On my way back to the office this evening I caught this guy putting up one of our Garden City posters. In a way I was a bit disappointed. I felt like I killed “The Magic of Advertising”. I liked the fact that I would go to sleep at night to find our ads magically appear in the morning on the way to work. It’s kind of like believing in Santa Claus only to find your Mum and Dad stuffing your stocking on Christmas Eve. Thank God I’ve got a short memory. I’ll forget all about this horrible turn of events within a week. On the bright side, however, the posters looked great and the dude installing them was doing a smashing job. Incidentally, I apologize to the traffic that got stuck behind me as I fumbled with my iphone.
I recently came back from a vacation in beautiful Barbados and while I was there I took some pictures with both my DSLR and my iphone. I have to admit, I was intrigued by my co-worker Ashley’s iphone holiday photos in Mexico where she used the shakeitphoto app to add a little vintage flavour to her shots. So, I went digging around the app store and came across hipstamatic, a fun, if not sometimes frustrating, app that allows you to experiment with different digital “films”, “flashes”, and “lenses” for your iphone. I say it was a bit frustrating because you have to wait a bit of time between taking shots for the pictures to “process”. I’m assuming this is done to make the experience feel a bit more vintage as well. Mission accomplished. However, that frustrating little wait aside, I found this app to be super fun, and in most cases, more rewarding than using my DSLR. Being a fan of Holga, Polaroid and other low tech photography, this app provides a satisfying amount of uncertainty in the results of each photo while giving you an opportunity to imagine what it would be like to use different types of film and lenses. And a big thanks to my friends Tom and Cheryl for having us at their humble abode during our stay. They were fantastic hosts and great tour guides.
I will admit, I am not a huge reader. I’d like to be, but the reality is I am a bit out of practice. It took me about as long to read this book as it took Bill Bryson to actually complete his journey through the Appalachians. That being said, it was literally a “laugh out loud” journey, with Bill and his friend Stephen providing the comic antics. At the time they were plodding miserably through forests, over mountains and in icy streams, I’m sure they were not thinking “this is freakin’ funny”, but trust me, it had its moments of true hilarity. A highly recommended read.
There was talk in the office the other day about what inspires each of us (I was actually absent for this discussion but I was brought up to speed later). In consideration of this topic, this book came to mind. Even though there was more trials and tribulations in this story than there was jubilation, it made me want to throw on a pack and go hiking. As I thought about the idea of inspiration a little more, I realized it wasn’t so much this book that inspired me but the idea of doing something out of the norm (at least for me as I haven’t been hiking for several years). New experiences of almost any kind are inspirational to me, so this year - call this my new year’s resolution - I am going to make an attempt to try new things. Goodbye countless nights in front of the TV and hello to a new and exciting 2010!
So, the other day I’m at the Gap and I suddenly realized how it got its name. When you buy something, wait 5 minutes and the price will be reduced by at least 30%. I had purchased a few items a couple of days prior to my second visit and sure enough, the items I bought were on sale for almost 50% lower than what I paid (and I already bought it on sale). Maddening? Yes. Agitating? Yup. Confounding? Fo sho mo fo. However, if I was in Vancouver, I wouldn’t care, thanks to Sprize, a service available only to select Vancouver Gap stores that automatically refunds you the difference if a recently purchased item goes on sale. In a city as thrifty as Winnipeg, you’d think someone here would have come up with this idea first. Damn you Vancouver, first you get the Olympics and now this.
Who here likes motion graphics? If you raised your hand, then count yourselves among us here in the office. Anytime we have the opportunity to make a pixel or two fly across a screen, Tyrone, our resident web/motion graphics expert gets giddy. Of course you wouldn’t realize he’s giddy given that he doesn’t talk much. But you can see it in his eyes. They get this glint in them whenever someone mentions the words “graphics” and “motion” in the same sentence. Unless of course the sentence was “Man, this would be a great project if we could use motion graphics but we can’t so don’t even get your hopes up Tyrone.” Anyhoo, that wasn’t the case with this project. We did use them. And it was fun. And Tyrone was happy.
We first rebranded cityplace around 8 or 9 years ago. Since then, we’ve produced untold numbers of campaigns, promotions, ads, and even a jingle (which we should actually post here sometime, as it is a sweet little ditty.) The latest and greatest project we’ve done for cityplace has been the re-launch of their new site cityplacewinnipeg.com. It’s a simple, straightforward look at what cityplace has to offer. Click on over and give your eyeballs a treat.
Really? No seriously, really? Can someone please tell me if anyone would actually spend real money on these shoes. I mean, I’m not a business woman, nor am I a woman marine biologist, nor am I the female head of a fortune 500 company that specializes in brokering million dollar deals with the lost city of Atlantis, so I’m really out of my element here. But really, would anybody really ever buy these shoes? REALLY?
It’s the one time in the year that nerds from all across the galaxy can get together and rejoice in their collective quirks and oddities. It was cool to see Adam West and Julie Newmar there. Also in attendance, “Face” from the A-Team (ironic since I didn’t actually recognize him), a rag-tag team of veteran pro rasslers and the giant (I think technically he is a giant) who played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. We rode the elevator with him before knowing exactly who he was and he let us ride on his shoulders for three whole floors. Three things I learned at the Central Canada Comic Con this year: 1 - It is actually a great event where looking or acting weird or out of place is an impossibility; 2 - nerds give off a wondrous melange of odours; and 3 - if you call a “nerd” a “geek” he/she will unleash a wrath upon thee not unlike that which Gandolf unleashed upon the Balrog (or some such n’ such). Purchased at the Central Canada Comic Con - Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Digest #44 among other similar books. Normally they would have cost $0.25 at any garage sale but I got three for a cool 5 bucks at Comic Con. Sometimes, you just have to take one for the nerds, I mean team.
