Going to Switzerland, BBL
Posted 3 weeks, 6 days ago at 1:57 am. 0 comments
Digging in the dirt, and other shenanigans
Posted 1 month, 1 week ago at 4:28 pm. 2 comments
We’ve had a few nice sunny weekends in a row here in Portland, which gives us a false sense that summer is FINALLY here (until another two straight weeks of clouds and rain hits us before REAL summer actually starts). The warm weekends came just in time too; Todd and I were going a little stir crazy waiting out the rainy weekends. We snowboarded for the last time this season about a couple months ago and since then we haven’t had much fun-time outdoorsy activities to preoccupy ourselves with. So when the sun came out again (hallelujah) we were itching to get outside. Our first choice would be to spend some time surfing, but the swell hasn’t been amazing enough to warrant battling the weekend crowds at the coast. Sad!
So instead, we’ve been doing the next-funnest thing. Yard work! I never thought I’d say it but I’m totally addicted to digging in the dirt now. I’ve been pulling weeds like a madwoman, Todd’s been building all kinds of planter boxes and things and we are both trying to grow some veggies for the first time ever.
So, here’s what the backyard has looked like, at least for the last couple of years. We didn’t do anything to it last year, except for Todd’s once monthly weed-wack-a-thons to keep the grass manageable.
Springtime Odds N’ Ends
Posted 2 months ago at 8:01 pm. 0 comments
I uploaded all of the business cards I made for SXSW to Flickr, and here they all are! (This is before I wrote my info on them)
Or check out the set on Flickr.
I did end up giving all the cards away while at SXSW. Did you get one? Let me know which one you got! I didn’t keep track of who got which one, with the exception of two (Ben Huh got the orange card with the kitty cats, and I think Heather Armstrong got the one with the dog holding the flowers).
South by South …wha?
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 1:14 am. 2 comments
Todd and I are packing are bags for Austin, where we will be spending 5 glorious days being complete internet dorks at SXSW. I feel really lucky that I get to go this year. Things just happened to work out so that I’m not really spending an arm and a leg (maybe just an elbow and a foot). I’m really excited just to be involved in the spectacle, and hope that I at least learn a little something along the way. I feel overwhelmed by the schedule… at many points during the conference there are 3 or more panels or events that interest me happening at exactly the same time. Torture… But I suppose that’s how these things go. It’d be boring if you didn’t have to make those tough decisions, wouldn’t it?
Aside from all the learning and being inspired, SXSW is also a time to meet lots of cool, interesting, creative and smart people. But those cool, interesting, creative and smart people are going to be meeting a lot of other CICSPs too. So how do you make them remember you, and the awesome conversation you had about social media or Playdoh? Lots of people do business cards, stickers or other types of swag. I thought about making some MooCards from my Flickr photos. But I don’t really pride myself in photography - so if I had to pick something from Flickr to make cards out of, it would be some drawings. Then, I thought, why not just draw some doodles on some frickin’ cards, write my name on them and give them out? 
Continue Reading…
Animate your music
Posted 4 months ago at 11:36 pm. 0 comments
I love love love love love good animation that goes along with music. If it’s good music, it’s even better. Here’s a little collection of some of my favorite most excellent animations set to music. Some are bare bones hand-drawn animation - some are live action mixed with motion graphics. All are cool.
Röyksopp - Happy Up Here | Directed/Animated by Reuben Sutherland
New single by Röyksopp. Awesome motion graphic work, fun fun dancy song.
Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.
Getting my ducks in gear!
Posted 5 months ago at 1:08 am. 0 comments
Happy New Year!
I’ve brought back my website with a shiny new look - but the look is not from me but rather from the mind of Michael Whalen. It’s a Wordpress theme called “Elixr”. Pretty nice, huh? I got sick of waiting for myself to come up with a new design (Jeez, take FOR-EV-ER, huh!?) so for now I’m going to roll with Elixr and make modifications as I go.
Also, today Todd got rolling with his blog, which - as soon as the domain resolves - will be at www.snugglefux.com.
We’re a couple of blogging fools, we are. We just don’t spend enough time on our computers as it is, so this way we’ll be able to set aside some more quality screen-time. Feel the retina burn!
Party animals!
Hockey! 2008 version
Posted 9 months, 4 weeks ago at 11:00 am. 0 comments
I just finished reading The Game by Ken Dryden and let me tell you, it has me all sorts of excited for hockey - in 3 ways. Let me list them for you! Okay? Okay!
1) Playing. I just signed up for Winter 2008-09 Adult League hockey in Vancouver (WA). It has been WAY too long since I played in an adult game, or even much at all. Since I moved to Portland I’ve been skating a couple times, and played a few “family” games with a mix of kids and beginner adults. Believe me, I LOVE those types of games - they are usually the most fun for me. But being able to play in a real game with similarly-skilled folks (or better) really gets me excited. I love being challenged and forced to step it up beyond what I’m comfortable with. I get pumped up about games like that. Plus I’m excited to get back into hockey shape again. Nothing gets you more stoked about getting in shape than having something to get in shape FOR. I’m ready to get my hockey-glutes back.
Procrastination
Posted 10 months, 1 week ago at 7:40 pm. 0 comments
I’ve been procrastinating writing about the last part of my vacation. Why is it so hard to write about something fun? The longer I wait the more ridiculous it seems to write about, seeing as I’ve been back a couple weeks and other things have happened since then. But I was waiting until I had the rest of our photos uploaded to flickr. And since I hadn’t done that yet I couldn’t write another blog post about it. And since I hadn’t written my blog post about that, I certainly couldn’t write a blog post about anything else that happened AFTER that because things would be out of order. So let me write about the rest of my vacation:
The ‘Correct’ Coast
Posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago at 10:07 am. 1 comment
I’m on vacaaaaaaatioooooon.
Sun, sand and surf… well, ok, no. Subways, pizza, lakes and thunderstorms… but plenty of relaxation and fun times.
Todd’s already been up visiting his parents at Lake Dunmore in VT for the past week, but I just met him in Boston on Thursday. We spent a couple days sightseeing, touching the Atlantic Ocean, visiting Todd’s friends… and now we’re settled in at the little house on the lake, about 3 hours from Boston. We got in after dark last night and it was a nice surprise to wake up this morning to sunshine, a beautiful view of the lake and a nice morning breeze coming in through the screened porch where we were sleeping. After coffee and breakfast we took Todd’s little boat out to see the the whole lake. Unfortunately we ended up running out of gas since the engine was running poorly and guzzling gas, and had to be towed back by some nice guys out fishing. We just had enough time for a quick swim and shower (in the outdoor shower) before a HUGE thunderstorm came through with thunder, lightning and hail. The lake level is already really high from storms last week and some of the roads and bridges around here are washed out and impassable. Looks like there are another couple days of isolated thunderstorms and then we’ll get a break, hopefully! Even though the weather’s not perfect we’re still having a really nice time relaxing and visiting with Todd’s family.
Aaaaaaand go!
Posted 11 months ago at 6:22 pm. 0 comments
I am two days away from ditching work for 1 and a half weeks so I can join Todd for vacation in Vermont. I’ve been working on this stressful project at work, and though it will probably still be there when I get back despite recruiting help for when I’m gone, I will be glad to get at least a break from it. I’m starting to long for the days back in January and February when I things were slower and I had time for learning Actionscript 3.0 during work. I do like having active projects but it’s a little tiring after, ooh, 6 months of back-to-back quick turnaround websites. I’m ready for a little break.