A Good Black Night...

Have you ever been sitting around late at night and not sure of what you can do with a tennis ball, some lighter fluid and a lighter? No? Well neither had we until a couple nights ago when my room mates and I we sitting around talking about random things. Tennis became the subject and then we started talking about "Fireball" from the sitcom "Friends". We thought it was a funny idea.

Now this night happened to be a little different than all the other nights where we have sat around and talked. You see, it was the fourth of July and we had just came back home from the fireworks show. We were all feeling a little adventuresome so we decided to give "Fireball" a go. It turned out to be more fun than we had ever thought! Somme of the photos turned out to be really cool. A friend and I figured out that if we gave the camera a slow shutter rate and a did a couple other adjustments to the settings we got this really cool effect.

I think the photo speaks for it's self. I'm not sure how legal it is to light a tennis ball on fire and hit it back and forth on the street but a cop drove by one time and didn't seem to care too much.

So if you are ever sitting around with a tennis ball in hand, wondering what you could do to entertain yourself. Simply find some lighter fluid and a match. It will be a good time ... I guarantee it!

These Little Black Words are Changing...

A new English is upon us. The most exciting part about this is that it is already being taught in our schools and none of us are the wiser. What is this "New English" you might ask. It has the same basic principals as the current form of English and is actually readable by those who are still using the "traditional" form. By the time children are 10, they have nearly mastered it while adults are still struggling with it.

It is the way we text!

2 much txting mks u 1 bad splr!

Everyone can look @ this n mke out wht i'm tryn 2 say. This still sounds the same when u spk it but looks entirely diff when u try 2 read it.

Now technically it is not a new language but a form of shorthand for English. I think it is going to replace the current way of spelling in some manner of speaking. It will not happen over night but as more and more generations grow up with txting as an option for communicating, the spelling of words will slowly start to drift to the most common and practiced form.

Txting may just be trend but so far it has lasted and made serious ground as a niche market option. That is the first step to changing everything.

Whats New in the World of Gray...

Hello everybody! Yes I know, it has been a long time since I have posted last but don't worry, I think now I will have the time to be able to post fairly often. So I bet all of you out there are wondering what I have been up to since graduation. Well there are a few things that I have been keeping myself busy with.

First, I have picked up a Freelance design job. Yes! I am now officially a graphic designer with a client. Not too bad for just graduating not more that a month ago. So how it happened was, I was sitting around in my room playing guitar when the art director of the Fargo-Moorhead Opera called me. He asked if I was interested in competing against other designers in the area for the chance to have them as a client for the upcoming year. I'm not sure he needed to ask because of course I was interested. I met with him the following day and he explained what they were looking for. The gave me a week to present them with my ideas. Well, I went home and that very day came up with a great layout and design approach. So instead of taking it only to the idea phase and presenting them with rough sketches, I did a complete comp and had most of the design work done. I created logos for the three performances that they were going to do, developed a unique layout, and did the necessary photography for my designs. A week came and I presented to them, they loved it and said that they would present it to the board the following mon. I got a call a couple days later and I had won the account. Lets just say I was a little excited! So for the past week I have been fine tuning the design, coordinating the printing with the print vendors here in town, and have been meeting with people to get my design to work. I think by the end of the week I should be at the printers getting the proof which is a full week ahead of the deadline they were hoping for! I'll have to keep everyone posted on that.

I know and if that isn't enough to keep someone busy for the entire day, I've been taking 4 hrs every morning to teach myself Macromedia Flash 8 professional. I was unable to take a class on Flash and I feel that if I am to be competitive in today's market, I need to know how to use Flash even if it is not going to be a part of my daily routine. It is going really well so far. I bought a book (which is 1200 pages long!) and have been working through it every morning. To be honest I thought that when I graduated I would take some time from learning and really just relax for a while but I am really enjoying learning this program on my own. I think I might be one of those people who doesn't want to stop learning new things. I plan to apply what I learn to my website so keep an eye out for changes at CN-Designs.

I think I must be crazy because I'm also working full time at a steak house here in town. I put in about 35 to 40 hours a week so my nights are pretty much shot. I do however get wed. off so I do have one night out of the week to go out with friends and have a good time.

Now I know it sounds like, I must be out of my mind but i am always looking for more design work. If more work comes in I will begin to start cutting back my hours at the steakhouse so I can accommodate my schedule (they are pretty good at giving my a fitting schedule). So don't hesitate to contact me!

There are other things I've been up to but these are the most common and everyday things that I do. So far (and I know you won't believe me) I've been having a great summer! I'm looking forward to all the new things that come my way and hope that there are more people out there that like what I do.

Black Gown for a Happy Day...

It comes twice, or maybe three times in your life. You are asked to wear a black gown to celebrate the culmination of a chapter. But what does this black celebration mean?

"At today's American colleges and universities, both students and professors wear academic garments during formal academic processions. Each gown is distinctive of the degree earned by the individual. The gown for the master's degree is more full and has oblong sleeves that open at the wrist. The gown for the doctorate degree is even more full, has bell-shaped sleeves with three velvet bars or chevrons across the upper arm. The color of the velvet is black, royal blue, or a color distinctive of the subject to which the degree pertains."

"the caps worn by professors and students evolved from the clerical pileus. The Roman Catholic Church, at the Synod of Bergamo, adopted the round clerical cap, or pileus, and required all clergy to wear it. Gradually other varieties of headdress developed in the academic community. In 1520, a square cap was worn at the University of Paris. It was known as the bonnet carre and is the predecessor of our own square cap or mortar board."

This is what the history books tell us the gown means. To me it means something else. It is a key to the door of adulthood, a bridge to life, a life vest to keep me from drowning, and a lantern to light my way.

Some people do not experience college and there is nothing wrong with that. But personally I would not give up the past four years for anything. The friends I've made, the network I have established, the knowledge I have acquired, and the passion I have developed would be non-existent had i not gone taken this step in life. If college can instill in me feelings and emotions like these, I can barely wait for what the rest of my life holds. I am anxious to see what I experience in my career. All I know is that I am ready ... Ready for it All!!

When Black Text Starts To Blur...

It is that time again for all of the college students to enter into a chaotic frenzy in hopes of finishing the 13 projects, 5 papers, 7 chapters, and 6 homework assignments. Well maybe I've exaggerated just a little bit but for myself, as a graduating senior, it feels that way. I do have many projects due and a couple papers to write ... and oh yeah ... there are all the resumes that I'm supposed to be sending out as well. So we can all easily say it is crunch time and I'm Loving It. This is the time when you see what you are made of and then in the end, there is the complete sense of gratification. That is the best part. The part when you know you have accomplished something.

So I don't know if this entry is really targeted for the masses, but I would like to make a comment to everyone who is on a deadline. Focus, put you nose to the grindstone, work hard, and everything will work out the way it should. That is what I have been telling myself for the past five weeks now and so far it hasn't let me down.

In the end, when the black text starts to blur, you'll be able to sit back and look at what you have accomplished. Then realize that it never gets easier, it never slows down, and it never gives you a break. You just have to power through it and love every second of it.

Not a Black Night Last Night...

It is amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it. And it is such an incredible feeling when everything you plan out works just as you had thought it would. I guess the only way I can explain what I mean is ... you know how when you are truly happy you can't remove that ear to ear smile. That was the way I was last night.

My roommate and I were sitting around one night and I mentioned to him that I wanted to do a fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation. I thought that we could host a party at a venue here in town, charge people a small cover charge, get a few bands to donate their time and play for us, and then all the proceeds would go to the foundation. He thought it was a great idea and so we began organizing it.

We decided to call our event "Time For A Change" because not only was it an event to help the Leukemia Foundation and show people how important it is to help a worthy cause, but we also wanted it to be a Concordia College senior farewell (I'm currently a senior at Concordia College... at least for the next 24 days!!).

We'll like I said, everything worked out. We had Lucille Black, Poitin, and Blind Joe play for us and lets just say they were absolutely amazing. Our turn out was better than we had anticipated, not that were complaining. We raise alot of money and I really do think we raised awareness to my senior class.

A notion that I'm starting to realize is that no matter who you are, you are capable of making a difference. No one should underestimate what they are capable of. Now we didn't raise millions of dollars but if what we did raise can help just one person with Leukemia, then I think what we have done has all been worth it.

So if you were able to attend "A Time For Change", I would like to thank you for coming. If you were unable to make it this year do not worry, I'm currently thinking about trying to make this a tradition at Concordia. So hopefully there will be a next year!

Television Advertising No Longer Black and White ...

I'm seeing a change happening. Maybe it has been in the works for a while and I've just started to notice it but it is sweeping the nation. Television is changing. Why is it changing, what is causing this subtle shift, where are we headed? These are some of the questions I was asking myself as I sat in front of the television one night after a very long day of test taking, designing, and studying.

These questions dawned on me when i realized that there hadn't really been a break for a commercial for a long time. As a matter of fact, there hadn't been one since the movie started. So now my attention is drawn away from the movie (not a big deal, I think I had already seen it and it wasn't that good of a movie anyway) and i begin to wait, wondering when the next ad will show. Then it happened, the ad popped up on the bottom of the screen. It was there for just a little bit and then it disappeared.

I've noticed this happening with soccer games, other big television events, and obviously movies on basic cable. I personally think this might be a form of subtle subliminal advertising. I like it but mainly because my movies and games aren't really interrupted. But I wonder if this form of advertising really works. Could this be the new way of advertising, could the super bowl someday be technically commercial free and have these little bottom screen ads instead. I'm not sure really.

I don't think that this way of advertising works for all products so the remove of traditional commercials seems a little far fetched. Still the shrinking attention span of consumers may make this the ideal way to advertise to the upcoming generations. Now I'm sure that before this happens there will be test conducted and trial shows that open the doors for the rest of the television community. I think this is what makes the advertising and marketing field so interesting. There is always change taking place and uncertainty never really goes away.

White Words, Black Secrets...

Communicating has always been important to human kind. From the very beginning we grunted to express ourselves, later we developed symbols to convey our thoughts over greater distances, recently we have moved back to the oral communication and invented ways to converse at anytime and anywhere on this planet, and now we find ourselves taking an old creation and fusing it with new technology. An new form of communication has risen and with it, even greater possibilities.

As with every invention and assimilation of ideas, there must come a test period where this new idea will be stretched in countless directions to see if whether or not it will work. Sometimes this new idea will break and crumble before us and other times it will work better than it could in our wildest dreams. We are just starting to ascend the Internet mountain. We are learning that there are bumps, holes, crevasses, and impassable points along our journey but with every obstacle we manage to find a route either around it or through it. Privacy is the relatively new obstacle that is holding us back from scaling higher into the potential of the Internet.

I think the privacy issue first surfaced with e-commerce and whether or not your money was safe when purchasing items or doing online banking. I think we have pretty much got a handle on those issues and you don't really hear about people having problems any more. Now we are our own victims. Our own self disclosure is causing us greater head aches than identity theft ever did.

Facebook, Myspace, Blogs, and other programs such as Twitter are our new concern. What we disclose now will be forever held in some obscure archive for our future employers, family members, and generations to come to look up, examine, and scrutinize. Is what we say a reflective aspect of who we are? Are our private actions really that important that all we ever do be posted, labeled, tagged, or searched? We are all slowly becoming voyeurs of private lives. Peeping toms into lives of those we hardly know in hopes to catch a glimpse of the unknown.

Obviously I am being hypocritical with this blog in itself. I am opening a passage to my own personal thoughts that will be cataloged and almost definitely searched. Yet, for some reason I am OK with this. Maybe I feel it is the responsibility of my generation and the generations to come to not only maintain multiple identities (virtual and actual) but to supply a seemingly never ending record of who we are. To update those close to us and far away about our weekly, daily, and hourly habits.

I'm not sure where I find myself on this issue. And as with every issue, there are both positive and negative elements that make the decision even harder. But for now ... my current status is "Chris is finding his way out of the difficult spot between a rock and a hard place..."

The Gray Way of Life ...

Recently, as part of an assignment for advertising class, I was required to test out the program "Second Life." I explored the virtual world trying to get accustomed to living in a digital world. With this program, you can create your character, find a job, build a house, raise a family, and go out and have fun. Basically it is a way to escape you actual life and live a "Second Life."

I got to thinking this could be a great program but it also could become an all-consuming addiction. I could see a problem where people become so intrenched with the virtual life that they start to mix reality with "digi-reality." What happens when the line between the real and the false fades away and what you start to see is your life no longer in black and white but a mix of gray?

I've heard that you can make a serious living working in Second Life. An income to the tune of six figures. Now i'm not entirely sure how you would go about that because I only spent about an hour in my false world but if your willing to invest the time, anything is possible. I can see a real potential for advertising. You have a captive audience that is willing to spend countless hours exploring a world where the restrictions of advertising are limitless. Floating billboards, clothing with ads on them, and anything imaginable.

I guess all I have to say is give it a try yourself. Be careful of the Gray way of life but enjoy the chance to create a Second Life.

Black Doesn't Belong in Paradise...

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit paradise this past week. Well maybe not paradise but pretty close since I was coming from Moorhead, MN. (where there was approximately thirty inches of snow on the ground) and going to Peurta Vallarta, Mexico.

While I was sitting on the beach in a warm bliss, I began to realize that there was something surrounding me. A saturated feeling came over me and my senses opened, letting me become absolutely lost, adrift in an ocean of beauty. What was this surrounding element? Color! Everywhere you looked a new hue of color, an new brilliance of light, a constant rainbow of color illuminating everything in a seemingly perfect way.

As the sun began to set, the colors found their strength and opened the flood gates letting blue, purple, orange, red, yellow and every shade in between out into the vastness of the ocean. Even as the darkness began to swallow the last bit of light, color found other ways to survive. The glow from the orange lamps along the walk way bounced off the perfect blue pool and created a color that can literally only be described as darkened paradise. And then it hit me. Black doesn't belong in paradise. A place where color reinvents itself on a daily basis does not need black to cover up it's beauty.

Next time you are in paradise, look around and try to find a true black that feels at home. My guess is you won't. And then look around and realize that color in paradise has created a palette for this portion of the world that seems limitless. Take time to take in one shade at a time because you never know when you will experience it again.