One of those really bad mistakes...

My friend gave me a YouTube link to a video with U2 & Green Day singing a song called "The Saints Are Coming". The music video is awesome and it highlights the devastation caused by Katrina, something I don't think we think about enough. Yet there was one thing that ruined my experience and that was the ad next to the video. It's a rotational 300x250 but it's one ad I don't think should be rotated next to a video about the pain, loss and heartache that resulted from the hurricane:

You can view the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seGhTWE98DU

Sometimes we as advertisers royally f**k up. And for this I'm sorry.

Mob Mentality

When leaving the OutsideLands Festival on Saturday night a good majority of the 60,000 in attendance had to exit the polo field through a tunnel. The tunnel was about 30 feet wide and 15 feet tall and with thousands of people trying to get out, it was a bit congested to say the least. As we walked shoulder to shoulder like a herd of cattle entering a coral for the night, I had myself a moment. It may have been the half bottle of vodka I'd consumed or the slight vertigo I'd developed after 12 hours of eardrum shattering music; whatever it was it lead to a hilariously dark realization.

As we shuffled towards the tunnel, people on top of the tunnel would yell and cheer (god only knows why) and people in the crowd going through the tunnel with me would yell and scream back (once again, god only knows why). In addition to the periodic cheering (for god-knows-what), we were moving at a snail's pace and had to stop every couple steps. As I stood there squished like a panini in a press wondering who was stepping on my foot, why the guy next to me was trying to hold my hand, where my friends had disappeared to and why the hell people were yelling, I couldn't help but think:

"This must be what it's like entering hell"

A bunch of fools cheering for no reason, as they shuffle to an unknown destination without giving a second thought to the ridiculousness of the situation. We will cheer like buffoons as we enter the darkness and then as we arrive and realize where we are, the heat beating against us like an open oven in a Louisiana kitchen during summer, we will all think to ourselves:

"God dammit. I've been had".

Things that make me smile

• Fog/mist early in the morning or late at night
• Walking alone late at night in the city
• The sun on my face
• Happy couples (not sappy couples)
• This song:
  

• The smell and warmth of a campfire
• Waking up early and knowing I have a few more hours to sleep
  
• The sound, smell and breeze from rushing water
• Swings
• Watching the rain fall on a tree lined street through a screen door or from a front porch
  
• Long road trips
• Hot chocolate with whipped cream
• An open sunroof
• The sound of waves splashing against a boat as I drift to sleep
  
• A full moon
  
• Picking fruit
• Riding with the windows down
  
• Walking through a dark field on a warm night
• Puppies (not babies or kittens, just puppies...and maybe baby lions)
  
• When Katie writes "SOaB!!" on IM
  
• The smell of wet cement in the summer
  
• Drunk texts which imply nothing
• Thunder storms on a warm evening
• Watching an amazing runner smash world records
  
• Knowing that someone thinks I look beautiful in the morning
• Hearing a group of people burst out in laughter
• Listening to the seals as I lay in bed
• That point at the beginning of a book when you realize it's going to be good

Thank You Country Inns & Suites

I think we may actually be starting to get there...

50 Reasons Why Katie & I Should Go Back To College

In Absolute Awe...and then disgust

Seriously?! SERIOUSLY!!! A freakin' lightning bolt isn't as fast as this kid. OMG he's incredible...and he can be as cocky as he wants. I'm in absolute awe.


100m Final. Olimpics 2008. - Funny bloopers R us

If you would like to see a better version that isn't a result of a camera phone aimed with a shaky hand at a tv screen go here:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0816_HD_ATM_HL_L0686

...which brings me to disgust.

Currently NBC still has all rights to Olympic footage and they aren't sharing. You can send your friends the link or link directly to the video, but other than that, you're SOL. I work in interactive advertising. I understand the value of having content that no one else has. You can charge a lot of money because you're going to have a lot of traffic. But part of the reason I work in interactive advertising is because I love the space and I love the space because I'm amazed by the sharing capabilities it offers, the community it creates and the creativity it inspires. The internet has made the world much smaller and has connected us in ways we never would have thought, with people we never would have expected. The Olympics has accomplished the same thing for centuries and in my opinion can be thought of as the real life event equivalent of the internet. It brings different people together from all over the world and unites them in their excitement, support and love for athletics. Given this I have no problem laying the claim that the Olympics belong to the world and not a network. Therefore, even though I understand where NBC is coming from I don't respect it, I don't condone it and I am disgusted by it. Let us have, share and unite around the content that is ours to begin with.

