Make Seriously | Design and Life

Sheldon’s First Christmas

Named after one of the funniest characters in one of the funniest shows, my fiancé was introduced to Sheldon tonight. Sheldon is her new kitten! And, for those who like kittens and find them irresistibly cute, I’ve gladly provided some footage of our new family member:

Merry Ad Agency Christmas Party Invites Charlie Brown!

I posted a link to this on Quipsologies the other day, and thought (after it bounced 10,000 views) that I should post it here too for those who work in ad agencies. A heads-up, it’s probably NSFW, so it’s best to watch with earphones on. (Video image is safe, language is not so much). A very, very entertaining video though.

‘Tis the Season to Give! Using Technology!

It seems like there may be a few issues encouraging people to adopt new technology. Perhaps it’s a hesitation about using personally identifying objects, like a cell phone. Perhaps some folks agree that life is just dandy without all of those fancy schmancy web 2.0 upgrades. Perhaps some just resist because they want to resist. There are folks like myself too, who simply don’t adopt out of ignorance.

Fortunately for those in the last category with me, I’m the type of person whose ears perk up at the mention of some new and interesting fact of life and wants to write about it.

As you all may know, if you’ve been paying attention, it’s Christmas time. T - minus 15 days and counting to be exact. One of the problems I’ve come to face during this period over the last couple of years is the result of a credit based monetary system: I have no cash to give the bell ringers. It’s much simpler for me to use my card and pay it off than worry about writing checks or getting cash from an ATM (which could cost me more money than I’m already spending). As I pick up my packages and head for the door, that familiar ring of the season hits me and I desperately check all ninety pockets in my coat and pants only to find (surprise!) I still have no solid cash on my being. I’m all about the Christmas charity and supporting the bell ringers. Recently I saw Coach Carter (the real one, not the movie, he’s way shorter than Samuel L. Jackson…) and something he said struck me: “We are not human beings with a spiritual condition, we are spiritual beings with a human condition.” I agree with that statement, and at Christmas time, of all times, it’s important to remember that we are all in the same boat heading for the same destination. In the mean time, no one deserves to be left cold, hungry, and alone to die on the streets.

So, for those like me who want to contribute monetarily to a worthy cause this Christmas but find their pockets empty of bills, there is a solution. There is one hitch however: you’ll have to get past your hesitation to use technology. There are two specific ways of donating that came to my attention on NPR last night as I was driving: Amazon gifts and Salvation Army texts.

Amazon wishlists, in the past, have been about making lists that your friends and family can access and purchase from. They still are, but now you have a new option: select a charity for your friends and family to donate to in your name. Don’t ask me how to do it. I’ve tried, but Amazon hasn’t made it an easy option to select (or even find for that matter). But it does exist! If I find out how, I’ll let you know.

Texting the Salvation Army is the second option, but it’s only in “beta” this year with Atlanta metro and certain Ohio districts participating. The cool thing about this option, however, is the ease and hopefully the spread. For those in the areas available (and hopefully nationwide in the future) all you have to do is text a certain code with “TSA” (the salvation army) and they will append a $5 charge onto your cell phone bill which goes directly to the Salvation Army. Now there’s no excuse for having no bills. Atlanta’s code is 90999, but I can’t seem to locate a text code for the Columbus area (sorry!)

Kudos to Jenn Berry

It’s a bit early…

but since it began snowing this week, I’ve been in the Christmas mood. At work we’ve begun playing some Christmas music while we’re doing our thing, and the skies have turned grey. Shopping season has started, my mailbox is full of catalogues, and the lights are up on the front of the house (although they will not be turned on until Thanksgiving, next week!)

Call me a little over the top, but to me the Christmas season is like good design. Yes, yes, I know. Stretching a bit. But there’s something about the way the season progresses that makes it not only feel whole, but feel right. October begins to see crisp air and brilliant blue skies punctuated by blazing orange and red leaves. Likewise, bonfires spring up with their own blue and orange flames in backyards. The colors of the fall are complimented by the smells of spices (and delicious taste of pumpkin spice lattés!) and wood smoke. You feel in in your skin, see it in your eyes, taste it on your lips, you smell it in your nose. You hear the rustle of leaves in the wind, or the crunch beneath your feet which goes on into November, through to Thanksgiving which is midway point. It’s where that crunching is no longer leaves, but begins to be the half inch of snow that fell during the first half of the ball game. The hot chocolate you drank in October begins to shift, and now it’s got a hint of mint in it. Steadily the oranges fade to browns, and to greys, but the red stays just as brilliant as ever as houses around the country begin to decorate (let’s not kid ourselves, retailers did it back in August..). Sweaters get thicker and turn to coats. The crisp air gets cold, but clean. The smells of ginger and cardimom slowly fade into cinnimon and mint — still rich, but sweeter. The fires and the wood smoke remain as well, but instead you enjoy them in front of the fireplace, ready to be snowed in because, baby, it’s cold outside. The season is made whole because each of our senses is stimulated in some sort of magical synergy. Hope comes alive in the middle of what would otherwise be a season of death and dearth. The darkest time of year, and the feelings of isolation, instead bring us all together, reunited as a single mankind. And, for a few months, everything can be right with the world.

So, with all of that said, I live you with an illustration as we begin to transition into the next stage of this marvelous holiday season: