no donnie, you suck at photoshop :

I was reminded of an old favorite today; Donnie Hoyle and his comedy/life/depression based Photoshop tutorials. I am posting one of my personal favorites (I like it mostly because this was a trick I had never seen used, but had an immediate use for).

take a step forward?

In response to my recent post about being too nearsighted, I found this in a Starbucks. Someone actually inserted the place card into the holder upside down. Should this person have been more nearsighted?

Although my post was fairly focused, apparently there is a balance to be found.

they all laughed :

My internship at Invisible Records requires a wide variety of duties from me. Because I am in charge of promotions, Friday's requirements included fliering for Martin Atkins' upcoming weekend "school," Tour:Smart PLUS.

I was able to take another intern with me to take on the city of Chicago armed with only 150 fliers. She was driver and I was the jumper. We were looking for the Music Garage when we drove up to a group of about 15 guys on the side of the street. The other inter says, "Hey, they look like hipsters. Ask them if they want a flier." I agreed and immediately stuck my head out the window, saying, "Hi. Would any of you be interested in a flier about a music seminar?" As I'm asking them, I realize they are unloading gig equipment out of a trailer. I think, Great! Exactly the kind of people I want to be talking to! Once the question has been asked, every single one of the guys on the street start laughing before one turns around and says, "No thanks. I think we're good."

As we pull away from the small crowd, we notice a big red touring bus. It's then that I begin to wonder who exactly it was I had been talking to. The other intern and myself park the car and begin to search for the Music Garage by foot. When we get back to the tour bus and trailer, the group has dismissed and only a few boxes remained on the sidewalk. Each of the remaining white boxes where labeled with black text which says, Plain White T's.

I wonder how long they laughed about that stupid girl who asked them if they were interested in a music seminar.

new beginnings :

Many new projects beginning this week:

1] Invisible Records/TOUR:SMART
2] Scarlet Petal
3] The Bean Project
4] An Unspecified Birthday Project (TBA)

More to come.

a different motivation :

During my time as an undergrad at Marietta College [Congrats on the new site], I never hesitated to skim pages or just read the chapter recaps in my general class preparation. In fact, I didn't mind doing this to prepare for exams in classes I didn't find particularly difficult.

It is amazing how one's motivation is completely different when it comes to personal preparation for something one finds truly important. Today I spent the majority of my day immersed in TOUR:SMART and Break the Band, and I haven't skipped a single page. I thought it would be appropriate to note the top 5 tips I've absorbed from the first 150 pages:

1. Any one currently involved, or could potentially be involved, in the success, or failure, of your tour should be treated as if they are your best friend.

2. No one cares more about your career and this tour than you do. Act accordingly; Stay involved and pay attention!

3. Utilize your technological resources [EXCEL!].

4. Do not consider IF things can go wrong; Consider WHEN they will go wrong.

5. Never ever even consider sh*tting on the bus. Remember this any time you are blessed with a road stop that includes a decent bathroom [or any bathroom depending on your situation].

if you can read this, you are too close :

I am consistently amazed by the lack of attention paid by the general population when it comes to an assignment that can completed easily by just going through the motions. During our adventures today, my roommate and I found ourselves at a Wal-Mart searching for a perfectly bound sketchbook. We had not even pulled into our parking spot when my roommate mentioned that the icon marking the near by cart return was upside down. I did not understand what she could possibly mean until I saw it myself. Sure enough, we were looking at a cart turned onto its top. Apparently, the employee who assembled the cube did not realize that he switched the bottom and top pieces, which put the hole on the wrong side, causing the cart to appear up-side-down on each of the other 4 sides of the cube. How could one step back from your work that day and think "Job well done." Maybe that's exactly the problem; The employee had become so nearsighted that he could only observe the specific side he was working on. Sometimes we all need to step back.

continuing [beginning] my education :

Today, I spent the majority of my afternoon in Borders, one of the happiest places on earth. Each time I walk through the front door, I struggle to remember that at this stage of my life, I'm living with a pretty strict budget.

My goal was to purchase TOUR:SMART and Break the Band, written by my new boss, Martin Atkins. I was caught off guard by the shear size of this book when I removed it from the shelf. Minus the hard cover, it's comparable to some of my healthier texts from undergrad. The burnt color palette combined with the text manipulation reminds me of an old WWI propaganda poster. Inside, the simple black and white page layout makes me what to write all over it in highlighter. I'm excited to begin reading.

As a small birthday gift to myself, I also purchased Punk 365. Although I love music from this genre, I realize most of my knowledge is limited to the last 3-5 years; My history needs some serious help. Don't be surprised if you revisit this blog and find that I've only recently discovered some of punk's most important historical figures.