One birthday down....

So Saturday was Jude's birthday and whilst our plans weren't ambitious we still managed to fill in the day with gifts, gym, home cooked brunches, Scottish shindigs, massages and dinner in Dexter. I had fun - there's something about being low key that takes the pressure off the organizer. Plus the sun has been beating down with relentless monotony for a long while now... so any outdoor activity is pretty much a dead cert hit.

So with Jude getting ready for Academy and me at work wordsmithing a couple of documents (trying to convey a specific shade of enthusiasm without recourse to the thesaurus) we're pretty flat out at the moment. Then we have visits from Bonnie and Lorraine followed by my parents and the potential for Jude to be both writing papers and heading off around the world for interviews regarding where she'll be working this time next year. We're not going to catch a breath before Xmas - but that's okay. It's all miles in the bank and steps toward certainty.

Dear oh Lord

jesUSAves
Originally uploaded by akm_2_go

What a clever headline on this picture... the text that they'd inserted below it was

"I love Jesus, an amazing person with a very important message. It's too bad so many "Christians" ignore what he preaches.

You know, the stuff about turning the other cheek, loving one another, and camels going through the eyes of needles. "

And who knew that Jesus was American?
And blue eyed?
And kinda blonde?

That's the kind of retouching Cybil Shepherd prays for.
The kind of makeover the Oprah Audience would scarifice a larynx for

Taking a 2000 year old Jewish Arab and somehow turning him into a cross between Farrah Fawcett and the bass player of the Beach Boys circa 1965 seems to me to be just a little close to Blasphemy.

How did the blog get here? Because I'm wearing a "What Would Batman Do?" T-shirt to work today in a bid to cancel out one of the "What would Jesus Do?" bangles that proliferate - strained around the bloated wrists of women who seem to think that Jesus would try to pillage the buffet table, sipping on high fructose corn syrup filled buckets whilst bemoaning the cost of gas and mourning the fact that you have to move in order to find food.

Feisty day today - bring 'em on.

Walking the tightrope

White Eggs On White Background
Originally uploaded by ♥babybee

So today I'm walking the tightrope between brilliantly simple and blatantly simple minded.

You see I'm all for purity of thought. But I am kinda opposed to the idea of nuance being something that should be avoided.

I've written before around the idea that while the French are taught in school to argue both sides of an argument and the British to make the case for one side over the other the Americans are taught that one of the four answers suggested is absolutely correct.

It's a very 'black or white' system that leads to election of people who are absolute in their beliefs ('you're either with us or against us' being a famous Bush version) and who see the world without shades of gray (Axis of Evil, Evildoers etc.) spring to mind. IT also leads to vilification of people who admit that the world is complicated, that their are shades of gray and that perhaps positions should change as circumstances change.

The idea of Antinomy really doesn't fly in American politics... even the word would have you branded an 'intellectual elitist'

And that's kind of what's killing me on a presentation today. I want to be single minded. I want to be straightforward and I want to know that what I'm saying is easily understood and executable... but not at the cost of nuance, depth and richness.

It's tough this 'writing your thoughts for the consumption of others' business, isn't it?

Hmmmmm IceCream

P1070119.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

I'm not sure why I find sticking to a diet as hard as I do. I think that it's an aversion to deprivation coupled with a natural gluttony overlaid with a mechanism that fills in moments between things happening with cookies.

For the last part I blame the UK. It's a place where people used to fill in the awkward social moments with tea. Which then became with Tea and KitKats. After all a KitKat says all that we're too repressed to say.

People arriving the the US are astounded by the size of the muffins, cookies and cakes here but whenever I'm in the London office the thing that astonishes me is the number of times the 'refreshment trolley' comes trundling into view buckling under the weight of something small but moresome. Our office there runs on KitKats, pots of tea and tiny sandwiches filled with minced wotnots scooped from a tin.

I am sticking to the diet though - and feeling good about doing it. Even though taking my rest day from the gym (and filling in the time with Pilates) does have me feeling a little guilty. One to watch I think.

Thinking Time

I'm always amazed by the way the brain works. Last night for instance I made myself a mental (and a physical) note to make a call by 10am this morning. As a result I woke up every 2 hours thinking about the fact that I had a call to make.

Then after looking at a brief for the 134th time today it suddenly became very clear what the underlying thought was. Just a single word actually that summed everything up. And it came while I was thinking about something else.

So maybe overtiredness and distraction really are the best way to work. I used to live on a diet of not enough sleep, too long a commute and constant new ideas. Sure it almost killed me (I wholeheartedly buy into the 'lack of sleep and gum disease' theories of cancer causes) but man was I lateral.

Anyway have to talk cars to a bunch of men over a pig's stomach burrito now... should be interesting

Don't let this happen to you

american
Originally uploaded by the lovely brenda photographer

.... in a bid to save myself from the 'droopy camel toe of beelzebub' I've been keeping a food diary recently. And it showed what I knew to be true... my diet was fantastic up to around the time of the first glass of white wine after which I turned into Betty Bulima without the moderating gag reflex.

Luckily this morning I got the advice that I needed to stop the bingeing, Yup, cut back on the drink. Switch wine out for gin - or at least for red. Up the grain content. Increase the protein and eat as little processed food as possible.

Coupled with the diet this should see me raring to go for the Naked Uganda Project rather than looking for the shadows and begging for over exposure.

Exercise is going well - though the 5.30am starts soon become a drag... thinking of 7am starts this week; see what a difference that makes.

Okay - cats and dog working together to open pet food cupboard and bags contained therein - must dash.

Greenfield Village

Greenfield Village
Originally uploaded by Anita&Greg

So today was spent at Greenfield Village.. .well at least the part of the day where we weren't stuck in terrible traffic was spent there. It's a testimony to the vast wealth accumulated by Henry Ford and to the awareness that he had.

See Henry realized that his Industrial World would wipe out the rural world and so set about buying as much of the past as he could - in order to preserve it. The result is an extraordinary village and a series of "how rich was he?" oddities that defy logic (the chair that Lincoln was shot in, the car that JFK was shot in, the car that Reagan was shot in, a piece of the Kitty Hawk, Edison's last breathe, Henry Ford's place of birth, slace houses, a Cotswold tearoom and a series of engineering marvels)

It's a good excuse to spend time outside in the sun - and as the horses and the model T Fords whiz by it's easy to forget that you're yards away from the factory that today churns out Trucks by the 100,000.

