Christmas a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

A couple of Star Wars related things to share:
This is our friend's son, who looks eerily similar to emperor palpatine.


Apparently Santa was recently arrested by a group of stormtroopers at a mall.

You know what I mean...

Humorous youtube clip. Bonus points for anyone who can identify the schools.

A Milestone

That's right, the volvo reached an important milestone earlier this evening. Don't worry, we'll post the video later this week so you can experience the moment as if you were there.

There's a bunch of other stuff that we've been too lazy to post, so get ready. Here's a little taste:
Trashcat! That's the neighborhood trashcat hanging out on top of a neighbor's truck. He may eat trash, but he also has over a 5 foot vertical. Impressive.

Sweet storm footage

This is a little belated, but I wanted to post this footage of the massive storm we had a couple of weeks ago. Though I do feel compelled to mention that it wasn't worth the 2 straight hours of breaking storm team coverage on the news. They were telling people to put helmets on. Talk about sensationalism. It didn't even rain on us, though it was quite a show. Enjoy.

yes, there is other news in our lives besides funny video posts

about a month ago we got some great news, that we had been anxiously awaiting for about 4-5 months. I am very proud to be the new Art Director at Cincinnati Magazine. SO, we're still on a little high from that great news. I even got to move into a little bigger and more private "office" which is wonderful :)
It's hard to believe the transitions my career has been through in the last year, but we're very grateful that i am lucky enough to be in such a great place now, and enjoying it so much.
So, the next time you pick up a magazine, look for my name, it's moved up a bit in the masthead :)

this urban legend has probably already spread to your town...but just to set the record straight...

Yes. it's true, i DID in fact get "surprise-felt up" by a child we were babysitting. Maybe you're thinking "What?! you can't blame such things on children, they don't understand". I would beg to differ. Little Lucy was sitting next to me at the dinner table while Ben and I ate with the whole family, before her parents left for a night out. While i was happily munching on my delicious pork, she looks over and before i could figure out what was happening, she was "milking" me, and then laughing histerically. If she hadn't been so cute, it would have been easy to react more sternly. But she IS so cute, and all i could do was laugh. Ben of course took the opportunity to make a joke about her getting second base on the first date (thanks honey), and her dad pretty much wanted to crawl under the table and die. Hopefully this isn't a new trend.. haha. Since then, we ran into mutual friends at Crossroads, who had already heard the story. not a good sign.

An apology to all the Geary fans out there

Well, it seems I lied in the last post. It turns out I am familiar with Anthony Geary, he played Milo in one of the best old-school comedies of all time-UHF (also featuring the comedic genius of a young Michael Richards and Weird Al Yankovic). My mom also informs me that he is a soap star.

At any rate, here are the videos I promised.


Turn your speakers up for one of the best jingles ever.


This guy is the king.


One just isn't enough.

Just getting warmed up...

Here are few commercials to brighten your weekend.

Creepy.


Chloroform is really underutilized in commercials today.



I used to have one of these, though I don't recall wearing it with a tuxedo. I also have to admit that I have no idea who Anthony Geary is, but anyone who can pull that look off is o.k. by me.

There's more to come, including what might be the best commercial jingle ever written...

Get Ready

I've recently stumbled on a trove of terrific videos, they'll be posted this weekend.

Take a guess

Any ideas about what this is?

Crazy ashtray?
Futuristic concept car?
Its actually a tub.
Don't believe me?

Its from Tetsuya Nakamura, and he didn't stop there...here's the sink:

We air this show every day

Its hard to tell whether or not the bailiff's reaction is funnier than the friend's. You be the judge.

Holy Mackerel!

I don't want to spoil the following link for you, so I'll only say that it involves a shovel. Its a must see!
Click Here

The CG peanut you've been hearing so much about

On second thought, I think I'll just walk...

I could try to explain this, but i'm sure it would fail to do justice. You'll just have to click on the link:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSEIC47086020070905

Test Drive...

They just added a video feature and its worth trying out. This is the rough cut of the vacation video from our trip to Nantucket/Boston this summer. Music by the Dropkick Murphys.

Its a didgeridoo.

Chicago

Here are a couple of the pictures from our recent trip to Chi-town.

I can't wait for the toll booths!

The giant kidney bean in millenium park.

The river. This picture is not photoshopped. I swear.

Double cheesbourger. No pepsi, coke. No fries, chips.

The L stop on the blue line in Bucktown.

Better late than never

These are a few pictures that i've been meaning to post but somehow fell through the cracks.

