Return of Television?

I've become very excited about a couple of new TV series debuting this fall, two of which are about TV shows in and of themselves. First there's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" with Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford and from the creators of "The West Wing." From the initial teasers played earlier this season, I couldn't tell what it was going to be about. Was it a comedy or a drama? They just didn't play well except to list the cast of stars. Tonight I've seen some updated trailers about the plot and it's style of comedy AND drama. The show definitely looks great, and it's fast paced action behind the scenes looks like an audience favorite. I'm concerned it might be too fast for a half-hour show; but it should be just fine with a full hour. Then there's the Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin comedy "30 Rock", a TV show about the behind-the-scenes antics of an SNL style sketch show. Pretty much anything with Tina Fey is a winner and the trailer is hilarious. This show seems to have something, even if it's a whole lot of nothing. And yet, even a third debut has its hooks on me.

I'll be the first to tell you that my favorite movies tell stories of ordinary people in extraordinary situations. From Shawshank and "The Truman Show" to "The Game" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, I'm astounded by tales of the regular guy (or hobbit) finding strength and facing the fears that surround him. Even M. Night Shyamalan's "Unbreakable" grabbed me by the heart and pulled me in; although one could argue that Bruce Willis' character wasn't exactly an ordinary guy, but that was after he discovered his 'powers.' So of course I'd be intrigued by "Heroes." Can you tell I only watch NBC? "Heroes" seems like an Unbreakable story with the number of character to challenge the X-men. Although it does seem like they researched and analyzed the public's love for Wolverine and Superman, disected their strengths, and created individual characters to embody said powers. Not exactly original, but the execution could still be great. As a side note, next time you see the trailer for Ali Larter's character, Nikki, listen to her answering machine. "Hi this is Nikki, leave a message." It sounds exactly like the answering machine from "Swingers" where Jon Favreau's character continues to leave messages after getting cut off. Now that I think about it, all the "Heroes" trailers are told like that original Unbreakable teaser.

Funny how television is becoming more like film. Teasers, trailers, high definition widescreen, event programs, commercial free (for those of you with the right technology), even the cinematography, and visual effects. I guess this makes things easier for actors to move from film to television (Alec Baldwin) and so forth.

May I also say "Kudos" to NBC for airing the pilot of Michael Mann's "Miami Vice" in support of it's film adaptation with Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell. I have to admit I don't remember actually watching the show, but I saw the pilot tonight, and dare I say it was actually good. Dare I go farther to say that Don Johnson did a decent job. Michael Mann, you haven't made a bad film I've seen, don't fail me now.

PayDirt.

Stopping by Old Navy this evening, I couldn't help but be reminded of a certain Seinfeld episode. I can't remember the exact episode, but Kramer joins Jerry and George at the hospital because he thinks he might find some heavy-duty gloves there. Jerry and George are in a hospital room talking with someone getting surgery (may be "The Junior Mint") when Kramer busts through the room with a handful of rubber gloves in his hand. "PAYDIRT," he exclaims!

When we walked into Old Navy and I saw tons of signs proclaiming, "take an EXTRA 50% already clearance marked items", I said to myself the same thing. Five shirts and $17 later, actually it was zero bucks later since Lyndsey's Mom handled the sale (Thank you), I was happy. This included vintage polos, baseball T's, and graphic T's. As a designer I sorted through the graphic T's choosing designs I thought reflected a belief or emotion that I could relate to. As a fan of $4 shirts, I honestly could've cared less. In the end though, it was palm trees, California prints, maroon, blue, and red shades that rounded out the collection. Summer is my favorite season.

Lightning Crashes, a New Father Cries.

Thankfully, everything is ok.

Smiles All Around.

Smiles All Around.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I absolutely love this shot of Lynds and Ian after our anniversary dinner last weekend. Just before my Kahlua Cocoa Coffee slice of cheesecake came to the table, Ian woke up and started making a fuss. Fortunately for the other patrons, The Cheesecake Factory gets so loud you could barely hear him. Grandma Moore took him for a walk outside, then after dessert we took a few pics by the fountain. He still wasn't happy. Poor guy went to the Cheesecake Factory and didn't even get a slice.