Worth a visit

Freedom

wham:a different corner
Originally uploaded by visualpanic

There's something about summer that really opens you up to a sense of possibilities.

Right now we're facing down the barrel of uncertainty. Jude doesn't know where her career might take her, I don't know where mine will allow me to go but we're kind of certain that when you offer things up to the universe they have a way of settling that just works.

Were all of this "where are we heading next?' stuff going on during the winter I'm sure that we'd be feeling a little weighed down by it, a little daunted, a little tired of the thought of another book cull, another moving company rip-off, another new town to negotiate.

But it's summer. And that means that what this is now all about is possibility. We're thinking about which places have the longest summers, the closest proximity to beaches, which have the most fabulous houses, the most amazing people, the most opportunity for growth. And it's actually all pretty spirit raising.

Who knows. We may stay in the US, we may head back toward familiar Asia, we may move to strange new Asia but the great thing is that with the decision will come some certainty. It will have been six years of living out of a metaphorical suitcase. First "here until the PhD." is over. Then "here for the length of a post-doc" contract. But with the next move comes - "here for as long as we want to be" - which temporally may be no different, but emotionally makes all the difference in the world

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh

mantis @ cedar point
Originally uploaded by haap

Just got a call to ask whether I wanted to head out to Cedar Point and ride some of the biggest rollercoasters in the world. To which I said "Hell yeah"....

It's a two hour drive but it should be worth it - the thing looks completely insane. 17 Roller coasters is just the start. And they have names like Mantis, Raptor and Mean Streak. Yessss!

I've not been this excited since Britney first checked outta rehab

What were they thinking?

1982 Ford Promo - California Highway Patrol Special Service Mustang Ad
Originally uploaded by ssp.vortech

One of the best ways to start looking at the cultural narrative on a brand is to go back through all of its communication and look at the threads that lay there.

I did just that on Mustang this morning. Of course Mustang is odd in that its story runs much deeper than anything it's ever said... it's as much an icon of America as it is an American icon and that's as much down to Bullit, to racing, to father and son driveway moments and things like Farrah and Charlie's Angels as it is the advertising. And it's just as well. Because the ads spent decades talking about room for dogs, shagpile carpet and the fact that the dashboard is badded and the seats were vinyl.

But there were some threads in there. Basically Mustang ran the Smirnoff strategy for a long, long time, Mustang is transformational - it allows you to cast off your dowdy accountant self and embrace your uninhibited, sexy self.

Smirnoff does it by making you so drunk that you don't care (the world looks different through the bottom of a bottle) Mustang did it by making you feel so cool you took on a new persona.

The other story in there was that this release was the attainment of the dream. Mustang was about escape for a very long time. Whic h makes sense when you think that the original buyers were in a buttoned up world where self expression was frowned upon.

There was a lot about heritage too. About how each generation was related to the previous generation (and how it had improved). This communication split into two real camps. There was 'approval from a father figure' in which a new Mustang pulls up alongside an old Mustang and the older driver passes positive comment. And there was trans-generational transfer in which a father passes on the feeling of a Mustang to his son. I found the latter more powerful.

Best of all though was the MadMen style sexism of the times.

"Should a single gal buy a 1968 Mustang? Sure - it's a sports car she can afford even on her secretary's salary"

Or the woman who begins her test-drive with the words

"I really should be in the kitchen"

Hilarious but all a part of the legend. Mustang it seems has always been an invitation to show your sexier side --- what that means in a world full of college jazz mags, explicit blogs, high street sex shops, hardcore downloads and teen hypersexuality is the big challenge.

But it's great to be thinking about something that has real cultural currency than trying to work out something new to say about a new watermelon flavored yellow fat.

Weird but true

oh no
Originally uploaded by [douglasdickel]

So yesterday at around 4pm I head down for a coffee and hear the sounds of a band who seem somehow familiar... walk around the corner to the meeting room best known as Boffo and who should be playing?.... Supergrass

Yup - the monkey resembling pop combo from the late 90s were all set up and rocking a select crowd of Detroit office drones on a Monday afternoon.

And that's why I love this business.

Much happening

Cow Parede IV - The Cow and the Poet
Originally uploaded by whereohwhere

So the posts recently have been thinner than a Bullemic's tooth enamel (my fave phrase at the moment) - partly because I've been stupidly busy. Partly because I've been knackered from being so stupidly busy. Which isn't a bad thing.

The gym continues - and the weight keeps rising; which has to be a good thing.

The mosquitos keep biting and the lumps keep getting bigger and uglier (which can't be a good thing, can it?)

The dog keeps getting walked longer and seems to be coping (yesterday's doggy companion got stung by a bee, bitten by bugs, developed diahorrea and seemed quite burned, Velcro just smelled a little worse)

People are still filling our days and spare rooms - we have Zenu for another week, then Bonnie and Lorraine and then my parents.

Work continues to focus on the launch of new cars, the putting together of a plan for new product for a toy company and the task of persuading more people to eat more cheese (or similar numbers of people to eat a lot more cheese)

So nothing major but the minute hands are moving fast at the moment.

Today's mission

Annecy, France
Originally uploaded by Jules75005

I have today off... which in 90f (32c) is a good thing.

Gonna spend the day on a photo safari.

Start with the art fair as it opens

Move on to the weird and wonderful things around us (like the anti-gravity hill)

Before finding myself a beach spot somewhere near a lake where I can sweat off some poundage.

Then tonight - if we can get tickets - Batman!

Good day, Good day

A good drive - a good day

Williams County Courthouse (2)
Originally uploaded by Jim Frazier

So today as the sun beat down and the temperature climbed into the mid 30s I headed for America's 30th best small town, Bryan, OH to talk to the very lovely people at Ohio Art. And they really are very lovely people.

Ohio Art are the people that brought the world Etch-A-Sketch and while the manufacture of the toy may have moved overseas they're doing all that they can to keep the brand, the company and the people who rely on it healthy.

Right now I have everything crossable crossed (I've tied knots in the rest) that we're going to be able to figure out a way to work with them. Partly because I love the toy. Partly because I'd really love to work with the people there. And partly because I love the idea of helping come up with the next generation of Etch A Sketch toys and games.

