Society Sucks: Strangers, Sanity & Sorrow

People on a whole treat each other like crap. It's every man for themselves and unless we're trying to sell them something, we don't give a hoot what's going on between their ears. I hate it. I truly hate it and I especially hate it when I don't even get false politeness when I'm being sold something...which happens all too often in the lower mainland of BC.

So here's a nice little life lesson we can all take away: Start giving a damn about people. If you can't muster that up, then at least respect that everyone has feelings. JUST. LIKE. YOU.

I'll give you an example.

When my brother died, I needed to visit every shopping mall I could drive to. I needed to be around noise, people and movement. I didn't buy anything and didn't want to, but I craved distraction.

Here is a snapshot of what my mental state was like in the mall:
I wanted to scream, tear my hair out, cry and fall to the floor. I wanted to shake someone and yell at them for living while my brother lied on a medical examiner's table. I wanted to knock over every display stand I saw and kick anyone who dared question me. I wanted to feel and experience anything other than the pain that was ripping through my heart.

What did all of this look like to you? A non-descript female flipping through a Photoshop magazine in a bookstore.

What I'm trying to say is you have no idea what people are carrying around with them. A smile really does go a long way and even if the other person doesn't reciprocate, it doesn't hurt to try.

And if you can't manage a smile, at least don't be a friggin' jerk.

Battlestar Galactica Posters - Frakkin' Awesome

I am a Battlestar Galactica fan - the new one, not the original crap version. If there is a show on television that any warm-blooded geek should be watching, it's Battlestar Galactica.

Here are a series of propaganda posters you can buy from ThinkGeek (22"x17"). They are a series of 5 for one low price ($29.95US). These posters are awesome and I'm seriously thinking about decorating my office with them...and bedroom...and bathroom.

I stay away from political discussions but this is one war I openly support. Defeat the cylons!!!

Click here to purchase from ThinkGeek!

Entertainment: Fun @ Work

When we started High Concept Design & Media our intentions were the same as most new business owners:

• Felt there was a gap in the services that our clients required
  
• Knew we had the experience to address their issues
  
• Convinced that we had a better work methodology that we had as an employee
  
• Figured we could make a living at it
  

Ethics and integrity played a huge role in every aspect of how we wanted to serve our customers – but for ourselves, we wanted to deliver one thing: fun in the workplace!

I don't mean fun like Michael Scott in The Office – but rather we made it our mission to incorporate the things that we love into our day to day.

Spending time with great people- check

Producing cool artwork and design – check

Fulfilling work – check

We have managed to take the things we love – art, friends, design, comics, film & entertainment and make them part of every day – the result is that the line between work and fun disappears and every day we are excited to get up and dig into what is lying before us.

Make your life your passion and you too can consider every task something you get to do rather than something you have got to do.

Katie's Movie Review - March 2008

There's something about being incredibly busy that makes me want to spend all my "free" time collapsed in front of the television. Here is my ridiculously LONG! shameful list of 'new to me' movies I've watched in the last 4 weeks.

Definitely, Maybe (2007)

A political consultant tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter.

STRONGLY RECOMMEND
This movie was fantastically charming and witty. I enjoyed the simple story premise and the delightful characters. Ryan Reynolds shines in a role that was built for him. Don't write this movie off as fluff - but don't rent it expecting twist-endings or epic adventures. It's a very well-done film that deserves an audience.

White Noise 2: The Light (2007)

A man's family is killed and he is brought back from the verge of death, he then realises he can identify people who are about to die.

RECOMMEND
Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff. Shouldn't that be enough?! I did NOT LIKE White Noise. This movie is a departure from that and is an entirely different story (with one simple common thread). The movie was very enjoyable and well done, but the ending got a tad too cheesy. Otherwise, I liked this movie quite a bit. C'mon - NATHAN FILLION AND KATEE SACKHOFF! Dude... It can't get better than that. Okay, maybe we could've used some nudity ;)


Dan In Real Life (2007)

A widower finds out the woman he fell in love with is his brother's girlfriend.

RECOMMEND
I wrote this movie off at first. I am glad that I was very much wrong. For once, a "situational family movie" made me want to be a part of their group. I usually want to run screaming. However, everyone was portrayed realistically without stalling the storyline. Juliette Binoche shined gracefully throughout and nicely complimented Steve Carell's subtle character. A very surprising, funny and sweet movie. Side-note: This is a true family movie. There was no nudity and I didn't notice any curse words.


North Country (2005)

A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States.

RECOMMEND
I don't usually enjoy court-case dramas, but this movie is nicely edited to tell you a story along the way. Nothing was over-the-top and kept everything in a realistic framework. However, I did find the movie stalled a couple of times but nothing too bad. Also, I'm not a big Woody Harrelson fan but I actually liked him quite a bit in this one - a nice departure from his typical characters.

The Notebook (2004)

The movie focuses on an old man reading a love story to an old woman in a nursing home.

RECOMMEND
Okay, I'm not the softest-heart out there. Alright, I can be downright cold sometimes but I have been known to enjoy the occasional love story (especially if they're not crap). This movie was over-hyped but still a nice little picture. The storyline was extremely predictable and I had the whole thing figured out within minutes of the opening lines. That said, I still enjoyed the story and found the two characters riveting. A great story for lazy afternoons.