Day to Day Operations.

Day to Day Operations.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

On a good day, this is how Ian and I hang out. He's not exactly tall enough to get the most out of it, but he likes looking around. It was tough at first trying to maneuver him into the front-pack; but I quickly figured out how much easier it is when he's not crying or hungry. This front-pack helps me accomplish some tasks like, oh, I don't know, typing an email or brushing my teeth or taking Ranger outside. Otherwise I'd be holding Ian in one arm and trying to maneuver said items with the other....not easy folks, not easy. However I don't think this will help when I need to spray paint wine bottles, or use an X-acto to cut cardboard. You can't exactly sit down comfortably while wearing the pack either. Maybe Ian can help me sketch this weekend.

Laundry Day.

Laundry Day.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I mentioned previously that our dryer was on the fritz. It wasn't heating. It was something we should have noticed as our laundry loads began to take 2 and 3 rounds to actually dry. Needless to say, all of our laundry got pretty backed up over two weeks and we needed to do something about it.

I was reminded of a place back at A&M called "Harvey Washbangers." Quite the clever name for a laundromat that doubles as a bar/restaurant, complete with a small reading space and Galaga arcade machine. It was great. You could take a load of laundry and take a load off with a Bud on tap. Just remember the washing machine number and look up to the Press Your Luck scoreboard for your lucky number to turn off and whammo, your laundry was done. Plus on Mondays, they had 20 cent wings. I was hoping to find one of these around town.

The best I could find was a little place called The Laundry Lounge over in Ansley Square. It was a nice place to do laundry with decent prices, great machines, and little reading area. The place was air conditioned, which is rare for laundromats, and good to take Ian along with us. The best thing about laundromats is that you have tons of machines to use. We had 6 washers going at one time, then 5 dryers held everything we had. Add to that the large tables to fold everything up and I'm happy (sad) to say that it made for a nice family outing.

As of now, our dryer is back up and running after Lyndsey's folks ordered a new heating element for us for our second anniversary. What would we do without them.

Oh, What's Going On.

I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted. I guess that's because time has been moving faster than a speeding locomotive. Which gets me to the first thing I've been wanting to tell you about. Saw "Superman Returns" last week and was absolutely floored by it. The effects, production design, action sequences, Brandon Routh, and the story were all fantastic. If this is the only movie I see all summer, and it probably will be, that's cool with me. Bryan Singer hasn't made a bad movie yet. It's amazing how much technology has changed since the original film in '76. "Superman Returns" is a blockbuster worth supporting.

Monday marked the first day of my 8th and final quarter at PC. Registration was the smoothest it has ever been, my loan check was ready on time, and it felt really great to be back. First steps are to take an inventory of all my projects, evaluate what's going in my book, what's missing, and then get crackin'. We're talking 18-24 pieces plus 3-4 handheld books. They say it's all about time management, embracing the creative process, multi-tasking, and hiring professionals to take care of some of the dirty work (photography, color correction, printing, the box). I'd say that's quite a bit to keep me busy.

Wednesday marked Lyndsey's first day back at work since having Ian. It was just him and I manning the homebase, oh and Ranger too. The three of us had a rough morning since one of us didn't seem interested in having a mid-morning breakfast. Thursday and today have been better. I figure I can get about 4 hours of classwork done in an 8-5 day, if everything goes well. I'll have to figure out how much everything else will take.

Friday marks the day when Ian's three surviving Great-Grandparents come to town. Lyndsey's folks are driving them over from Texas. They are the coolest GGP's I know. They'll love hanging out with Ian, helping us fix our dryer (a story for another post), and maybe even some homemade tasty treats. I guess I'll have to get started on a couple of final projects...

Which reminds me, the only reason I was able to finish everything on time last quarter was because of Lyndsey's parents. Ken and Kaye Moore were a blessing to have in town during Ian's first few weeks in the world, and my last few weeks of 7th quarter. They helped out tremendously with household chores, dinners, and tending to Ian. Those extra hours were perfect. Thank you for everything.

