guardedly optimistic

why copywriting is an undervalued art (exhibit #3467c)

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:20:00 +0000

(when the main problem with a two-word phrase is NOT the grammatical error, things have most definitely gone wrong)

I would no sooner order this than the sissy salad or the pansy platter. I mean, yeah, this sandwich might sell better in the female demographic, but still, it's hard to imagine this hasn't hurt sales at least a little bit.

michael jackson's death in screenshots

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:01:00 +0000

I’m sorry, but if you’re crying in public while holding a pillow with a picture of Michael Jackson’s face on it (or anyone’s face, for that matter), you clearly have some unresolved issues – “it don’t matter if you’re black or white.”

The frontrunner for "Best Headline of 2009." Some interesting info in there, too (click for the link).

A moment frozen in time: two women cry over MJ… or the Shaq trade.

hey

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 19 May 2009 03:52:00 +0000

Wow, it's been ages since I've posted here. I do plan on rekindling this here blog, but not until I find a job. I've been out of work for two months and now is simply not the time to start collecting my daily thoughts again. In the meantime, the small handful of you who might be reading this should check out my latest project, fact unchecked. Thanks and stay tuned...

mad skills

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:56:00 +0000

a dance lesson from JB

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:56:00 +0000

(back when I actually wrote on this blog, I eulogized James Brown.)

the great schlep

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 19:52:00 +0000

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

my new favorite luca picture

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:55:00 +0000

Courtesy of our good friend and occasional neighbor, Matt, who just happens to be a brilliantly talented (and deservingly successful) photographer, illustrator, director and screenwriter.

cake wrecks

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:31:00 +0000

My favorite blog find of the past few months...

overheard while running errands

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:29:00 +0000

"My sister's boyfriend's sister had a baby - she named him Messiah."

don't worry, she's not unconscious

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:02:00 +0000

At my cousin Jessica's request, we continue the baby hoops series with her daughter's valiant but epically unsuccessful dunk attempt:

sal's got skills

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:08:00 +0000

My nephew (Luca's cousin) raises the stakes in baby basketball:

summer with Luca

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:03:00 +0000

what it's like to work in advertising

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:48:00 +0000

(thanks to friend, colleague and uber-editor Liz)

the milestone of milestones

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:34:00 +0000

Forget his first word (bawoo (balloon) - first spoken last weekend), forget the fact that he has a specific hand gesture that means "I want to go outside," what really matters is that my son is now dunking.

musical genius

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:57:00 +0000

This made my week:

locked in a bar

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 14:34:00 +0000

How would you react if you were locked in a bar overnight? Probably not as calmly and rationally as this guy. There's just so much to love about this article - the assumption that Google can solve ANY problem, the quote from the owner's mother, the fact that the guy was drinking until 4AM and still planning on going to work the next day. Hilarious stuff.

times funny

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:09:00 +0000

Unbeknownst to me, my other blog, Blank is Like Blank, was written up in the Times a few weeks back. Pretty cool.

one year

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:56:00 +0000

Today is Luca's first birthday. It's pretty incredible to imagine what we were doing exactly a year ago at this time. The main goal of your child's first year is survival for all parties involved. So in that case, we have succeeded.

Living in a state of perpetual disarray and exhaustion leaves little time for reflection. In the last year, both Julia and I have definitely pushed ourselves too hard and taken on too much. Poor Julia has had to work what is basically a full time job, while few of her mom friends (all of whom can afford more childcare) have had to work at all.

Since Luca was born, I have taken sleep deprivation and caffeine addiction to frightening heights. Doing freelance work at 3AM knowing I'd be up with the baby in a few hours used to give me a rush of delusional invincibility. Now it just feels irresponsible and neglectful. Fortunately we are both taking steps towards healthier routines.

But time and exhaustion melt away when I get to spend time with Luca. I was excited to be a father, but had no idea of the intensity of the love that comes along with it. It might sound presumptuous or preachy, but you really have no idea of how intense, terrifying and all-encompassing love can be until you hold your sleeping child. I can't imagine anything being more redefining than parenthood.

Luca is now running, eating all sorts of food and making all sorts of sounds. He can't say any actual words yet, but he responds to things like "cheese?" (which he loves) and "do you want to turn off the light?" (he likes to reach up and pull the cord). He has been yelling and growling a lot over the last week or so, which will hopefully just be a short feral phase.

We owe a big thank you to our family and friends for all their support and understanding, especially those with whom we have (temporarily) lost touch. As Luca's awareness of the world and his role in it continues to develop, I feel grateful knowing how much love is waiting for him.

ikea hack

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Sun, 18 May 2008 02:08:00 +0000

This is nothing short of brilliant.

(via Gowanus Lounge)

brand tags

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:06:00 +0000

Noah Brier, a friend and former colleague, is getting some much-deserved press for his brilliant Brand Tags project. I am forever indebted to Noah for giving me my first break in the industry (I once used a Ghost Dog analogy to describe our relationship, but he hadn't seen the movie and was thoroughly confused), but you have to admit, the whole concept is pretty cool.

absolute diaper

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:46:00 +0000

ab·so·lute dia·per [ab-suh-loot dahy-per]

–noun

The highly dangerous state in which the only clean diaper in the house is being worn by the baby: "We reached absolute diaper for the first time, this morning. It was terrifying."

eleven months

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:08:00 +0000

make your own pharma TV spot

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:18:00 +0000

It's doubtful this brilliant viral campaign by Holton Sentivan + Gury will pull in any actual pharma business, but it's unquestionably innovative and hilarious. Check out my commercial below and make your own pharma TV spot here.

Grand Theft Auto

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:55:00 +0000

My old friend, Mark's band, "The Greenskeepers" supplied the song for the new Grand Theft Auto commercial. Pretty cool.

eleven months

noreply@blogger.com (Justin) — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:39:00 +0000

Yikes – where to start? Major Luca developments of the last few weeks include mimicry of gesture (waving, sticking out tongue) and sound (bababa, dadada, oh oh, kissing sounds), a sudden interest in books, and (dramatic pause… ) walking!

He can take about five or six steps at a time now, usually from one piece of furniture to another. Predictably, this has enabled him to get into even more mischief. He is particularly fond of pulling books off the shelves and chewing on anything around his eye level. Thankfully, these developments are taking place just as he’s starting to understand what no means.

"No, we don’t chew on the radiator cover."

"No, books are for reading, not eating."

"What did he just put in his– no, no, no, NO! Don’t eat that!" (runs over to baby and removes object from his mouth)

Less welcome, but apparently completely normal, has been the rather sudden development of separation anxiety/shyness. It makes sense that we all must learn to fear the world at some point, for safety’s sake. Otherwise we’d be talking to angry schizophrenics on the subway, ordering the lobster roll at greasy diners and going to open mic singer/songwriter nights.

Still, it’s sad to see the baby that used to smile at just about anyone cringe and turn away from people he’s already met. Last weekend we were lounging in the kitchen when the guy delivering or food rang our buzzer. I immediately jumped up and ran downstairs, which terrified Luca. From his perspective, this makes sense: you’re hanging out with the two people who take care of everything and make you feel safe, and all of a sudden there’s this really loud buzz and one of them runs away? I’d have started crying, too.

Hopefully this will just be a phase and he’ll learn that we always come back, and that it’s OK to be affectionate with friends and family, just not with radiator covers or people who sing Indigo Girls covers.