic and paramount. But I've also found this pretty much happens automatically if you're at all likable and good at what you do (see 1-7 above).

(Exhale)

Good thing I'm a bit of a loner insomniac this week, working out of town. I'm pretty sure I just wrote the skeleton of a presentation I could give at the next BYU-I Communications Day. Know who puts the guest speakers together? Ha.

As far what job you want in the agency, that's something only you'll know. If you don't know what departments are in a typical larger agency and how they tick and roll along, learn that. Here's a really basic agency structure 1.0 resources i just found with one Google search:

Scour agency websites about the jobs they have open to see what on earth they are even called at various agencies. i.e. Some places call Account Management "Content Management." Account Planners (or just "planners") can be "Cognitive Anthropologists." Not kidding. But most agencies share the same or similar names for positions.

AGENCY JOBS:

Planners find the cultural and business insights that shape a creative brief and the strategy we sell to clients and build work from. In a good agency, they are the unsung heroes of the best work.

Creatives take that strategy and come up with how to apply it to the media. They are copywriters and art directors, creative directors. There are also studio workers and designers, creative technologists and other specialties, but mostly writers and artists that are supremely creative and hard working.

Traffic Managers (or Project Managers) help guide creative and account Managers toward a deadline. They keep all projects on track, organized and on schedule internally.

Account Management (or Account Services or Content Management) are the liaison between the clients and the agency. They are the central hub of organized, client friendly ad experts that work with every department inside the agency as well as vendors and partners outside the agency, not to mention clients, of course, to guide a campaign or project from before its inception (when the client comes to the agency with a task, i.e. a new product launch, or rebranding) all the way through the brief and concepting and back and forth with clients, and media planning and into production to create the TV or Radio or print or OOH (out-of-home) or online work or all of the above, to the details of pushing that work out into the world through whatever means or partner companies you work with to get it into the real (or digital) world, to the post-launch analytics and post-mordems and continual beta tweaking and optimizing (for digital work, it's rarely "finished," even after launch)....then it all starts over and projects overlap so you're always juggling and managing something. This is what I do. Account people need to be experts of their clients' industry within weeks, whether that's cars or phones or pizzas or credit cards or online services, and they need to be friends and champions of everyone within the agency as well. A good account person remembers that he works for his agency, not his client. That is sometimes easy to forget.

Production: producers are the cool cats that actually create the TV spot or digital marvel the creatives thought up but have no idea how to actually create. They have the resources and knowledge to guide the approved ideas into actual work that consumers end up seeing and interacting with. There are broadcast producers, interactive producers, print producers, etc. Each is pretty specialized.

There are more very important and essential departments and positions, i.e. media planners, media buyers, business affairs, art buyers, analytics, interaction designers, and of course the programmers / developers that actually bring the digital ideas to life. Plus all the overhead positions that keep the employees' paychecks coming and building functioning, of course. At least in a big agency. The smaller the agency, the more that stuff may be done by anyone from the owner to the "new kid."

That's all I've got in my system tonight. I'd recomend you get out there and get inside some agencies so you can see what they look like on the inside. Talk to more people and see if I'm just full or crap, so you can get a wider perspective.

But above all, do #5 above. The rest will come naturally if you're actually excited and interested in it.

Best,

eric

jetset/lag blues

2011-05-24T13:07:00.001-06:00

Flew the red eye to London over Sunday night / Monday morning. Fortunately I was able to sleep in my coach window seat for about...4 hours total? I dunno, combining three interrupted naps. The crappy thing about flying that far east is that hours of your day / night literally vanish into thin air. The flight took off at 8:40pm, Mountain Time, and landed in London at lunch time, 12:30pm the next day. But the flight was just under 9 hours and I felt like I had slept sitting up for only a few. Because I had.

It's a good thing I slept a bit on the plane, because last night, Monday night, I was up all night waiting and working on materials for a client meeting today, and finally closed my eyes just before 5am, then woke up every 45 minutes to check my email for the the next 4 hours, before taking a shower and going to the office.

So today, Tuesday, I'm a wee bit tired. Tired I can handle. What's really annoying is that right around dinner time (it's now 6pm in London), my eyes still sting a little, I'm still breathing heavily (a not very commonly portrayed symptom of being really tired - I sigh a lot), but mentally, I've been active and firing enough of the day now that I'm warmed up and it's going to be hard to slow down to go to sleep. So now I'm finding myself in the place where I should go to bed soon and just sleep through the night, but I'll be lucky if I get to bed before midnight.

UPDATE: 7:50pm.

After an invigorating urban walk to the grocery store and then home, I felt even more awake. Made and ate a delicious burger and salad. Ate. Glorious food coma coming on. There may be hope for me tonight after all

UPDATE 7:51pm. Bon Iver's "Re: Stacks" just came on shuffle. I think if I listen to this song over and over again, I could sleep. Love that song. Buy it today. So beautiful and simple. That's my plan tonight. Re: Stacks on repeat and a Tylenol PM.

Boulder show on Wednesday.

2011-05-14T14:44:00.002-06:00

Laughing Goat poster.pdf Download this file

So cliché.

2011-05-13T20:39:00.002-06:00

We spend a lot of effort trying to be unique and avoiding clichés. I just (mostly inadvertently) had the most cliché Boulder / Happy Valley experience and decided that cliché isn't so bad. I want more cliché.

I drove my Subaru to go fly fishing at the neighborhood Louisville, CO lake. So cliché.

Then there I was, fly fishing in my plaid shirt and trucker hat. So cliché.

As I was wrapping up, I enjoyed the perfect weather and gorgeous sunset over Boulder and the Indian Peaks Wilderness. So cliché.

I walked around the lake, back to my Subaru and said hi to two friends from the neighborhood that happened to be there. So cliché.