Sunday Ads Up.

Ever since sophomore year of college, my favorite part of the Sunday newspaper were the ads. More specifically, my favorite part was that 20 page booklet of blue newsprint with yellow price tags labeling the sales for the week. Ah, when I think of those blue and yellow tags, I think of DVD's 3 for $20, $9.99 new release CD's, and I think of spending the afternoon at Best Buy. In fact, while I was working in Houston, Best Buy was 8 minutes from my apartment and 2 minutes from my workplace. That's why I have 2 large binders filled to the brim with some of my favorite movies. Working at Borders, I take a moment on Sundays to peruse the Best Buy ad from an AJC (don't worry, I put it back so someone else can buy the paper) and this week found a great deal. The new album from Dashboard Confessional, "Dusk and Summer", will be on sale for $9.99; AND, if you show a student ID you'll get an extra 3 bucks knocked off. What a steal! Sale starts Tuesday and goes through Sunday.

The month of June is a great time for new music. It's like someone knew I was going to have a baby and therefore not purchasing much music in the near future and decided to release albums from some of my favorite bands at the same time. How dare they! So I'll be missing out on the new albums from LIVE, Guster, Keane, and the aforementioned Dashboard. Feel free to donate any {purchasesd} copies to the Poor Puckett Foundation for Missed Music.

Looking for Robyn.

Hey Robyn, hopefully you still read this. Send Lyndsey or myself an email, we don't have your contact information. Thanks.

Please, No More Chips.

I need a new snack. Chips and salsa are just not doing it for me anymore. Oatmeal Creme Pies are good for like a day before I get tired of them. And the animal crackers Lyndsey's mom got from Sam's are just lacking the flavor I need in a good afternoon snack. What kinds of things do you like? I know some of you are going to say an apple, or a banana, or something healthy; and that's ok, but it's something I already know. I'm looking for something new or something that's slipped my mind for the past few years. I love a snack with some good flavor, something that works with water, lemonade, or a coke. Something I can eat with my hands, from a bag or poured into a bowl, and definitely not something that takes an hour to make and is only good for one sitting. I don't mind spending time to make it if it will last a week or two. Any snack ideas?

Talent on Television.

So I was watching Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" tonight when something host Dave Foley said caught my ear. He mentioned they had to go to commercial break to pay the bills especially since cable TV only had three years left. Now that's funny and quite an interesting note. Then I turned to NBC where I was horrified at the premiere of "America's Most Talented." Another reality show that humiliates people that think they have talent while raising the hopes of those with it. This thing is just ridiculous. Andy Warhol is laughing in his grave. I just don't know what to think anymore. At this rate, primetime may have less time left on the clock.

Entertaining is a craft that few in the world can do. I watch television to be entertained and I'm not entertained by the joe schmucks in the world that profit off humiliating people that don't realize they're being humiliated. I love to be entertained by those that know what they're doing. Writers, actors, directors, musicians, performers that have honed their craft to make people laugh, cry, or sit at the edge of their seat. Sitcoms, courtroom and hospital dramas, home makeover shows, even game shows are ok. But when businessmen sit around and say "let's find the most talentless, ridiculous people around and put them on television and let them think they're talented becuase people will watch it and we'll make millions", that just drives me over the edge. That's one of the reasons why I love "Celebrity Poker Showdown." It's celebrities on a reality show, so they know how to make it fun, and they're playing for charity. Plus, I get to learn how to play Texas Hold 'Em.

So I'm not dogging reality television as a whole. I happen to enjoy it on most occasions. I think "Last Comic Standing" is a stroke of genius. If Chris Porter or Josh Blue release a comedy album or come to Atlanta, I'll be there. But when it means to degrade individuals around the country, count me out. If someone thinks they're the greatest knife juggler in the world, let them go about it on their own, and not humiliate them on national tv. I'm still waiting for the day when we can subscribe to television networks on a per channel basis.

