Random Acts of Adventure
Dear Ellen
August 12, 2009
Dear Ellen,
What does being a Product Developer mean? Is it like being an Inventor?
Curious
Dear Curious,
I can see how the title would be confusing, but no it not really like being an Inventor. Being a Product Developer is more like being an ‘Early Developer’. Awkward, confusing, self-conscious, a little sweaty, with a closet full of clothes that don’t fit. Oh, and unexpected hair growth.
Ellen
Rock, Paper, Scissors - Ox Bow
August 11, 2009
I'm at Ox Bow this week taking what they refer to as a "breather" ... also known as vacation. Ox Bow is a summer school of art and artists' residency programs located in Michigan. It really it is one of the most amazing places on earth. O.K. I'm a total art geek but it is still amazing even if you don't think you have a creative bone in your body. There are all types of mediums being employed such as glass, metal, ceramic, print and the traditional stuff like painting, illustration and sculpture. I am taking a print (collograph) class. The classes are like a whole semester rolled into a very short week. So, even as a gal who usually needs her sleep, I often find a whole day has passed and it's 1:00 a.m. in the studio. It is amazing how time flies when your having fun. Last night I left the print studio and ended up headed over to the glass studio - artists seem to be night owls. I was completely inspired and very impressed watching Kait Rhoads, an unbelievably accomplished sculptor and glassblower, doing a demonstration. I swear I will never look at glass in the same way again. And, she just happened to have on Horny Toad pants and mentioned she was a fan!
Here are a few picks from last night. Keep creating!
Tam
Lessons For An Optimist - Invent a Sport
August 10, 2009
In the spirit of the Horny Toad "Invent a Sport" contest a while back, it should be recognized that our close friend and outstanding design/build partner Jean Pierre Veillet (Siteworks in Portland), is likely the inventor of one of the most enjoyable sports I have come across in my lifetime. This is the guy that helped us design and build our Lizard Lounge retail experiment in Portland and soon to be famous for another revolutionary project for Nau coming this Fall.
The only favor he has requested for the last two years is for me to come and boat surf on the river with him. And all I have done is politely declined with a host of work and time related excuses.
I finally agreed this weekend as I was extending my Portland stay with my wife for her birthday and assumed it would either be a form of wake boarding or water skiing. He kept claiming it was his invention and that no one else was doing it but again, not really thinking that much about it, all I was worried about was the possibility of swallowing too much of the Willamette River and getting sick (as I was repeatedly warned).
Okay, I am now a convert and this sport is not like anything I have ever seen. This is an 8 foot surfboard with the rider holding on to a ski rope that is 20 feet or so off the back with the boat traveling at 20ish miles an hour. When is the last time you surfed a wave for 10-15 minutes? That is what this is about and while it was difficult to get the hang of standing up without any attachment to your surfboard, once you are up you can rip up and down the face of the wake wave like a pro ... okay JP can but my wife Karen and I were respectable for first timers.
Get out and try it ... you will not be disappointed! And remember, the movement was started off JP's boat on the Columbia and Willamette rivers.
G
Mega Slip n' Slide
August 7, 2009
I have no idea what this guy is saying, but no words are really needed for this. Special effects I'm sure are in use, but it is still super funny. It's why-the-heck-not Friday!
Happy weekend everyone!
Binary Chef - Get Figgy Wit It
August 6, 2009
Figs are a fun little fruit. Not just found in those tasty little cookies, figs can be eaten on their own, they go great with many stinky cheeses and make a rockin' fruit spread. Our own Santa Barbara is home to one of the world's largest fig trees (and when I say world's largest - it is actually reported to be the largest of its species - the Moreton Bay Fig - in North America). Rumor is that it was planted back in the late 1800's by a little girl and has since grown and thrived as a natural landmark. Even today it is quite the tourist attraction for our cute little beach town. Two of my EASY and favorite things to do with the cute little figs are:
FIGS ON TOAST (perfect for breakfast)
- Slice up a nice ripe little fig
- Toast up some bread (sourdough, French, wheat, it's all good)
- Spread a smear of goat cheese, bleu cheese or a double crème brie onto the toast
- Place a slice or two of the fig on top of the cheese
BAKED FIGS WITH PROCIUTTO (great appetizer)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (you can also use a toaster oven)
- Slice a few fresh figs in half, top to bottom
- Place a slice of bleu cheese or gorgonzola (the sharper/stinkier cheeses work best) between the two fig halves and mush the halves back together around the cheese chunk
- Wrap a thin slice of prociutto around the Frankenstein fig and secure with a toothpick
- Place the prociutto wrapped figs on a cookie sheet and into the preheated oven for about 15 minutes
Viola! Both are easy crowd pleasers and can get you a healthy serving of fruit in disguise.