I put the key in the ignition and opened up the car doors before I broke down my fly rod and, of course, Nick Drake's Pink Moon was playing on the stereo. So cliché.

So I happily drove home to my happy, beautiful wife and happy, loyal Black Labrador. So cliché.

We wanted pizza. So we're going to go get delicious pizza. So cliché. (Okay, that's just super cliché for me, and I never plan to fight it.)

I'm gladly cliché. At least around here.

Happy belated Easter, indeed.

2011-05-01T16:48:00.006-06:00

I spent Easter weekend lounging around the beautiful and luckily sun-soaked, quaint country roads and fields of Somerset, England with Jaime, her visiting parents and some old and new friends. We were surrounded by sunshine, very early Christian history, family and friends the entire trip. Away from the hustle and bustle of central London, with a 4-day weekend to slow down, enjoy God's sunlight bathing over the rebirth of spring's green, green grass and wax philosophical, I used it as best I could.

The topic of caring for your elderly ailing parents has been coming up in various real and fictional stories I've crossed lately. I think about my mom and worry about the day (decades from now, I'm sure) when she might fall to an unfortunate physical ailment that makes her life difficult. It happens.

But of course, I also think about my dad. And how he'd be glad he went out in a quick blaze of glory on his motorcycle at 53 years old. This is taboo to say. We all miss him so much, my mom most of all, but there's no denying that his sudden departure also knocked some light into a lot of lives. It made people close to him think about the man he was, and who he'd want and already encouraged us to be. In that hard-to-admit sense, something good came of it, which wouldn't have happened if those same people were 40 years older and he slowly slipped away after years of hospice care, or battling Alzheimer's in one of his sons' family's basement. He didn't want it to happen that way. He even made the effort to bring it up quite clearly a couple times in my teenage years. I certainly know he didn't want to leave as soon as he did. But I do believe he hoped, but certainly didn't plan, to go as suddenly as he did, while still sharp as a tack.

Might I be so lucky: Live long enough to leave an amazing legacy, but not so long as to feel like a burden.

Of course, nobody likes to talk about how they want to die. Not in any serious sense, at least. We'd rather just live forever. So that's what I plan to do. With Jaime and my mom and dad and brothers and progeny. Live forever. I'm dead serious. No pun intended.

And that's the totally practical application this year's "Happy Easter."

home by toothpicks

2011-04-27T19:34:00.001-06:00

Thanks to my cousin Anna for finding this. This man's creation and creativity blew me away. He did a great job of capturing the stories of the San Francisco Bay.

<p>Scott Weaver's Rolling through the Bay from Learning Studio on Vimeo.</p>

Cheddar, Somerset, England

2011-04-23T15:52:00.001-06:00

I love cheese. This was fun visiting Cheddar, seeing how they still make cheese in small batches by hand and age them in the Cheddar Gorge's caves with its constant humidity. Tasty stuff.

The secret to temporary happiness

2011-04-21T12:39:00.001-06:00

Sent from my Windows Phone

More Munich / Salzburg / Hallstatt photos

2011-04-18T06:58:00.004-06:00

In a previous post, i shared some of the simple photos I took with my phone. Now, all the real photos from our 3-day weekend can be see on my facebook page here, along with some commentary.

Here are a few selects.

London Symphony Orchestra

2011-04-18T06:23:00.005-06:00

The LSO last night was amazing. Jaime and I were really blown away and felt like we witnessed something truly world class.

There was one point during Stravinsky's "The Firebird" when the intense inferno movement starts and I nearly jumped out of my seat. I was listening and reading the Program(me) notes, when the sudden BANG! hits and if I had coke and a popcorn, I would have been sharing them with the nice folks three rows back and maybe the double basses on the stage in front of us.

They also played this Suite called "Fire and Blood" inspired by the "Detroit Industry" mural by Diego Rivera. It's by an American composer and he was in the audience and got a huge applause when he made his stage call after his piece. It had tons of brake drum clanks and ratchets and fun percussion, plus mariachi band-esque Mexican influence (based on Rivera and his wife), and a mind boggling violin solo throughout one of the movements. Read more about it from the perspective of the conductor, here.

Jaime really liked watching the conductor - he was having fun up there. Kind of like this kid (you should watch this all the way through).

Freedom

2011-04-13T07:22:00.001-06:00

William Wallace was dragged behind a horse to Smithfield Market, steps from where I work in London, then hung, drawn and quartered here. Right next to an Anglican church that's been here since 1123.

That kind of stuff just isn't around the corner from the office in the States.

And in a weird way, that's why I like the States, especially the west. Relatively unspoiled country, well cared for by Natives until we showed up. No Anglo-Saxon ancient history tickling your feet at every corner. You can go to the grocery store, then drive into the true wilderness

Still, this is pretty cool.

Munich/Salzburg/Hallstatt trip

2011-04-10T18:02:00.003-06:00

I'm sitting on the Stansted Express train to go back to central London from the airport. I thought I'd post a few camera phone shots from one of the coolest weekends I've had in a long time. I'll let the photos speak for themselves and provide more commentary from my computer, along with nicer DSLR photos later.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Identity crisis?

2011-04-04T19:18:00.013-06:00

This who I am to people:

I don't drink, smoke, use illegal drugs or even swear (much). I'm married, have a mortgage, go to church, and am even involved in Boy Scouts. I know more useless Star Wars "facts" than I'm proud to admit, and I wear collared shirts much more often than tee shirts, even though my steady job requires no particular dress code. In high school, I had a letterman jacket, but it was from a fine-arts letter earned through years of band, choir, drama, etc. I'm a bit overweight and I have allergies. According to my last voter registration, I'm a registered Republican. At one point I carried a Michigan driver's license. By this description I'm pretty much the squarest dude on earth. And it's all true.

