Surprising Fact Of The Day: I have never seen Mike Patton perform live.

If you've ever seen me perform karaoke then the above fact would indeed surprise you. Mike Patton is one of my favorite singers of all time. I know, I know, he's a pretty polarizing vocal presence but I fell for him way back when The Real Thing dropped and I thought he looked like the little, more psychotic, brother of one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I've just about given up hope of ever seeing Faith No More live, but Tomahawk—one of Patton's many other bands—just released a video for a new song so hopefully that means a new album and a tour are coming along soon? I sure hope so.

All smiles!

Today was a day of positive accomplishments both big and small. It was the kind of day where you realize that hard work does pay off in the end. It was the kind of day that warrants celebration, even if it is just treating yourself to BBQ and an early bedtime.

It was a good day.

Taking the ski lift.

One thing about being a young (OK, not so young anymore) professional is getting through the slow trudge up the hill as you formulate your strategy and plans. Presenting is akin to reaching the top of the mountain after hours in the chairlift only to find yourself back at the bottom of the hill in a few absolutely exhilarating seconds.

It's always worth it.

Art in motion.

Do you Cinemagram yet? You should. Then you could do something like this!

Pickle in a box!

I ain't gonna lie, I kind of wish I could just join Pickle the Kitten in her new favorite spot.

Things look so much simpler in there.

Buy nothing Friday? Why?

Like I said the other day, I think it's wrong to drag anyone in to man a register or ensure a rack or shelf remains filled at an ungodly hour. And if you are one of those peeps who wait in line to get into a store at an ungodly (yet reasonably ungodly a.k.a. 4 a.m. Or so) hour I'll be confused but ultimately, hey, it's your choice. But man, isn't it so much more pleasant to simply shop in the early afternoon on Black Friday after all the crazies are gone?

SPOILER ALERT: It is WAY easier to shop in the early afternoon. And way more pleasant. And still way cheap!

Also, who knew Back To School was on Blu-ray?! Not me. But now I own it!

Gobble gobble.

Hand turkey time, y'all! Oh, and real turkey time for all my fellow carnivores. And something equally or more delicious for any vegetarians peeping these words right now.

It's Black Wednesday y'all!

I'm looking forward to following this example.

Guess what? I have nothing planed at all this weekend! Yee-haw! I don't even have any shenanigans planned for tonight, which is highly unusual. (The Dead On are playing Township so I imagine if I do anything it'll be that, but that's not set in stone.)

Hm, I thought I had something more to say than that, but I guess I don't. The inside of my head feels scooped out so I'm going to enjoy the next few days as a chance to fill it back up again. The one downside to being a professional creative is that your main tool is between your ears and that tool needs a break every once in a while to make sure it's still kicking out good stuff!

Oh! I do have a public service message. PLEASE do not be one of those people who goes shopping for Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving night. It's one thing to drag employees into the store at 4 a.m. to man the registers; it's not fun but it's not completely disrespectful. Forcing someone to leave the family Thanksgiving meal and trudge straight into the store just so you can get a few hours jump on a competitor is totally soulless. Please don't support this behavior.

You can get better deals online nowadays anyway.

The shocking truth about tryptophan ... REVEALED!

Are you ready for some truth? Can you handle the truth?! I think you can.

How do people find the time?

The title; have you ever asked that question?I never used to but more recently I find I actually do. It's crazy. I used to always feel like I had plenty of time to balance stuff out, but the last few months have changed all that. And it's a trade off I willingly accepted. The things I've been involved with during that time have been difficult, but the end results have been well worth it. Greater responsibility does lead to a bigger payoff, no doubt about it. I just need to figure out how better to balance accomplishment with free time again. I'll get there.

TGIF fer realz!

My plans for the weekend include doing just about absolutely nothing. I deserve it.

An epic day in two parts.

My morning started terribly for a number of reasons but the cap on it all was a cab I called never showing up, making me late for work on a day I could not be late for work. Luckily my collegues kept things running smoothly and the morning proved more poductive than I had even imagined it would. I work with so many smart people.

And immediately afterward I had to jump in a car, ride two states away and spend a couple hours practicing a presentation with some other smart people. So it's been a draining day. It's been challenging. But I'm optimistic all this hard work will pay off in amazing opportunities in the end.

But right now I'm exhausted. And need some sleep. See you in the morning.

Packing up my office.

No, not that kind of packing up. I'm just moving a few offices over. In fact I can see my new office's door from my current location. But still, packing up is always equal parts hassle and nostalgia trip. And I'm really going to miss my view right over Millennium Park. My new view is rad too, but it was cool seeing it and Grant Park and all that green laid out below me.

Looking forward to the holiday!

I tortured the readers of Chicagoist with this last week, so I feel compelled to do the same to you!

Vacation afterglows that last 20 seconds or less.

GalPal and I went out of town Saturday and Sunday, escaping to Photogal's farmhouse since she so generously offered use of it to us, and it was lovely getting out of the city even if it was only for 36 hours or so. We came back feeling refreshed and awesome and ready to tackle the world! But now we're back in the work week and both of us are already feeling sentimental for yesterday. (Hey, that could be a song lyric!)

Anyway, even though the work week has decided to come at me like a bull on a turbocharged rocket sled, my day brightened a few moments ago when I just happened to notice this happened .

So hey, if you're one of those 3,000 people, you have my sincere thanks for deciding you'd like to follow me. I hope sometimes I'm helpful, sometimes I'm amusing and that those times help outweigh the times I'm just being an idiot.

Escape to the country!

I need a change f scenery. A break from the city. A respite from the GO GO GO.

But not yet!

Tonight I go see The Dead On. And The Supersuckers.

RAWK!

Last minute plans...

I haven't seen this crew in years, and I just got offered a free ticket AND I've got cabin fever, so why not see Electric 6?

Four more years!

That breeze you felt wafting across the U.S. this morning? That was a collective huge sigh of relief.

Also, just how kick-ass was Obama's acceptance speech last night?

Here it is again.

VOTE!

DO IT!

Election day is tomorrow.

I gotta admit I'm nervous.So get out there and vote. Honestly though, had I my druthers, I'd just sleep for the next twenty four hours (waking long enough to vote of course) and just skip all the nail biting and go straight to the winner.

Walking down Wilshire.

I'm in L.A. and just got back from working out at an LA Fitness (ha!) and this was my view while I was on the treadmill. Not bad huh?

I took the opportunity to walk a couple block and just take stuff in. This trip to L.A. has been pretty excellent, actually. Often this town depresses me but this time around I feel like I'm starting to see whey people do live here.

What's wrong with this picture?

When you see it, you'll get it!