In case you were wondering what we'd look like as Simpsons:
(courtesy of www.simpsonizeme.com)

And now for something completely different-surfing dogs:


We've got some pictures from our most recent trip to Chicago that should be posted sometime this week.

Another invention I wish I thought of first

I was this close to not writing anything since the above picture pretty much speaks for itself. That's right, its the Pillowig; perfect for long plane rides, sleeping under your desk at work (a la kostanza), or to anyone with poor balance and prone to falling. If this seems to be right up your alley check the link: http://itp.nyu.edu/~jyp243/jy/pillow.htm

Awesome with a side of creepy

I came across this the other day and felt compelled to share. A small part of me wishes I had thought of it first. And the best part: this isn't even the weirdest picture in the set :-)

Wholesome

The following link is noted without comment, with the exception of the fact that I am not claiming to have found this by myself.
http://www.wholesomewear.com/page-4.html

The Big Apple

We spent last weekend in NYC with the Klinglers, and we had a great time despite the tornado in Brooklyn, the dirty bomb scare, and the 50 degree weather on friday. That's right, 50 degrees in August. We caught two Broadway shows while we were there: Wicked and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. They were both as excellent as they were different. If the chance ever comes along to see either don't miss it (and that's coming from a guy who is not into musicals). And of course, what trip to NYC would be complete without a stop by the flagship apple store on 5th Ave?

EDIT: in celebrity-sighting news Grace saw the woman from LOST who tattooed Jack, and we also saw Parker Posey at, ironically enough, a dog park.

Pics from the set

I'm done with shooting for "Joy," though they don't wrap until Thursday. I'm going to catch up on as much sleep as possible and then its on to editing. In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from the set at Jungle Jim's.


Light and dolly rig for a scene in the cookie aisle.


Watching in the monitor.
Sweet, sweet jib action.


An extra passed out on a table around 3 AM. Everyone else was jealous.

For all the D&D fans out there

(you know who you are).

I need a hi-hat on a half apple on that 8 step...

If you've never been on a movie set, be forewarned that everything has a different name, as illustrated by the title above. Three more nights of shooting for 'Joy' and then sweet, sweet sleep. I'm working on getting some pictures from the set to post.

Extra credit: anyone know the film-slang for a clothespin?

Cubbies = First Place

'nuff said.

the story of lucy big pants

This is the story of how i got the nickname lucy big pants. Keep in mind most of this originated in the depths of Colonel Saunders' mind... that will help this all make sense. When Ben and I were engaged ( i can't remember exactly when this occurred) Robb decreed that he would call me Lucy henceforth. I never fully understood his reasoning, nor did i (or do i expect to) receive an explanation. This is just the way it is, and will be :) I have even received mail addressed to "Lucy Saunders". Recently my boss left our company and we have not yet filled her position, so until such decision is made i have been filling that role in my office. So, that gives me a lot more responsibility, etc. When we told Ben's parents about this his dad responded that i am now "wearing the big pants". This has become a running joke "Lucy Big Pants". On our recent visit to Mass, Robb presented me with an envelope.. and i opened it i discovered fake business cards which donned the name "Lucy Big Pants", and my position was labeled "art director extraordinaire" We all had a big laugh over this...

Is 'Slogger' a word?

If it isn't already, a new term has just been coined in reference to our recent slacking with regard to updating the blog (thanks Dad). The next weeks are going to be pretty busy as I will be working on an independent film in addition to my regular job. My first night of shooting is tomorrow, I'm hoping it goes smoothly. Fortunately, I have some experience with sleep deprivation (73 hours-long story) so I should be fine. Speaking of college, this picture is for you Koch-enjoy :-)

A Prayer Request

For those of you who don't know, several of the people we like are currently in Africa with a group from Crossroads. We were just notified that they arrived safely (with their luggage intact). So if you can remember please keep them in your prayers this week-they get back Saturday the 14th. You can read updates from the trip on www.crossroadscommunity.net/go And if you're the kind of person who likes to pray specifically, their names are Mae, Greg, Steph, and Paul.

Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity Project

These are a couple of the segments I produced for the Cincinnati Habitat for Humanity project a couple of weekends ago. The other parts are also on youtube if you're interested.

While we're in the mood for alligator...

This picture is from an eye-catching albeit somewhat disturbing promotional campaign for a zoo somewhere in Europe. Apparently there was a guy walking the dog passing out discount flyers for the zoo. Something along the lines of "visit the zoo before it comes for you." This would make a great Halloween costume.

