avoision: August 2006 Archives

August 31, 2006

Met up with a few folks from work for an extra-curricular project. Not saying much now, but this is a new idea and we all seem pretty excited by it. That's about all I'm saying now. Dont' want to jinx things.... (read more)

Damn You, Pavlov

Didn't get a chance to update today, despite plugging my memory card into my computer. Deciding to wait until later to store my images, I took the card out, walked over to my camera, put it in and... immediately wiped the card clean. My habit most mornings is to do... (read more)

Goodbye, Will

August 30, 2006

Yet another among us departs Chicago, for distant shores. Will begins his road trip and move out to Washington DC tomorrow, and a bunch of us gathered at Zen Noodles for a final farewell meal. The past few months, Will's had quite the series of adventures. He's currently doing... (read more)

Just one more...

August 29, 2006

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Matt's Bag-O-Money Challenge 4

Time for another coin guessing game! This one's from Matt again, who brought in a big pillowsack full of change. I'm not sure how he accumulates so much change, so quickly. I'm convinced that every day, after work, he buys a Slim Jim or something, just so he can... (read more)

Portraits: Ben

This requires some backstory. A week or two back, when we were all pulling some late nights, Ben decided to start doing portraits of people in the office. This typically happened either late at night (when everyone was gone), or right at the end of the day (before we... (read more)

How to leave on good terms

August 28, 2006

The lads over at Snepo.com have started up a blog. Their first entry (entitled How to Leave on Good Terms) is a pretty fascinating read, and has some interesting insight/advice into anyone considering bidding adieu to the day job and starting off on their own. I'm familiar with two... (read more)

Halfway to Hobo

My friend Steph, who is an incredibly talented writer, has been workign on a book about trainhopping for a little while now. And I found out a few days ago that her site (halfwaytohobo.com) is now up and running. There, you'll find a few neat snippets from some of... (read more)

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

August 27, 2006

According to Fred Astaire, this five-minute segment from Stormy Weather is the finest bit of tap-dancing ever filmed. Not sure how true that remark is, but I've seen this video several times now, and it never ceases to awe me. Once again, via MetaFilter.... (read more)

Cane Hill, Abandoned Mental Hospital

Spotted this on MetaFilter, and thought it was worth sharing. These images are really quite compelling and haunting, and they took my breath away. Partly, it's the passge of time that gets conveyed. But it's also the sheer breadth of history that's contained and suggested in these photographs. Take... (read more)

Liz, Tricia, Darryl

Spent a lot of the day today, hanging out with Liz's sister Tricia, and her husband Darryl. I showed up around 11 and Liz made me a nice breakfast (blueberry muffins and coffee and eggs). We then lazed around a bit, and started a movie while waiting for Tricia and... (read more)

Updates!

08/25/2006 08/26/2006... (read more)

Tiki Party

August 26, 2006

Liz and I swung by Liz and Steph's, for their annual Tiki Party. Sadly, the weather wasn't too cooperative, as we had to huddle a bit, under an awning during a very light sprinkle. However, the clouds did clear, and we ended up moving back out into the yard. A... (read more)

Special

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Date Night

August 25, 2006

Since work's been so hectic lately, Liz and I haven't had much time to see one another. In fact, last night was the first time I saw her since like Sunday - which is unusual for us. Tonight though, we had a nice dinner planned out, and relaxed at... (read more)

Hot Doug's

Took a long lunch today, and met up with Chris and Allison over at Hot Doug's. This being her first time, Allison dove right in and had the: Jalapeno and Chardonnay Rattlesnake Sausage with feisty almond mayonnaise and gorgonzola dolce. I still have Liz's scooter (from our bet last... (read more)

Harder than it looks

August 24, 2006

... (read more)

What kind of restaurant is this?

Ned came in looking for some folks to do a bit of audio, and both Mike and Jane volunteered. The results (below) are pretty hysterical.... (read more)

Done

August 23, 2006

The long haul at work has ended today. I spent tonight just zonked out in my apartment, mostly on the couch. I have like a week of updates and photos to get caught up on. More, really. Sorry it's been so lame on here lately. But hopefully now, things have... (read more)

Nothing Yet

August 22, 2006

Worked until midnight. *yawn* more updates later.... (read more)

pclix

August 21, 2006

One of my daily reads (Daily Dose of Imagery) showcased a rather cool timelapse effect today. Turns out, the device used to create the effect is called pclix - and while it's a fair chunk of change... mmmmmm, man, I want one. Just thinking about time lapse and such,... (read more)

In-Cell Bar Graphs, Microsoft Excel

Using the "REPT" function and a small font, you can create tiny bar graphs inside a cell in Microsoft Excel. Pretty neat hack, and way useful. Well - probably more for you folks who actually use Excel. But from where I'm at, it looks... neat. via MetaFilter.... (read more)

And it won't grow back

Indexed is a great little blog, full of great little charts and graphs. via Ektopia.... (read more)

Busy Busy

With the exception of maybe an hour and a half for lunch/dinner, I've been working all day. Ben and I were slugging away at the office until about 1 AM. Talking with Chris today, I think the energy level is low all around. It's difficult to stay motivated and creative.... (read more)

Audioplayer Updated

August 20, 2006

I came across Lori McKenna rather randomly, through work. I was working on a microsite for one of our country stations at work... and she was slated to be one of the performers, for one of their upcoming concerts. For some reason or another, the station had no audio... (read more)

How can you afford these things?

