of the serpent and the dove

“We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart.”

- MLK

tap tap tapping on my kitchen floor

last night, when i got home from work, i noticed a leak in my kitchen ceiling. i called the maintenance guy and he said there wasn’t anything he could do until morning. of course. so i put a crock pot under it (which i never use anyway) and sat down to watch a couple episodes of veronica mars.

after an hour or so the dripping had multiplied, and the plaster was beginning to crack. i think to myself, “this is going to fall in by morning.” the boy scout in me said, “hey, this is going to get worse. move everything out of the way and put something bigger under it to catch the water.” so i did. the dripping continued at a steady rate, and the plaster started to warp a little. there was nothing more i could do, so i went to bed.

2:45 am. crash!

there it was

and here it is

this can't be good

it’s currently -10 degrees in chicago right now, so i decide to work from home. the maintenance guy comes by, looks at the situation, gives me the same line about not being able to do anything right now. in fact, he says he really can’t do anything until the weather is warmer and the snow has melted. so, i have to wait until what, april, to get this fixed?! he goes out on the roof, which i must commend him for, and tries to shovel off any remaining snow and ice.

since then, a new leak has formed at the top of the window adjacent to the hole, but it seems to have slowed. so while i wait until it gets fixed i can’t use half my kitchen and heat from my apartment is no doubt escaping much quicker than it should. guess it’s time to put on my angry tenant hat and write an email to the management.

crowdsourcing your win

so, the company i work for, crowdspring, works on a crowdsourcing model. people who need design work done can post a project and let a pool of designers from all over the world submit ideas. the best idea (or ideas) wins.

while we are not the first people to do something like this, we believe our particular model is pretty sweet. if you think so, maybe you can give us some kudos by voting for us in wired’s small biz contest.

we will love you forever.

be a community manager

my lovely employer, crowdspring, is now in the market for a new community manager.

this seat is currently filled by the amazing angeline. but alas, she is leaving us for greener pastures.

sniff.

1,000 words

not only did america make history on tuesday… we also are making the future.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/the_next_president_of_the_unit.html

obama wins!

and people in chicago take to the streets to celebrate.

thank you america.

joe biden’s teeth

those of you that believe in change and feel we can make a difference in america, should see this promotional video for joe biden’s teeth. seriously. how can you deny the power of those pearly whites?

oh, and i wrote the music. =]

ben schaafsma

he and i were never close friends, but we regarded each other with a certain level of respect. that of fellow artists and g-rap kids trying to express themselves and share their gifts with others. several friends of mine were close to him. the world has lost another wonderful soul, but the world is now better for his being in it.

Benjamin J. Schaafsma (September 7, 1982 – October 25, 2008)

if you live here…

pretty girls will surround you with your shirt off.

so says ecologic lofts in bucktown, chicago. i don’t know about you, but to me the subtext here is, “if you live here, you will get laid.”

berlin – 1st of may

yesterday kristina and i bought last minute tickets to berlin – 1st of may. it was one of the best films i’ve seen all year. the title comes from the tradition in berlin, and other parts of europe, to take to the streets and demonstrate in the name of civil rights.

in 1987 this celebration in berlin turned violent. at first it was a protest to promote socialist ideas and workers rights. through the years it’s become an excuse for people to skip work and party in the street. little to my knowledge this tradition stems from an incident in the united states, actually in chicago, the haymarket massacre. interesting what you can learn at the theatre.

anyway, the film is well done. (caution: plot spoiler) it combines three stories into personal perspectives on the event and subtly weaves them together at the end – sort of like a good gibson novel. one follows a young, frustrated, turkish boy as he defies his older brother’s wishes and wanders into the foray by himself. another shows the relationship between to teenage boys from a small town who journey to berlin for the celebration. in the last story you get an unusual take from the eyes a police officer.

after viewing the film we got to listen to one of the four directors talk about how it came to be. essentially, the four of them sat down a year ago and pitched ideas for several different stories. then they chose 3 and worked on them separately for a few months. they started shooting on the 1st of may, 2008, so some of the footage is from the actual event. most of the camera work is hand-held or steadicam and gives is a very raw feel, as if you were a participant in the action. the music is mainly guitar driven, ranging from atmospheric, minimalist pieces to full out rock.

all in all its a great film and i’m glad i got to see it and learn more about the world in the process.