Geek Speak for Valentine’s Day
Let me get this straight. I’m no fan of Valentine’s Day and I don’t think I ever was. Besides being jealous of the girl in middle school who’s boyfriend gave her a life-size teddy bear once, that was the only emotion I’ve ever had for the “holiday”.
But if you’re going to do it, do it right.
Check out these posters from illustrator Nicole Martinez, titled “Nerdy Dirty”.
Life Through the Lumix: Part II
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Those who look outside, dream. Those who look inside, awaken.
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
I have a blog for food and a blog for fashion. Then I have this, tied to my name, which keeps me conflicted on whether or not this is a professional blog or a personal blog or perhaps a bit of both. A new year is rolling in and I am making a stand. This blog is about my thoughts and my life. After all, your career is chosen because that’s (hopefully) what you’re passionate about, which ultimately defines who you are and the traits you carry.
With that said, onwards we go!
Life has been busy and full of reminiscing the last few weeks. A few things have been switched around, mentally and physically. Somewhere in the midst of it, I found a lot of characteristics in myself that I thought I had lost. One of them being the patient, happy, content person I was before I left to New York 6 years ago. It took watching someone I love in pain for me to realize that I have many things to be thankful and happy for.
My birthday is coming up in 2 days and at the age of 27, I have achieved more than I could have ever imagined I would 10 years ago. I am married to a wonderful and supportive man, I am successful, I have an amazing family that will always be there for me, and I have managed to keep a great group of friends; the ones who you don’t have to talk to everyday to know that when you do speak again, you will always pick up where you left off.
In the end, who cares if my shoes are not brand name? They’re comfortable. Who cares if I don’t have that purse that I’ve been coveting? It’s not that I am not able to afford it, it’s because I am smart and use my money wisely. Who cares if I weigh a bit more than I think I should? Enjoying good food makes me happy. Who cares if my smile isn’t as perfect as I want it to be? At least I am able to laugh. Who cares if I will probably never have that beautiful Porsche I’ve always wanted? I have no one to impress, anyway.
I have truly realized that life is too short to worry about the petty things “that could be better”. There is much more to life than to weigh it down by the unhappiness of wanting more. I refuse to let objects be my vessel to happiness.
Letting all of it go has been the best thing I could have done for myself, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
I recently received an email from my friend Charmaine containing a PopSugar article with some other keys to being happy that I wanted to share.
Stop being materialistic
If you find joy in things, that happiness will be short lived. Because what you have will never be enough, and things can always be lost or broken. Wanting what you don’t have will create unhappiness, so you should always be content with what you do currently have.
Not defining yourself with a title
Just like material possessions, titles can always be lost. If you define yourself by an occupation or a role you carry, such as a doctor or being a mother, you may feel lost if the title was taken away from you. You need to find happiness in your own self and just be happy about being you.
Getting rid of your clutter
Having too much clutter in your house can take a toll because a disorganized mess can cause inner turmoil and stress. Take steps to reduce the clutter in your home by throwing out, donating, or selling items you don’t use or need.
Surrounding yourself with positivity
A big factor of happiness is to be around people who are positive. Toxic people can negatively influence your mood so be sure to watch out for them.
And there you have it. As I go into 2012, supposedly the last year for humans according to the Mayans, I am going to live lightheartedly and enjoy the hell out of life.
Happy birthday to me.
Life Through the Lumix
West Texas & Brooklyn
Austin is Beautiful.
When I saw the Brooklyn Bridge in my rearview mirror, it sank in that I wouldn’t be seeing that everyday through the window seat on the Q train anymore as I had for the last 5 years. The place we called home, where we established so many wonderful friendships and had gotten comfortable with for 5 years was about to be replaced with a new and very different kind of life.
A few days later, we arrived in the driveway of our new home in a place that felt a bit foreign to me. At that moment, everything changed.
As much as I miss our friends and the plethora of places to go and things to do in New York, I have never felt so much at home than I have in a place that, after 5 months, is still a bit foreign. When I land on the tarmac from those short trips away, I no longer wonder how long the taxi line will be but rather am overcome with the excitement that I’m home.
The beauty and uniqueness of Austin has been enough to erase any yearning for a place that has too much of everything because home has just enough.
This weekend, we hiked up to Mount Bonnell. The view is breathtaking and was another side of Austin that I’ve never seen which only makes this place so much more amazing.
How would you like your graphic design?
Diet Coke Redesigned
Designed by Turner Duckworth in San Francisco, the design magnifies only part of the logo yet the brand itself is so distinguished, you know exactly what it is at a glance.
And look what you get when you put 3 sides of the 12-packs together!
Ipsum Generators
Lets face it.. after years of using “lorem ipsum” dummy text, we’re probably all a little tired of it.
Luckily for us and our witty designer colleagues, there’s a little more variety these days. Feeling a little adventurous? Check them out below.
New: Tea Party Ipsum
Samuel L Ipsum
Bacon Ipsum
Hipster Ipsum
A Gowalla Concept for Windows Phone 7
After designing the Flickr for Windows Phone 7 and Slate app and the first version of the foursquare WP7 app, I was definitely on a little Microsoft kick. I found it highly enjoyable because it was a departure from the typical touch interfaces that are normally loaded with the same navigation, tab and button patterns.
39Argyle enlisted my help earlier this year to design a quick home screen concept for Gowalla that could communicate a potential application and brand on the WP7 platform.
I thought it’d be nice to dig it up and share the design. Maybe one day we’ll be able to design the whole thing. I’d imagine it’d be pretty dope.
Panorama Home Screen
In Device
Oh my, Grande!
When we moved to Austin, we thought long and hard about which internet and television provider to sign up with. After signing up for both, Time Warner and Grande Communications, we ended up choosing the local underdog: Grande Communications.
They promised higher internet speeds, more channels and better customer service. That works for us.
Until we saw their television interface.
I can’t remember my exact reaction but I assure you it was nothing less than horrified. I feel like I’m running Windows 1.0 on my television every time I turn it on. Note: it’s not a good feeling. The pixelation! The horror!
I was going to add notations to these screens but they’re so horrible, I think they can all speak for themselves.
“Welcome to the mid-80’s!”
Video On Demand
DVR Playback Channel
Channel Guide
When a customer service representative was questioned by my husband about their outdated interface, they told him that based on customer surveys, the customers preferred more channels than a slick interface. With that said, I hope these customers never end up at user testing for anything I ever design.
Grande Communications lacks much more than a pretty face, but an entire holistic experience. There is no evidence of anything remotely up-to-date about it, including supporting services like an iPad or iPhone application. This might bode well with the elderly but I can’t imagine how they will ever gain new customers without updating their software.
Give us something, anything! Or, please, just match all the corner radii and we’ll call a truce!
Introducing: Hipster Domo, my home office cheerleader.
A Clean Erase
I painted a whole wall in my office with chalkboard paint last weekend. Barely writing on it, I noticed that when I erased the wall, it wasn’t clean and left a trail of chalk behind. I didn’t want to scrub it off too hard with the fear that it would scratch or erode the surface of the paint.