... (read more)

Yeeaaaaaah!

... (read more)

Air and Water Show

Met up with Liz's family this morning, to check out the Air and Water show. They camped out along the lake, right by the Adler Planetarium, as did a few other folks (looking to avoid the crowds, but still catch the show). All in all, this was a pretty... (read more)

Bear With Me

August 19, 2006

My schedule has been totally crazy for near on three weeks now. If you know me, you know my distaste for blogs that get updated once a month, all the while urging visitors to "check back soon" for updates. Well, here we are. Sucks, but I haven't had much free... (read more)

Impromptu Photoshoot

I was in the office today, and during one of my breaks - I walked over to the window and just stared at all the people walking by. This is a small ritual on the design side of the room - get up, stretch, walk to the window, and back... (read more)

Date Night

August 18, 2006

Work has been so hectic lately that Liz and I just took it easy tonight, and spent the night in. We ordered some pizza, watched Anchorman, and generally laid low. I really wanted to go see Bryan for a bit, but my energy level was pretty low. By the time... (read more)

Peabe: Sneaker PImps

My coworker Bryan (aka Peabe) is participating in another show - Sneakerpimps. Cool stuff - he's also going to be doing some live painting tonight as well. I didn't get a chance to post this in time (this post is sorta being done, after the fact). But you can... (read more)

In Indy

August 17, 2006

Taking a trek to Indianapolis, with my coworkers. We're doing a business field trip, eating lunch at my parents' restaurant and visiting corporate HQ. Bad timing, since this comes right in the middle of a huge work week. But it's a nice, forced relaxation period, before things get kicked into... (read more)

In Indy

August 16, 2006

Taking a trek to Indianapolis, with my coworkers. We're doing a business field trip, eating lunch at my parents' restaurant and visiting corporate HQ. Bad timing, since this comes right in the middle of a huge work week. But it's a nice, forced relaxation period, before things get kicked into... (read more)

Constant

August 15, 2006

Work was nonstop today. Been getting my ass kicked by projects, and this weekend's looking to be more of the same. Went shopping after work with Liz, which was really pleasant. Got some new clothes, if you can believe that. :) After that, I tried to get some more work... (read more)

The history behind the word "avoision"

August 14, 2006

... (read more)

Yard Makeover: Progress

Nothing's really happened lately to the yard, but I decided to take a photo anyway. It's been a while since I've taken a photo of the makeover... and it's been a while since I've been home before dusk. So today felt like it was the right time to snap... (read more)

Prison Break: Field to Freedom

Warning: link contains audio that auto-triggers. Today we launched one of our first ever Flash games (sort of). It's really not a game, and more of a fancy interstitial whose ultimate purpose is to allow for user registration. Chris has been the primary on this project, and did all... (read more)

Happy Birthday, Justin!

August 13, 2006

Liz and I went to hang out with Justin at his DJ gig at Clubfoot. His folks were in town to help celebrate his birthday, and so I got to see them as well. Didn't take any pictures, as I was pretty low energy the whole evening. But we had... (read more)

Escape Ladder

This delightful video totally made my morning. A big download, but very worth it.... (read more)

workworkwork

Another weekend day in the office. Huzzah.... (read more)

Note to self

August 12, 2006

The gates down in the loading dock come down, preventing access to the bicycle rack. This happens sometime between 6PM and 10 PM.... (read more)

Work Day

Spent the day today working with Chris in the office. During one of our pauses, I spotted this seldom-seem effect, where the flags outside wrap around themselves, forming a checker pattern.... (read more)

Where are you going, where have you been?

