Necessary reading: Ignore Everybody

In case you need some tips on creativity and hate reading more than the necessary amount, I suggest you get yourself this book for Christmas or as soon as possible.

Hugh MacLeod is an American blogger, cartoonist, writer and he's written a book that is such a pleasant read that I'd be an asshole if I didn't recommend it.

See a couple of months, a very cool coworker recommended the book with only one rule. I had to pass the book along and see if we couldn't infect the correct people with the message in this book which is really go your own way and don't be afraid of taking the lonely road, for that road often leads to much more success and greater treasures than the eternally travelled path.

I could offer more info, but rather than spoil the surprise, click the link to his very awesome blog, and feel free to either buy the book and spread the word or go to Barnes and Noble and read it in 2-3 sittings. Hell, what's your alternative, reading Twilight or the Secret? Nah, screw that.

One thing though, Make sure you thank Hugh when you make your first million or thank me for putting up the link.

Cheers

Tis the season to be grateful...

At this blog, the entire WAS team has a lot to be thankful for. Me actually wrote five things to be thankful for and I concur with her list and am able to genuinely smile at her good fortune and the run she's had in the last year. Each and every WAS writer could go on huge list rants because we genuinely have a lot to be thankful. But apart from the turkey cranberry goodness native to the end of November, we are also very conscious that we're able to give thanks because in some way or another, we've worked for our good fortune while contributing to the monetary fortunes of the places we've worked at. Places that did their best to squeeze the last drop out of us but couldn't. Places that pushed us to the brink of physical corrosion. Places that insisted on us being thankful for the thankless job we worked at.

In case you've been in a coma and get your RSS feed delivered to your subconscious, the economy is not doing so good. Yeah, we've seen signs that things might be turning around, but having almost drowned three times in my life, I'm of the school of taking a breather when I'm not underwater and not trusting the worst has passed until my lungs can stop quivering.

What this means is that since the economy is bad, budgets will be cut, people will get fired and your bosses know who is getting fired and when. In case you think this is a debbie downer post, please hear me out. I'm not saying wait to get canned, I'm saying move if you feel as if your agency is going to take a hit. And in case you think no one is going to take a hit, please know that some major companies are going to be cutting upwards of 20% of their advertising budgets in the next five months. That means your salary. That means your coworkers salary.

One of the problems is that you're injected with hope at your agency when you're having your turkey luncheon. Everyone holds hands, think happy thoughts and say that we all have to give thanks for having a job to provide for our families. If you actually felt as if a current was passing through your hands and a chill crept up and tickled you on the back of your neck, that's your spider sense tingling. But at five agencies I worked at and at five agencies we gave thanks, said grace and in the coming weeks someone got the axe. We all had hope and faith and happy happy thoughts and swore nothing bad would happen, but 100% of the times, it did. You could make a case that some people deserved to get canned and that others didn't. What you can't argue with is that people did get fired. Each and every time.

So do you still have to give thanks? Well of course. You're alive, you're kicking and you are more in control of your life than you think, you've only been led to believe that it's impossible to get another job or another source of income with this economoy. It's not and you can.

I'm not saying this because Obama got elected president and yes we can, and we can change and other things. I'm saying because yes I could and yes I did. For one year and eleven days I've been able to give thanks to having a job I finally like. For the first time in my life I can say I enjoy a job I'm working at. I passed through five agencies and at five companies I was angry, miserable, sick and frustrated. I worked my ass off, I did good work but it was nowhere near fulfilling and more often than should be the case, I felt like I'd been date raped by my employers.

So I got angry and did something that went against all logic. I had a healthy network of people I could call up for interviews. I know people at companies who could have hooked me up. I know people who know people who could have done the same. I could have called in about 12 favors. But I didn't. I saw an ad in a newspaper. I filled out the form. I sent my résumé and I forgot about it. Two weeks later, an interview. A month later I was dressed in nice pants, dress shoes and went from an under 100 employee agency to an over 1,300 employee company. Glamor I live not, but good working conditions and constant appreciation for my efforts, a steady paycheck and the ever elussive peace of mind I'd heard so much about are finally here. People say I look healthy and seem pretty happy and I correct them that I don't seem, that I am and that I'm not even required to drink the Kool Aid.

It didn't take 20,000 calls. It didn't take activating my entire network. I didn't have to suck dick. I just reacted on impulse and gave myself a shot. Who's to say you can't do the same for yourself?