Ian Montage

Ian Montage
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

The little guy is getting big. He is now four weeks old and starting to get bigger than his britches. The other day he wore his first non-newborn sized clothes, how cool is that? The nights are still kind of random. He does great one night and not-so-great the next. Last night was not-so-great. He loves to eat like the rest of us, but doesn't want to sleep as much as the rest of us. I'll tell you what he loves to do. He loves to fill those britches with a recycled milky substance similar to rice pudding.

Karaoke Baby.

Singing Together
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

If there's one thing I like to do when I dance, it's to sing. Here I tried to teach Ian the ABC song, the one by the Jackson 5.

Let's Dance.

Daddy & Ian
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

Ian and I take some time out of the day to dance. He told me he wished his feet could touch the ground.

The Last PC Critique.

Audrey and Mary (both are Texans at Portfolio Center) posted about their critiques yesterday and inspired me to post comments on their respective blogs (see sidebar for links). As I was leaving a rather lengthy comment on Mary's, I figured maybe I should write about it on mine as well.

It was my 7th and final critique at PC wednesday night, but it was the first one that was strangely different than the previous six. Maybe it was because 3 of the 4 panelists knew Lyndsey and I had a baby three weeks ago, maybe it was because I was the first presentation of the night, or maybe it was because of the work.

I have always completed all assigned work and only twice not finished a day early, the other time was when I had Hank's class 5th quarter. The biggest compliment they had was that it was amazing how I could complete the projects from 5 classes after such a demanding event in my life. First time I had heard that. The other thing was that they could tell I was passionate about my work and that I clearly stated the objectives, goals, concepts, and solutions for my pieces. That's the one thing I had heard everytime since first quarter, great presentation and communication of ideas. The thing that surprised me the most, which was my goal for the quarter, was that some of the projects actually worked! That I had good ideas AND good execution, craft included. I couldn't have been happier and this couldn't have come at a better time.

Then came all the bits and pieces about unreadable type on a dark background, and type cut across a spread, and maybe change this part of the poster or refocus some of these things. Ok, ok, fine, whatever, I understand, if I had another week I would have changed that. But the ideas actually worked? That's amazing.

With the 8th and final quarter looming, my previous projects quivering in the basement hoping to get revamped for my portfolio, I finally get the feeling I'm ready. That I've actually learned something and can put it to good use. Finally, after seven quarters, I have the critique I always wanted. It's constantly being said that Design is about the process, the plan for creating something. My entire experience at Portfolio Center has about the process. And they've created a monster.

Of course today I realize, my Phaidon Online Strategy Brief was just a presentation of my idea and not a fully functional website. The Coca-Cola/Beijing Systems book was researched and worked on by all 8 people in our class, the book itself laid out by Mr. Typography himself Brice Beasley. My Choice book wasn't even read by the panelists, just looked at, which is kind of good because I messed up the page numbers in the text bigtime! And I had some illustrations that a panel of designers really didn't care much for, only Michael Goodman, the bookmaker, mentioned an appreciation for my New Yorker cover. Really, it was my Typeface Design that was a good idea and a great execution. Which is fine because I spent 10 hours a week on that one...but, I digress. Onwards to 8th Quarter!

Seven Hours Till Critique.

Finished.
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I mounted my last illustration this morning and now all is complete. Here's the place where I usually work, granted it's not always this messy. Printer/scanner in the back, my iBook, sketch paper, drawers of materials, wire racks for books and such. Note the tall 5 shelf stand in the foreground. Always had that upstairs in my bedroom until Ian moved in. Realized it would work great at my desk. I had one shelf for each class, making my notes, printouts, and handouts easy to separate.

There's a "New Yorker" cover I did for class taped to the wall, 3 books and some display boards piled underneath the stack of books on the top shelf. This keeps them tight and flat. Also, there's my promotional poster for the Typeface I designed. It's a 5' tall Doric Column, looks great from across the room. And just like any Portfolio Center student during studio/critique week, I've got my list posted of projects to finish and things to do. Thankfully, all tasks have been marked complete. Now if I can just figure out what to say...

To Write or Not to Write.