Plus the drive home - through cornfields on roads that narrow enough to make overtaking a rush - is enough to make you want to holler.

A 'merican Hybrid

2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid
Originally uploaded by jalopnik

This is the2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid AWD.

It does 20mpg in the city (that's 24 mpg to the UK gallon)
And a whopping 20mpg (24mpg UK) on the highway

Choose the 2WD and you can get 21mpg highway (25.2mpg UK)

I couldn't tell you what it's CO2 emissions are... mainly because nobody lists them here. Hybrid here is about MPG and nothing else. Mainly because the only disincentive to pollute is the price of fuel.

In the first three months of this year GM, the maker of the Yukon and the world's biggest car manufacturer (Toyota just overtook them) sold less than 850 hybrids in the US in total.

I guess you can see why.

Body Dysmorphic?

Healthorexic?
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

I was watching a show on TV last night that dealt with Body Dysmophia and it started me wondering - what if you got past the fact that you didn't look the way that you thought you did in the mirror; but then realized that you were still hideous?

A childish thought I know - but while the show concentrated on beautiful people who could only see ugliness in their own reflection I couldn't help but feel for the dysmophic mingers out there - the ones who occasionally had their own self image re-inforced by the reactions of others.

Maybe dysmophia is my issue after all???

What a morning

Suspicious Minds
Originally uploaded by federico.bebber

So having gone to bed so early last night that I missed Ms USA falling during the 'walk and talk and chew' test on Miss Universe I then slept way too long - getting up for the gym an hour or so late and having to fly down there in the car (the rest of the week will see most of the roads closed as a million people flood in for the Art Festival so flying anywhere won't be possible)

At the gym a bunch of guys from the car industry were exhibiting admirable gallows humor against a background that might see this being the bloodiest of days. All of the big 3 US makers are looking to cut staff and many of those staff will find out this morning. Two of the guys even insisted on paying their membership fees today - so that the money was spent and they wouldn't have to cancel. It's that kind of a day. Still it was done with grim humor and good grace.

Work for me at the moment is still busy. Cars, toys, cheese, the future of transport and a host of other bits and pieces all seem to be occupying bits of my mind - and random pieces of solved puzzle keep emerging at unusual moments. Making me appear more 'rain man' than ever.

Phew... fun though

Another one bites down hard

Merry
Originally uploaded by tonywoodphoto

One of the things with having been through cancer treatment and emerged flabbier but still intact is that you become a bit of a touchstone for other people. People that you don't really know. Friends of friends call a lot and say thing like "My neighbor's daughter has leukemia; would you talk to them?"

You know that they're looking for empathy, advice and most of all hope. You're the embodiment that all might be well after all. Like the 98 year old marathon running grandpa who smoked 60 a day.

I try to listen. And what I usually hear is simplicity. I want to live. I want to have more time with the people that I love. I want to enjoy more.

Of course it takes 6 weeks to turn back into the asshole you always were once cured but that doesn't matter.

I've watched people go through this. I've talked to them as they've had organ after organ hacked away - their bodies like Russia being burned ahead of the enemy. And while I want to be free of it I'm glad that I can help. I've said before that I'm not much of a candle carrier... but the responsibility for hope I can bear.

All of that said am allergy cough and swollen gland has me looking up chemo phone numbers today. The fear it seems takes a greater hold than a cancer ever could

I love my job

"I, Piórko, like Cheese!"
Originally uploaded by pyza*

Yesterday I was looking at the future of mobility (it's personalized mass transit btw) and at the way that 'Engines' are becoming 'Energy transfer systems'.

The next Prius for example will be a Tribrid - adding solar panels to run things like the a/c.Then there's an engine in a car that can create enough energy in its batteries during the day to power the lights in your house at night - a car you plug into.

So I was there sketching out a future where pods take you from mode of mass transport to connection point and train schedules are managed by the Blackberry in your pocket - so that you get delivered to the train about to leave. And it was all very Tom Cruise in a Spielberg movie and it was all very cool.

Then today I'm looking at cheese consumption. At why Americans are aftraid of real cheese and in love with creme cheese. And at snacking and the way that American sport is an excuse to eat uninterrupted for a couple of hours - from tailgate to hotdogs to drive-thru on the way home.

And the people are smart. And the data is good. And there's resource. And opinion. And suddenly I'm engaged. And smarter. And more engaging. And I love it. All over again.

Crazy Busy today

rock_around_o'clock
Originally uploaded by TanjaN1

I'm crazy busy today... so this is going to have to be shorter than Mariah Carey in flats. Even though see only ever takes her heels off to go to bed. If it's a water bed. Sometimes.

What am I up to?

Just been to a 7.30am meeting to talk Trucks
Then have to put together a proposal for building a toy shop.
After which I have a 'propulsion' strategy meeting
Then brief some people from digital on a new car
Before signing off on a brief for another car brief
A call in the afternoon on quant' researh
Then a 7pm meeting with the guy from 7.30am

Rush down to Ann Arbor, switch cars, get Jude's new plates, dinner with a friend, time with the dog.... and dog food, I need dogfood.

Damn

Upside down

Coming to a station near you...
Originally uploaded by Why Not Studios

So with all the talk about how Gas Prices are turning America into a nation of truck hating agrophics forced to stay home eating economy tins of catfood (man that $4 gas... it's costing me an extra $15 a week over last year... best cancel the vacation) I thought that I'd take a look at what's happening with car sales.

Well of course they're down. But that has less to do with the cost of gas (people are still driving, they haven't abandoned cars - just the buying of new ones) and more to do with uncertainty in the economy. If it really is about to tank and with it take your job you don't buy a new car.

And if building stops then the construction industry starts to cut back and you see a slump in truck sales. So far so obvious. And looking at the top 20 sales chart born out by the data. Silverado down 25.6%, F series down 22.7%, Dodge Ram down 30.4%

So who else is losing? Well people are still trading in their minivans for something a little cooler... so the Dodge Caravan is down 26.8%. Probably not a fuel economy story per se, more a 'more modern ways to tote around the kids' story.

More interestingly are the small losses for Toyota Corolla and Camry and the big gains for Honda Civic and Accord. It seems that when faced with the stark option of a new, more efficient car people would rather go for the one with a hint of style and flair over the 'durable appliance' offering from Toyota. Honda have a lot right at the moment... though I'm no fan of the Accord which seems over big, over veloured and over rated.

Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt also up. Cars in the smallest segment most people consider. The Focus is a 2.0L sedan or coupe here and that's about as small as the majority are willing to go. There's no room for Fit, Yaris or any 'B' cars in the top 20 yet.

This is dull for non-car people I know but the only companies that saw CAR sales increase in June 08 over June 07 were

Honda
Hyundai
Mazda
Kia
Mercedes
Audi
Mini
Maserati
Rolls Royce

Which leads me to believe that people are in the market for

- Luxury
- Fun
- Bargain Basement offers

If only British Leyland still existed... an Allegro Vanden Plas with lots of chrome, a mini chassis and kia price tag would go down a storm

Mellow

Pebble Blocks
Originally uploaded by pshutterbug

Didn't get much sleep last night. With Jude away the time that I go to bed tends to drift - especially since Facebook added chat and friends in different time zones start to wander in and out. Didn't used to be a problem - but with the gym now a 6am fixture my nocturnal catching ups are robbing me of sleep.

Luckily the endorphins are fighting the 'lack of rest - tins' and I'm left feeling very mellow indeed. Despite the fact that the world is closing in around me, I seem to have hit a bit of a groove. Things are falling into place, I'm chugging along and Cruise Control is engaged.

Guess that a crash is inevitable... I'll try to stay awake at the wheel

Freedom

P1060922.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

So last night with the sun shining and the town full of families in search of icecream I decided to head down to the final night of the Ann Arbor SummerFestival.

It was packed with people - and what was most apparent to me was the lack of self consciousness amongst them.

By the gate groups of teenage girls hung out, cell phones in hand, braces gleaming in the late afternoon sun, Hollister shorts just too short and tops revealing just too much muffin action. They threw their heads back and laughed with ease, while scanning the horizon for the football players with whom they had innocently fumbled.

Inside bikers mingled with professors (they had beards in common I guess) as dads hoisted screaming toddlers onto their shoulders and moms danced hand in hand with kids alive to the energy of the evening.

The first music and everyone was up. On their feet. Grandma was twirling, grandson was bouncing, too many people seemed to be on the verge of seizure but nobody - and I mean nobody was mortified.

Other than me. British-New Yorker that I feel I am. Who stood rooted, horrified and awed by the sheer mid-westerness of it all. The perfect town enjoying the perfect evening. Pretty cool

What a furor

Caught in the Act- Web Ready
Originally uploaded by portlandcenterstage

So our local theatre (theatre, thee-ade-orr) is currently running "The Little Dog Laughed" a not bad at all play about a young actor who might just make it big if only his agent can hide his 'slight case of recurring homosexuality'.

The image here was taken for the Portland version, but as it has now finished its run I'm not post the details here - just check out www.pcs.org should you be in the area - I'm sure they have some good stuff.

Now the issues with this play are twofold. When it showed in Chicago the director cut the nudity --- and the playwright was pissed.

Here the nudity stands (is that a mixed metaphor?) but the poster - showing two shirtless men holding in what appear to be the start of middle aged guts - has caused some local stores to refuse to display the ad in their window.

This is odd.

Ann Arbor, A2, is supposed to be a liberal town. It's supposed to be an opium scented oasis of liberal sensibility in a state full of 'hand me my gun Cleavis' redneckery.

The local rags are trying to make a story out of it. But I think that it's a matter of good taste rather than wounded morality. Those boys shouldn't be topless anywhere where they can be viewed. Honestly - are their no ripped regional actors?

The next president

P1060652.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

So since the beginning of June support for John McCain has been dwindling and most polls now show Obama with a lead of between 4 and 5 points. Expect the alerst to head for Orange, the churches to post more "Obama - Osama... think about it" signs and for the world "Hussein" to be brought to the fore asap.

Meanwhile expect "supporters of Obama" to question McCain's heroism. Like Wesley Clark - who rightly pointed out that being held prisoner of war no more qualifies you for being president than say 'falling down a well' - both are unfortunate and both tend to get survivors labeled 'hero' - but neither requires heroism.

Gore Vidal in a fit of spite has of course said that he'll be "Very sorry" on "the day that they shoot Obama" and that McCain's prisoner of war status "should be more in line for court martial than President" (I paraphrase badly)

On the "Issues that matter" it seems that Obama is seen as weak on "Terrorism" and "illegal immigration" - at least as far as voters see it. He's strong on healthcare and critically on The Economy and Energy / Gas Prices.

So expect McCain to run a "Giving free healthcare to illegal immigrants" ad soon.

Weirdly with McCain for staying in Iraq "For 100 years" and Obama on the "Never in 100 years should we have invaded" side the two are dead level on the issue.

More Weirdly democrat Obama shades McCAin 44% : 35% on The Economy. Perhaps reason for McCain to bring in a figure as hated as Mitt Romney to show that he has some 'big business' onside.

McCain's only real advantage (19pts) is on Terrorism. So he needs it to be an issue. And right now it's running fifth.

The issues that count

1. Energy / Gas Prices
2. The Economy
3. Iraq
4. Healthcare
5. Terrorism

If McCain can tie Terrorism to high gas prices he might be on to something.

We shall see

July 4th

P1060593.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

Last July 4th I was getting ready to join Jude in NAmibia
The July 4th before I was recovering from chemo in Anguilla

This July 4th I'm running Jude to the airport so that she can get to Amsterdam in time for a conference.

All very 'jet set' I guess. Well from the outside. I'm always interested in how people's lives look from the outside. Yesterday we were at a BBQ and the people there had a great house, great kids, a really great hot tub and conversation to spare. And I wondered "Is this what perfection looks like?"

Which is an odd question. I guess.

Jude would say that perfection is close to her new Danish Architect inspired glasses. They are tres cool and a reminder that I need something new too.

Anyway Two questions for you - whose life do you look at and think "Sorted"? And why?

More real life feeling

P1060496.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

The bolg has been very heavy on very messy theory lately. A sign that I'm actually engaged with work - but also a sign that I might be living too much in my own head at the moment. I do that. Get excited by a theory and work it and work it until it makes perfect sense in my head - only to get too tired of thinking about it to ever write it down.

But there are things going on outside of my head too. The biggest change has been the gym. I'm 3 weeks in and have gained about 5 lbs while losing inches from my waist. I'm finally starting to see the difference while trying to avoid the "I can get into it therefore it must fit" trap so common amongst the recently thinner but not yet thin.

