Invitation

Designed by Rachel Landry

Quote for Thought

"It's upon us to dig deeper every time and if you're not getting better, you deserve a lashing. If you can't do it, let someone else step in." Sean Penn, Vogue, October 2007

Mom's Words To Live By

GROWTH Just as when we were children and grew out of favorite toys and clothes, we sometimes grow out of things as adults - people, jobs, and homes. This can be confusing. We may wonder why someone or something that was so special and important to us last year doesn't fit the same way in our life today. We may wonder why our feelings have changed. When we were children, we may have tried to fit an outgrown article of clothing on to our body. Now, as adults, we may go through a time of trying to force fit attitudes that we have outgrown. We may need to do this to give ourselves time to realize the truth. What worked last year, what was so important and special to us in times past, doesn't work anymore because we've changed. We've grown. We can accept this as a valid and important part of growth. We can let ourselves go through experimentation and grief as we struggle to make something fit, trying to figure out if indeed it no longer fits, and why. We can explore our feelings and thoughts around what has happened. Then, we can put last year's toys away and make room for the new. Today, I will let last year's toys be what they were: last year's toys. I will remember them with fondness for the part they played in my life. Then, I will put them away and make room for the new.

Holiday Thought from Howard Tullman

"Maybe we should develop a Crayola bomb as our next secret weapon. A Happiness weapon. A Beauty Bomb. And every time a crisis developed, we would launch one first--before we tried anything else. It would explode high in the air--explode softly--and send thousands, millions, of little parachutes into the air. Floating down to earth--boxes of Crayolas. And we shouldn't go cheap either--not little boxes of eight. Boxes of sixty-four, with the sharpener built right in. With silver and gold and copper, magenta and peach and lime, amber and umber and all the rest. And people would smile and get a little funny look on their faces and cover the world with imagination instead of death."

DVD Cover for Hillary Clinton - A Friends' Perspective

Designed by Rachel Landry

Signal Vs. Noise (Jason Fried's Blog)

Neil Wilson asks:

"Get Ink is the fundamental marketing mantra. You guys are natural self-promoters. What do you find is the best way of getting your name in the frame?"

10 ideas that come to mind when I think about ways to get people to notice you/your product: 1. Provide something of value. The first step is recognizing that marketing is asking for someone else’s time and attention. You need to provide something worthy of those valuable commodities. So keep your message brief and interesting. When you educate or entertain other people, they’ll pay attention. If you bore them, they won’t. 2. Know your hook. Imagine you are a reporter who wants to write an article about your company. What’s the hook? What’s the angle that will be interesting to someone who normally wouldn’t care about your software? We’ve got a lot of mileage in the press out of staying small and focusing on “less.” What’s unique about your story? 3. Stand for something. Know and expose your company’s philosophy and mantras. 37signals started with a manifesto back when we launched as a design firm. Even though it’s from 1999 and our company has evolved a ton since then, you can see the seeds of many of our current ideas there. That sort of belief foundation will help guide you (and others) to your story. 4. Get your face out there. It’s tempting to think you can do it all from a keyboard. But emails are a poor substitute for real, face-to-face interactions. Go to conferences and meetups, take someone you admire out to lunch, etc. It’s ok to “network” — just don’t be a douche about it. Which leads to… 5. Try to build real, sustained relationships. Actually be a friend instead of a guy trying to get something. Keep your interactions human (a sincere, honest note will go a lot further than a buzzwordy press release). Seek out ways to help others. It’ll all come back to you. 6. It’s the message, not the amount you spend on it. Companies that spend tons of ad/PR dollars to convince people their products are worthwhile are like guys who spend lots of money on gifts and dinners to woo a woman. What kind of relationship are they really building? Successful customer relationships are like any other long-term relationship: They start with a foundation of communication and showing you care about the other person. 7. Give stuff away for free. (I don’t think this contradicts the previous point but maybe?) People love free. Offer a free version of your product, provide coupon codes, etc. Whenever we include a coupon code in a newsletter, there’s a big uptick in upgrades. 8. Ride the wave. Seek momentum and ride it. Is everyone buzzing about the iPhone? Then make an iPhone app. Are people interested in rapid development processes? Then blog about building your app in, say, under a month. Find out what people are talking about already and then figure out a way to get in the picture. 9. Be in it for the long haul. Recognize that promotion, like other aspects of building a company, takes time and effort. If you’re starting from scratch, you have to claw your way up. It’s uncanny how many “overnight success stories” you hear about are actually people who busted their asses for years to get into the position where something might take off. Don’t expect instant recognition. 10. Be undeniably good. Steve Martin was on Charlie Rose last week. At the very end, he gave his advice to someone who’s trying to make it in any field: “Be undeniably good.” When people ask me how do you make it in show business or whatever, what I always tell them — And nobody ever takes note of it ‘cuz it’s not the answer they wanted to hear. What they want to hear is here’s how you get an agent, here’s how you write a script, here’s how you do this — But I always say, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” If somebody’s thinking, “How can I be really good?”, people are going to come to you. It’s much easier doing it that way than going to cocktail parties.That’s some good advice. Go out and make something that kicks ass and people will notice. From Signal Vs. Noise (a weblog from 37Signals)

Thanksgiving Photo with Dad's Side of the Family...

