Today

Wed, 29 Aug 2007 12:05:43 GMT

Last night we left our back door window open so our cats could get in and out as they please (we've done this for years during the warm months without any major problems) . Around 1:00 am Maggie and I both woke up to the sweet sounds of our cat Bowie making his special, "I've caught something for you" meow, followed by an unusually loud non-cat squeak. Fun fun fun! As it turned out he brought us a very alive and extremely active RAT into our living room, and then left to go back outside - leaving all of the fun for me! You know, not a great way to wake up. I think that Maggie at this point was hiding under a pile of covers. The rat was under a table in a corner of our living room, so I was able to trap him by propping large canvases around the open sides of the table and funneled the guy into a large box, where I was then able to take him back out to the alley where our cat found him. The abandoned house next to our apartment seems to have a slight infestation problem. Yesterday afternoon the city posted signs in the alley stating that the rat problem was being taken care of.

Thank god.

From now on, I think we'll be keeping the back window CLOSED!

art show update

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 04:42:37 GMT

Today I mailed out 6 of my little paintings to Kiel, Germany for the Konglomerat exhibit (http://www.portraitfirma.de/stude.htm). I'm very excited to be part of the show, however it is unfortunate that I will not be able to be present. Although I'll be in Paris on business shortly before the show, I would not be able to attend the show without missing a friends wedding and work obligations. Besides, I think that if there's a next time it would be a whole lot more fun to do this with Maggie.

Here's a couple of the pictures that I will be showing:

art show

Sun, 29 Jul 2007 14:50:27 GMT

I have not been painting lately, focusing instead on developing my ceramic techniques. However, I recently accepted an invitation to show my paintings as part of a group show (http://nugax.de/nugaxpage/) in Kiel, Germany. I'm hoping that I might be able to attend the show, as I will already be in Paris on business around that time (although it all depends on the price of plane tickets). The show is made up of an artist group called Konglomerat. I'm excited to be showing with them as they are all excellent artists and also have a similar philosophy on art as I do.

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 12:55:53 GMT

The questions that were asked on this test were ones that I deal with at work on a regular basis. I think that this test only examined one aspect of intelligence; while I do great with questions on reasoning and mathematics, I tend to struggle with language skills.

ceramics

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 02:43:41 GMT

I've been taking a ceramics class for a little bit now and am finally starting to feel like I have a bit of control over the things that I'm creating. Here's a couple small vases that I made that I'm pretty happy with.

another little letter

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 02:56:12 GMT

Got another little letter from the Secretary of State yesterday. It was an apology for accidentally attaching my registration to someone else's ticket. I was pretty amazed that they sent the letter - for me it sort of restored a bit of faith in our courts. Accidents happen, and I'm just very happy that they took the time to send the apology.

little letter

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 20:30:06 GMT

This Wednesday I got home from work and found a nice little letter waiting for me in the mailbox. The letter was from the "Office of the Secretary of State - State of Illinois" Hmm I wondered, what do they want from me? Well... according to the letter, I had a court conviction for driving without insurance. Apparently I had been convicted and my registration was to be suspended unless I pay their fine. Now... we have had continuous insurance on our car - and most definitely had insurance the day the ticket was issued. After looking over the letter a bit more, it seemed that the person operating the car was not myself but someone with the name of Daniel (I don't know anyone with that name - and have never lent our car out before). Thursday morning I called our insurance company and had them fax proof of insurance to the "Mandatory Insurance Division" and also called the cook county court house to get some more information on the ticket. As it turns out, someone had made a simple typo... I was surprised that I was able to clear it all up without having to go to the courthouse in person (thank god) and how easy it all was. I don't know what it is, but it seems like I'm some sort of magnet that triggers unnecessary government issues. I wonder what will be next...

chicago houseware show

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:08:43 GMT

Today I walked the Chicago Houseware show... and as I expected, it kinda sucked. I mean, there was some cool stuff there, however, the bad out-weighed the good. For the most part, there was mainly stuff that you would see at dollar stores, K-Mart or on infomercials... I guess there's really no good comparison in Chicago to the Paris or Frankfurt shows... I think that the overall highlight of the show was seeing one booth trying to show off their upscale shower heads by having some buff guy actually take a shower at the show (in a swim suit, but still) - it was so so so ridiculous... you know, you walk around a corner and bam! There's some strange guy taking a shower - very strange and surreal... I think that it was after that point that we all decided that it was time for us to go. So, I got home early today - around 4:00 and was able to enjoy the warm weather at our local park with my son and wife - much more fun than the show.

yup, stolen from gritona & alcippe

Sat, 10 Mar 2007 02:51:57 GMT

You scored as Italian.