The gym means my getting up earlier - I try to get there by 6am. It also means my being sociable at that early hour as this isn't the kind of place that you can get buy on the occasional grunt and stench of sweat. 6am starts mean 11pm bedtimes - again weird for me. But I'm sleeping well.

Summer (though it's been a stormy and miserable June) also means getting out and about more. The dog is loving the trails that we're finding. I'm looking forward to kayaking (thinderstorms have curtailled our efforts twice now) and then there are the open air events every evening in front of glorious buildings.

We're starting to carve out a small group of friends too - though the problem with a university town is that everybody is transient; so you're constantly in mourning for lost company while never being short of new stories.

Weekends see people coming out in vintage cars and parking outside of the town's numerous Ice Cream Parlours and Chocolate Shoppes. The vintage car thing is a big deal here and after a short ride in a 1952 Chevy truck (to a small town where we bought icecream) I can see the attraction.

Michigan is also full of small dirt roads. Turn off any highway and you can head back 50 years (100 if you do it up north) - with the dust rising, the barns full, the horses grazing and kids playing in the dirt or with old tires. It's a weird and calming sensation. And one that I'm trying to take in through all of my senses rather than just the lens of a camera.

We have people arriving soon too - keen to see what's keeping us from small town mania and the thought of taking them out and showing them the stuff around us is really appealing. There's nothing like permission to be a tourist.

So that's where I am. Fitter, happier, finding a niche at work (at last) and relaxing into a pace that's calmer and a place that's full of bright people. Not bad, not bad at all.

So Wall-E

Wall-E Poster
Originally uploaded by AsceticMonk

I read one review that described this as "Gloom-E" - the man was an idiot. Wall-E is the best movie of the year so far. Not the best animated movie. The best movie. It's full of inventive physical humor, it has a message, a love story, some deft touches, amazing animation and real heart. What more can you want? Best of all are the end credits - done as Cave Drawings - that show the invention and attention to detail run through all that Pixar do.

It really is amazing what confidence (and sound financials) can do for a company. A movie for kids in which nobody speaks for 30 minutes? A sidekick that doesn't sing, dance or crack jokes in a hyperbolic whine? A sidekick who's a cockroach actually. A dystopian view of earth's (and humanity's) future? And still it gets made. Undiluted. And still it goes to no.1 (though with at 'cars' rather than 'finding nemo' levels)

Wall-E is great because Wall-E is art.

And you can't say that about many movies.

Anyway must run and catch up on a few things - as I'm leaving for Meow Meow (cabaret singer and performance artist) tonight

Avatar central

Snow white
Originally uploaded by Suzanna

I found out yesterday that I have a couple of dozen identities. And that that's pretty normal. The internet it seems sees you dividing your time between "Real Self" on things like blogs and "Fragmented Self" - where you show only a fraction of your personality and build an identity around it.

For example readers here know about my health, my job, where I live, what I did yesterday and so on.

Readers of epinions where I'm known as "wholly_cow" know me as a snarky, sarcastic, premium brand lover with a taste for high design. That's very different to the people over at Rotten Tomatoes who know me as an enthusiastic lover of all things mainstream - and the people at flickr who have me down as a photographer of the scantily clad (by and large)

I'm working on a model that has four axis.

"More vs Fewer people"
"More vs Fewer ways to connect"
"Whole me vs Fragmented Me"
"Emotionally light vs Emotionally Deep"

And then on what to offer in each quadrent (octant?)

Contact, fame, fortune, real life contact, the chance to play with identity, open source development, amalgamation and connection and finally syndication.

Sounds complex here - it's not. I'll draw it and then post it.

And tomorrow I'll talk about Wall.E or something

Social networking

this is social networking?
Originally uploaded by skampy

I'm giving a quick 15 mins on Social Networking and the power of 'Word of Mouth' tomorrow and at this precise moment I have nothing to say. Or rather I'm not sure what I want to say.

The problem I have with web 2.0 is that it offers fame but not fortune. I'm expected to work my ass off just for recognition - what the very smart Irene Hofman labelled "your 15MB of fame"

What I WANT is fame and fortune... a share in the spoils, reward beyond recognition. And nobody is doing that yet.

I've talked about this before - but I'm amazed that social networks haven't become monetized yet. They're being seen as media space - places that draw people to be sold to... rather than as incubators of ideas ---> places where something can grow wings and take to the air.

Maybe that's what I'll talk about... collective creativity, the hive mind and the need for fortune.

Cool --- that was easy

Jude got her new car

P1060564.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

and is zinging off all over the place...

,,, happy days

Les Cars

Gay in Kuwait Again
Originally uploaded by miskan

Subaru is a lesbian car company. Well actually it's not - but it makes cars that lesbians love, advertises them to lesbians and courts the lesbian community. Not many playstation WRX fans seem to know this. Which always makes me smile. But it also started me thinking... I wonder what the most lesbian cars in the world are.

And here - thanks to the miracle of about.com - is the answer

Top 10 Top Lesbian Cars

1. Subaru Forester

I was going to pick the Subaru Outback for my top car. That is until I test drove the Subaru Forester. I was so impressed, I drove it all the way home! The Subaru Forester is great for lesbians with kids or dogs. It's as roomy as a SUV, but drives like a car. With 4WD, anti-lock brakes and side air bags, it's one of the safest cars on the market. It handles well on road and off. This is the perfect car for outdoorsy types. Take it camping or snow boarding with no worries!

2. Volkswagen Beetle Convertible
Cute as a bug. You'll be sure to turn the girlie's heads as you cruise by in the new Volkswagen Beetle convertible with the top down rocking out to Gwen Stefani. This is the perfect car if you're a California gal or just California dreamin'.

3. Honda Civic
Aaron, the About Car Guide says, "The new Honda Civic is totally practical and a big hit with women." It handles nicely and comes equiped with all the greatest safety equipment. There's a reason this is one of the most popular cars on the market. It's reliable, has great resale value and comes in a hybrid or gas powered version.

4. Toyota Prius
If you're a tree hugger like me, (And most lesbians are, aren't they?) then you want a car that not only gets you where you're going, but does it in a way that's easy on the environment. The new Toyota Prius is a great car, that just happens to be a hybrid.