In contrast, some people know this other guy:

He's a drummer, guitarist, and rock band veteran. He has owned motorcycles (plural), and is an addicted snowboarder, skateboarder, and outdoorsman. He works in advertising, wears thick-framed glasses and shades, drives a VW and has a hot woman and an awesome dog. He grew up in California but has lived in major east coast, Midwest, tropical, and inter-mountain west markets, as well as more than a couple years in Europe. He's bilingual. His favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off and pretty much strives to live a life that makes Ferris look boring. He's big on tolerance, cultural education and open-mindedness. He listens to NPR and is currently thinking about his next album release while planning another adventure in a foreign country.

Together, here's where I've noticed we're netting out: Between the urbane hipsters who get nervous/contemptuous around anyone who doesn't drink and has already been married four and a half years at 28 years old, and the quiet, church-going family types who like to put down roots and not cause a ruckus - our combined presence is bound to make most anyone uncomfortable. Just for different reasons.

Those who are open minded, no matter where they come from, tend to get along with me splendidly.

love letter

2011-03-29T07:13:00.001-06:00

Nothing's funnier than ending a sincere, heartfelt letter with the following paragraph, which is exactly what Jaime just did in an email to me. You only get to see the end, because it's too funny to keep to myself.

I am really going to miss you when I go home, but nothing could ever tear us apart. I love you with all my heart. I think you look smart, even when you fart.

Love, Jaime.

Stream of consciousness, 24 March 2011

2011-03-24T16:31:00.001-06:00

I went into advertising because I realized that a depressingly large percentage of all advertising is pretty lame, forgetful and sometimes downright bad for you. But the good stuff is so good, I wanted to play a part in making sure there is a larger percentage of it.

I went into Content/Account Management when I had a chance to move into production because I realized that a depressingly large percentage of account folks are pretty lame, forgetful and sometimes downright bad for the work. But when you do have the chance to work with a really good, really smart account person, it’s so good, I wanted to play a part in making sure there was at least one more of them. And with any luck in the mentoring stratosphere, a few more.

I play music to release creative juices and pretend like I’m not in thinking of advertising internal processes and strategy 90% of my waking hours.

I hike to clear my mind, breathe fresh air, and remind myself that I’m happiest when I’m coming down from a summit.

I go to church to stretch my mind and wax philosophical about heavier, important matters and remind myself that family comes first.

I married Jaime to balance my tendency to dive into something with too much intensity and run the risk of coming out too late, or never. Plus, she’s a killer roommate and I like to hold her hand. Okay, I love her, stop making fun of me.

Back in 2003, my mission President told me he believed one of the main reasons I was called to that mission in Germany was to be a good companion to the people I worked with. Essentially, other missionaries needed me, maybe more than other people in Germany needed me.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. But the idea of making the world a better place and promoting Ideas Worth Spreading is still it’s core.

My Windows Phone 7 spot was a finalist in their ads worth spreading. it’s not even my favorite stuff I’ve worked on. Right now I’m working on a campaign to promoted being more tender and nice to each other, with lovable and approachable milk chocolate as a catalyst for better relationships and quality of life (there’s science behind this, people, I swear).

I often need to force myself to balance more. This random stream of consciousness note is probably just another reminder that I could do better, but that I’m also not doing so bad in the long run.

hard knock life

2011-03-21T05:31:00.002-06:00

I just overheard someone in the office say “I literally finished Uni and then went to work only two weeks later, so I didn’t even have a chance to relax or travel or anything.”

Then in the same minute she said, “my dad bought my car, and I have to pay for petrol.”

Some people have it so tough.

evening view from hoxton balcony

2011-03-20T16:30:00.003-06:00

looking south

looking west

Giant nutella

2011-03-09T07:50:00.004-07:00

Sent from my Windows Phone

Menu Feb 26-28: The last stretch of my vegetarian month.

2011-03-02T05:57:00.007-07:00

This was not that big of a deal. That's my final conclusion.

Keeping the blog updated on a daily basis was the biggest challenge. Taking pictures of my food proved to be awkward when eating out (and we tend to eat out a lot here). I'm glad that part of my life is over.

As for the eating tasty food that doesn't contain meat period of my life, that will still happen on occasion. Maybe a little more than it already naturally occurred in the past, but my tastes haven't changed much. I still like granola. Pizza. I still love bread and olive oil. Roasted and sun dried tomatoes. Pasta. Garlicky things. Spicy things. Roasted herb potatoes. Green salads with cucumbers and peppers and home made croutons. Melted cheese. Hummus and Felafel. Asian food of all types. Jaime's chocolate chip cookies. Water. Ginger beer.

I think I snacked on cookies and chocolate laying around more than i normally would. I think I might have gained a bit of weight with the sweets and bread and cheese and all, although I don't have a scale.

I didn't sense having more energy, or feeling like I was lacking protein. Although now that I think about it, I did have some sore muscles and headaches that I are usually not that bad. Not sure if it's related. I feel fine today, and yesterday I had chicken for lunch and dinner (not the cliche' beef burger with which I thought I'd start March. We found a great eatery called "Nandos" with Portuguese / Afro inspired chicken dishes and good sides).

One thing I did feel like I was lacking was manliness. As if my testosterone level was dependent on the meat that was eliminated from my diet. Other contributing factors may had to do with being in London and living the metro life, missing the mountains, and my dog ("man's best friend," after all), and driving stick shift. I felt like I needed to walk out on to the busy sidewalk and punch a random dude in the face, then walk back inside. Not out of anger or frustration. Just to feel a sense of manliness that seemed to be lacking (chemically?). I thought, "then I'd feel better." Rest assured, I avoided acting on this impulse.