Italian

100%

Irish

75%

Dutch

50%

Spanish

38%

Russian

38%

British

38%

German

25%

French

25%

Turkish

25%

Danish

25%

Swiss

25%

Belgian

25%

Polish

13%

Molvanian

dinner

Wed, 07 Mar 2007 03:38:32 GMT

Tomorrow I'm making a Chinese stir fry for our little tribe. I don't get home until a little before six, so usually I'll prep everything the night before. So... I got the chicken and beef chopped and marinating in a chinese wine, dark soy sauce and sesame seed oil, broccoli and green onion chopped and ready to go, and all that I had left was to start the sauce, which I decided it would be primarily a garlic, ginger and soy combo. I cooked the sauce up, and it smelled and tasted amazing, however seemed a little soupy, so I added a little corn starch. The one problem with this is that I added baking soda instead of the starch - wasn't looking very carefully at which little box of white powder I was adding.
Oh well.
This week so far has kinda been like this, a little off - I think that I'm still a little burnt out from last week. It was our official launching of new seasonal products. This included a couple day long meetings with all of our sales reps from the US and Europe along with a dinner downtown on LaSalle over the river. Fun, but a bit draining.
It would be nice if tomorrow was Saturday.

ceramics class

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 03:13:08 GMT

I've been taking a ceramics class now for a few weeks (how to throw pottery on a wheel), and so far it's been a very humbling experience. I'm enjoying the whole process of learning a new craft and have also realized that this is going to take me a few years before I'm really able to get my thoughts out on clay (using this technique). It's funny, at work I design ceramic products for the home, however, I still can't even create the most basic ceramic item with my hands from scratch. I think that that's way this class is important to me. I want to know the craft, not just as a designer, but from all of the other angles as well....

Ambiente

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 02:41:56 GMT

This last week I went out to Frankfurt Germany to check out a trade show for work. It is, if I'm not mistaken, the largest tabletop houseware show and features an amazing selection of work from across the world. Needless to say, the show was very cool, and the trip was extremely exhausting. We flew out last Thursday in business class, a couple steps above what we where flying at my last job, and very very appreciated! Filet Mignon in a red wine reduced sauce (cooked correctly), and a seat that reclines into something very close to a bed. No complaints! We arrived in Frankfurt at 10:00 in the morning (their time) and after checking into our hotels and freshening up for 20 minutes, we were then ran to the show. The overall trip was very very dense, productive and non-stop for the three days that we were there.

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 02:39:21 GMT

Hey, so I just found out that I'm going to be showing three paintings at the High Risk Art Gallery (1113 W. Belmont in Chicago) on Thursday, February 1st. Very very cool. I do however have a slight problem... I need to have the paintings turned in a week before they are finished showing at the current cafe. I should be able to replace other paintings to fill in their place, but I feel a little shady about doing it. Also... the gallery would like to have a full portfolio of my work assembled in a binder. Not a problem, except for the fact that I don't really have any good pictures of my current work, especially any of the work that is on display in the cafe. It is way way cool that I'm going to be showing, and am very excited about it, however I really wish that it was planned for the following week as I am not prepared for this.

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 04:20:42 GMT

wow - I found this movie online describing the last company that I worked at... just in case you wondered what I used to do..
http://garrettsheridan.com/misaine/runme.swf
by the way... the butterfly mugs and the ice tea shaker featured in the movie are both my designs :)

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 04:39:34 GMT

so... this Sunday I went ahead and signed up for an eight week ceramics class that starts at the end of January. It's a little on the pricey side for me, however work is picking up the tab. Should be pretty fun, I've been wanting to learn more about throwing on the wheel ever since I've started to design slip cast stuff a few years back.

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 04:04:40 GMT

I saw something on my drive home today that affected me a bit. I saw a person that had been hit laying in the center of an intersection - it was a pretty dark area, but I could see that there was someone doing CPR on the poor guy and another guy directing traffic. As I drove by I asked them if there was anything that I could do, but they said that they had it under control. Moments later I could see an ambulance on its way. When I see things like that it always clicks me back into the reality of things... I need to try not to get so worked up over slow drivers and stupid things... hope that whoever it was that they're doing alright...

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 04:38:28 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted anything... been focusing on art theory and things like that as of lately - in particular the whole originality of art arguments. If you're interested I've got some stuff posted at http://community.livejournal.com/internalism/ and the basic argument / philosophy that we came up with is located in the profile.

Work has been going pretty well, nothing to complain about. I'm very excited to see some of my designs go into production - there's a select few items that I can't wait to get my hands on. Something that I'm totally excited about is the fact that my work has given me the go-ahead to take an evening ceramics class that's just a couple blocks away from where we live. Very cool - now I'll be able to take home even more stuff... this may be a problem.

Anyone need a cat sitter?