5. Mercedes Benz R Class
This is the fantastic car that Dana won on season 3 of The L Word. When Dana won this car, did sales of Mercedes Benz R Class series cars go up? A loyal advertiser in gay and lesbian media, you'll be putting your money where your values are if you buy this car. That is if you can afford the price tag.

6. Mini Cooper
L Word fans, Dana won a Mercedes Benz, but isn't Alice adorable in that Mini Cooper? How much fun would you have zipping around town in this cutey? About car reviewer Colin Hefferon has this to say about the new Mini Cooper, "Reviewers and buyers alike agree the 2500 lb MINI is a hoot to drive." If you want to smile every day on your commute to work, a Mini Cooper may be just what you need.

7. Ford F-150 Pickup Truck
Lesbian love trucks. And it's not just to save money on U-haul. The Ford F-150 pickup is perfect for those frequent trips to Home Depot or weekend soccer tournaments. Despite their little slip this year, Ford has consistently supported the gay and lesbian community and its GLBT employees. It was one of the few companies to earn 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equity Index. This is a truck you can buy with pride.

8. Dodge Magnum
For the butch with a family, or one who just isn't a truck person, Dodge has come out with a great muscle car for the lesbian body builder. What you give up in fuel economy, you make up for in power. The Dodge Magnum RT delivers 340 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque from its 5.7 Liter Hemi V8 engine. If you know what that means, then this is the car for you.

9. Honda Element
Whatever your sport, the Honda Element is the car for the jock on the go. Throw your surfboards in back and head to the beach in this roomy SUV alternative. My friend with a Great Dane loves his Honda Element, because not only does his 160 lb dog fit in the back, with it's rubber mat interior, he just has to hose the back down at the end of a muddy romp. Plus, with it's unique styling, you're sure to attract attention as you cruise down the street.

10. Jeep Wrangler
If you spend time on the road and off, you can't do better than the Jeep Wrangler. Jeep started the whole SUV craze and continues to deliver a great car for both rugged forest roads and quiet city streets. Built as a utility vechile, it's not the most comfortable ride in town, but pull up to the lesbian bar with the top down and the girls will know right away you're a good-time gal.


Les-tastic!

Yes, but will he live?

Picture Perfect
Originally uploaded by Jessica Ma

On Monday I'll have been clear of cancer and cancer treatment for two years. That's rather a big deal - as two years was the threshold that they gave me to be confident that I'm not in imminent danger or relapse and near certain death (the treatment for relapse ain't all that successful)

I'd actually forgotten about this 'milestone' until the other day when I was talking to my wife about the possibility of changing countries (again)

"Most places will ask that I'm 2 years clear before letting me in"

"You are two years clear"

"Two years clear of any treatment"

"That's next week then"

Bonkers.

The "Two Year Mark" has cast a shadow over a lot of what I've done since cancer. Scans every 3 months raise four question marks a year over my longevity. Asking that I question what feels like good health.

I found myself putting life off a little too. The weight went up. I cruised in my job. I was happy to stay at home and enjoy the comforts of family and TV rather than head out and make a dent in the world.

But that's changed recently. A new job. A new town. A new outlook on what's important. I'm out working for the body I want - rather than at home wishing for it (today is a rest day - I work out 5 days a week - and I'm just itching to go in). I have the greencard application in.

I'm getting past the little things that, like tumors, have been festering. Stupid things that I know the answer to - like "Why didn't I get a call or even an e-mail from my brother during the whole cancer thing?" or the even more base "Why me?"

So yeah - two years on Monday. I may just live to fight another day. The big thing now is that I LIVE.

Snow Shoes

Those of you who know me well will know that there's nothing I like more than a bit of in depth research. Especially when it comes to cars. I can spend hours locked in data. And then more hours making more data out of that data. And more hours still coming up with weighting ratios that would add a layer of personal requirement to the numbers on the page. So when Jude said she was thinking about a car - to help her get to physio appointments, airports and off to the vet with the dog on occasion I was elated. She had a few criteria though.

The car needed to be a hatchback. Easier to get the dog into and out of. Convenient for the kind of weirdly shaped objects that we sometimes tote and just more European. That immediately ruled out any Ford but an SUV, the letters SUV ruled out that option anyway.

So the list was narrowed. Maybe a VW Rabbit (think 2.5L Golf with all of the extras for about 8k British money), Or an Audi A3 (though it looks like a hearse here). A Mazda 3 is in the Ford family and has the zoom-zoominess that Jude loves in a car. And of course there's the Volvo C30 - again a Ford product and eligible for a discount.

Then she kicked into the Mix - "I'd like it to be AWD. We have terrible winters here. You live 35 miles from the office. You drive in during ridiculous snow storms. In a rear wheel drive sportscar. I'd like to think that you had the option of AWD"

That changed things. Toyota make a Matrix Wagon that's AWD and just updated. But driving a Toyota is like driving an appliance. There's no fun there. The new Subaru Imprezza has a 2.5 litre engine, AWD and a neat (if bland) hatchback shape. But it drives like a brick and the interior seems to be made of melted lego. Which leaves the oddly named Suzuki SX4 Crossover. Small, fun to drive, AWD, 148bhp, a key that works from your pocket and great reviews all around. Full of big boy toys and with 64 cubic feet of storage it's not at all bad. So we're off to drive one. Feeling guilty about an import - but hey the numbers don't lie... (except I'm hoping for the fuel numbers - because they suck)

We'll see what happens - meanwhile I have some number crunching to do

I've got this thing

My Apartment, Living Room
Originally uploaded by yusheng

I've got this thing at the moment for Ultra Lounges. Those swish, minimalist yet comfortable bars where the drinks cost a fortune, the music is chilled, the air carries the scent of expensive but discrete flowers and you feel slimmer and sexier.

Vegas is full of them - though they tend to be filled with silicone breasted blondes giddy on champagne bubble and resolute in their search of a loft for the night.

But they're cool. I loved them years ago in Thailand. I loved them when we were in Oz too (though they're more a Melbourne thing) and I've been bemoaning the lack of them in A2 since we got here.

Am I a design snob? Do I now need the soft disguise afforded by gauze glow of cassis candles? Or am I just another sad slob falling for the marketing and willing to pay a premium to be wrapped in perfection and beauty?