So two days after Thanksgiving, I give thanks for getting closer to the life I want and getting a step farther from the life I had become so bored of in just 5 years. Now there's only one thing for me to ask you:

What's keeping you from giving yourself a chance, apart from giving thanks for the job you hate?

Cheers

The Stuffed Creative

So what exactly is a stuffed creative? Is that you at 3:30 p.m. when the food coma has set in and your feeble attempts at staying awake are physicaly comedy Chaplin would love? Is it those extra 10-15 pounds you've put on from eating 4 twinkies just to get you through shit days, which have numbered in the triple digits during your year?

Nope.

The stuffed creative is pretty much one of the favorite recipes from some of the places I've worked at.

Take your average garden variety creative. Preferrably someone who is healthy and productive and stuff them full of work, stupid revisions, anger, frustratin, dejection, retarded due dates, more work, workplace melodrama and let simmer anywhere from eight months to a year and a half (or more depending on the chop shop). Then when the creative is at breaking point, when they look at themselves in the mirror and don't like who they see, when they are creatively stunted, physically sick and emotionally broken, take your finest pink slip and add as garnish.

Presto.

If you find any of these ingredients being added to your recipe for "professional development" and you feel as if your tender thighs are being pried open and you're getting stuff with things you really don't enjoy having inside you, consider yourself warned.

Cheers

Honest to Post Its 24

Effin Huge Centipede Owns Snake.

This would qualify as very useless information. You're welcome.

Five things to be grateful that define: Me.

Tomorrow, besides eating yourself silly and packing on those complex carbs, watching the Macy's Parade and all the other crap that Thanksgiving comes with, you get to be grateful for the things that you have. As you all know, this blog is about advertising, crap, rants, being angry at whatever, useless information and most of all, sometimes it's extremely personal. So, let's join in the turkey fun and list the five most important things to be grateful for.

In absolutely no particular order - you just can't assign numbers to things that make you happy, here are my list of the five things (and I will have more but I will stick to my plan) that make me say thank you buddha. Or Jesus. Or... whatever. Enjoy.

1) I am extremely happy and in love.
I have never, ever felt this kind of joy and I am actually looking forward to my life, the new house and the future baby. The thing about being older and having lived all the crap that I've been through, I now know exactly how to achieve happiness without drama or complications. I strongly believe we were meant to have this life, now.

2) Mom is very healthy and happy.
She is still my joy and seeing her totally recovered from her accident from last year makes me still smile. Oh and by the way, she is so excited about me becoming a mommy... :-)

3) I have the most amazing friends.
There are people you know. There are people you go to a bar and maybe watch a football game. I have many of those. But I have a few that I actually care about. Good friends you can count with one hand. You know who you are, guys. So, to you, I say this: thank you for listening to me yap about crap. Thank you for answering those annoying calls of mine at 5:25 pm when you are almost leaving work and I'm just talking away. Thank you for supporting me when I was sad, when I was angry, when I was confused. Thank you for all the logos that I didn't have to trace. Thank you for all the copy related questions answered. Thank you for having a drink with me and letting me grab the bill. Thank you for sending me cool shit to read. Thank you for calling me up the day we decided to have a baby and all your best wishes. And most of all, thank you for being there. Love you.

4) My business is going strong.
Can you believe that we've been working non stop even with this crap economy? Knock on wood, we are doing great. And it's all a mix of working hard, being humble, listening to your friends and trying your best.

5) You. Yeah, you, our readers.
I started this blog one boring Saturday five years ago and with the help of two amazing friends and talented writers, it has become a second home. We all know, deep in our hearts, that it's you guys, our readers, that make us keep wanting to write, look for interesting crap to post... even when we're all tired of doing what we do all day, write. (Oh, after all these years, maybe I've never mentioned we're all copywriters.) Yeah, we write all day and come home at night, wanting to write or post anything for you guys. Visiting us and reading, leaving comments is the best thing for us three angry writers. Really, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for clicking your way here. Writing for all of you is truly one of the best parts of my days.

Have a Truly Happy Thanksgiving, boys and girls. Stay tuned. As always, more to come. Much love. Me.

Best GQ Cover. Ever.

Let this beat ride!

BEST. VIDEO. OF. ALL. TIME! Bohemian Rhapsody via the Muppets = EXTREMELY AWESOME!