Here are some pictures from the Feb 26-28. The last of my strictly vegetarian days.

The last supper. Cheese tortellini soup with zucchini, peppers and spinach and tomatoes. And cheesy bread quickly broiled in the oven.

Fries (chips) from a restaurant in Wells called "Ask". With garlic mayo.

Great penne pasta with fresh basil, mushrooms and fire roasted tomatoes and spicy tomato sauce. And parmesan, of course.

Scone served by Somerset English countryside dwelling friends Bob and Wendy, with jam and "Clotted Cream" on top. Amazing.

Basic vanilla yogurt and granola at home.

Grilled cheese sandwich, made at home with grainy bread and mature English cheddar and olive oil in the pan.

Dogs and kids

2011-02-25T20:47:00.003-07:00

Menu catch up Feb 25 + introduction to real raw vegan culture

2011-02-25T16:47:00.003-07:00

Q: Eric, what's the hardest part about going vegetarian, cold turkey?

A: The food is easy. Keeping up the stupid blog is by far the hardest part.

So here's the last 4 days, or at least the blurry, low-light camera phone shots I managed to get in the last five days.

I've pretty much been eating chocolate and bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And cheese and vegetables. In that order.

But also:

Some fancy Risotto with feta from Restaurant Josef in Zurich, Switzerland:
(I also had a great green salad and some potato gnocchi at that place. Each plate was a pretty small serving. Other meals on this short trip included pretzel sandwich with cheese and tomato and a green salad with grilled pumpkin and almonds at the airport)

I went to a Korean place in Leicester Square with Jaime at the beginning of the week. Here's some tasty fried egg rice:
And rice noodles with vegetables of some sort. Also super tasty, especially with the chili sauce you can see made friends with both dishes:

Tonight, Jaime and I went to Saf, a critically acclaimed raw vegan restaurant that's right below our apartment. Literally the same building. We figured we should eat there while it's still February and I'm still vegetarian.

I ordered the lasagna, containing raw bolognaise, rustic pesto, marinara, olive relish, herb cheese and mushroom (yes, cheese made from herbs and no animal milk of any kind):
It was decent. But cold. And kind of a chore when compared to real lasanga with noodles and normal cheese. There's a good vegetable lasanga at a deli/cafe by my office. It's not vegan but it's vegetarian and I love it. I'm really not sure why Saf was so against noodles and bread of any normal sort. I make what I think is perfectly vegan pizza dough all the time at home. What's the problem? Anyway, Much (but not all) of this restaurant seemed kind of over the top hipster and masochistic. See more on that in Jaime's dish ----->

Jaime ordered Grilled Seitan, which she thought was funny, first of all because it's pretty much pronounced like "Satan," and also because it was mentioned as the stereotypical lame vegetarian food on the TV show "Parenthood" this week. Mushroom ragout, smoky aubergine salad, roasted curly kale with mushroom gravy. Sounds delicious, right? The smoky aubergine salad was gag-worthy (that lump on the right). I mean really, really bad. I think they might have messed it up. The rest of pretty good, but the completely overwhelming smoke stench and taste unfortunately kind of ruined the rest of the dish:

So, another learning of this month, which I can say with some empathy: I don't mind being vegetarian. It's pretty good when done well. But vegan can be straight-up sad.

I haven't been cheating. I've just been busy.

2011-02-25T04:42:00.001-07:00

Stand by for a lazy, rushed incomplete recap of the last 4 days.

Menu Feb 21

2011-02-22T02:47:00.003-07:00

Breakfast: green machine from Starbucks on the walk to work (Jaime hooked me up with a gift card)

Lunch: Korean rice bowl with egg, vegetable and chili sauce (no picture, sorry).

Dinner: Jaime made what she called "Greek Tofu"(pictured) to which she of course insisted on adding pineapple, so I call it "Greek-Polynesian Tofu." Got some serious tang to it with lemon juice, feta and pineapple. The tofu pretty much just soaks up the taste of anything around it. I couldn't distinguish its own taste.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Menu Feb 20 - Sunday home cooking

2011-02-21T06:21:00.003-07:00

Sunday morning brunch: Jaime passed up this awesome scomelet i made with bell peppers, grape tomatos and mature cheddar and Tabasco, with toast. But I enjoyed it.

And for an early dinner: Basil+ Naan with houmus and my favorite cucumber salad with tomatoes, bell peppers and fresh buffallo mozzarella cheese. The dressing is a dill-herb mix i picked up at a German deli. We used to use this dressing all the time in Germany. Tasty.

Menu Feb 19 - Greenwich Market

2011-02-21T02:44:00.008-07:00

Jaime and I went to Greenwich on Saturday, where the Prime Meridian (0 longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is based. For more on our day in Greenwich, see Jaime's blog here.

We grabbed food at the Greenwich Market which has food and boutique textile/fashion vendors. I've attached a picture of a pasta-mozzarella-pesto ball I got. I also ate some sambosas with lentils and some cheese tomatoes bread, all from different vendors.

One thing I'll miss about London is the open air food markets.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Groceries

2011-02-21T02:41:00.005-07:00

Sent from my Windows Phone

Oh well.

2011-02-21T02:41:00.004-07:00

This is outside the club directly below our apartment here in London. This sign is completely ignored all night long on most nights, I assure you.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Menu Feb 17-18

2011-02-18T12:43:00.002-07:00

Breakfast is usually Belvita biscuits and fruit. Sometimes yogurt and juice. Let's just establish that and cover lunches and dinners, shall we? I'll let you know if a major breakfast deviation occurs. Promise.