From USP to KBB

OMO, Blue Washing Powder adds brightness to Whiteness!
Originally uploaded by Lady Wulfrun (Taking a break)

I'm revisiting something that I worked on years ago that looks at the move from concentrating on what makes a product superior to looking at what makes a brand feel compatible.

Products have been improving since the 1950s. Washing White, shining brighter. But there comes a point at which the improvement needs to be radical and revolutionary rather than incremental in order to have any impact.

As a result of this brands are looking not at improving their product but at improving their bonding. Brands aren't about what the product physically does anymore - they're about the products as evidence of a higher belief.

So where as OMO used to 'add brightness to whiteness' is now believes that 'Dirt is good' and that it's an aid to child development. Same product, different angle. And it's working for them.

Nothing revolutionary here - but the thought that it's the brands that start from a belief and make products to help them achieve goals (social goals) that will rule the world is one that's still new enough to some companies to bear repeating. So I'm gonna repeat it.

And the Dutch crash and burn

365days070
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

We went to a local "Irish" bar yesterday in order to watch the Netherlands - Russia game.

I'm not sure where they make the "Oirish" people who seem to always be on hand to staff these themed bars - yet the people there had the accents, the freckles and the oh so friendly attitude that we all believe Irish people to have.

Anyway the place was packed with Holland supporters in Orange and a handful of face painted Russian people who made a lot of noise, drank a lot o beer and clapped with a certainty that bordered on the scary.

As the game came to a close and the Dutch saw that they were going to lose the cameras cut to a young girl in tears. It was interesting as I suddenly realized that the Americans don't have any major sports that they play internationally. American Football, Basketball, Baseball - all played at the national level. Sure they have World Series --- but they're not Intetrnational in any meaninbgful way.

So American kids don't learn that their country can lose when it comes to anything that they're passionate about. Could that be the reason for the whiny Tiffany and Dwaynes hanging at the mall with clouds of entitlement hanging over them like poison gas?

Really Gone

It's the Mermaid Parade today. I LOVE the Mermaid Parade. Lots of freshly painted, uninhibited, joyful flesh twirling its way through the OTT streets of Coney Island. A photo op' at every turn and an atmosphere of pure joy. When we were in NYC I wouldn't miss it for the world and last year we had such fun we decided to take part ourselves - using my friend Kaiser's 60s Cadillac as the base of our float.

Fast forward a year and I'm canoing along the Huron. Kaiser is in Europe learning to make hats ahead of a move to Brazil. Our friends A&C are recovering from a trip up Everest with travel to somewhere else, J.Lum is in the throes of a job change and only our friend Mike is in a position to actually attend should he want to.

If I;d not been a moron I'd have been there right now. But I forgot. I'm terrible with dates - having learned to follow the reminders set by my B'Berry to the exclusion of everything else. But it's just another sign that things have changed. A 'must see' becomes a 'wish I had' becomes a memory of a different life in a different place.

Right gym, pilates, canoing, swimming, Netherlands in the soccer now I think

Jude got famous

365day064
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

I was looking through some images on Flickr this morning and I noticed a real spike in the number of people visiting this picture.

A little detective work showed that they were all coming from the same place.


This place


Weirdly (and without permission) Fox seem to have decided to use Jude as the poster girl for Vanity Sizing... weird

Cool though

Juiced

Originally uploaded by xdorjex

So last night we went to see "Bigger Faster Stronger*" at the Michigan theatre. A documentary in the early Michael Moore (it's very personal and involves mom, dad and three brothers) style it was really entertaining and threw up several questions that I thought could support a story on their own

- What happens when kids who have been promised that they are special grow up and start living lives that aren't?

- Why are drugs in sport cheating - but drugs in orchestral music (beta blockers), drugs to help kids concentrate at school and surgery to keep people looking good aren't?

- What does 'being the fat kid on the school bus' do to a child in later years?

- How did Arnie go from juiced teenager to Governator when others have been brought down by Pot?

Enjoyed the whole thing - but would really like to see a documentary on people who are dissatisfied with their lives purely because they were told to expect the extraordinary.

Minimalism and creativity

Lloyds - Boardroom 17
Originally uploaded by Interior Design Architecture Engineering | M Moser

My friends Kirstie and Will are writing a book on creative spaces... which I think is genius.

Mainly because there only seem to be two schools of thought on what makes a creative space at the moment.

It's either crazy, paint it orange and fill the room with crayons. Or it's paint it white, hide everything and create a canvas.

Neither of which are bad solutions to the 'how do we signal creativity?' but they're not the only way to do it. And I think that Kirstie and Will are going to make a huge impact and a ton of money on the idea.

I hope so anyway

Summer continues

Tents at Night
Originally uploaded by barzfam

So the summer continues... last night we walked down to watch some Brooklyn gymnasts cavorting in a paddling pool for the entertainment of a soon to be drenched audience.

Most amazing though was the way that the kids danced to what seemed to me to be pretty undancable music on the main stage. They were open and innocent and free. Just the way that they tell you kids are. And they stood in contrast to the Burrito laden, leaden bodies of their parents. I swear that if I had a kid I'd try to keep in good enough shape to keep up with their energy, their curiosity and their enthusiasm.

We saw a lot of 'tired parenting' in Cyprus - where the kids were wild with interest and the parents (usually dad) whined to call it a day and try again tomorrow, maybe. It was shocking and not just a little shameful.

Of course this mania of mine for physical fitness is being fed by my mania for the gym. I'm up to four times a week on weights, an extra night on cardio and two days of pilates. And while I'm starting to see a difference in the way that I look and feel I'm still reeling at the fact that the weight continues to get higher and higher.

Guess it's time to stop measuring health in pounds lost and instead look at inches lost, muscle gained and general strength.

Does Fabulously Fit sound too gay for a blog?

Tony Awards

DSC_0232
Originally uploaded by alycia715

It was the Tony Awards last night. A night where musical theatre gets to flaunt its peacock plumage on national television. An award ceremony where they wheel out Liza, rap their acceptance speeches (ok Lin-Manuel Miranda didn't rap, but he got as close as you're going to see on a Tony stage) and generally get to flaunt their 'same sex significant others' to the horror of gun owin' 'Mericans across the square states.