PJFM7YSJTFQC

Video proof that morons exist. And vote.

Atom Bomb. Period.

A prayer and our well wishes to our Detroit ad brothers and sisters

Former Chrysler advertisers face life without agency BBDO

By Jean Halliday
Automotive News November 16, 2009

DETROIT -- Last Monday morning, the 485 employees of Chrysler ad agency BBDO's Detroit office received an e-mail telling them to make a five-minute drive to a conference center that had hosted past BBDO gatherings.

There, Andrew Robertson, BBDO's worldwide CEO who flew in from New York for the meeting, informed the group that the ad agency couldn't reach a new contract with newly restructured Chrysler Group. Since the recently bankrupt automaker is the single client for the ad agency's Detroit office, the branch would shut down at the end of January, he said.

The employees were told they could have the rest of the day off. But most went back to work, fitting for this vast ad-making machine. BBDO has rumbled through Chrysler's troubled recent history while still managing to win about 1,000 industry awards, generate 12 million prospects and pull off more than 13,000 events, according to the agency's tally. In the last decade, BBDO produced an estimated 3,500 ads a year, or 10 a day, including weekends.

BBDO is defining the next two months as a severance period during which all employees will receive salary and benefits and be allowed to use the company's facilities. Come February, those 485 workers will plunge into Detroit's struggling economy.

"The ad community in this town is just a shadow of its former self," said Peter DeLorenzo, a former BBDO creative director who founded AutoExtremist.com in 1999. He said it's "pretty grim" for BBDO workers. "It's pretty much the closing of a chapter in their lives."

Employment in advertising and related fields across Michigan shrunk to 13,400 from 14,600 jobs from September 2008 to this September, said Jim Rhein, economic analyst with the state's Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.

5 Quentin Tarantino Movies that Define: Me

He is my god. If I had to have an altar in my house to someone holy, this guy would be it. Quentin makes my kind of movies, period. But... to place them in order has been extremely tough. So much to choose from... how do you take awesome and put it below incredible? Maybe your order changes, but here's my list of Five Amazing Tarantino Movies... until now. Enjoy.


1) Pulp Fiction.
How much do I love this movie? let's just say that if it's a girl, I'm naming her after the greatest female character of all time... Mrs. Mia Wallace.


2) Reservoir Dogs.
Blood, sweat and ear. I love this movie so much it hurts.


3) Kill Bill Volume 1.
I liked this one better - yes, both are incredible - because of the epic fighting scenes.

4) Inglorious Basterds.
I saw this movie months ago and I'm still in shock. I just hope it gets nominated.


5) True Romance.
My kind of romance flick. Period. You just gotta love the corkscrew scene.

Honest to Post Its 23

Agencies vs. In-House Departments

The other day I got into a heated argument with a friend of mine – let’s call him Eddie. We started discussing the joys of eating red meat, and somehow ended up talking about how all brands should do their advertising in-house. Eddie foresees a near future in which traditional advertising agencies will cease to exist, an industry in which brands will take matters into their own hands. Clients already have their own lawyers, accountants, public relations, and HR people, so why not advertising/marketing? Sure, they may hire outside consultants to evaluate a few things along they way, but ultimately, the brand handles its own business.

Eddie believes that a perfect storm has been brewing in the industry and once it hits, it’ll change the game in a big way: An economic climate that has brought on a less-is-more attitude; the democratic powers of the Internet; savvy consumers; a highly globalized market; etc. Eddie feels that these ingredients will force major brands to centralize their operations in order to achieve greater efficiency, reduced costs, more control of their business, and – what everybody wants – more profits.

He cited examples of big clients that have made this move and have never gone back to doing business the old-fashioned way with ad agencies. Plus, he couldn’t stop with his laundry list of the quality, excellent work born from in-house shops. With their own departments, clients don’t pay ridiculous commissions or agency fees; they have greater negotiating muscle with media placement; they don’t waste nearly as much money on travel expenses and other goodies; they save themselves from the hassle (and costs) of switching agencies every four years; they craft and control a consistent message over a long period of time.

In short, according the Eddie, the people responsible for the brand’s message have time and room to become experts in their particular field. In his logic, agency people have to be all things to all people: you must work simultaneously, and be knowledgeable, in the beer market, cars, banking, cell phone, etc. Sooner or later, your expertise is gonna falter somewhere. Whereas an in-house department is an expert at one thing and one thing only: their business. He likened it to specialty doctors versus general practitioners, or the many types of lawyers (corporate, tax, trail, human rights, environmental, etc.)

