1999, Gonna Party Like It's

Why 2009 is already better than 2008:

12) I have discovered weird old country music on AM 1300.
11) I got to see the Wilco episode of Austin City Limits last night (very good).
10) My basement is not flooded.
09) My car radiator is new.
08) The Sabres are 1-0 for 2009.
07) No friends have died yet.
06) The sun is shining today.
05) The Christmas music has stopped.
04) All my reading, so far, has been Clash-oriented.
03) I can stop watering the Xmas tree twice a day.
02) I have goals!
01) My beard is better.



BONUS BEATS:
My friend Paul (aka John Paul Jones) who just moved to Atlanta was sufficiently inspired to produce his own "Why 2009 is Better..." list, I thought I would share:

www.triskaidekaphobia.com

I wish I could see the 'non rock hair' Paul!

BB2- Make that SABRES 2-0,
after beating the Bruins, breaking the Killer B's 10 game winning streak, 14 game home wining streak! Yessiree!

Little Bones

4 and 0, baby!

I enjoyed the Sabres 5-2 victory from a front row seat-- I was very fortunate to watch the action rinkside. A unique spot to watch from, you can't see down the ice to the other net, but then you are eye level for the action where the Sabres shoot 2X. You are IN the action, you can see shots from a players view, you can yell so loud you're sure they can hear you, you can feel the hits....

While I was there I got to see a 'hockey moment' only viewable from the front few rows. A Canuck gets slammed face 1st into the boards, the plexiglass shakes violently and he groggily skates back up the ice. There is a whistle in the action and the same Vancouver player comes skating over with a linesman and start looking down at the ice in the spot he got slammed. I look down and see a little tooth on the ice, no blood, just a tooth. He bends down, picks it up with un-gloved hand and skates to the bench. Only in hockey! Ouch.

BONUS BEATS: today I am taking the kids to a Sports Cards & Collectibles Show at the Hamburg Fairgrounds. My buddy, the Buffalo Hockey Experience & Museum guy is going to have a display, so we are going to check it out. I haven't been to a card show ever, though I have been to both beer can collector and comic book conventions when I was a kid.

Talent Show

Visions of hockey pucks dance in my head....

It is Monday and the anticipation of the 1st pre-season hockey game is upon us. Tonight veterans and rookies take the ice in Toronto as the Sabres warm up for the season (which officially starts on Friday October 10th). Ah, Fall is in the air and hockey season is here kids. It seems like a longer wait for this day that usual, but the Sabs missing the playoffs just lengthened the time from the end of the last season and the start of this one.

The family and I went down to Puck Drop 2008 where the team kicked off the season with a bang! The veterans scrimmaged, a band played outside, and the kids got to ride a giant inflatable slide. Being in the arena was pure joy! The fans were excited as we entered and felt the cold of the rink as we got off the escalator. I love that feeling! The scrimmage was enthusiastic as blue played yellow (blue won 7-2) with veterans and rookies mingling amongst each other.

The Sabs also previewed the 'new/old' 3rd jersey which combines the old logo with new colors and some extra pinstripes. I don't really like all the extra lines or the white under their arms. J. mentioned that the white under the arms makes them look thinner like they have a cinched waist. "Shouldn't they look bigger like bears," she inquired. I like the retro tie at the top and I am sure they will sell a million more jerseys again. The kids love new things!

We saw Max score a goal, lets hope that isn't one of his few for the season, eh? They should have dumped that guy and moved on!

Check Buff News photo Mark Mulville's slideshow from the event, click here.

Listed M.I.A.

As I crammed for a 'tomorrow meeting' I listened on the radio as the Sabres last gasped and missed the playoffs... owwwwww.... It is time to end this 11 hour workday, just about 10 hours too long if you ask me- it had highs, it had lows..

The Infamous Top 5
For Thursday (April 3, 2008):

5. Corner store (Lex General Store aka Mike's Place aka The Newspaper Store Where They Have The Ice Cream- as my one daughter calls it) and The Place still closed as Spring arrives.

4. Should have had the burger, not the chicken.

3. Nice weather = Johnny Liquor sightings in the neighborhood are on the rise.

2. Speeding Ticket handed out by the OPP.

1. Sabres bowing out of the race.

I couldn't resist talking more grainy office photos with this here laptop. The images all have a security camera aesthetic that is irresistible at 11:35 PM. This is how my eyes are seeing now! So without further adieu, more OW office shots (click for larger).

Only 6 months or so until hockey training camp.


The coffee corner (the OW water cooler).


More LPs (and 12"s) than your average design corporation!


Blue Monday: My Peter Hook autograph.


The hockey game listening radio (for music too).

The Kids Are Alright

Branding so deep it is invading chromosomes!

I received an email yesterday from a friend of mine, a fellow graphic artist, that was quite funny and interesting. He attached the drawing to the right. Apparently he went into his son's room while he was quietly drawing to take a peek at what he was doing. When he looked over his shoulder, he was surprised to find him drawing the OtherWisz logo!! What the?!?!

Now his son may have seen our logo a few times, on a t-shirt his dad has, maybe on letterhead his dad might have received from us... but it is not like he sees it everyday like my kids do (J. had made our oldest a mobile when she was baby that had the black and white OW logo hanging on it.)

I would say this is a testament to our skill as designers of memorable logos, to say the least. The logo apparently leaves such a lasting impression on today's youth- now that is how you build a brand from the ground up, eh? At least three feet from the ground up!