Camp as Christmas at Dollywood it was quite the show - but you have to ask... just who goes to Broadway these days. Sure the tourists whose pounds and Euros make $120 ticket prices seem reasonable; and young girls looking for a fix of glam' and something familiar (Legally Blonde anyone?) sent to Broadway by parents keen to keep them out of Bungalow 8 and off Page Six (parents don't know that Bungalow 8 is about as hip as LiLo these days)

I'm all for good theater - but what we have in New York is neither good nor affordable. It's expensive mediocrity peppered with celebrity names and / or pre-production recognition (revivals and movies) that seem to substitute energy for talent.

I sound like a dipped in vinegar theatre queen I know... but is it too much to ask for a Broadway show that's new, thoughtful, well acted and affordably priced? Or am I going to have to risk the freakshow tombola that is off-off-Broadway forever?

Body Image

Typography Silhouette
Originally uploaded by Steph Hillon

The weirdest thing about doing this whole body transformation is the need to lose my addiction to the bathroom scales. I've always know what I weighed to the nearest half pound - have celebrated my losses and mourned my gains.

But now I'm hoping to pile on muscle - which will mean weight gain. I'm already up a little while being able to crawl into clothes that wouldn't have fit me even last weekend and I'm finding it freaky.

How do I stop myself going on mad, drunken vacuuming of the refrigerator (don't suggest giving up booze) when weight gain is going to be the norm anyway?

Anyway just cardio today (as I watch Jude teach a friend how to swim) so I shouldn't wake up at a record high that will freak me.

The things we do for vanity, huh?

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival starts tonight

Ann Arbor Summer Festival Strange Fruit
Originally uploaded by LCPhotog

It's a full month of free (and some paid for) entertainment played out under the warm skies of summer. which had me wondering why it was that students here huddle through bone chilling winters for school before flying home to miss the only thing that can erase the memory?

This town is cool when the weather isn't... weird then that it's only beardy professors and young Google execs that get to see that

Big Meeting today

Minty Meeting
Originally uploaded by Niffty

So today we have a "big meeting"... that means lots of people crammed into a small room concentrating hard on the face of one man in a bid to gauge his reactions before pressing a point hard.

Personally I'd be torn about being the "Big Guy" in the "Big Meeting". The spotlight would be good. Nothing wrong with having people write down your reactions... but the need for trust might be too much for me. You have to trust that the people that you're talking to actually know what they're doing, that the facts that they're showing you are the relevant facts and that they've genuinely done all of the things that they claim to have done. You have no time to dive into the data. You have no time to get a feel for things - it's all about "do I trust these people" and "does this make sense to me"?

And I'm just not sure I could do that. Instead I'd become the tricky, tough question, get 'em to admit to something that they don't know guy. Which would put people on edge. And mean that I get even less information.

Feeling good

P1040857.JPG
Originally uploaded by stevenjude

I like the people at my new gym. They talk to you. They tell you things. They ask you things. And they play great music while they're doing it. Workout two has me buzzing with endorphins and possibilities. I'm picking bodies out of magazines the way that people pick hairstyles from books - and while a whole new me is going to take longer to sculpt than a razor finished bob it's going to last longer.

Having finished my session today I was given some fresh chicken-feta burgers, an invitation to an evening dinner, a promise that I get 10% off everything in the Sparrow market and was asked if I was around for lunch "It gets a little quiet in here in the afternoons, so we tend to fire up the grill and cook up some stuff for people in the neighborhood."

As I said, I like them. A lot.

Compounding the good feeling is the return from pasport purgatory of my lovely wife. She's looking good, she's not in pain and it's good to have her company again. Fun.

Wow - endorphins are good. I've even promised to do cardio on the days that I'm not doing weights. "Shape" here I come.

Then came the rain

Spring Rain
Originally uploaded by ImageMD

After days and days of oppressive heat here suddenly all things have turned to rain. Moisture is falling from the sky faster than geriatric nonsense from the mouth of John McCain or 'senior moment' apologies from his aides.

I'm looking out at the lake that has formed on the flat roof that covers what I estimate to be my kitchen and wondering just how and where so much water will drain.

The dog is refusing to step outside, even to pee and I don't blame her - and the cats? Well they're looking to do what they always do - find food, escape, hunt down black clothing upon which they can shed. I swear people at work think that I have a thing for cat hair clothing.

Still Jude is on her way - as are some late night moments of weakness internet purchases (am I shopping myself happy or horny? I'm not sure)

Gonna try to get in a trip to NYC first - I miss the people and as Mike said "Kung Fu Panda!"

A realization

my dear enemy, am i killing you
Originally uploaded by .séverine

I realized today - well just a couple of minutes ago while filling in the "Please don't sue us" gym forms - that this morning I didn't mention cancer at all.

This is unusual. Cancer has been my excuse and a defining part of my history for a while now. The 'getting back into exercise post cancer' story has been so often repeated that I've started to believe that it was true. The truth is that I gave up on meaningful exercise after I left Australia, replacing it with bile and indifference. But 'Hi, I'm here to get back into shape post chemo' (always post chemo never post cancer) is an easier intro than 'hi, I'm a middle aged guy who's decided that he doesn't want to look like a middle aged guy' and yet without thought I took the second option.

It's weird not playing the role of 'recovering cancer patient (victim)' and for the first time in a long time it feels as though I'm doing something for myself and the future, rather than something to help mitigate the consequences of the past.

This whole kick is about being fitter, okay looking better, in the months to come. And nothing at all to do with the fact that at some point my body filled with tumors and my lungs with liquid.

A turning point after two years of treading water?

Back in a new routine

Ann-Marie and Angel accpeting new clients for Spring/Summer season!
Originally uploaded by Boxing Angel

So this morning I finally managed to hit the gym hard again. Having decided that you can't wish it into being I hauled my fat ass out of bed and headed down to Sparrow for a little personal training. And I was very pleasantly surprised. The atmosphere is good, people talk. The Personal Trainer sets you circuits and then lets you go and the $200 a month fee covers 3 sessions a week as well as unlimited access to the gym itself. It's small, intimate, good natured and best of all it's owned by a butcher named Sparrow (!)

Better still was the fact that my basic levels of fitness aren't bad at all. I've been promised that the NUP is certainly realistic and that knocking me back into shape isn't going to take very long. Three sessions a week, 2 pilates sessions a week, a little swimming at the Y and a 'free' workout and I'm toned by Xmas.

So not the disaster that I thought I was going to be. Here's to saying hello to my abs again.