What made this conversation even more interesting is the fact that Eddie owns his very own ad agency! And he’s been very successful for over 10 years. So why would Eddie bash his own business model? Because he himself has adopted an in-house approach to ad agencies. You see, Eddie’s agency specializes in only one industry – travel and tourism. ALL of his clients are in the travel and tourism industry, and some are even competing brands. But that doesn’t matter because, according to Eddie, clients want an expert who delivers results, not a one-trick pony who sort of gets your business.

So in essence, Eddie’s agency is actually an in-house department for the Travel & Tourism industry. He’s developed a reputation as an expert in the business and clients are flocking from all over the world to do business with him, without regard to “conflicts” with other brands. It’s business. He claims that the same is happening with the automotive, banking, healthcare, and real estate industries – people are setting up their versions of “industry-specific in-house departments” that deliver results, without the cost of keeping ad agencies CEOs in designer suits and ties.

Now I ask this: Is this the future of the ad business? Does Eddie have a point? Are ad agencies an endangered species?

When I get pregnant... I want this sonogram pic!

PS: Today is my last day of taking any type of pills, injections, patches... over! Scared shitless! Yey!


via digg.com

Awwww. Me likes Cute Dragons.

How I wish I had this job... and this camera.

Nice Kitty.

Eminem's Without Me in Klingon. Brilliant

Honest to Post Its 22

Beyond the PPV: A night at the Cotto vs. Pacquiao Fight at Las Vegas

First of all, let me get this out of the way: I am actually on a plane, writing this. So, hooray for technology. This is effin awesome.

Where do I start? What could possibly be so interesting about going to a fight down in Sin City that deserves a post, mid flight, thank you very much? Lots. I don't even know where to begin, actually.

How many people were there? 16,500 according to the Las Vegas Review Journal. We walked into the MGM Grand with, guessing, around one billion people. Ok, so I'm exaggerating a bit. Truckloads of boxing maniacs would be a good number. It was a little intimidating. I thought, with all this testosterone, there is no question that some dudes here will end up getting punched out tonight. There was something in the air the moment I opened up the doors at the entrance, and trust me, I am not kidding. It was a mix of nerves and energy that I will definitively never forget.

So you walk, get your mandatory drinks in hand and you get to your seat. First of all, I didn't see a lot of women there. Dude soup all around me. Fine, I didn't get that surprised with that fact. Let's represent the ladies, then. Power to the chicks!

What happened next... now this is when the story turns interesting. The night had many twists and I need to write about this because, well, for me going to this event was a bucket list thing. I needed to do this before I die a very interesting death. Going to a boxing match has been one of my dreams and trust me, it turned out to be more than I could ever imagine in many ways.

So the first thing I noticed was: the anxiety. Everybody is acting cool and composed but, deep inside, they are scared S**tless about their chosen fighter. (I'm trying to be decent at my flight, hence no bad words, ok?) You have to understand, this is a two sided fight. In one we have the boxers. In the other, there's the public. Yup, all 16 thousand of us are in a fight. And the worst part is, we're sitting right next to each other. Interesting, right? Yup. You see faces full of worry, national pride, drunkenness, crazy nuts... just walking by your seat. Glasses full of alcohol pass your way every 10 seconds. This, of course, is Las Vegas. People are drunk at all times, even when they paid an average of $500 bucks or more to see the fight. I can bet my you know what that many of the dudes last night don't remember the fight so well.

The next part is sort of... weird. We're sitting there, as I already mentioned, in a mixed crowd. Both Pacquiao and Cotto fans are there for the kill. Hundreds, thousands of both Filipino and Puerto Ricans have filled the arena to scream their lungs out at their heroes. And somewhere mixed in there there are three guys. Three guys that I will never, ever forget. The racist, prejudiced idiots sitting two rows above me, with a little too much alcohol in their blood and a lot of nothing in their brain. Three pathetic guys which for 20 minutes made me entertain the idea of having a shouting match. What could I possibly have witnessed?

