Movie Change

So now I'm doing my movie about a doll who wants to be a real girl. Total 180 from what I was originally going to do. I hope everyone enjoys it next week. It's a bit scary that I won't be there to defend myself!

It's also too bad I won't see everyone's phase 3s, but I'll just appreciate the phase 4s that much more. I'll be laughing by myself at everything, I'm sure.

Getting Griddy Wit It

What a dumb title for this post. Sorry. I'm tired.

I've been asking around, trying to find new ways of approaching layout and grids. Amy has said it's clear I don't "get" grids. True story. I look at the books and I see the grids but I can't seem to apply them to my designs all that well. Is there something I'm missing? Perhaps I've never made a spiritual connection with grids? Do I need to take a grid out on a date or buy it dinner to get in its pants?

Sorry, got sleepy again for a sec. Anyway if anyone has any totally awesome online resources or just general advice on how to use grids and work with layouts, something other than "This just isn't working," hit me up on here or e-mail me: mandyjulie@gmail.com.

Thanks in advance.

Newman's Own Story

Sometimes you get what you want but it ain't what you expected.

Newman's Own was supposed to be a tiny boutique operation-parchment labels on elegant wine bottles of antique glass. We expected train wrecks along the way and got, instead, one astonishment followed by another astonishment followed by another. We flourished like weeds in the garden of Wishbone, like silver in the vaults of finance. A lot of the time we thought we were in first gear we were really in reverse, but it didn't seem to make any difference. We anticipated sales of $1,200 a year and a loss, despite our gambling winnings, of $6,000. But in these twenty years we have earned over $175 million, which we've given to countless charities.How to account for this massive success? Pure luck? Transcendental meditation? Machiavellian manipulation? Aerodynamics? High colonics? We haven't the slightest idea.

Newmovakya's Own

After hearing the crazy marinara sauce and cereal stories on Newman's Own products Saturday, I couldn't help but go to the Web site to find some more.


Here's the legend for Newman's Own Vodka Sauce. This isn't so insane and is kind of funny.

LEGEND:
Jack Newmovskya was standing on the tip of a Russian steppe imbibing from a bottle of vodka when he slipped on the ice and tumbled all the way down the steppes, landing on top of Velma Kafka who was passing by with a bag of noodles and tomatoes for her dinner, thereby creating a mish-mash of Jack, Velma, vodka and tomatoes.

When they got untangled, Jack and Velma went to her place and cooked the mish-mash into a delicious pasta with vodka sauce, which is now the rage in St. Petersburg, where it is known as Newmovokya's Own (c).

When Exposure Isn't Enough

Clients can sometimes shady and stingy. They sell you the idea of working for free as, "you'll be getting your work seen by lots of people on my Web site!" This blog entry from Copywriter Underground really shows why this theory is useless to freelancers.

Exposure is fine. Exposure is good. Still — despite recent scientific advances — you can’t actually eat exposure.

In the copywriting world, the promise of "exposure" is fast replacing "there’s more work in the future" as the empty negotiating promise of choice.

When a prospect promised me more work in the future, I learned to ask two simple questions: how much work, and what kind of contract were they willing to sign right now?

Read the rest of this blog entry.

iMovie Second Thoughts

I had my storyboard all planned out, but when I started working through it I realized how hard it would be. I think I want to turn back now before I get too far into it. Taking photos of myself is not so easy (I'm a control freak I guess?). Now I know why good directors sometimes make bad movies. At some point, there's just no turning back.

Another Movie Song

No less depressing than the others.


Mr. Brightside by the Killers

Sample lyrics:

I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss
Now I'm falling asleep
And she's taking a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his chest, now
He takes off her dress, now
Letting me go...

And I just can't look, it's killing me
And taking control
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea
Swimming through sick lullabies
Choking on your allibis
But it's just the price I pay
Destiny is calling me
Open up your eager eyes
Cause I'm Mr. Brightside