A quick apology

It seems like we owe everyone who has posted a comment an apology. I just realized that your (sometimes) witty and clever comments were waiting for us to approve them before they were published. And to think that we'd spent all this time feeling neglected and badmouthing you behind your backs. so sorry for the delay, and we promise to be better now that we know which buttons to push.

Alligator:0 Me:1

That's right, I said alligator. Grace and I joined some friends for dinner at the Knotty Pine on the Bayou, and we sampled the fried alligator. I'm not usually one for exotic meats, but that seems to be a trend when we eat there (last time it was frog legs). I know its not fear factor or anything, but it is certainly a step toward adventurous for me. And if that wasn't odd enough, it turns out our waitress has quite a reputation as a coleslaw wrestler. I love Kentucky.

For the few of you out there who we haven't yet converted to the light (becoming a mac user), here is an interesting article about a recent mac vs. pc test. The only thing that distinguishes this from the usual comparisons is that they used a mac from the 80's.

http://hubpages.com/hub/_86_Mac_Plus_Vs_07_AMD_DualCore_You_Wont_Believe_Who_Wins

Irony

Noted without comment (picture from this year's national spelling bee).

Won't You Be My Neighbor!?!

Just a quick heads up to anyone out there looking for a new home-our neighbors across the hall are getting ready to move out. So if you're in the market for a 3rd floor condo with vaulted ceilings and absolutely wonderful neighbors :-) just let us know.

One Down...

Well, there are very few things I hate worse than plumbing. Actually, now that I said that I'm having trouble coming up with an example. Last weekend we decided to finally have a go at replacing the bathroom faucets. For those of you keeping score at home that's 3 faucets to replace and 0 previous experience. Three days, four trips to Lowe's and one broken piece of PVC pipe later I've managed to replace one of the faucets. Just 2 more to go. Whoohoo.

Please tell me I'm not crazy...

I think it is absolutely ridiculous that I heard U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" on the classic rock station on my way home this afternoon. Is the song destined to be a classic? Absolutely. Should a band from my adolescence be on a classic rock station? I sincerely hope not. Jeez I'm getting old.

new and improved job!

If we haven't seen you since January, then we might not have had a chance to share with you our most recent and very exciting news. I (grace) got a GREAT new job at Cincinnati Magazine. I'm the assistant art director. This is a great big step up for me as this magazine is much larger, published twice as often and part of a huge company. I get to work with a staff FULL of people who are great at what they do, and i have TONS of opportunity here. Its a HUGE blessing! Still SO excited about it.

In case we haven't seen you in even longer, the local start-up men's magazine i was designing closed it's doors unexpectedly a few days before Christmas. After some initial panic during the holidays, I began freelancing at Cincinnati Mag. So, i was really only "off" for like.. 5 days, heh! Anyway, after a few weeks of freelancing I was offered a full-time job, and jumped at the offer :) loving it, absolutely loving it there.

Other than that, the saga of painting (and re-painting) our home is done.. all is painted to our satisfaction except for one remaining wall. who knows when we'll get around to that. In the last two months we had SEVERAL "extreme painting weekends" but it was totally worth it. So, one year, what seemed like 523 paint cans, and 2 doubly re-painted rooms later.. we're glad to move on to FINALLY hanging stuff on our walls.

In other news, I'm one year closer to 30 (which is when i will officially stop counting, just kidding) and LOST is back from it's long and painful hiatus. We celebrated both events last week, shortly after a good dumping of snow. Feeling inspired by the pristine white slopes near our house I decided to try and go sledding, somehow. So i rummaged around and pulled out an old cookie sheet, "this should work!". wrong. i got about 15 inches, and then it drove itself into the ground. I learned an important lesson about the physics of sleds... that's why they were always so long... which i often wondered about when lugging them back up the hill, behind a steady stream of other kids in giant snow-suits and hot-sticky face mask hats, that seemed a LOT bigger than it did while sledding in the other direction.

We've been attempting to try out a hip restaurant in town called Honey for a couple weeks now. It's sort of a happy-birthday-congrats-on-the-new-job-happy-valentines-day thing. Well mother nature has some sort of great opposition to this. We planned to go last tuesday - SHOT DOWN by the huge storm which had folks stuck on the highways for up to 6 hours. We tried to go Friday night - SHOT DOWN by a long line that would have outlasted the restaurants hours of operations. We planned to go tonite and beat the valentines rush - SHOT DOWN by another storm, this one threatening ice instead of snow. We decided that we may have to TRICK mother nature by referring to Honey from here forth as "McD's". we'll see how that works.

In preparation for running the Flying Pig half marathon this spring, I'm trying to get in shape early. And there's nothing like a little fear for motivation.