We are all claiming that we all should love one another, the world is a melting pot, we need to embrace our differences... right? Well, not according to Moe, Curly and Larry. They sat there, J&B in hand, and proceeded to insult both Filipino, Jewish and Latinos. I heard some amazing sh*t like "I'll bet on the Puerto Rican because I cannot lose 20 bucks to a Jew"; "That brown latino sure hits" and other award winner, classy lines. You know, those that I will tell my kids as a warning story soon. I even loved when people talked spanish right next to them and they mocked it, trying themselves to talk it with lines like "como se dice this guy is going down?" or "Como se dice that latina has a huge rack?" Whoa.

At some point I did get angry, I guess for human kind and because I have a very short temper when it comes to amazingly moronic human beings but I had two choices. I turn around and give them a nice rant about how the world needs for them to disappear and end up with me having a bloody nose and my boyfriend in jail (thank you Lord that he, for some strange reason, didn't hear them because if not, they would have ended up dead anyways)... or I just ignore them like I do everything else that doesn't deserve any more attention and watch the fight. I chose the latter. These three idiots didn't ruin my night, I didn't let them. Let me tell you, when the fight started and all the rest of the people sat down, the Stooges suddenly got very quiet. I guess you shut up when you are surrounded and scared shitless, right?

In comes the other thing that surprised me about the whole night. You cannot imagine how intense it gets. Yes, it can get intense at your house. Multiply that by a thousand and then you'll know how you would feel if you're actually inside the arena. I cannot say why this happens. Maybe it's the people around you, who knows. When the fight starts and you love boxing as much as Joker and I do, you think you are about to have a heart attack. My heart was pounding like I was going to go up in a roller coaster. Shitload afraid.

What happened next was maybe an hour of us screaming our lungs out, jumping out of our seats, applauding, getting worried sick, not moving or going to the bar to get a drink... It got so intense I even forgot to take pictures. I think I only took one picture of the actual fight. The people scream, say really, really offensive shit directed at the ring, give obvious pointers to the boxers even when we know they can't hear us... it was simply amazing.

This, my friends, is not for the faint of heart. No roller coaster in the world compares to what I felt that night - and I am so very glad that I did it. I will tell my kids about this and I will make sure that I get to do it just one more time with my future son and Uncle Joker. All the hard earned money that we spent on those tickets were enjoyed to the max.

And yes, I did sort of turn at the last moment my bet on Cotto, but it was just the side of me of wanting the underdog to win. There was no question that my first instinct was right: Manny was and is the better fighter. Period. So at the end, I did win the Usual. Yey for that!

Oh and by the way... If you think Pacquiao seems fast on tv. TRUST ME. He's faster, live. He is holy fuck (this part I am writing in land, no curious neighbor reading my post) fast. I mean. FAST. Cotto didn't have a chance. ANY CHANCE. This was a boxing lesson in all its glory. I for one am damn glad I paid to see that. I am worried for my man Floyd, bit time. Manny will eat and spit him out for breakfast. Lord have mercy.

Well, hope you enjoyed the fight as well and if you didn't, watch it next Saturday on HBO. I will, for sure. Oh and before I forget... can't we all just get along?

Much love... Me.

Fight Night. Cotto VS Pacquiao

The build up has been built, the hype has been hyped, the mind games have been played and the pieces have been set. Tonight we get to see a great fight. By fight I feel no need to establish that it is a boxing match for I've written more than enough to show that I'm not just a casual fan. But that doesn't matter tonight, because tonight's match is not only for boxing aficionados. Tonight's fight is an event for anyone who has ever been mildly interested in boxing.

That this fight will help determine matchups for 2010, help define pretty much the most competitive division right now in boxing and shape two stellar careers is besides the point. You have two guys who like to fight, who like to throw punches and who aren't big fans of letting judges decide who wins a fight.

For his part, Manny Pacquiao has looked invincible in his last three outings. He's taken the opportunity to redefine the word dominance in fights against David Diaz, Oscar De la Hoya and Ricky Hatton. True, you can make a case for any of those three fights being touted as harder than they were, but that Manny made all three fighters look like a joke speaks volumes.

On the counter side, Miguel Cotto is still trying to shake off the ghost of Margarito Past. Illegal handwraps or not, the only thing we know for sure is that Cotto took a beating against Margarito and though I wasn't happy, I accepted the outcome, and much to my surprise, so did Cotto. He's all business and knows he's in for the biggest night of his career fighting what is simply a phenom.