... (read more)

Whiplash, the Cowboy Monkey

August 11, 2006

This came from a BB post about weird pictures, earlier in the day. After some snooping around, we found video of Whiplash, the Cowboy Monkey. I haven't laughed this hard for a long time - in fact, everyone at the office was pretty delighted by this one. My favorite... (read more)

Always Ask

August 10, 2006

As we left the bowling alley, we walked over to my car - which was located near the side of the building. There, we saw a guy sort of pacing around, holding a cellphone to his ear. Getting into the car, both Liz and I saw that a side door... (read more)

Diversey Rock'n Bowl

Left work at work today, because Liz and I had scheduled a date night. Went out to dinner, ran a quick errand, and then made our way over to Diversey Rock'n Bowl for a few rounds of bowling action fun. It's been a while since I've been here. And... (read more)

Dave Fischoff: Music on MySpace

My friend, Dave Fischoff just posted a few more tracks on his MySpace page. Swing on by and give a listen! He recently completed his album, and a few of us (me, Dave, Justin and Emme) are working on his website currently. I'm really quite taken with Dave's music,... (read more)

What Work Is

August 9, 2006

by Philip Levine We stand in the rain in a long line waiting at Ford Highland Park. For work. you know what work is -- if you're old enough to read this you know what work is, although you may not do it. Forget you. This is about waiting, shifting... (read more)

*grumble*

Work has been kicking my ass lately. I think it's been a solid week and a half where I've done nothing but work stuff, at every free moment. I'm stressing about upcoming projects, and my ability to complete them on time. I'm finding myself devoid of passion for what I'm... (read more)

Raincheck

August 8, 2006

August 7, 2006

About a week ago, I mentioned that I might be speaking at an event at the Apple Store, on Michigan Avenue. Well, tonight was the event... and I showed up with Liz, hoping that I'd get a chance to talk about one of my projects. Outside the Apple Store. Front... (read more)

raincheck

August 6, 2006

Spent the past weekend at home, celebrating my grandma's 95th birthday. More updates soon.... (read more)

raincheck

August 5, 2006

Spent the past weekend at home, celebrating my grandma's 95th birthday. More updates soon.... (read more)

raincheck

August 4, 2006

Spent the past weekend at home, celebrating my grandma's 95th birthday. More updates soon.... (read more)

peabe @ rotofugi: Friday, August 4th - 7PM

August 3, 2006

Event details: Rotofugi Gallery 1953-55 W. Chicago 7pm-11pm My friend and coworker Bryan (aka peabe) is going to have his first solo show at rotofugi tonight. If you're around, definitely swing by and check it out. In addition to the great artwork, free beer from Goose Island! Get your... (read more)

Sound Work, Prison Break Game

One of the big projects we're working on currently is an online Flash game for Fox's Prison Break. Right now, Chris is running lead with it, and handling a lot of the complex math/motion for the characters. I'm helping out with some of the supplemental stuff, but haven't really been... (read more)

Stunt Rock... arrives!

Yeeeeessssssssss (photo blur due to excitement).... (read more)

Tequila + Peppers = Good?

Remember all that tequila we got? Good lord, I can't believe it's been a year since that happened. Well, Ben decided to infuse one of the bottles with some hot peppers, letting the tequila soak up some of the taste and heat. We'll see how this experiment goes. Looking... (read more)

Just for the record

I'd like to point out that, currently, my blog comes up second when you google the word "feastravaganza."... (read more)

Supercalifragilisticexpiali-DELICIOUS

In the spirit of Annual Experimental Peanut Butter Jelly Feastravaganza, I present to you our newest group-meal: Supercalifragilisticexpiali-DELICIOUS! Inspired by our recent outing to Cereality, Ben decided he wanted to organize our own take on the cereal smorgasboard. He proceeded to outline the rules (everyone brings one box of... (read more)

I'm presenting at Apple! Well... Maybe.

August 2, 2006

My friend Will (aka RogueDesigner) pointed me to a thread that my friend Jeff (aka persist) posted on twelvestone. There was a call for project submissions, for folks who wanted to participate in celebrating Flash's 10th birthday. The presentation, sponsored by the Chicago Area Adobe Users Group, will take place... (read more)

Apologies

It's been super busy on the work front. For the most part, I've been working at home on work projects every night, since about Sunday, trying to get caught up. I'm heading away to Indianapolis this weekend, so that's a factor in my increased workload. It's pretty busy at work... (read more)

Oatmeal Cookies

August 1, 2006

Liz came by to bake some cookies at my place, since her place is so amazingly hot right now. She's got a small AC unit over there, but it's not able to do much during this current heat wave. In fact, she's had to spend the night here because it's... (read more)

I'm seeing double here - four scooters!

This evening, Liz's friend Jake came by with his old scooter. His broke down a while ago, and Liz decided to purchase it for parts, since her scooter is missing a ton of stuff. I think this is hysterical as, technically, my girlfriend now owns three scooters (although only... (read more)

Found Ladder

Spotted a ladder in the alleyway a day or two ago, and I was happy to find that it's still around. Allison has been on the lookout for something like this (a wooden ladder), for her new apartment. This thing is rather bulky, and while it's possible that two... (read more)

You Are Beautiful - April 10th, 2005

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