> Police Officer to Heidi

"Ma'am, do you realize that you have no insurance card, your registration is expired and your son in the backseat is naked?"

> Amazing Image and Story About Community

National Geographic has a great description of what is happening in this photo, as a community of rescued Chimpanzees grieve the death of one of their nurturers.

> Grandpa

> Morning Hair

> Branding

Just finished this threaded typography for the cover of our magazine. I think the idea was significantly inspired by this series of work from designer Stefan Saigmeister. It also seems to fit nicely with my earlier post about everything being connected. The word branding is thrown around a lot these days... I hear it daily at work. Thinking of it as more than your logo or brandmark is starting to gain traction, and the concept behind the magazine cover is aimed at furthering that point.

A brand, a culture, an experience, a company is an amalgamation of hundreds/thousands/millions of threads. From the consumer experience, to feedback, to competition, to advertising, to the ethics, to the treatment of each employee... each of these and countless more weave together to form a brand. Recognizing this, as our feature story suggests, is fundamental to really knowing who you are and what you do.

I think it works on people too. (Though the personal branding trend seems pretty weak on really embracing this)

It was a fun project though. Re-watched a few episodes of LOST while being coached by Heidi on how to handle thread.

More pictures here.

> Ethan's Bedtime Prayer

God, please help Papa make the red motorcycle go to second gear.

> One Love.

>Show the lyrics

One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right
Hear the children crying (One Love)
Hear the children crying (One Heart)
Sayin' give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Sayin' let's get together and feel all right

Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One Love)
There is one question I'd really like to ask (One Heart)
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own?
Believe me

One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right
As it was in the beginning (One Love)
So shall it be in the end (One Heart)
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
One more thing

Let's get together to fight this Holy Armageddon (One Love)
So when the Man comes there will be no no doom (One Song)
Have pity on those whose chances grow thinner
There ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation

Sayin' One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right
I'm pleading to mankind (One Love)
Oh Lord (One Heart)

Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right
Let's get together and feel all right

> More Star Wars

So Heidi was out of town this weekend, which is always a bit emotional on the kids. Where the sadness tends to climax is around bedtime, where their usual ritual is hijacked and they're left with me singing and praying and trying to make them feel snuggly. One of our routines is that they request a song and Heidi will sing it to them before she leaves (frequently it's Away In A Manger...regardless of our proximity to December).

So on Friday night I tucked them in and asked if they wanted me to sing them a song. Ethan, from under his covers, dolefully made his selection:

"Daddy, can you sing the sad song from Star Wars?"

I started to hum the melody of this song (30 seconds in), and soon I heard sniffles.

"Ethan, what are you sad about?"

Ethan: "I'm sad for Star Wars".

Adelaide: "Me too."

Oh dear.

> Heidi Says I Am to Blame For Every Part of This

Yesterday, Adelaide walked over to a discreet corner of our driveway, pulled down her pants (not her undies) and tinkled. Before I could even respond to the variety of issues occurring she looked over at me and pointed at her driveway artwork:

"Look, I made the Death Star!"

Sorry Judes.

> Perceptions and Value

Rory Sutherland, advertising guru with Ogilvy, uses advertising and branding to explore the relationship between our perceptions and the actual value of a product or experience. Not that perception nullifies value, but that it greatly affects how that value is understood and experienced. There's a great quote from GK Chesterton at the end,

"We are perishing for want of wonder, not for want of wonders."