CxMen

i may be a sucker. but mostly i'm just continually proud of the cxTeam. they rolled out their new website this past week. despite being a completely computer-unsavvy person, i also know what i dislike about websites. and this one passed my first test: no need to scroll down on the home page! still in the tweaking process apparently, but shoestrings and duct-tape aside, it looks and feels pretty snazzy having just enough interactiveness to be fun yet not so much to be intimidating. it's simple to look at and a good example of their collective talent. as far as chattanooga web development and graphic design goes, these cxBoysandGirls are hot to trot.

one of my favorite parts of the website is the portfolio page. i've had debates with some about the drawers that slide down featuring thumbnails and links for their already developed sites. my only critique: maybe hotlink the actual images in addition to the url text(?). but the drawers are pretty sweet, giving the user a taste of the goods without having to commit to being taken to the actual websites. (i sort of hate pressing the back button every three seconds.)

with the return of beardtopia, it should be perfect. (and man, that ben weaver... what a hottie.)

my secret love of electronic music is out. seventeen years by ratatat (thanks, sarah hughes).

lost in the garden state (or, never take the new jersey turnpike for fear of going bankrupt)

i drove to see my brother and sister-in-law last week in virginia. the most direct route, albeit the most expensive due to excessive toll roads, is the i-95, aka "new jersey turnpike," straight through new jersey. so i weigh my options: $50 in tolls versus a longer yet more beautiful, peaceful and cheaper drive through pennsylvania... i'm a scrooge, pennsylvania wins. and i'm off down the road, feeling pretty smart in my dirty little bob the saab.

there's one little life lesson i seem to keep on learning over and over again, namely that when i try to avoid anything that thing usually is thrown straight into my path. this is also the reason why i am a terrible liar. and true to form, in trying to avoid new jersey, i somehow ended up lost in new jersey. have you ever been lost in new jersey? i keep asking people that to which most reply, "how do you get lost in new jersey? all it is is one big turnpike." one big expensive turnpike, that is. i sort of think this is how they fund the entire state's economy. so i then decide to try and get out of new jersey as soon as possible. and my next "shortcut" turns into another one of bethany's brainy schemes into confusion.

rainy, foggy, way too much traffic. i think the northeast hates me, or atleast is having fun testing my determination. probably both. my eight hour jaunt turned into a nine, ten, eleven, twelve-thousand year long excursion, through hill an dale, valley and forge. i think i saw the netherlands at one point.

i'm still not really sure where i was or how i got there, only that eventually some kind person in a toll booth told me how to get to virginia. that was after he told me he thought all people from pennsylvania were idiots. i asked him what he thought about people from tennessee. "are you from tennessee, sweetie?" "yes sir..." "i love people from tennessee!" i laughed and drove on.

just shy of lisa loeb, yet with an almost velvet undergroundish flair... mirah's sweepstake prize

libations

i am a big fan of the "dinner party." there is something quite unique in my mind about sharing conversation over food and wine. at least two of those (three according to science daily) are an essential part of life. everyone needs to eat and everyone needs to relate to others, i.e. have relationships conducted over the wavelength of communication, direct conversation being the most common form of this. put those elements together and you have the perfect evening.

from start to finish:

1. form a plan
PLAN: invite friends over to eat and drink (it's really as simple as that, though asking said friends to come bearing gifts is also recommended)
2. buy food
3. cook food
4. eat food with friends
5. drink wine with friends
6. talk
7. look at huge mess that must be cleaned up
8. avoid mess (but breathe a sigh of relief when kiko offers to clean)
9. talk some more
10. drink some more
THE END

that all being said, i participated in my first dinner party on shelter island. it was all those things listed above minus one. i reminisced about my chattanooga crew and all the awesome dinners we shared. but it was a great time getting to know people a little better here.

an mp3 from mudhut, a funky mix called dark lady.

goooooaaaaaallllllllllll!

woops. england lost 0-2 against croatia in the euro 2008 qualifier. it's funny, i thought stuff like this only happened in u-8's. one funny headline: "you don't know what you're doing, gaffer" and the article found here ("i didn't expect all this own goal abuse") makes me love the british press.

signs and more

i seem to have discovered an interest in signs. i just can't seem to get enough of them. so here's one more i saw today. i actually ate my lunch here as well. the sign peaked my interest making wonder the various ways they might serve soda for a midday meal. disappointed, i discovered it actually was a normal restaurant. nobody who worked there seemed to know why the restaurant had that name. but i did have some pretty delicious fish and chips...

in more new, has anyone else come across the ONE campaign? i was introduced to it by my now former roommate, cara cote, before i left chattanooga and have since gotten regular e-mails from them. it's fairly interesting, an "end poverty/hiv/aids" endeavor which has a very recognizable face at its head: bono. anyway, i got this e-mail from them today about having "house parties" this month in support of the ONE campaign. i was a little confused by it, imagining peeps packed in a house, drinking too much and dancing on tables. so i got on the ONE website to actually learn something about their organization. it seems to be more of a celebrity commercial than anything else. the "notable signatories" part of the website is filled with pictures of brad pitt, george clooney, fergie, penelope cruz... you get the picture, and very sleek black-&-white pictures of all of them there are. is this another place to post actor headshots or is it a useful organization? i don't have the answer.

mostly i read about the campaign trying to convince the american government to contribute ONE% of their budget (i think i read it correctly) in order to put an end to poverty/hiv/aids in our lifetime. i am sort of back and forth on this issue. why is it that we are asked to go to other countries to provide relief work because it's the "american duty, being a decadently wealthy nation and all," yet when there's a known genocidal maniac ruling a country, how dare we "tell other countries how to run themselves," by removing said maniac from power? i'm not underscoring our responsibility in the poverty issue. it's one that is near and dear to my heart. i think it's that feeling of bored celebrities deciding which issues are "cool" to tackle, and then throwing stones at the american government that kind of bothers me.

it's another one of those frequent jerry maguire moments.
- american government: "this is me out here for you!... help me help you,... HELP... ME... HELP... YOU!"

(really i'm just jealous of those sweet b&w headshots. how can i get me one of those?)

i like pretty things

if you want to see some really pretty, funky cool decorative things go to stray dog designs website. it's all handmade stuff with a lot of colour, character and uniqueness to each piece. i love it all. it's awesome to see companies like this coming out of chattanooga that are getting national recognition as well. they apparently went to the international gift fair in new york and got the city hyped on their goods. anyway, their website rocks, and is done by none other than my good friends at coptix. i love these guys. they are way too talented for their own good.

van damme left his imprint in nyc

i went to the city this week and this is the only photo i walked away with. i'm not sure why... it's the korean war memorial statue in battery park. if you can't see the title of it, it's called "the universal soldier."