October 2009 Archives

Is it wrong to be angry?

By Elliott Smith on October 30, 2009 7:06 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Is it wrong to be angry? Lance Armstrong says, "No". I got an inflammatory and unreasonable email from a client yesterday -- the kicker was that they were frustrated that we hadn't moved ahead with a project even though they hadn't actually signed off on a scope or budget. "Sure I haven't agreed how big the house is or what it's going to look like, but can't you start building!?"

Anyway I digress. The thing was, I decided I would work off my frustration by going for a lunchtime run. And by golly, it worked like a charm. My best pace ever, confirmed by Lance Armstrong himself on my Nike+ system.

To quote the great Joe Strummer, "Let fury have the hour/ anger can be power/
D'you know how you can use it?" 

Somehow I don't think he was imagining a run down by HarbourFront, but hey, times change.

If it's good enough for Gord...

By Elliott Smith on October 22, 2009 7:56 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Check out the story at 1:09 of this CFNY clip (and believe me, you'll want to skip to that, Josie Dye the interviewer is sweet but painful) for the story about performing on SNL:

 



Then check out the clip on SNL to see it in action: 


You can see him making the number 11 sign for his nephew as he promised then screwing up the lyrics. Classic.The funny thing is that Gord does so much of that weird stuff you'd never have noticed it if he hadn't pointed it out. But look at the expression on his face when he screws up that first line. It makes me feel so much better about all my live stumbles: If it's good enough for Gord it's good enough for me!



Overheard

By Elliott Smith on October 21, 2009 8:03 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Carol told me this story last night about a kitchen table conversation between Adele (3) and Leighton (7):

Adèle: Well, everyone likes mermaids.
Leighton: I know someone who doesn't.
Adèle: What? Who?
Leighton: Someone at school. She doesn't like mermaids.
Adèle: Are you SERIOUS? (pause) Does she know they're PURPLE!?

I don't even know what this exchange means exactly, but I agree with Adèle: I can't comprehend a world that doesn't like mermaids.

Build a better mouse and...

By Elliott Smith on October 21, 2009 7:54 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
gestures_list_20091020.jpg

At the risk of coming across as an Apple fanboy I must say, the new magic mouse from Apple looks super cool. They've basically given the top surface of the mouse some touchscreen functionality, allowing you to drag and swipe with finger gestures instead of always moving the actual mouse.

Nice to see Apple finally get serious about innovating the mouse; it hasn't really changed much in 20 years.

My God, what has happened to me?

By Elliott Smith on October 20, 2009 9:59 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
One of the problems with running with this Nike+ system, is that when the sensor dies (as mine did) then you know longer feel like running because it's not being "recorded". Yes, I know this is a dumb way to think about it, but hey, we live in an age where nothing counts unless it's being recorded somehow right?

Anyway, I haven't run for a few weeks, but today at lunch (after a big client presentation), I plugged in my (new) sensor and went for a run to air out my head, albeit with some trepidation. After all, it had been awhile, and even at the best of times running does not come naturally to me.

But I had a really weird experience: About 1 km in, I suddenly thought to myself "Ah, this is great, just what I needed!"

Whaa??

I never think that when I run! It's always been right up there with flossing, something you do thatt offers no other satisfaction other than the knowledge you're marginally will be more attractive as a result.

How has this happened? Have I become one of THEM? The ones with their little running caps and tights, jogging smugly along the bike path checking their pedometers? Oh please God no. Where are the chips? Someone bring me some chips, stat!!

Superhero Supplies... finally!

By Elliott Smith on October 14, 2009 9:40 AM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Man, I am so SICK of patching that old cape. I'm just gonna order one. Plus some more muscles.


A really funny idea, saved from plain old silliness by exceptional design and attention to detail.

Some new photos

By Elliott Smith on October 13, 2009 3:40 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
CAMERA.jpg

Apparently, I can share this photo album with friends "even if they're not on Facebook"!

Wow, that's like saying "talk to people, even if they don't have a phone." I mean, who doesn't have a phone or a Facebook account?

Brothers in arms

By Elliott Smith on October 9, 2009 8:23 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
A nice shot of the boys on their first day of school, looking exactly as boys should.

boys_schoolday_1.jpg

Been playing around with this photo treatment at work, where you use layers to punch up the blacks and desaturate the high tones; I stole the technique from looking at one of the younger designers' Photoshop files, because that's what we old creative guys do. It's not hard to do, so that probably means it's already passé.



Recent work

By Elliott Smith on October 9, 2009 8:12 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
I don't do a lot of freelance anymore, but I always like working with Theatrefront and Daryl Cloran. The scripts are a great read, and they're nice to work with. Here is the latest for them, which I'm pleased with, although unfortunately due to budget cuts it was printed out smaller than I'd hoped. Also, funnily enough, it reminds me of that Back Before Midnight poster from last decade, except with more underground than sky. I guess I'm just out of ideas.

That said, one of the writers actually asked if I could send him just the bird as a graphic, because he wanted to make a tattoo of it! That's a first.

Teaching Sportsmanship? We don't do that here.

By Elliott Smith on October 5, 2009 9:01 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Campbell and Leighton played their first hockey of the year at their new league Forest Hill Hockey Association. It's pretty impressively run, but perhaps due to a combination of having Select level hockey there (read: higher level of play overall) and the fact that, well, it's Forest Hill, I do find the overall atmosphere there a bit more intense than St Mike's.

For example, at the end of Campbell's game we all went out on the ice and did the shaking hands line up thing with the kids. Pretty standard stuff at all hockey games, doesn't take long. When we came off, the convener told us "What's with the handshaking? You need to get off the ice faster!" I smiled thinking he was joking, but then he said, "No, I'm serious. We don't do that here. We prefer to give the kids the extra shift on ice."

I was so taken aback I didn't even respond, but I came away thinking that if the goals of the league are to give kids a great hockey experience, then surely teaching them the fundamentals of good sportsmanship is more important than one last 2 minute shift! I mean, it's not like it's going to make the difference between them making the NHL or not. 

At some point I'll probably work up some courage and write an email to the league executive about it, but I'll need to channel my inner "Forest Hill chutzpah" first.

Hockey Heartbreak... not

By Elliott Smith on October 2, 2009 4:17 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks
Nah, not the Leafs losing the home opener. Hockey has started here, first "heartbreak" already in that Campbell tried out for, but didn't make, the Select team. I think I was more disappointed than him, although the coach said that his year is unusually strong in terms of calibre of player, which I could certainly see. Campbell is a graceful and well coordinated athlete, but he doesn't have the desperate drive out there that a lot of these kids had. Amazing to see in 8-9 year olds. 

Anyway, I was proud of him for going for it and didn't make a big deal of it. One of the organizers there made a great point about your kids and hockey, which is that years from now the kids won't remember much about the games themselves: they'll remember that you were there spending time with them. I thought that was a great insight and will try to live up to it.

Now, skate! SKATE DAMMIT!!!!!

Just kidding.
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