First of all...

Image here.

In remembrance...

Random

Ok, ok... so I know I promised posts this weekend and failed to deliver.

But, J had the weekend off (which is a miracle) and I had to take advantage of our only two whole days together until probably Thanksgiving. It was a freaking awesome weekend filled with puppy parks (pics later), sunburns (at 9am--recall, surface of the sun), swimming, sushi (wow, lots of alliteration here), and vegging out around the apartment. Truth be told it was just great to be able to spend entire days together (his days off are Wed/Thurs, so on weekends he doesn't get home til 3pm).

At any rate, I have a lot of random thoughts, observations, questions, etc. today that I thought I'd share:

Wyatt has been a completely different dog since taking him to the puppy park Sat. morning. He's been calm, obedient, loving and not once did he do sprints around our coffee table. This means much more regular visits to the park from now on (despite the blazing heat and morning sunburns).

Does anyone else get choked up watching the Johnson & Johnson ad w/ Michael Phelps' mom?

We started looking at timeshares in Cabo last night for our honeymoon! (J's rents have a week of timeshare that they're letting us use). I'm SO excited. What I wouldn't give to be sipping a margarita on the beach right now...

I'm so bored at work right now I might just lose my mind! Hopefully soon I'll start getting some actual projects rather than a bunch of mindless busywork. I know I'm at the very bottom of the food chain, and really, I am happy to get shit done and do it right and wade through it as a right of passage... but damn am I bored.

Does it have to be 32 degrees inside when it's 105 outside? I think not. A mild 80 would do, so I'm not shivering and losing feeling in my fingers...

I love Mad Men. Like a lot. Before doing anything today, ask What Would Don Draper Do?

That said, I cannot WAIT til the fall TV season starts! (fyi, Gossip Girl premieres already a week from today!)

Check out this new ad celebrating Lego "Miniman's" 30th birthday. Awesome.

I really don't wanna go work out tonight, but I'm forcing myself. I've fallen off the workout wagon these past few weeks, and it's about time to get back on. Even if it does mean forfitting my entire night.

I can't think of a good team name for my fantasy football team. Any help is appreciated. I want something to demonstrate my knowledge of football but also have subtle WI undertones... Also it has to be fierce, cause I'm gonna kick some FF ass in the office "B" league!

Anyway, that's about it for now. More to come later. Adios.

Remember me?

Does anyone know how to embed youtube videos on here?

Also, I suck at consistent blogging. I promise to try harder... I'll have a few big posts this weekend. Stay tuned.

And again...

Have you ever wanted to be someplace else so badly that it hurt? I'm talking like physically hurts your heart yearning...

I wish I was here.

Sorry, I promise not every blog entry is going to be about me wanting to move back north. It's just that people were talking on the way back from lunch about how great Mpls is. I agree with them. Now I only have to wait ___ more years to experience it again.

Location Claustrophobia

Sometimes I just feel the need to scream this at the top of my lungs. Yesterday and today have been prime examples. I just get so fed up living here. It's like I'm stuck in an elevator between floors with no air conditioning. No matter how loud I scream, I'm stuck in there, sweating.

I need to get out of here or do something interesting or SOMETHING! I feel like I've been stuck in this boring-ass cycle of work, working out, mindless errands, and TV watching (on our broke-ass TV might I add...). Maybe when J has time off in Aug. we can get out and do something fun. It's just hard to normally since he works weekends.

Where I really want to be is here:

Image found here.

Chillin in the 80 degree weather at Lake Calhoun in Mpls. I can't wait til we get to move back there. It's gonna be such a relief. I can finally get out of the stuffy elevator and take a nice deep breath.

Until then, I'll have to tough it out I guess.

Mad Men Love

Oh sometimes I wish I had a Delorean with a flux capacitor. I'd set it for Valentine's Day, 1962, where we catch up with the lives of our favorite Mad Men (and women).

What an amazing time. So much change happening. Such a tug of war there between status quo and innovation. I just love the aesthetic of the era... the formality of it all. (Which is interesting if you knew me, cause I'm the most casual jeans & t-shirt chick you'd ever meet). Anyway, on to the show.

First off, a little girly gushing:  OMG I have such a sad little crush on Don Draper. So tall dark and handsome. He's brilliant but brooding and mysterious. And his suits are perfection! The gray suits with the little white pocket square (rectangle-wise, not bloused and triangular). Total perfection.

I have a feeling if I were in this agency in 196_, I'd totally be Peggy. I relate to her totally. I'd be less than gorgeous (some things don't change just because you go back in time), but totally earnest and wanting more than just the usual women job as a secretary. I'd end up being one of the guys (read above about things not changing). Hopefully though I wouldn't end up preggo by a married man (though Pete does have that boyish charm going, even if he is a total weasel). I wonder what she did (or is doing) with her baby boy... My money's on adoption. I hope anyway. She can't afford to give up her new Jr. Copywriting position.

I am constantly enamored by the insights that Don has. Did anyone see the Kodak pitch he did last season? It was pure perfection. Just poetry in motion soaring off his tongue. Tonight his speech to Peggy about why sex doesn't sell was awesome. It really is overlooked sometimes that when it gets down to it, advertising needs to make someone feel something. Feel good. Feel bad. Feel sentimental. It has to evoke some emotion or feeling within someone that is strong enough to make them spend their money on your product over another. Too often I see creatives just trying to do something 'genius' when really, if an ad doesn't hit someone, stop and make them think, then what's it really doing?  Winning awards? Good for you, but that's not going to sell soap. Like Draper said, "stop writing for other writers."

Another thing: LOVE that BMW sponsored the entire episode. Genius. I need to remind myself which agency has them now... I forget. But that buy was great. And the one-minute 'break' with the copywriter who wrote the line, "The Ultimate Driving Machine" was a great and smartly-placed brand-building spot to put in there. It promoted BMW but also fit in with the show, and with the demo of the show (you know TONS of people in the business have to be watching this).

Alright, that's enough for now I think. I'll write more later if I think of anything. I just love this show. The writing is intelligent and spot-on historically correct (from what I've heard). It's up for 16 Emmy's and in my book should win em all.

Deadbeat Blogger...

Yeah, that's right. I've been a total deadbeat blogger. Someone should take my blog away and give it to a blogger who can care for it better than I can.

Anyway, sorry for the hiatus. Things were crazy with going home, then the 4th, then my birthday, etc. etc.  Not a good excuse, but mostly, I've just been lazy.  I promise to be more diligent with writing from now on.

That's all for now. I'll post another later tonight with my reaction to the Mad Men Season 2 premiere tonight! I'm so excited--I'm totally obsessed with this show! Anyway, catch ya later.