This is why I use blue.

Check out this glorious review of a simple black pen.

Just drink it from the tap

Bottled water has long been near the top of the list of things that annoy me. Here's why:

Yep, that pretty much sums it up

I've always been of the opinion that good work is good because it speaks the truth. That said, check out this good work from Grey Hong Kong:



And by the by, this may or may not (may) be a mistake I made.

The other side of the coin

I thought this comic was funny since, growing up in the upper-middle class and going to private schools as I did, I knew a lot of these little shits that couldn't find it in their heart to admit that they had it good. If you can't read the text, just click to enlarge the image.



And just in case you've complained about how much life sucks (as I know I have recently), then check out this supremely interesting photo series entitled "The Life of the American Vagabond"-- you'll be feeling pretty good about yourself by the end, I'm sure.

Hi, this is my heterosexual life partner Mario.

Few friends have stuck around since I was a small, small child. As elementary school turned to high school turned to college, most of my friends and acquaintances came and went. But these guys, digital though they may be, have always been there on a boring late summer day or a cold winter night. I think it's nice to see that they've grown as I have.

Look! I wrote that!

I was looking through a few creative portfolios yesterday, and as I was doing so I thought of an article I read recently in the Wall Street Journal about cubicle culture and how many professionals never see any results from their work aside from changing numbers on a computer screen or paper. It begins:

"When David Fahl worked for an energy reseller, which bought and sold energy from generating companies, he noticed that getting things done right wasn't always as high a priority as making deadlines, meeting deliveries or being on budget.

"You can get all those things done without doing any good work," he says. It wore on him and didn't give him a sense of accomplishment. "Not even the marketing people could come up with a plausible explanation for why the company existed," he says.

Sounds pretty bleak, eh? I thought so too. And I must say, despite all it's shortcomings, there most definitely are a few reasons why it's great to work in advertising. The results are one of them. Everything we do, everything we work on (well, minus all the stuff that gets axed), all the stuff we dream up ends up somewhere. People see it. It makes people buy something or use something or discover something.

Sure, you may say, you make stuff -- but don't most people dislike it? Don't most people hate the advertising that assaults their senses at almost every turn? Here's what I say: They don't hate advertising, they hate bad advertising. People love good advertising (I bet you giggle at those Sonic TV ads that Barkley keeps pumping out). That's why good advertising almost always sells.

And hey, even if people do dislike advertising, answer me this: Is it better to be disliked or to not exist at all?

Check out this Sonic commercial. It's definitely my personal fave:



And for the more studious/industrious/smarty pants readers, here's the Wall Street Journal article about how much the corporate world sucks.

Nobody sees the elephant in the room.

Sure, we may be involved in a war with Iraq that's cost us thousands of young American men and women, not to mention $600+ billion dollars.

Sure, we're about to begin a war with Iran that will no doubt cost us even more.

Sure, the country's being run into the ground both fiscally and politically.

Sure, we may be on the edge of a recession.

But none of that matters.

You know what we should really be worried about?

Whether or not Roger Clemens might have put a couple of syringes in his left butt cheek.

I was doomed from the start.

So, maybe that no drinking thing didn't go quite like I planned. I had a work outing Friday that, after only two days, cracked me. I drank, and by george, I liked it. I've been clean since then, though, and I think I'm starting to like cutting back. I feel better each morning, and I've started to fill my time with other activities that are much more constructive (and much less fattening).

In short, I'm not sure I can give up the booze completely, but it seems that less is definitely more when it comes to drinking lately.

The uneducated masses.

As a midwesterner, I know I've met a lot of people with this kind of mindset and this kind of ejucashun. How bout you?



The moral of this story? GO TO COLLEGE!

LOLCat Fridays

Let's make it a weekly thing. Cool? Cool.

Today it begins.

I was raised Catholic, and now (mostly out of habit) I'm feeling compelled to make my yearly Lenten season sacrifice. This year, it won't be a religious experience as much as it will be a challenge within myself. This year I'm really giving up something that is a (maybe too) big part of my life.

I'm giving up alcohol completely and totally for the next 40 days.

This place may act as a journal of sorts -- helping me document the changes that will have to occur in my life without the bottle.

I think that's it for now. Stay tuned, kids. It should be a wild and (hopefully) interesting ride.

This is why I'm a dog person.

The Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 PM - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

1:00 PM - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 PM - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 PM - Dinner! My favorite thing!

7:00 PM - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 PM - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 PM - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!



The Cat's Diary



Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine l avishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash
or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations
perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my
strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an Attempt to
disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse
and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike
fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities.
However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little
hunter" I am. Bastards!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed
in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear
the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to
the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to
my advanta ge.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my
tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this
again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and Snitches.
The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to
be more than willing to return. He is obviously Retarded.

The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the Guards
regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have
arranged protective custody for him in an Elevated Cell, so he is safe.

For now