If you want a more in depth breakdown of this fight, click here.

All I know is that somehow, national pride and my arguments might have steered Me from siding with Manny to bet on Cotto. For my part, I think Cotto can pull out a decision based on what I wrote in that long ass post.

The reality is that any outcome is possible in this fight. Either fighter can win by KO, either fighter can win by decision, there could be a headbutt and the fight is stopped before or after the 4th round, and they can even draw. Rarely does this happen in this sport and I'm just glad I'm alive to see it, and you should too.

If you want to have a story to tell your grand kids of a boxing match you once watched, then by all means, see this fight.

A detailed report of the fight will be offered once the dust settles. So for now, cheers my friends. It's going to be one hell of a fight.

Five Most Amazing Cookies in the world that Define: Me

Eating healthy is not easy. Staying on shape and maintaining your weight is a full time commitment. The ugliest and nastiest things, which usually taste like heaven are the first thing that you have to leave behind.

McDonald's. Burger King. Ice Cream. Candy. You get tempted every which way you look.

I cannot remember the last time I had a cookie, and I was talking about how I miss them yesterday... when I thought... they deserve a post. I miss them so much - and feel so guilty when I do endulge, that this is the only way to honor them besides eating them.

So here we go. The five most incredible cookies on earth, in order of preference, by yours truly. Enjoy.

1) Oreos
Lord have mercy. These HAVE to be the THE standard. Chocolate madness with cream. Yes. Yes! If there was one item of food that I was allowed to eat without getting fat or sick, Oreos would definitively would be it.

2) Chips Ahoy
I have tales of me waking up at 2am in the morning so I could sneak two cookies while Mom was sleeping. They are like crack cocaine tasty.

3) Barnum's Animal Crackers
Incredible package - which by the way has not changed ever since I was a kid - and just a fucking incredible cookie. All other animal crackers deserve to be nuked and discarded because they are a true offense to this particular brand. Enough said.

4) Cameo
The one thing that I love about commercial shootings where I live is that you can bet your sweet ass that the production will have shitloads of Cameos available at any hour of the shoot. Love, love, love them.

5) Vanilla Wafers
Although I seldom eat them, trust me, this is my absolute last choice for a cookie. Mostly late at night at some creepy hospital or weird building. Give me a glass of milk and I am happy.

Ah. Cookies. How I miss you.

Pee in your pants funny. Enjoy A Few Good Creatives.

Via Erolucila.

The (Corporate) Creative Process

I'm betting "The usual" on Manny. Damn it!

At WAS, the ultimate expert on boxing is the almighty Joker. If you need to talk about two dudes getting hit everywhere but the balls - and sometimes it does happen, you just need to give him a call or write and bingo, you got yourself a great commentary on the greatest sport of all times. I'm more of a fan with sort of experience, I have seen old fights and seldom have I missed a fight or two. So I kind of know a little of the basics and then some - but nope, I am no expert on the subject like the Jokerman. Please bear with me.

So... Why am I writing about this? Two reasons. First, since I'm trying to do the bucket list thing this year, this Saturday I get to check another item off my list: go to a boxing match.

Yes my friends, I cashed in (painful and extremely expensive, but what fun and amazing stuff in life comes free or cheap?) and bought tickets to Cotto Vs Paquiao. Since my boyfriend also loves boxing - and loves to see me screaming my guts off while I watch it - it was easy to convince him when I surprised him with the news that I had access to what now seems to be the fight of the year.

Now... ever since I got my hands on those tickets, there has been one thing going around in my mind: who will win? And this, my friends, is giving little old Me heart palpitations. Oh, the anxiety!

Oh and yes, this post has a reason. Evidence. You see, I always bet with Travis when fights come around. Kind of... a tradition of some sorts. So this post serves as evidence.

First of all, fact: both Cotto or Pacquiao can win the fight. The thing is, which one will we choose to make our bets on... Hard shit to do.

I was dead set on Pacquiao. You see, I know for a fact that Cotto, while he's a great fighter, he seems to be a little bit assholish. Hence, I usually always bet on the other fighter whenever he gets on the ring. You see, I can only back up one asshole boxer and the position is already full: I love Mayweather.

Ok, my original bet was this: Pacquiao by desicion. While I do believe that Cotto will be able to knock him down (See Joker, down?) around the 7-9th rounds, I truly think that a TKO is unlikely. This, sadly, has to be my final bet. And I say sadly because I am worried.