Yesterday lunch: Egg/mayo sandwich from Starbucks. Yes, Starbucks. No pic. Not worth it.
Yesterday dinner: Pizza from the Italian by-the-slice place by work (working late, got hungry). I like their pizza. One had cucumbers, mushrooms and buffalo mozzarella. Another had potatoes on it. Another was pretty much margarita. and Check it out

Today lunch: pasta with roasted tomatoes, fresh basil and feta cheese chunks with some sort of tomatoe/olive oil dressing - from Marks and Spencer. Realized after eating it that it probably would have been good heated up.

Today dinner: Homemade salad with spinach and other greens, cucumbers, baby plum tomatoes, and jaime's whole wheat croutons. Dijon dressing.
And Jaime went to Borough market and got a couple pies for dinner. Mine had potatoes, cheese, chives, and probably some other stuff. It was good with ketsup.

At its best.

2011-02-17T05:17:00.001-07:00

Last time I lived outside the US, it was in Germany and I was 19-21 years old. It certainly wasn't the proverbial youthful backpacking through Europe or college semester abroad. I was wearing a tie every day (yes, even weekends), working 80 hours a week mostly in a foreign language and I only called home twice a year. Pretty much a kid jumping headfirst into adulthood. As much as that sounds like hell, it wasn't (most of the time). I cried when it was time to go home and take a much deserved break and go back to school.

Now I'm back across the pond working again but in a much different way. As an American with experience living abroad, I feel I've been acutely aware of what makes me different, and how I'm perceived here (that's not to say I don't also have lots in common with folks here). I sometimes think about the States and things I miss as well as things I wish were more like Europe. This morning on my walk to work, a thought popped into my head:

It doesn't get any better than America at its best (but only at its best).

Call me biased. But you better be an American living abroad to even argue with me.

Menu Feb 16

2011-02-16T13:42:00.002-07:00

Here is a photo of a simple, good old salad (with home made croutons Jaime just whipped up). I share this picture because:
A) I've been told I need more pictures on here.
B) Even though I'm supposedly a vegetarian, I have been eating very few salads. About the same amount I'd be eating normally.

Otherwise i had risotto for lunch at Smith's at Smithfield market. Team lunch with the work crew. You must know that Smithfield market is a bagillion year old giant meat market. Just meat. So Smith's is a great restaurant for meat dishes. And i got the risotto. Somebody give me a medal.

And for dinner i had the above salad and leftover pasta and mac/cheese from the last two nights' awesome dinners.

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Mid-month observations of Veggie February

2011-02-16T05:58:00.004-07:00

I've found that in my normal carnivore life I often opt for the lean meats and whole wheats (nice rhyme). And when i'm a vegetarian, I often opt for the fried food, butter, cream, extra cheese and sugar, which is not normal for me, but my body seems to crave it more. I'm not that unhealthy of an eater when i'm on my normal diet that includes meat, so ironically enough, going vegetarian may not be particularly good for me. But it has been delicious. And it's a good thing i've been walking around London a lot, burning more calories than I usually do in my normal american life driving from chair to chair.

It's probably not enough, though.

Menu Feb 14-15 with a guest blogger: Valentine's Dinner

2011-02-16T02:46:00.008-07:00

In honor of her awesome dinner on feb 14, I (Eric) asked Jaime to be my guest menu blogger for a day:

I (Jaime, the guest blogger who originally started this blog) thought the restaurants would be too crowded on Valentine's Day, so I decided to make something delicious. I get regular e-mails from delish.com (which I am pretty sure is put out by Martha Stewart), and there was a recipe for a Pumpkin-Sage Cream Sauce that looked perfect for a special day. I also made some Lemon Roasted Broccoli, cucumber salad, and I tried to make rice pudding. Unfortunately, Eric did not get any pictures, but this meal tasted so much better than it looked anyway.

Alfredo sauce and I have never gotten along. It always turns out watery or the cheese sticks together in a lump. That being said, I found a remedy: Pumpkin-Sage Cream Sauce. This was not only perhaps the best creamy pasta sauce I have had (and pasta is my favorite food), but it was super simple. The pumpkin does the thickening, so all you have to do is:

Mix cream, 1/2 can of pumpkin, chopped sage, a small handful of finely grated Parmesan cheese (but, I used Pecarino which is a mix between Parmesan and Manchego cheese), sea salt and pepper in a sauce pan. Stir until it is heated through, remove from heat, and add a tablespoon of butter. Serve over nice linguine.

To make the Roasted Lemon Broccoli which, in the words of Eric, "Tastes like candy," all you do is: toss together Broccoli florets, thinly sliced garlic, walnut oil, olive oil, sea salt, pepper. Roast at 425°F for ~20 minutes, stirring after 8 minutes, adding sliced almonds in the last 3. Take it out. Put it all in a serving bowl. Squirt with lemon juice. Top with cheese (I used the pecorino).

Those two dishes were so delicious, I may just make them again with my leftover cream and pumpkin and put a picture up here.

The cucumber salad came from a packet that Eric and I got at a German store. It was all in German, so I had to e-mail Eric for the translation. It was a mix of tasty nostalgia for Eric.

Happy Valentine's day to me.

Last night we went to a restaurant called Tom's Kitchen at Somerset House (Check out that link...fancy). It is located right on the river, and we sat in a big fancy booth and ordered too much good food that we get to have for leftovers today. Today I also get to walk off all that good food we had last night that was drenched in cheese and butter.

Here's a picture Eric took of his Macaroni Cheese and truffle chips (fries), with my cheesy cauliflower to the left.