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:20:20 GMT

This weekend was pretty cool. Saturday and Sunday morning I primarily hung out with my in-laws. The not so cool and slightly odd thing that did happen this weekend was Sunday afternoon when Maggie got a rambling call from someone saying that they had found our cat. The thing is, both of our little animals are outdoor cats, they apparently found him only three blocks away from where we currently live, and we had just let him out just that morning. They took him back to their apartment (in a not so nice area) and gave us a call. So, we stopped by their place to pick him up. The couple that found him most definitely had issues, and I'm still trying to figure out what that was all about. When I picked him up they told me a couple of times that they would be happy to cat sit whenever I wanted and how they loved animals. I think that maybe they where looking for a cat sitting job, or maybe didn't realize that people do let their cats go outdoors. I think that I'll pass on the cat sitting offer.

Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:18:28 GMT

Been a pretty cool week, although I think it has gone by in slow motion - at work anyways. I decided to leave early today and went shopping with gritona and Jack for inspiration. The thing that 's kinda frustrating about this all is that I've just wrapped up Christmas concepts, and now I'm trying to think of Spring and Summer ideas, just at the moment that the fall and winter holidays are in sight. Oh well, I have a few ideas...
I got an email today from a production crew wanting for me to preform my music over at the Elbo Room (a club in Chicago) - everything that I do however is designed on the computer, and isn't very friendly for performance, so I think that I'll have to pass on it - however am flattered that I was asked..

Mon, 02 Oct 2006 03:36:54 GMT

On Saturday, Maggie, Jack and I went out to the Northwestern Campas along the lake to feed the ducks and freakishly large fish that we think may be carp. Later on that day Maggie and I went out to a recietle / birthday party. It was an old friend of mine growing up that I haven't talked to for almost ten years - we actually havn't really been friends since grade school. It was good seeing him - and will probbably be seeing more of him in the future.

socks

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 03:32:02 GMT

Every morning Jack watches me put on my black socks before I head off to work in the morning, something that he now asociates with me. It was fun to put my socks on him...

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 03:08:23 GMT

well, it's been a pretty busy week... tons and tons of work, and having to take some of it home too - which is alright, everything just needs to be out before the product managers head off to China. Received word yesterday that there's a very very good chance that I'll be going to Ambiente, the Frankfurt houseware show in late January. Apparently they're going to be booking the tickets next week. At my last job I didn't find out that I was heading off to China until a week and a half before we left - a bit of a contrast. Looking forward to the weekend, I've started a painting that I'd like to finnish off - also would love to go out to the lake before it gets too cold.

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:58:32 GMT

So, I went back to the sample room at work to check out what new things came in that day - and there were some vases that turned out pretty good - a couple color changes, but over all pretty cool. There were also these strange little tea light holders... it took me a while to realize that it was something that I had created. Looks like the factory has "fixed" my maker file. If you ever want to do something a bit different from the norm, very rarely will it come back the way you requested it to be done (if it's asymmetrical - often it will come back symmetrical). When these items actually make thier way into stores, I'll have to post pics of some of this stuff. Of course, that won't be for over a year cause I'm currently working on xmas 07 - winter 08.

On tuesday night, I ran out to my parents place to grab the very crib that I slept in as a baby - now for Jack to sleep in. Put it together yesterday - very nice - but we're still going to have to purchase a new one cause he's almost too tall for it. Oh well, it'll be good for a couple of weeks anyways.

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 03:17:41 GMT

Work has been going pretty good, got some of my vases in yesterday - and I'm pretty happy with them. It's amazing the range of product samples that you can get back from China - sometimes things turn out perfect - exactly as it was specked out, and sometimes the factories totally ignore the maker files and do their own thing... which is usually a very bad thing. Last week we got a pitcher in - and the sample handle was altogether different than what was requested. Won't be going threw that vendor anymore. Regardless, it always feels a little bit like Christmas when samples start coming in - never totally sure what to expect.

I'm definitely enjoying the fall weather - and am looking forward to the continuation of the season. I think that I forgot how much I enjoy it....

Wed, 13 Sep 2006 02:02:18 GMT

well - it's been a while since I've posted.. so I'll update you on my oh so exciting life as of recently. This last weekend I had the great privilege and joy to spend a good 4 hours of Saturday morning at the DMV trying to get my Illinois drivers license. Apparently I have failed to have our old car (that has been sold) to go through the Illinois fuels emissions last year... while we where living out in California. As a result my Illinois drivers license has been suspended - while were out of state. Soooo, I can't get my drivers license until I get the car we sold in CA to go through the test... or deal with some red tape. Gotta love the DMV - a fun adventure every time! The rest of weekend went much better - went to the zoo, our local park, and ran some errands. Yesterday I started a painting.. pretty happy with it so far.. inspired by the gray rainy days... it's been a few years since I last been in the season "fall"