The Last Mimzy (2007)

Two siblings begin to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of toys.

RECOMMEND (FOR KIDS)
I felt this story was missing something, but I can't tell what that is. I am writing it off as "this is a movie for kids and my intelligence is too ridiculously high to enjoy such bland, in your face dialogue." But if that were the case, you'd think I wouldn't own half the movies I do. Whatever the case, there is nothing wrong with this movie. The Last Mimzy has a great story idea, fully developed characters and a constantly moving plot. It's just not my cup of tea.



Beowulf (2007)

The warrior Beowulf must fight and defeat the monster Grendel who is terrorizing towns, and later, Grendel's mother, who begins killing out of revenge.

RECOMMEND (IF YOU'RE BORED)
I found this film sort of boring at points and riveting at others. The animation was nice but fell flat at times. The story was fine and on target, but it didn't capture me like I anticipated.

The Return (2006)

A traveling business woman begins having nightmares of a murder that occurred 15 years ago. Soon she is drawn to an old farmhouse, where the murder took place.

STAY AWAY
Oh, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah...I love your enthusiasm for the horror genre but it's time to move on sweetie. I adored you in Buffy. You rocked in Simply Irresistible and Cruel Intentions. I even loved you in Scooby Doo. But please leave horror alone for awhile. You act your butt off and deserve a MUCH better script than 'The Return.' This movie was BORING and PREDICTABLE. I kept waiting for something to happen and finally hung around to see if the ending at least gave me a twist, but alas, it was all as I predicted. Hey, at least it was the movie channel and I didn't pay admission.


Want More? Read Katie's Movie Review - February 2008

Our World is Wrong: Intruder Safety

I'm scared of the boogeyman. I admit it.

I'm terrified that I will wake up one night to a knife at my throat or in a pool of blood. That's the life we live in now. A life where I obsessively check all my locks before bed and sleep with a hunting knife in my headboard.

Here are some over-the-top intruder-safety inventions. One is more defensive, the other offensive. Personally, I'm just going to stick with my knife.

The Back-Up: Easily mount your shot-gun within arm's reach! This takes napping to a whole new level... Visit their website

The Quantum Sleeper: A safe room built around a bed. Start practicing for your coffin today... Visit their website

My biggest fear about intruders? That I'll kill them brutally and without hesitation. And how I'll explain it to the police when they come for the pieces.

Our world is wrong.

Following the Process

We do lots of things here at High Concept, but at our core we are a design company.

I pride myself on applying due diligence when it comes to consulting and developing a solution that fits each specific client – but like everyone else, I am not perfect and sometimes our first outing (our second, or third) we produce nothing but a dud.

This week I had a painful reminder that no matter how well you like and think you know a client that ultimately you need to step back and follow the process. No assumptions, no pre-conceived notions – simply follow the process, regardless of who they are. The better you know them, the more you like them, the more they deserve it.

We have a pretty structured approach to our design process and generally it allows a lot of collaborating and opportunity for the client to be involved in the design process, but at the end of the day we are being engaged (and paid) to take what the client requests and bring our experience and skill to the table to deliver something that represents the best of both worlds – something better.

In this case, I short changed the process and essentially sent the message that we didn’t show up ready to play our best game.

Even with all our experience, taste is simply subjective; sometimes you hit it out of the park on the first try and sometimes the game is one with base hits and the occasional sacrifice over a number of times at bat. Sometimes your homerun hitter is only popping out and you need to reach into your bullpen to find somebody who can hit some of those curve balls.

In other words, you have to do what it takes to win. The needs of our clients are at the heart of everything we do and when we fail them, when we shake their faith in us, we are simply not doing our job.

That kind of failure is simply not an option.

All we can do now is make our apologies, learn our lesson and put our best foot forward.

Art: My Taste

I love finding art objects that speak to me.

I don't care how about the price, but it has to be quirky, unique or have a story behind it. There are figurines on my shelf that look ugly as sin, but because they were my grandma's, I will claw out someone's eyes if they try to take them down.

In my house you will find comic figurines, movie memorabilia, African art, family photos, muppets, and a random mish-mash of furniture. I have no style and I don't care. I'm comfortable and surrounded by memories. I hate to throw pictures on a wall that don't serve a purpose. If I wanted that, I'd just go to Wal-mart and buy those classic art frames or inspiration posters. Or maybe a "Hang In There" kitty picture - those are unique, right?

Here are a few of my favorite pieces:

This hand-carved, wooden figurine was purchased on a cruise stop in Ensenada, Mexico. It's very small and light weight. All details are also hand-painted. I love the contrast of beauty against the skeletal figure.

My husband surprised me with this picture after taking a trip on the ferry from Vancouver Island. There is a local gentleman that makes these art pieces by cutting a single sheet of paper. You can visit his website at http://www.amazingislandart.com/.

I love Strange Brew. I thought it was only fitting that I have Bob and Doug in my house as well. This figurine set was designed by Todd McFarlane. You can view the website at http://www.spawn.com/toys/series.aspx?series=7.