What a Great Idea!

Dear tech guys I work with...

Thanks so much for your insightful opinions concerning the right layout and composition choices for the RFP response document we're working on together, you know the one, the one I didn't have time to help with anyway? The one you've done nothing for but copy and paste an ill-fitting collection of paragraphs from about seven other RFP response documents, cobbling together an non-sensical pile of pidgin English and consultant babble? That's the one.

Anyway, as I was say, your thoughts on color theory and what really makes a document impactful were greatly appreciated, as I was largely unaware how a bunch of gradients and dashed borders could improve a layout that had, until your thoughtful criticism, been a nice tidy little piece of clean and contemporary design. What was also pleasant about it was the way you couldn't make any useful contribution to the actual content contained on those pages, adding no real insight or knowledge, but you sure were able to clear it up for me about where my 15 years of design experience had gone wrong.

So, I don't mean to tarry here, going on and on extolling the virtues of your wisdom, because I better hurry up and make those revisions. Or maybe I'll just farm it out to the homeless guy that hangs out in front of the Kinkos downstairs, because really, what's the difference.

Go team!

Jailhouse Rock

I've never noticed until this morning what a good view I have of the prison here in the Loop. But look, there's the inmates out for their morning stroll on the roof, probably planning their next shanking or prison rape. Actually, I'm not sure it's that sort of prison. Maybe it's just window washers. Who may stil be planning to shank someone.

Yeah, that has to be window washers. Damn. If it was prisoners, one suspects there'd be daring helicopter escape plans in action all the time, some colorful Huey dropping out of the skies to pluck Lex Luthor off the roof before launching a wave of terror on the city. Or maybe Lex would just go look at flowers and pet bunnies -- it doesn't have to always be a wave of terror, does it? Let him enjoy his freedom. And some clean windows.

Wheeee!!! Confetti!

The normally hazy skies over chicago are clear and sunny today, with good visibility all the way out to Gary, and the air is filled with big gbs of confetti. Seems there was some rally down at the Daley Center to celebrate Chicago's nod as America's recommendation to host the 2016 Olympic games, and the big confetti cannons have now littered the skies with little shimmering bits of paper. It's probably what it feels like to live in one of those little snow globe cities.

RIIP Kenny and Don

A couple of men I know have passed on in the past few days. It is somewhat comforting to envision them each arriving at the Pearly Gates at around the same time, for they seem to have been, in some manner, kindred spirits.

The first, Kenneth Kohler, aka Uncle Kenny, of Chicago, Illinois. A distant relation of Cindy's, a third cousin via marriage or something, Ken was a big part of the extended Anderson family holiday gatherings we've attended over the years. He was usually the first one to say something to either us, usually outsiders at these gatherings, and it was usually a big laughing joke at our expense, a verbal hug to make us know we were, in fact, part of the family . I recall a Thanskgiving at Aunt Mil's, the year after she passed, and Kenny and Bob, often an inseperable team at those gatherings, trying to deep fry a turkey; it was a comedy routine of the first order.

I watched Aidan fussing and fidgeting at Kenny's wake last night, and thought that Kenny would have been the first one to try and engage her in conversation, or at least try and make her smile, had he only been there. I don't know what sort of father he was, or member of his community he may have been, but he was one of those forces of nature, those presences in the room, that make the world seem a little smaller, a little less joyful, now that he's gone.

As I recall, Kenny was quick with a cocktail, too, though I think ol' Don Ho could have put him under the table. Don passed over the weekend as well, and while I didn't know him personally, his music has provided the aural backdrop to many an evening in the Lawrence home. I recall trying to book Don's act into our Exotica 2003 event here in Chicago, and the stupid extensive list of demands Don and his entourage had. Still, had we the cash, he would have played along. I spent quite a bit of time talking with Don's agent about that. (Surprise face: Don Ho and Johnny Cash had the same professional booking agent. Who knew?)

Anyway, the boys have gone on ahead, and they'll be missed.

Peeples Rejects Einstein's Theory

In a surprise discovery of continued site readership, brother Cale writes this week to say:

Not that I wan't to disagree with Albert, but life is more like being
FORCED to ride a bicycle. You can only really have it good if you're able to stay still AND keep your balance. Anybody can go round-and-round.

Really, not a bad point. Also a handy tip for your next BMX racing or freestyle event. He's a wise man, that Cale.

And as long as we're borrowing the occasional turn of phrase from the famous departed, such as Mr. Einstein, let me just say that the inch of snow I see accumulating outside the window here on the morning of April 11th is getting pretty ri-goddamn-diculous.

So Al Says...

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." That's Al Einstein, writing in a letter to his son. It also seems to quite succinctly capture the essence of, or perhaps reason for, my current nadir.

Looks Like We Moved Just in Time...

Wouldn't want to catch anything.