My friend mentioned that the OW logo has taken precedent over his other favorites, the Sabres logo (pictured below the OW logo on this sketch) and the Bills logo. It also contains some of his fav design elements: a star, a circle and a "W". Comparing his rendition of the OW logo vs. the Sabres logo- he seems to be able to reproduce our logo easier- and I am sure he has seem that 'flying goat' before, it is all over this freakin' town!

A brand so strong kids can love it! Start 'em young!

Get Busy

Well I got all I wanted for the holiday, plus a bunch of new design books... not to mention a subscription to The Hockey News!!

As Winter starts to really blow in, we have a lot to look forward to in the Winter 'hunker down' months and the "soon-to-be-upon-us" New Year including:

10) Time to read.
I also received the Replacements oral history book "All Over But The Shouting" by Jim Walsh (who's is NOT Brandon and Brenda's dad.. at least I don't think so...). Rock and design research!

09) Sledding.
The kids got a purple, plastic toboggan from Santa. In my world of princesses, baby dolls and ballet-a little thrill ride down the slope is in order.

08) Better mix CDs.
Santa gave me a Sony CD burner to attached to the DJ system for some live to mix vinyl translation. All those old house music records will again see the light of day. Get Busy, Mr. Lee.

07) No more trips to (and then waiting in line at) the post office.
Man, I have been to the post office too many times in the past few weeks to mail out-of-town gifts, to buy stamps, to mail postcards, to drop off T-shirts that were ordered for the holidays...

06) Saturday Night's Hockey Night in Canada.
Nothing says winter in Buffalo better than HNIC, Ron and Don, especially with the upcoming Hockey Day in Canada (mentioned previously). The passing of the first of the year only means the Stanley Cup playoffs are a mere 4 months away!

05) Snow Days.
City closing blizzards that keep everyone cozy at home watching movies and drinking hot chocolate or tea. Of course, having your own business, located conveniently on the same property, means no snow-days off from work!

04) Trip to Florida (perhaps...)
The kids are itching to see their grandparents and friends in the strip mall capitol of the US, the US's own boot, 'shorts-with-parkas' territory- Florida. We'll see about that one.

03) Fresh Snowfall.
I love a fresh snowfall that conveniently covers the dirt and grime of the city overnight. Though the beauty usually only lasts until the plows go by and undercover the filth, but for that brief moment in time when all is white- it is so nice.

02) Silence.
The city fabric comes with its own set of sounds, sometimes disturbing- boomin' car stereos, partying kids across the street in the frat-house apartment, drunken people wandering up and down the street yelling for no good reason at a no good hour. The cold weather makes the crazies retreat indoors and with the windows shut tight- you just can't hear the ones that are still out there. BONUS BEATS- No More 24 hours of xmas tunes!

01) Ice Bowl (Winter Classic)-Hockey Outdoors!!
Pond hockey gone big time- though I will be watching in the comfort of my home and not outside like the some 80,000 maniacs, but with the home team playing outdoors, firends and family over, Sabres on a hot streak (6 wins in a row), all hockey eyes on Bflo... it doesn't get any better that this! Go Sabs! What a way to start the new year!

You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby

It is a delicate balance of deadlines and life.
When does all the 'free time' show up?

Running your own business means you can work 'any 12 hours of the day you choose' (Thanks, Mr. Coles). I try and put in a solid 6-7 hours during the day, during normal business hours. But I often have to work in the evening as well for a few hours on top of that.

My daughter gets off the bus at 4:00 PM, so I usually quit then. We have dinner, one of us will take a trip to the gym, there are baths for the kids, some play time, reading of 3 books and the girls go to sleep at 7:30 or so. That is often followed by a quick read of the Buffalo Snooze, a double dog walk, maybe some mindless TV and back into the office by 8:00 PM or so. The older I get, the less I want to work past 11:00- 12:00 at night. Last night I was in here 'til 1:00 AM and I am whipped right now!

So I usually try to keep this pace going Mon-Thurs. Unless I really, really, really have to- I don't work Friday nights, Saturday or Sunday. I think the worst is having to work on a Sunday night- preparing for a Monday AM meeting or something like that. Ugh!

Then there are the distractions.... hockey playoff games, my neighbor graciously offering me a beer from his front porch & Jill and I like to actual go out once in a while, doing things that aren't about working (there is surely not enough of that last one...). Hey, you can't do nothing besides work all the time, right? I get tired of being in the office for hours on end. Now that summer is approaching, I can work in the yard with the laptop- which makes in a little more bearable.

So yes, I do get to work when I want- the benefits of running your own business. I get to stop and cut the grass in the middle of the day, walk the dogs after lunch, go into the office at 9:30 AM if I wish- though I seldom do these things.... I am my own boss, I shouldn't be so hard on myself. I have been trying to ease up on the schedule a bit, but the demands of new clients, solving design problems and paperwork sometimes gets the better of me. There always seems to not be enough 'free time.' (I don't think it really is 'free', you have to work for it, to fit it in...).

I am going to try and only work 7 hours today.

Oh yeah, by the way, Sabres in 6!

Get It Together

You can go onto the internet and view satellite photos from outerspace. From millions and millions of miles away, I can see my truck parked in my driveway. And it is clearly is "a large vehicle past my gate- in my driveway."

How come they can't have a camera directly above, less that 100 feet from the goal line in hockey games that provides a clear, CONCLUSIVE, view of a puck crossing a goal line?

Technology clearly underutilized!!
The NHL needs to get it together!