I have been watching 24/7 ever since it started. And there are some things that worry me. Big time. Changing my bet big time. These are the facts that are making me feel ill:

1) There are huge problems with the Pacquiao camp. Everyone is fighting over there. Manny needs team work, not attitudes and egos. I've seen this before. Extra curricular drama have made many good fighters go down. Tyson. Bowe. I can go on and on. Fuck.

2) Wapakman. Yes. A mother effin super hero movie. While you might think this is not a huge deal, I wonder how many other times Manny has lost concentration while attempting to sing My Endless Love on some moronic program, explore in the wonderful world of scrapbooking or whatever else he wants to do EXCEPT train. Barf time.

3) Cotto's Focused and United camp. I have never, ever... EVER seen this kind of unity in a camp. They have a goal, they are all working for the same thing... this seems like a well oiled machine. And it sounds like a train coming, hard. Yikes.

4) Cotto is looking like he would kill someone with just one punch. Yep. I don't know what the Holy Jesus item they gave him or what Kung Fu master they have hidden somewhere, but this man is looking tough and strong.

As you can see, makes sense that I am confused. While I did go against Cotto because of a whim, now I am actually wondering who will actually win - while a couple of months ago I was dead sure of Manny. But... I am a woman of my word and I will keep to the Filipino winning by decision.

Oh by the way: My boyfriend's bet is Cotto by KO. (Thank you Joker, by the way, for settling the TKO vs KO argument, you rule)

Now, don't worry about me. I have never bet money. And If I lose, I win anyways. Right babe?

That damn Macaroni Salad.

Via burbia.com

Still Funny after all these years.

Honest to Post Its 21

Honest to Post Its 20

To NBC and Lorne Michaels

To: NBC/Lorne Michaels

From: Me @ WAS

Regarding: Taylor Swift SNL November 7 2009 Episode

Message: Don't. You. EVER. Do. That. Again. Thank you.

Screw this shit: I'm betting on Cotto.

Suddenly I am thinking... Rocky 3. This is not good...

File under “Things that Keep on Happening”

She’s 44, the single mom of a 13 year-old boy.
The only job she’s had in her life is at this company – She’s been here for 20 years.
She’s always been pro corporate.
She’s put in her share of “over time” – nights, weekends, cancelled vacations, etc.
She even “went the extra mile” during her arduous chemo sessions.
She’s the epitome of team player and all that crap.

Yesterday, she was laid off.

The Terminal was sort of based on a true story. WTF?

Holy Jesus... I got my Prenatals.

Just a quick update. So... I bought my Prenatal pills today. We both went to the pharmacy and stood in the supplement section together. I took that bottle and I swear to you, my eyes got teary eyed. We were all smiles, gave each other a kiss and went on our way.

This is actually happening!!! I'm still choked up. Whoa. What an experience this is turning out to be.

Just because you're called a copy doesn't mean you have to

As time passes by and I'm two weeks away from having been a full year away from advertising, something becomes abundantly clear, people will continue to shove out knockoff ideas without one hint of remorse. If anything I'm proud of my 5 year stint and all the freelance work I did is that I never copied from anyone and was actually fortunate enough to have people copy some of the work I produced with my creative significant others.

I occassionally browsed creative magazines, but normally ideas came from analysis of the brief, brain storming, and pretty much shooting the shit. The only rules were that it needed to be different enough to break the clutter, it needed to comply with everything established in the brief and it had to be defendable even in the eyes of the douchiest asshole client I could concoct. I change agencies, adapt to the nuances of every bullshit place, but for the most part that was the formula, and it worked pretty well except I didn't win an award, probably to do with my choice of agencies, but I won't bitch since to me, it really didn't make a difference since I saw the ads that did win, and along with variuos other people barfed in my mouth a little or whispered the words bullshit over and over.

That slice of life out of the way, I have to admit that instead of seeing less unoriginal ideas, I see more and more knockoffs and have actually passed by the experience of seeing an idea from 4 years ago, rehashed, refreshed and resold to clients demanding out of the box ideas and only approving inside the box executions.