Rob Fetters Coming to Flashpoint Friday, December 14th

Poster created by Rachel Landry

Flashpoint Holiday Party

Mary Owczarski Is Flying South (to Nashville, that is!)

Grace is Gone

Saw a screening of the new movie "Grace Is Gone," starring John Cusack last night at the Midwest Film Festival (held every month at the Landmark Century Theatre in Chicago). It is a very touching story about a father who cannot bear to tell his two young daughters that their mother has been killed in the Iraq war. The storyline is simple and there is a slow quality about the movie but it does a great job of depicting the everyday man dealing with the grievances that come with war. Although the mother was killed in the war, the movie is not about war, but rather the lives back home and the whole concept of life and death in general. Tear jerker indeed.

Synopsis: Grace Is Gone is a film starring John Cusack as a father who does not want to tell his two daughters that their sergeant mother has died in Iraq. Desperate to delay telling the children they embark on a spontaneous road trip. The farther they drive the closer they become yet Stanley knows he must face the inevitable task of changing their lives forever.

Flashpoint Poster for Chevy Chase

created by Rachel Landry for Flashpoint Academy

Mom's Words To Live By

I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.

-Henry David Thoreau

Mom's Words to Live By

"All power is a trust. We are accountable for its exercise. From people and for people all power springs, and all must exist."

-Benjamin Disraeli

The sun is power. It warms, and it burns, it feeds the plants without which we could not live. Yet, for all its power, the sun cannot make so much as a rainbow by itself. For that, it needs the rain, at just the right time and angle.No matter how strong we are - or smart or talented or attractive - we realize our full power only by filtering it through others. Our most meaningful achievements are born of combined efforts. Even when we do something that feels like ours alone - paint a painting, win an award, and hit a home run - there is always a constellation of friends and family and teachers, even enemies, who've been a part of our success.Like the rain's part in the rainbow, the contributions of others do not detract from our achievements, but enhance them and bring them to their fullest light.

Fleeting Time...

So I have neglected my beloved Foggyland for far too long now. Thinking about what to post next was quite daunting, so I had to think: "What have I been doing lately?" Well, I have been working. That doesn't need a blog post though. I just received yet another random text from the kid (well, man) from the Lodge... bizarre. (Come to think of it, I could start posting his texts to up the humor factor on Foggyland. For example, "While you are thinking about it consider that if u can't suffer my presence there will be plenty of other pretty things to look at..." What?!) So, I have opted to go with a toast. A toast to my new favorite newlyweds... Well, it is actually the Apache Wedding Prayer that they recited at their wedding. But, nonetheless, it is a toast. Went to my good girlfriend's wedding this past weekend in Silver Springs, PA. She got married at the barn at Falling Water... the wedding was unbelievably beautiful and she looked absolutely amazing! Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter for the other. Now you will feel no cold,for each of you will be warmth to the other. Now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons,but there are three lives before you: his life, her life and your life together. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into your days together. And may all your days be good and long upon the Earth. Cheers to Faith and Gabe on many, many happy years together! xoxo

Mom's Words To Live By

Day Five Thought of the Day

"Young man, the secret of my success is that at an early age I discovered I was not God."

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Terry Kiwala Moonie Talks

Moonie Maker Tip No. 2 Create a monthly budget. Figure out where you are spending your money by creating something along the lines of an Excel spreadsheet. By figuring out where you spend your money, you can effectively cut unneccessary expenditures in your life/financial world. And always remember: On payday, pay yourself first. Always.

Mom's Words To Live By

Day Four Thought of the Day

"Genius is only a superior power of seeing."

Terry Kiwala Moonie Talks

I have enlisted Terry to give me one "Moonie Tip" a day from here on out. Moonie Maker Tip No. 1 Start a 401K plan NOW! If you cannot, go for a ROTH IRA plan. Apparently you can borrow $$ from your 401K when getting ready to buy a place (tax-free). This is a one-time deal, so Terry says to take caution when making big decisions like that. Lesson learned: You have to put money away to eventually make it. It doesn't come in a day. But, apparently there is a way to take $100 and turn it into $1 billion in 10 years... I am waiting for the lesson on that one. I promise not to hold my breath.

Mom's Words To Live By

Day Three Thought of the Day:

"No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves today." -Brendan Francis ...and apparently Mare claims these are her own words (and if they are, my mama gets another positive notch in the book of creativity...)

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."

WILCO IS WONDERFUL

Saw Wilco last night at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millenium Park... What a great show! It was a benefit show for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Wish I could have put up a pic from last night, but my camera died. I think I have charged the camera 2x since getting it... no problems up until now. Weird. Kind of funny because I believe this picture was taken at Lollapalooza a couple summers back... That or else Jeff Tweedy wears that unbelievable get-up a lot. Who knows?

Mom's Words To Live By

Day Two Thought of the Day:

Good friendships are fragile things and require as much care as any other fragile and precious things.