Dear Ellen - Ancient Litter Box
July 5, 2009
Dear Ellen,Why do cats poop in their litter box the minute you change the kitty litter?
Curious
Dear Curious,
This feline practice dates back 4,000 years to ancient Egypt, where cats were first domesticated. Egyptian culture revered cats as sacred deities. It is a common misconception that the great pyramids were constructed as tombs for the Egyptian pharaohs. However, relief carvings inside the pyramids actually show that these great structures were originally designed to provide a place of privacy for the cats to ‘do their duties'. Building the pyramids required a great effort, involving years or even centuries of labor. The eventual completion of a structure was commemorated with an elaborate celebration, during which sacred rituals were performed. The grounds surrounding the entrance were brushed clean, and musk oils were used to scent the air. The floor inside the pyramid was covered with fine sands and clay. Upon completion of these ceremonies, the pyramid was presented to the cat for whom it was intended. The cat would then enter and relieve itself. This act displayed the cat's approval and appreciation of the structure, and was considered a blessing of good fortune for the community.
Though our domesticated housecats today are long since descended from their ancestral culture, they have retained many spiritual practices such as this. Let us be thankful for the wisdom cats bring to our lives.
Ellen
Rock Paper Scissors - Getting Hosed
August 4, 2009
We needed to update our trade show booth but the budget was tight. We needed to be Creative. And Austere. And Fresh. And New.I was driving home for lunch, worrying about the booth, the budget, the bull, and then it appeared, right in front of my car – a green garden hose in my neighbor’s garbage. It was old. It was stale. It smelled nasty. It was my dream come true.
Here’s what we did with garden hose in the booth:
Garden hose rug
Garden hose curtain
More fun with garden hose: garden hose chair
Lessons For An Optimist - Zappazon
August 3, 2009
The news of Zappos.com being acquired by Amazon was bigger than just another merger and acquisition. It will have meaningful implications to the online consumer product business for years as it combines the two most successful pure plays to come out of the dot.com era. It is also interesting because the brands and the business models they chose could not be more different in many ways.
The question I keep asking, is this acquisition a good thing or a bad thing?
A bad thing:
• Sad to see this independent and very unique culture become part of a public company and we can only hope Amazon understands the premium they paid is only justified if they don't mess with what made Zappos special.
• Even though these are extraordinary economic times, Tony and the Zappos ownership could easily be perceived as sell outs, giving away the vision they preached to the very competitor they targeted to outdo.
• One less online competitor to keep the playing field fair.
A good thing:
• A win for exceptional customer service, a Zappos hallmark.
• A win for modern company culture. That makes us feel better, that our happy hours, free form office space and dogs are not so crazy after all.
• It demonstrates optimism that the economy will improve and that consumer spending on apparel and footwear in the online environment still has significant growth potential.
What do you think? Good, bad or don't really care?
Dear Ellen - The Governator
July 29, 2009
Dear Ellen,Why do we have a governator?
Curious
Dear Curious,
California has a Governator because in the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the Future by changing the Past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. No budgetary foresight. Something completely politically unqualified. They created "THE GOVERNATOR."
Ellen
Rock, Paper, Scissors - Birdhouse Project
July 28, 2009
Green houses come in all shapes and sizes, and they aren't just a habitat for humanity anymore. Gotta love it ... recycled materials and antique lumber that come together to make an original birdhouse (really, it is more like art). Even better, the 'birdhouse projects' are made by a group of boys with autism and behavior disabilities who are able to find purpose and meaning in what they are doing while building needed skill sets. Each house has its own little story to tell.There is a perch for everyone and it comes with a good cause, not unlike our very own Planet Access Company and Search for Adventure - where adults with developmental disabilities have a chance to live in beautiful group homes, get employment training and paid work opportunities.
Offer a feathered friend a nice new abode in your yard while simultaneously offering opportunity to someone who needs it. Check them out at www.recycledbirdhouse.com.
Crusade Against the Mundane
