June 2007 Archives
So we did our photoshoot last night with the wonderful Raina and Wilson, and they sent us a few lo-res shots for fun. Oh my, it really was a blast though.
As brilliant as computers are, every now and again you get a funny message like this that reminds you: for all their brawn, they can't make certain connections that even the average 5 year old could make.
I'm working on a pitch for a redesign of the Nutrisystem site (which sorely needs it). The whole premise of this weight loss plan is that you sign up and then they send you the calorie- and fat-controlled food that's been specially packaged to last. In other words, if you stick to the food they send you, you'll lose weight. By coincidence, someone in the office had some samples, so I became the guinea pig for trying the food... yike. At best, I am cautious about new foods, and at worst I am a totally chicken (as it were). It's not that I don't like a diversity of taste, just that tasting something I don't like is -- for some reason -- kind of traumatic. I mean, it really gets to me and always have. But I have to take one for the team, and I did put on a few pounds in San Fran, so...
Black Bean and Rice: 160 cals, 2 gr fat, but lots of sodium.
In of those "just add hot water" cups. Really not bad, pretty much on par with any of those noodle cup things. Not very spicy, but that would be easy to pimp up with some chili powder; a piece of rye bread would make for a decent lunch. Rating: 7.5/10
Tortellini in Tomato Sauce: 160 cals, 2.5 gr fat, fair amount of sodium
This is the one I was scared of, as it's basically pasta in a can -- and I was no Chef Boy-Ar-Dee fan. But it was also okay, on par with a mid-range frozen entrée. A decent sauce, quite zesty. The texture of the tortellini was mushy and nasty (that’s the problem with the can aspect I guess) although it tasted fine. The portion was small — I can’t imagine how Americans, who have such giant portions of everything, would deal with it – and I added some pepper. 71/0
Chocolate Graham BarL 190 cals, 6 gr fat
The least successful of them all. The chocolate is tasteless, and the graham is like sawdust. Reminded my of a Powerbar or something. Required a lot of coffee to get it down, and in fact, I only ate a half at a time. Not recommended for denture wearers. 3/10
Hopefully I'll be svelte before long. I deserve something for this.
I'm down in San Fransisco for the week to help out on some pitches for work. What a beautiful town; in a lot of ways it's a funkier and more relaxed version of New York. The weather has been fantastic, so of course that makes any town look better, but even so, you can feel the West Coast sensibility - relax a bit, get outside - all around you. Maybe it's because I grew up out west, but I always feel at home out here.
On the other hand, downtown is crazy expensive. I just dropped $18 US on a basic bacon and eggs breakfast! Holy crap. That's the most expensive grease ever. I think if you lived here, you'd never go out in this area though: we went to the Mission district for dinner last night, and it was much more affordable. Still, much like New York, I think unless you are really well paid, I bet it's a challenge to make ends meet for a lot of folks here.
Me, I'm thankful for the expense account.
Ah it's nice to be back at the blog. But like having lunch with a friend who you haven't seen forever, there's just too much damn info. "So, whatcha been doing for the last decade?" "Oh, you know, stuff." I think I've made this analogy before, but hell, it's been so long I don't even remember.
Two main things:
1) New jobAfter the agency gig blew up, I took some time off (although not as much as I should have, I stupidly took on some freelance work!), and then landed a gig with a large interactive shop downtown. So far it's been great, but I'm still finding my feet and don't feel like I have a full measure of it yet. On the other hand, it's fantastic to be surrounded by people who are passionate about interactive and don't view it as some geeky world that is simply cutting into their TV production budgets.
2) Porktrashers gig Last Sunday, and the last one for awhile. Steve is taking off for four months, then moving out to the country. Naturally he's saying he'll be in town a lot, but we'll see how things change. I'd hate to lose him in the band, he's a talented musician and a great guy too. Here are some photos of the PT gig.