-Randolph Bourne

Mom's Words To Live By

So, out of the blue, my mom emails me last night with her idea of a "Daily Thought." She claims she is going to throw out a thought of the day, every day... We will see if she is going to stick to her words. Anyway, Day One Thought of the Day:

Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you.

-Madeline Bridges

New Movie Coming Out

The Darjeeling Limited So... after the devastation of my boyfriend trying to commit suicide came a remarkable discovery. He is in a new Wes Anderson movie... goody! Wonder how it will be?? We will have to wait and see. Out September 29/2007. Click above to watch the trailor!

FOOD

I was out to dinner last night at Bob San Sushi in Wicker Park (once again), so I have decided to look up my favorite starter, the Seaweed Salad.

Ingredients

3/4 oz dried wakame seaweed (whole or cut)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1 small tart apple (1/4 lb) such as Granny Smith

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

Preparation

Soak seaweed in warm water to cover, 5 minutes. Drain, then squeeze out excess water. If wakame is uncut, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a bowl until sugar is dissolved. Cut apple into 1/4-inch dice and add to dressing with seaweed, scallions, and cilantro, tossing to combine well. Sprinkle salad with sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings.

MY NEW FAVORITE SAYING

"Lebih gila, lebin biak," which in Indonesian means "the more odd, the better." Love it. Now I just need to learn how to say it.

ARCHITECTURE

As I was perusing various architects on Architectural Digest's AD 100, I ran across an architect by the name of Richard Landry, so, naturally, I was intrigued. (A possible long lost relative from Bergerland, L.A.!) Anyway, I looked and I liked and now he is on my blog. If you go to his website though, you see he designs in a way that covers a WIDE SPECTRUM of aesthetics, from modern to classic. I vote modern design through and through. Excerpt from AD: "We ask a lot of questions, and we often challenge our clients to truly pay attention to the way they actually live in their home, the way they entertain, how they see themselves in five, 10 or 15 years,” architect Richard Landry says of his approach to working with a new client. His Los Angeles firm, Landry Design Group, which he established almost 20 years ago, has realized more than 250 residences, many of them large in scale and for high-profile clients. Michael Bolton, Kenny G, Eddie Murphy and Rod Stewart are among the celebrities who have commissioned the architect. Richard Landry310-444-1404www.landrydesigngroup.com “Although we’re known for working on large-scale homes,” says Landry, “our clients are usually concerned with the scale of the rooms, making sure that they’re practical without being oversize. What makes our homes large is the simple fact that they incorporate several bedroom suites and many additional rooms, such as gyms, theaters, playrooms, home offices, project rooms and proper storage.” While some architects pride themselves on having a signature style, Landry has built his practice on “diversity—from modern to classic,” as he says. “What unifies our projects,” he adds, “is the attention to details and responsiveness to our clients’ requirements, regardless of style.” That philosophy, along with the homes that have been born from it, is the subject of a new monograph, Modern to Classic.

words to live by...

"Unless you're pushing yourself, you're not living to the fullest. You can't be afraid to fail, but unless you fail, you haven't pushed hard enough." -Dean Karnazes

Fun Times in NYC!

Don't worry... not a creepy guy... just our friend, Scott!

David Hockney

I like this.

We Be Rich with Moonies!

T-Dawg with some moonies... I am waiting for the day he throws on some bling and sports a do-rag. He looks too straight to have all that moonies.

Dream Quote... Why?

"Don't let your tomorrows be too loud to disrupt with your todays."

Eric Pfeiffer Table

Just perusing the internet, risdworks.com, and ran across this coffee table.

Primarily concerned with process, Eric Pfeiffer expresses the directness and purity of his chosen materials through reduction and refinement. SFMoMA snapped up four of his objects for its permanent collection within a year after he arrived on the San Francisco design scene. In 1997 The Gap tapped Pfeiffer to design its 10,000-square-foot flagship store in Tokyo. Commissions from the Pottery Barn, the San Francisco Zoo, North Face and several California wineries soon followed. Aaron Betsky, curator of Architecture and Design at SFMoMA, considers Pfeiffer “one of the most elegant and witty furniture designers” he knows and marvels at “the way he uses simple materials to create forceful and engaging forms.”

Faces For Fun

I was just looking through my pictures and ran across this photo. It was taken in Buenos Aires at an open-air market. The man who did the little paintings (also did large-scale pieces) was a wonderful Argentine man... I am still recieving emails from him concerning art shows around South America.

Matias Montero Lacasa

Happy Birthday Steven Berger!

Steven Berger turned 22 years old today! He currently works at Flashpoint Academy as a Special Projects Manager. One of his favorite books is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

So what should my blog be about?

I am trying to think of an overall theme for my blog... Design, Art, Food, Travel, Politics, Financial Issues... I cannot stop at one so I have decided to make my blog a hodgepodge of randomness. Good finds I may come across, useful (or useless) information that I find interesting, tidbits on lands near and far that I have been to or dream about going, quotes, profiles, recipes... I love feedback and collaboration so we can embark on this blog together! Enjoy!

Welcome to Foggy Land!

Thanks to the help of my friend Simeon Peebler, I now have my own blog!