Why I hate Jon Guidroz

He knows how to spell "holes".

The Obnoxiously Obvious Dream

Why is it that sometimes dreams are so right on? Either they are totally cryptic and make no sense OR they are a complete testament to all your fears and emotions and thus cause you to talk in your sleep, wake up cranky and ultimately be in a b-a-d m-o-o-d the entire day. The worst part about it all is that it's just your imagination running wild while you sleep.


The Dream:

I was in a show. There were 4 of us, three of who had major parts and one who's part was small and apparently that was a result of his total and complete lack of skill doing whatever it was we were doing in the performance. Regardless he was the one that got the standing ovation and I was obviously upset yet at the same time excited for his success.

Next thing I know I'm roaming around the city trying to find my way to the after party. As a result of Actor #4's "amazing" performance, the entire party was being thrown for him. Oh, did I mention that I was dating this mystery Actor #4? Anywho, I was trying to get myself to the party before it ended but I keep coming across obstacles:

I had to pick up some chicken
I had to get a car started
I had to find my way out of a bush
I had to remove bricks from a wall

The list goes on. The worst part about the entire escapade was that I was trying to get to the party because I wanted to be with Actor #4, but at the same time I knew Actor #4 (even though we were officially dating) didn't care whether I showed up or not. So here I am trying to make it through all these ridiculous obstacles dreamland likes to throw at you so I can get to the party and remind him that he likes me.

I finally got there...and then I had to find someone's sweatshirt.

"Why not just talk to me?" Part II

Nevermind.

A Rebuttal

This failed to come to me in my mojito induced daze:

The concept of a “self fulfilled prophecy” is bunk. With it we place the entire weight of blame on an individual for fulfilling this “prophecy” yet we don’t acknowledge that this “prophecy” was created for them and therefore could not entirely be their fault.

Let’s examine this concept of a "self fulfilled prophecy" a bit more:

Premise #1 = There is a "prophecy"

If there is a “prophecy”, that would mean there is either an agreed understanding, cultural belief, “truth” or established "fate" to which this person is supposed to align. Given this, it would mean a person with a “prophecy” immediately has one strike against them at birth: the fact that they have a “prophecy” everyone believes they should fulfill. If a “prophecy” is a “prediction of future events, usually divinely inspired” it would mean that people are motivated to make sure the “prophecy” is realized. It is GOD we’re talking about. With that said, how could one say it’s entirely the individuals fault when they “self fulfill a prophecy” the community established and believed they would fulfill?

Peer pressure. It’s a bitch.

Okay I'll continue although I'm not sure I see point.

Premise #2 = The "prophecy" is self fulfilled and is therefore your own fault.

If Premise #1 is true, then Premise #2 cannot be. Having an entire culture attempt tell you there is a “prophecy” and thus invisibly hold you to a standard or position you never wanted in the first place, means you had something pushing against you the entire time you tried to move any direction other than that which the “prophecy” defined. Let’s think of it as a riptide. If we do this, we’re basically saying that if you don’t know how to swim diagonally or have never been taught to do so, your drowning is entirely your fault. I hardly think that’s fair. Weren’t there some people on the beach? What was that lifeguard doing?

Many of us are lucky enough (myself included) to not know what it's like to have our lives planned (or prophesied) for us by some over-arching cultural belief or previously set standard... a life that is a struggle to break free from, or simply one with a really strong current. Does that mean the world is against them completely? Probably not. But it does mean there is a whispering in the crash of the waves that tells you “this is your prophecy”, and if there is no one to help you swim to shore or teach you to swim diagonally, it’s easy to get swept away with the tide, and I hardly think a person is ENTIRELY to blame for that.

"Why not just talk to me?"

I don't get it.

A Cup not a Sieve

After being told twice in the last week that I am a "heavy user" of Facebook (a community I avidly avoided up until 5 months ago) I realized my creative juices might be starting to waterlog my "friends" and figured it was once again time for me to blog (yes, I'm using the word as a verb). I need a cup, not a sieve in which to let my creative juices flow and if anyone wants a sip, like communion, you're welcome to join whenever you deem fit. In other words, I'm going to write my crazy sarcastic brilliant and hilariously stupid comments here and not continuously push them out to the unwilling via Facebook wall comments and status messages.

Now...where to start. Without the pictures, videos, wall comments, recently joined groups and "Falking"* ability I suddenly feel coming up with something to say may be harder than I thought...but then again, has anyone ever known me to not have something to say?