Weekend Menu Feb 12-13

2011-02-14T04:38:00.001-07:00

Saturday
b: grapefruit with yogurt + granola
l: mini Reese's cups and popcorn while watching "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on the big screen at St. Charles Cinema (that's right.)
d: "Melbourne" pizza with mozzarella, tomato sauce, brie, sweet roasted butternut squash and balsamic roasted red onions, topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. from Fire & Stone pizza place + a greek salad

Sunday
b/l: (Slept in) granola with orange and peach juice instead of milk
d: Leftovers from Feb 10. Still just as good.
...and Jaime made chocolate chip cookies, with oats from the granola.

Menu Feb 11

2011-02-13T10:10:00.004-07:00

I'm getting behind in these posts, which I'm SURE captivate you. But I started and it seems dumb to stop now. So here's Friday's veggie Feb food:

Breakfast: same ol'
Lunch: pictured here, Vietnamese noodles and spring rolls
Dinner: tasty pizza by the slice specials from a place by work (after working late) and a goat cheese, sweet potatoes, spinach and garlic pie Jaime picked up at "Pie Minister" at Borough Market, waiting for me in the fridge while she was at her Harry Potter tour of London.

Menu Feb 10 - Roasted Bell Pepper Stuffed with Awesome.

2011-02-10T15:43:00.007-07:00

Jaime collects cookbooks. She's not much one for wingin' it in the kitchen and she has a great love of good recipes. She definitely gives them her own touch, but suffice it to say she appreciates a good recipe, and she has many. Many, many.

She's been sitting on this recipe from her brother, Brad for Roasted Bell Pepper Stuffed with Bulgar and Spinach and made it for the first time tonight. It has currants (sweet black raisins), cashews, bell peppers and feta in it (from Jaime - actually I don't know what kind of cheese it was. I went to the cheese and bread store around the corner and they said this particular cheese was very good and crumbly like feta, but tastes more like goat cheese. It had mold growing all over it that I had to cut that off: "really nice, from France," said the worker.), among other things and the obvious ingredients mentioned in the name of the dish.

It was like candy. So good. And there's a lot of leftovers of the stuffing. Thank you, Brad.

I'm going backwards today, starting with dinner. Lunch and breakfast were good too.

Lunch: Waitrose tomato and fresh basil soup that pretty much tastes and eats like chunky pasta sauce. Complimented with cheese tortellini in cheese sauce.

Breakfast: Some awesome yogurt mixed with apples and cinnamon. I always have blueberries when i get into the office in the morning too. It's nice that Kalai, our office manager always has fresh blueberries in the office.

And I just polished off my palette with Ben & Jerry's Phish Food ice cream. America the Beautiful.

Menu Feb 9

2011-02-10T09:03:00.002-07:00

I don't remember what I ate yesterday, but it was kosher for Vegie-Feb. I do remember dinner, since I found a blurry picture on my phone:

Minestrone Soup from Waitrose (decent grocery store here in London), Asparagus and good bread from The Food Hall, a cool little fresh market/eatery around the corner from our apartment near Hoxton Square.

Menu Feb 8: Potent odors and eating cookies for breakfast

2011-02-09T04:35:00.004-07:00

Good day of digesting:

Belvita breakfast biscuits, blue berries and grapes
Vegetable pasta for lunch
And I went with some co-workers to a very popular, authentic Pakistani restaurant near Brick Lane. Three of us were only eating vegetarian, so I had good support and it was delicious. But I came home smelling like a very crowded and authentic Pakastani restaurant. I had to throw all my clothes in the wash and take a shower just so Jaime could handle it.

A note about Belvita breakfast biscuits: Remember, "biscuit" in the UK = "cookie" in the US. These things are pretty much if Keebler elves went granola and marketed them for breakfast. Right. Up. My. Alley. They are made with whole grains and slow baked, which supposedly ensures the carbohydrates are regularly released over 4 hours...until lunch. And they are delicious. I blame Jaime for ever providing me opportunity to grow accustomed to eating cookies for breakfast (they're just sitting there on the counter from her baking the day before - what am i supposed to do when i'm running out the door in the morning - NOT eat them?), but I thank Belvita for helping to redeem me in my habit.

Menu Feb 7 + the creeping entrance of cravings

2011-02-07T09:51:00.004-07:00

It's been a week. And for the most part it's been easy. But it started getting a little harder late last night, while i watched a bit of the Super Bowl with horrible British commentary and sans US commercials. I craved buffalo wings. Maybe I hoped the buffalo wings would somehow make up for the lack of Super Bowl commercials.

Today at lunch, i bypassed all the delicious variations of chicken paninis (and there are a lot of them) for a vegetarian melt with eggplant, peppers and cheese. It was good, but it wasn't amazing. I'm staying strong. So far. But dinner better be amazing. I think I might make a killer omelet.

I've also noticed that I'm eating more chocolate that I find laying around, and its probably more than I'd be eating if I didn't feel like I was going through some sort of withdrawals. There's always chocolate at work and usually small amounts of it at home that Jaime bought. I never buy it myself, but I find myself reaching for it a lot more than before.

I think I have to go do something manly to keep up my testosterone levels. In Boulder this would be easy, go climb a mountain with my dog or something. Here, it's like...i don't know. What do you do to feel masculine in London? You eat meat, like the British so proudly and regularly do. I'll just have to listen to harder rock and ROLL and push through this.

UPDATE - 9:16pm:

Jaime made quessadillas with tomatoes and avacado and mexican rice. I slapped a fried egg and hot sauce on top and called it Huevo Rancheros Londonos. And I bought hot sauce on the way home to make sure it wasn't lacking. Here's the last of it.