Choice
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

I've written my first book. At 10,000 words, it's more of a quarter-life memoir. In preparation for having a child, and then actually having the child, the book is about how choice builds character. I've taken five of the most character-building events in my life and written them out in the form of a choose your own adventure book. The intriguing aspect is that I only know the outcome of one of those choices. By going in the other direction, you end up reaching a blank page, allowing you the freedom to write in your own story to share with others.

Writing it was one challenge, designing the book was something else. The craziest bit about it was actually coming up with a title. When I thought of the idea last quarter, I was toying with a title of "Mathematical Birthdaycakes", hoping the story would be about the formula-led life I've lived. The story I wrote turned out much different. In fact, you've probably experienced the same stories I did, perhaps with different results. For a day, I had used "I Can't Decide on a Title, But I Can Setup A Projector." The title kind of made sense when you got to the last chapter of the book, but it just seemed like a cop out.

In the end, I really like the simplicity and power that comes with the main idea of my story, choice. I'm still working on the cover, but here is the right page of my Title Spread in the book. I'm sure the type treatment has been used before, but I'm happy to use it because in my case it actually means something.

Baby Steps.

First Footprint
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

It was good to see all ten toes when Ian was born. It was also cool to see how they printed his first steps. There wasn't just a stamp pad that got pulled out of an old drawer for Ian's baby feet to paint with. Technology has advanced even the most primitive printing methods. Instead, the nurse had what looked like a 5x7 inch plastic frame clasping around the edges of a thin transparent sheet over a layer of ink. She laid the frame onto a page and brought it to his feet. His feet pressed against the transparent layer, identity lines pushing through into the ink and onto the page. Voila! Instant footprint without all the inky mess. Very clever, I must say.

Silly Bilirubin.

Photo Therapy
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

So I mentioned the word 'jaundice' in an earlier post regarding the yellowing of Ian's skin. It was constantly brought up in every check-up by the neonatologist while at the hospital. His numbers had started average and slowly got higher throughout the week. When we visited the pediatrician for the first time yesterday, they grew into a high risk zone.

Jaundice is a common condition in newborns that causes the skin and whites of the eyes to become yellow, due to increased amounts of bilirubin. When bilirubin builds up faster than a newborn's liver can break it down, excrete it into the intestines, and out of the body through stool, a baby becomes jaundiced. If a baby's bilirubin level gets too high, it can cause permanent damage to the nervous system. You can treat jaundice by increasing the frequency of feedings, causing frequent bowel movements, therefore saying bye-bye to the bilirubin. If that doesn't work, say hello to Phototherapy.

Phototherapy uses fluorescent light to help transform bilirubin into a form the body can eliminate quickly. The equipment is a cross between a flatbed scanner and a mini-tanning bed that sits in a bassinet for the baby to lie on. Wearing only a diaper and a cap, he's wrapped in baby-scrubs that velcro shut to keep him in position. Flip the switch and on go the fluorescents. We started this last night, and over 12 hours, his bilirubin levels had already begun to decrease. Today at the pediatrician's office, 4 of the newborns that had come in today showed high levels of bilirubin, so it seems to be fairly common.

Interesting side note, Lyndsey went through this same process when she was a baby. As an adult, she has a bitter taste towards bright lights, especially fluorescents. Ian is taking after his mother more and more each day.

Lastly, how many times did I use the word 'bilirubin' in this post? Go back and count them all, then mulitply that number by a thousand; that's the number of times I've heard that word in my entire life. The first time I heard it was Tuesday.

Home on the Range.

Going Home
Originally uploaded by jtpuck.

After four long days in Piedmont Hospital, we got the go ahead to go ahead and head home. So we got packed and packed up the car to pack up the highway for the journey home. It's time to be real parents. Real parents without nurses and lactation consultants at our bedside, without scheduled knocks on the door to check vitals, without remote controls that can call up a pint of prune juice and a bowl of cream of chicken soup at the push of a buton, and of course without a plastic slinky disguised as a lounger for dads to sleep the long nights on. Home, sweet pillowtop, home.