The last time I was blogging was on my trip around the world 2005-2006. My last post was what I would like to think of as profound and inspiring but I'm sure to most it was simply a longer Jasmine Rant to which there would be no follow up. Going back and reading that post again and again I was continuously reminded of my love of writing yet wondered how my now "settled" life could in any way compare to the posts I made while riding buses loaded with chickens and ugali along pothole riddled roads in Africa. The bottom line is it can't...but that's why I started this blog. So as not to have my current life continuously compared with the more exciting, inspired, "I'm going to change the world" life I was living earlier.

Don't get me wrong, I still think I/we can "change the world" but things change when you're not out there IN it. The "changing" goes from starting an orphanage with your friends to using method hand soap. Living in a city like San Francisco and working in advertising, it's hard not to find yourself sucked back into that superficial world where your idea of helping others is paying $25 for a ticket to a charity event where "they'll have free drinks anyways so you'll definitely get your moneys worth, not to mention that cute guy who's friends with Sarah is going to be there."


But hey, the role of that more selfish human being that I periodically find myself playing is at the same time considered a more "productive member of society" and can have one hell of a good time in a city like San Francisco.

So to update you, my life since my last blog post has gone as follows:

• The flight I was running to catch after my last post...yeah I missed it, and it resulted in $900 in credit card debt because I had to leave that day (please note: I never missed anything my entire trip. Once a bus even waited 2 & 1/2 hours for me. I'm fairly sure it was a sign)
  
• Upon arrival in the US there was a quick meet-&-greet with my father's bride-to-be and then a huge wedding the next day
• I car searched and lazed about Arizona until I realized it was time to get my life started and make my way back to Cali
• I lazed about in Cali and had the ugly epiphany that job searching sucks ass
• The 2006 holidays were spent with the crazy Chase/Summerset/Vasquez family (I have the tapes to prove it)
  
• I moved to San Francisco with Katie and completely funded it with credit cards
• I job searched until March '07 when I got a job as an Assistant Media Planner at Real Branding (I had a few more epiphanies regarding the suckiness of job searching before this occurred)
  
• Katie and I became partners in just about every crime
• A month and a half into having a job, the company eliminated my department and thus fired everyone in it
  
• Katie and I threw parties and painted the town red
• I kept working at Real Branding for 4 more months where I learned to be a media planner in the blink of an eye (someone had to clean up the mess that was left behind when 14 people were fired)
  
• Katie and I painted the town magenta
• I got a job at AKQA
• Katie and I bought more paint
• I went on a few short trips to keep myself sane: SB a lot, LA a few times, Mexico, Washington, AZ, Boston. Yes, pathetic trips for a world traveler but that's it.
• I dated a mix of guys. Two of which I spent a serious amount of time with, and one whom I actually thought could have played a very important role in my life. yeeaahh...
  
• I went to a lot of industry parties, ate at new restaurants at least 3 times a week and drank my weight in martinis on a regular basis.
  
• I found myself here

Did you expect me to summarize the last 2 years in bullet point any better than that?

Lately I've been thinking about how being a traveler at heart makes living in one place extremely difficult, not to mention expensive. There is nothing pleasing or comforting to me about sleeping in the same bed every night. I cannot remember ever wanting to come home after I've been gone. In order to not feel trapped, I'm out every night of the week, I work long hours, I get out of town whenever I can and I try to see each person I meet as offering me new knowledge and potentially having an influence on my life path. Much like the "kill them with kindness" approach, seeing each day as a new adventure actually ends up making it one.

As a result, I love my life. I love the people around me. I love this city - sorry it's 2am and I just got back from drinking free vodka...did he really just text "I wamt to c u"??! - but at the same time I know I have lost sight of the many things I wanted to be sure to hang onto when I wrote that post early the morning of my last day in Paris. I have been trying to come to terms with this fact and at this point the only thing I can calm myself with is that for now it's okay because life is just a series of phases. A roller coaster of happy & sad, devotion & selfishness, knowledge & ignorance, caring & indifference, but if our hopes and motives are well rooted and inspired, we will always find ourselves where we want to be.

So, until I'm back out traveling the world and making that BIG change I promised myself I'd make, I will continue painting San Francisco (and on weekends, anywhere else I can get) red/yellow/blue/magenta/neon orange/insert color here. This blog will be about these paintings and how they're affecting who I am and steering me towards who I want to be.





* Falking = Facebook + stalking. Much like spyspacing