Menu Feb 6 (Fast Sunday)

2011-02-06T13:53:00.005-07:00

Some of my friends and coworkers may be surprised to learn this, but once a month (the first Sunday of each month), Jaime and I fast for about 24 hours, or two meals. There's a few reasons we (and a bunch of other Mormons you may know and just don't know they are LDS) do this:

It's a tangible way to invoke and express gratitude for the things we have, i.e. easy access to good food and clean water as well as a million other blessings we're lucky to have. I've found that gratitude and daily happiness are directly proportional.
A real-life application of self-mastery. It may be symbolic or it may be literal, but either way it's a simple and regular practice of overcoming the "natural man," or any carnal desires that may be natural, but shouldn't be abused. Mormons are somewhat big on becoming better ("stronger, faster!"), more awesome and simply good versions of themselves, whether that's a bus driver, an accountant, a musician, a husband or student. We're all neighbors, brothers, sisters and humans, so in the very least we could keep in mind how we could be better at those roles, and thus make the world a bit of a better place.
Fasting two meals saves a couple pennies. One of the reasons I really like being a part of my church, even in this secular age where being active in any church is pretty outlandish (and usually pegs you as a close-minded right-wing evangelist, which I'm not) is that it's a place that actually provides me real-life opportunities to actually act Christian, not just believe Christianity (they are not the same thing). That is to say, there are simple and powerful programs in place that allow me to actually serve people both in and out of the organization, even when my lazier instincts would be to not bother. One of those ways is "Fast Offerings." Jaime and I take the money we save from skipping a couple meals (and then add some extra for good karma when we can) and put it in a fund that's set aside specially to help those that really need it (think like: The Salvation Army). It's a small token for those that are not as fortunate as we are. We've been doing this ever since we had any sort of income and roof over our heads. It's simple charity born through simple sacrifice that happens to be good for us anyway. When you think of it that way, and now that we're in the habit, it almost seems silly not to take part.

Not to mention a small fast once a month is physically healthy for most people (not everyone), so why not?

Anyway, that's just to serve as an explanation for why my menu today didn't start until after 5pm and was just a red pepper and carrot soup with bread and home made salad (with avocado, mmmm). And Then Jaime made chocolate chip cookies, which I've decided is my favorite vegetarian food. (Yes, that's a joke, but no, I'm not kidding. And yes, that last sentence does make sense).

Menu + Tate Modern Feb 5

2011-02-06T13:05:00.003-07:00

I was nourished by art on Saturday and nothing else.

Okay's that's a lie, although art is technically vegetarian, I got hungry and nommed:

Yogurt and granola
German pretzel bread from a German deli near Borough Market
My favorite toasted cheese sandwich with onions, garlic and leeks from Kappacasien at Borough Market (pictured below and at the link)
Salad leftovers from my fridge and seasoned fries from the American Diner down the street from our apartment.

Below are also some pictures I snapped at Borough Market and the Tate Modern museum. Good times.

Menu Feb 4

2011-02-04T13:44:00.003-07:00

Some Swiss berry yogurt parfait thing
Giant Turkish/Lebanese salad box veggie-couscous-grapeleaf-bean-goat cheese thing from an open air market near work. I got it for the reusable tupperware, just as much as the salad. (pictured here)
Homemade salad with farm fresh hard-boiled egg + bread (pictured)

And I feel some nutella/pb coming on.

Band of Horses show at the Academy Brixton, London

2011-02-04T05:46:00.002-07:00

Front row, cool theater, great show. And the imagery they projected behind the band during songs made me proud to be a Western American. Beautiful photos from pretty much every national park and similar area from the Northwest to the Grand Canyon. At a show in London.

Sent from my Windows Phone

Menu Feb 3

2011-02-03T14:08:00.001-07:00

BelVita biscuits, grapes and blueberries form the office
Same falafel veggie panini wrap thing I had yesterday (Jaime visited me for lunch today :) )
Leftover pasta salad from yesterday with bread olive oil/balsamic vinegar dipping concoction

Now I'm at the Band of Horses show. See ya.

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Menu Feb 2 (dinner)

2011-02-02T12:38:00.002-07:00

Jaime made spinach and ricotta tortillini salad and cheesy toast. Tasty.

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Jaime,

2011-02-02T07:41:00.001-07:00

Menu Feb 2

2011-02-02T06:38:00.002-07:00

I'm only half way through the day, but this grilled falafel vegetarian wrap was really, really good, so I thought I'd share.

I pretty much just had a mandarin orange for breakfast, btw.

So far, this is easy.

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Menu Feb 1

2011-02-01T12:44:00.006-07:00

Nothing out of the ordinary:

Cherry yogurt and granola
Spicy lentil and tomato soup and good crusty bread
Jaime's Chocolate chip cookies/milk (yes, before dinner)
Curry ramen stir fry with bell peppers, carrots and broccoli. (leftovers pictured)

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Vegetarian for February

2011-02-01T04:27:00.002-07:00

Maybe.

We'll see.

Normally, when I commit to something, I commit to something. I don't say "maybe, we'll see" because I usually consider that a spineless way of saying "I have no intention of following through, but I lack the conviction to just say no for now." The only reason I'm not 100% confident in this attempt to eat no meat for a month is because Jaime said she didn't want to try it with me. So our diets are bound to clash. And Jaime knows that if there's one thing I hate doing, it's wasting food. I'd rather break my vegetarian commitment than see some chicken curry leftovers go bad in the fridge, untouched, while kids are starving in St. Anthony, ID.

So, we'll see. Besides the above mentioned anticipated challenge, I don't see any serious challenge. The idea of doing this started because I would occasionally find myself remarking at the end of the day how I was accidentally vegetarian that day. I hadn't tried to avoid meat, it just happened. I love cheese and salads and good bread and olive oil and...stuff. I'm trying hard to avoid saying chicken and bacon, because i love those too, but I'll survive without them. The point is, I haven't been a big red meat eater in the last several years, and I've never been a big "steak" guy, so excluding the challenge of avoiding fried chicken and chicken salad sandwiches and stir fries and Asian meat dishes, i'm not worried. Central London makes it super easy to be vegetarian. Lots of vegetrian sandwiches and soups and salads to pick from. Breakfast and lunch will be relatively easy.