To make things worse, there are actually entire categories that have the same exact concept rebottled for different clients. Don't believe me? Then instead of ogling on car and candy ads, look towards the junior college category and see if a few things don't look a bit similar. Base premise is the person interacting with themselves in some way or form after they graduate. You can have a person visualizing themselves doing that awesome nurse job, you can have that person seeing themselves in the mirror already graduated, or you can have that person meeting two future versions of themselves, the one that studied and the one that decided to down Roofies and Schnapps and fuck the college mascot.

Simply put, it's the same shit, over and over and over. And that comes in part from the occassional axiom people dare speak that there is no such thing as an original idea, that everything's been done, that you should only modify the dog's old tricks. Well to that thought I say suck it. It's conformity at its most pathetic and though it might be a bitch to come up with something new and fresh, working with the mentality that such a feat is impossible is just asking to be a hack.

That's why I enjoyed working shitty categories like banking and having to deal with difficult clients because when I finally got a good idea approved, it was a huge success on all fronts. From conception to convincing the square thinkers to give the circle a go, it was satisfying even if it wasn't elite because at the very least, it was solid and it worked at least marginally well.

But instead of people embracing their own flavor or style, they opt for the cop out, look for the archive, change a couple of elements and good to go. I dunno, somehow having a person do that and still insist on being called a creative is a bit douchy if you ask me. Any thoughts?

Marge, give me more of a reason to help make donut holes

If you haven't heard, Marge Simpson "posed" nude for Playboy. Seeing as Marge missed out on my top 69 fictional women, it comes as no surprise that what I've been able to see of the Blue haired mistress left me wondering why she didn't show more. Trust me, when I heard she was posing, curiosity bit me on the balls and it was an itch I almost scratched by buying the mag.

Then I said, let me wait a while and see them online and see if it's worth back ordering. After seeing the pics, some or all of which you can see by clicking the title of this post, I was left underwhelmed because if anything men have demonstrated, it's that we're sick bastards and at the very least two things should have been on the side of the spectator after seeing the pics.

1.) A clear shot of Momma Simpson's boobs.

2.) The answer to the question everyone has always asked about Marge, is she a real blue head?

At the end of the day, it's a fun add to any collector's horde, but with the crazy things we've been able to see throughout the years, I thought they were going to push the bar a bit more, if only to satisfy the potheads and pervs that discuss fictitious boning and such.

What do you think about the whole Marge thing?

A "no" is a terrible thing to waste

Screw minds, the future of our nation and all the other things we really want to save, the value of the word no is highly underrated and ludicrously underused. If you disagree with me, do me one simple favor; think of how many times you could have avoided a shit load of meaningless work and fuss if one person had said no.

I need this by tomorrow... Ummmm no. You can have it the day after because a life will not be saved if something is handed in a span of 24 hours just so you look at it three days after you receive the thing.

True, sometimes, the word rush is used, higher ups are beckoned and the whole boogie man routine is put into play. (BTW, the boogie man routine consists of an AE or Traffic person bluffing their way into your work queue, so you do what they asked for first, because they "talked with the VP", or the "President needs this with the utmost urgency"). The fact of the matter is that sometimes, a negative response can actually yield positive results. Saying no to a rush job that isn't rush actually allows for work to be distributed humanely, produced with higher quality and little suckup power hogs learn their role and see how the game can be played so we take them seriously when they say rush.

So kindly, next time someone suggests you do too much work in too little time, two letters can save you a whole lot of trouble and also contribute to strengthening your spinal chord.

Cheers

Vacation Hangovers

Like the morning after a night of wild partying, vacations have a way of biting you in the ass. You get used to waking up when you wanted to, eating when you were truly hungry and at complete liberty of laying down spread eagle and naked in front of an air conditioner without a care in the world. Then you get back to work.

You feel nauseaus, your head hurts, you're tired, you don't want to do anything and basically anything that involves motor skills is not going to happen smooth sailing. Unlike booze hangovers though, vacation never bring along quotes of:

"Oh, I'll never go on vacation again."

"Why didn't anyone stop me from going on vacation?"

"I had one day off too many."

That's because not only are vacations inherently necessary so we all don't go batshit crazy and start killing people via staple gun fatalities, but because we can also have a beer at noon and it's completely normal. I could go on and on, but instead of a really elaborate metaphor, or some lame but slightly clever pun, I'll just spit it out...

I wish I could have had one more day, even if it was rainy Philadelphia.

Cheers

Honest to Post Its 19

Honest to Post Its 18

Interesting Question.

Fifty People, One Question: London from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.