January 28, 2006
Moving my blog
I'm going to be moving my blog over to a new URL. This will help me to make the site more personal in some sense---and give me a chance to use Wordpress, which I really love. I've posted some recent entries from this blog on the new site, just to get things started.
January 26, 2006
Hauerwas
I have seen this writer's work referenced a lot recently. So in an effort to be an educated individual, I bought a copy of his collection of his life's work. Brushing through subheads, phrases, and the index proves that it will be a fascinating analysis.
The Worst of the Christian Bookseller show
Saw an actual t-shirt being sold that says:
"Don't need a Savior? Uh-huh. Yeah. Whatever."
I feel like I don't want to come back. Ever.
Today in Nashville
Matt Silver and I had a great day here in Nashville. We walked around the floor some at CBA this morning, picking up some catalogs of books and talking to some people at booths. Talked to a guy who appeared by the way he was talking to be a proponent of mega-church franchising/branding, only to find out that he had written his book directly against it. Whew. I was confused for about 10 minutes. Good thing. His explanation of church marketing was a sick caricature of the movement that I could only hope was fake. In the end, he was just explaining it to us. Next, we talked to a guy who thought that he would fleece 1000 churches in America by installing 3D projection systems so that kids can watch "clean" cartoons and adults can experience the Vatican as an immersive "walk through" that "only popes have seen." "Our clients include Disney and Boeing. This is new technology that no one has." Whatever. They were just basic 3D glasses. I said, "How does all this work?"
"How the h--- do I know?," he shrugged. Moments like this make one wish to chuck the whole thing. Except the Christian part.
Then off to a lunch at Baja Burrito with Andy Osenga, Cason, and a friend of theirs named Whit. After we were somewhat (somewhat?!) lost on the way there, Cason had to leave to go over to work on Sandra McCracken's new record for the afternooon. We went over to Andy's home for about an hour and talked about the new Square Peg Alliance and how to develop the brand for their music community. Eye-opening discussion.
Back to CBA to meet with Barbour Publishing and had dinner in Nashville with Chris Hartzler and Jeff Gray from BJU Press---great, great friends.
January 23, 2006
The Velvet Eagle
I'm down in Andy Osenga's studio tonight---we're shooting a promotional video that will probably end up on the web as well on his new solo record. Andy recorded his vocals for Santa Barbara. Cason played some keyboard for Following the Blind. Nathan and I interviewed Osenga for about 45 minutes about the new record, his production process, and the benefits and downsides of a home studio. All in all a lot of fun.
December 26, 2005
Brooklyn
Last Sunday morning I flew up here to New York City to visit Rob and Sarah Elkin, to do some business in Manhattan, and to visit my grandparents in New Jersey for Christmas. Upon arriving at La Guardia at 10:30 on Sunday morning, I waited for Rob to come pick me up. We headed to a sandwich shop for lunch---and met Sarah and two of her friends there. Afterwards we went to Memorial Baptist's youth group Christmas party at the home of a family in the church. In the evening, we went to the Christmas program that kids put on at the church. Monday, Rob and I talked about the church he's planting for a few hours and did some basic brainstorming and discussion about the next steps in the process. We both went to Manhattan and met Sarah for lunch---then I went to a brief meeting with Hyperion Books---to show them some of our Portland Studios work as well as some newer work we're doing with our book cover design group. Dinner was chili made by Sarah---FANTASTIC.
On Tuesday, we stayed in Brooklyn and walked the neighborhood, being the first day of the NYC Transit strike. Wednesday was the day of the cab rides---In the morning, I actually walked south from Greenpoint to the Williamsburg Bridge---over the bridge---and finally rested at a Burger King on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. I took a cab to Penguin Putnam on Hudson St. and then up to a meeting at Random House at 55th and Broadway. The ride home was a nutty group of New Yorkers all packed in a minivan cab. I sat in front of two hardened businessmen---who well remembered the strike of 1980. The girl next to me ran a personal massage business at clubs in Manhattan. The was a quiet and kind family man accountant in the front passenger's seat. I ended up joining up with him to get over the Williamsburg Bridge back into Brooklyn. Somehow I ended up getting out of the cab far too far south and walked a mile or two back to Rob and Sarah's apartment.
Thursday, I took a cab to Wall Street and Broadway---then took the Seastreak at Pier 11 over to Atlantic Highlands, NJ---where I spent a fantastic Christmas weekend with my family.
This morning I caught a NJ Transit train back to Penn Station in Manhattan---then dropped my stuff off in Brooklyn at The Elkin's place---Then headed back out to SoHo. I came here to the Apple Store to get 2 12-inch Powerbooks fixed. Cate's laptop had a problem with the cable plugging in correctly---so that the laptop wasn't charging often. You had to get the plug to go in JUST RIGHT to make sure that it would charge. My laptop had pretty much konked out the day before I left for NY---so that's been pretty frustrating. I finally had it fixed here at the Genius Bar---just some permissions repairs. So I'm christening the "new" laptop with this blog update. The drone of the giddy presenter in front of me has turned to white noise.
December 13, 2005
Best Books on Business
The Creative Business Guide to Running a Graphic Design Business