The reason? I don't really have a reason beyond I want to be able to say I've done it. I want to have empathy for those who feel stronger about this stuff than I do. And I know that most meat you buy in the normal supermarket and average restaurants probably isn't very good for you, so I want to see if I feel better when avoiding it completely for an entire month. If I do feel a lot better, I'll probably avoid it more in the future, and it won't feel like a sacrifice, rather a treat to avoid it. That said, I have no intention of total meat abstinence after this month.

Yes, I picked the shortest month of the year. But I may have also picked the coldest month of the year, when my traditionally carnivorous body subconciously craves hearty meat dishes, so I figure they even each other out.

I'll try to keep a food log here of what I'm eating for two reasons:

Keep me honest
I want to be able to look back at it myself and see what the reality is for someone who doesn't eat meat for that long. It may serve as a good recipe book for the future.
Okay, three reasons. I also want to have a record of how much other animal product (dairy/eggs) is in my vegetarian diet, so I can have real cause behind my current opinion that vegans are masochistic nuts who are missing out on happiness. For example: Jaime's Chocolate Chip cookies (with eggs and milk chocolate chips), or ANY cheese on ANY pizza or sandwich. I can't even fathom life without it.

And, go.

Little Room

2011-01-28T17:45:00.006-07:00

I had dinner last night and meetings this morning with some good folks at Saatchi & Saatchi here in London. We'll be partnering with them and gratefully utilizing their network of offices in order to execute our Milka creative in Eastern Europe.

Speaking of offices, the CPB office in London is just a little room on the 3rd (or is it the 4th?) floor of a building in central London, overlooking Smithfield Market, which is a meat market that's been around for about a bagillion years. There are a lot more people working in there than there were a month ago - more desks, all placed together to appear as blocks of large tables, more chairs, and more computers sucking up the underwhelming internet connection we have there. It's loud and overcrowded and there's no privacy and we call it "the call center."

But our little group, especially the team working on the global Milka business, is part of something special. We're the beginning of an important chapter in the book of the history of creative marketing agencies and we're pioneering CPB's larger, more significant presence in London, Europe and the world. We'll be in a bigger office soon, i hope by the end of April. It won't be lavish, but we'll feel like relative royalty.

This little video is pretty much about that.

Jaime in London (new blog to follow)

2011-01-26T06:33:00.002-07:00

If you know we're in London for several months, you may be wondering "where are all the blog posts about London?" The answer is that Jaime's taking care of that. With time on her hands while I'm at work, she can explore whatever she wants in the city and report back on her new "Jaime in London" blog. She's been doing a really good job at providing almost daily updates with the inside scoop on places she/we have visited, or just life at our temporary home here in Shoreditch (east central London). You can follow her here: http://jaimeinlondon.blogspot.com/

The Sonic Manipulator

2011-01-24T03:52:00.001-07:00

I had heard about this guy from some people who saw him at my agency's Swedish office's holiday party. Then Jaime and I stumbled upon him on Portobello Rd. here in London.

Existing

2011-01-21T03:13:00.001-07:00

I exist my building every single day.

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Kung Food

2011-01-13T04:42:00.004-07:00

I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen a Chinese takeout place called this until now. I like it.

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Haggis

2011-01-11T02:24:00.007-07:00

Jaime keeps a blog about her daily experiences as an American in London. Yesterday she bought an old English cookbook. I flipped through and this is the first page that opened.

Haggis, anyone?

oh goody.

2011-01-08T11:06:00.003-07:00

According to careercast.com, Ad Account Executive is #106 out of the best 200 jobs of 2011. Right there in between Cashier ($18K/year) and Vending Machine Repairman ($30K/year).

Things I swore happened in 2010

2011-01-02T23:59:00.006-07:00

The pop-journalists all labeled 2010 as a tough year, and one to forget. I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to look back on 2010 as a great year where I accomplished pretty much all my goals and then some. My tough times are ahead, I can feel it. I'm just assuming it'll hit me like a ton of bricks someday, but for now, I'm just grateful in my retrospection.

In 2010:
- Probably the most fun day of lift accessed snowboarding in my life, with Dave Adamusko after a powder dump at Park City. Also, Ian and my mom came out to Colorado to ski last winter.
- I launched some great work including, but not limited to a TV campaign for the new Windows Phone OS.
- Turned down a couple job offers because I love where I live and work right now. (Of course more thought goes into these decisions, but that's what i boils down to, which leads to more feelings of gratitude.)
- Went to Munich and Paris for work in May.
- Produced a new EP of original music - "The Thin of Thick Things," available on iTunes, Amazon, my website, and other places. Really proud of this one.
- Put on a really fun CD release show at the Laughing Goat in downtown Boulder, as well as played other great shows and sets in Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Pennsylvania. Also met some great songwriters and musicians and made new friends at the three-day Durango Songwriter's Expo in October.
- Went golfing more in 2010 than I did the previous 7 years combined.
- Did some great hiking, camping and backpacking in Colorado, including a 5 day trip with BSA Troop 264 and a jam packed Colorado adventure with my brothers Daniel and Ian when came out in August.
- Was promoted to Content Supervisor (aka Account Supervisor) at work, before I thought I might be.
- Had a great time with my family in Doylestown, PA over Christmas.

Now Jaime and I are packed and off to London tomorrow afternoon. Non-stop from Denver to Heathrow. Another small chapter of our lives about to unfold. Although I'm looking forward to it, I'm looking forward to coming back to my home and dog in Colorado as well, and I haven't even left yet.

Onward.