:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

Things I'm thankful for:

- My friends

- My health

- The new U2 Album (seriously, it's really good)

- Miami weather

- Bacon

- Ribs

- Pork chops

- Pretty much the pig in general

- My guitar, Lilly

- Knowing I have what it takes to make it in this business

- Beer (but that's every day)

- Fat guys who play football

- Old guys who still plays sports

- Holly McPeak's abs. I mean, golly

- Fresh Krispy Kremes. I mean, holy crap

- Latin girls in mini-skirts in the middle of November

- Really, life in general

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. =) And remember everyone, it's not all about eating turkey. It's also about eating mashed potatoes, butternut squash, creamed corn...

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:25 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: See Lance Ride ::

Trying to go into the business of making commercials, there are always a few I can think of at any given moment that I like. But there's one that I've been watching over and over again that is, is my opinion, is one of the best sports commercials out there. It's Nike's "See Lance Ride" spot.

The opening, an aerial shot over the Northern California surf and flying in on Lance, is epic and yet, intimate. The enormity of his accomplishments over the last six years is obvious. But just as prominent are the sacrifices he made fighting his personal battles and the isolation that followed.

No voice over. No explanation. Just the pounding surf, and the only soundtrack are some simple chords picked on a guitar and some subtle humming woman's voice. There are no lyrics, and it embodies his journey: quiet, yet intense, unwavering. You're drawn in.

Then he's speeding alongside a train. There's a flock of geese flying in formation with him as the lead, a gang of Hell's Angels riding with him mimicking his support team, and a group of cancer kids rushing to the hospital window for a mere glimpse. You see a herd of buffalo stampeding across the plains, kids chasing him through the rain, fireflies and bats guiding him through a tunnel, a pack of city cyclists through the hills of San Francisco, all following his lead eager to share his journey. Finally, a little boy wearing a football helmet riding a BMX, straining to catch up with Armstrong.

My first viewing of this spot gave me goosebumps and... I admit, it got my eyes a little watery.

You slowly realize that this isn't just about a multiple Tour de France winner. It's about the connection between him and his influence on the things that surround him. It works both ways, really. The old man on the train watches him with a quiet serenity. When Armstrong raises his fist, it's both to inspire the kids to keep fighting as well as a gesture of gratitude for sharing his journey. There are more kids leaving the shelter of a tunnel to brave the weather hoping to somehow extend their few moments with greatness. The enthusiasm of his fellow cyclists in San Francisco, none of who will ever win even one title, yet they use him as motivation to pursue their passion for no other reason than their love of cycling. Their drive and fervor in turn feeds him.

My favorite part: in the final moments, when the boy in the helmet rides up, when you see the shot of his front wheel pulling up to Armstrong’s bike, you wonder whether the hero is pulling the kid or the kid is pushing the hero.

Armstrong's battles with cancer is there, as well his personal battles and sacrifices – the way he's inspired others to stay strong in their own battles, and the way those stories fuel him through the pain of hard climbs and long hauls on the course.

I'm not a cyclist, I never wore those yellow bracelets, and for that matter, I don't own anything Nike. I've never suffered through any life-threatening illness and the most debilitating sports injury I've had is a sprained knee. But like Lance Armstrong, I'm just another guy living a life with numerous peaks and valleys. And like anyone, when I'm in a valley I look to something... anything... to give me a lift. A sign, a rope, an outstretched hand to pull me out of the miry clay. Anything that can elevate me so I can get ensconced in a peak before the bottom falls out yet again.

And in many ways, this commercial does that for me. I know I'm gushing and some of you might think I'm just a sucker for a promotion of capitalism disguised as art. Yeah, you see that ubiquitous "swoosh" at the end but it's not about that. It's an inspiration as much as it's a firm kick in the ass. And the reason it works for me is it doesn’t make me want to buy anything. It makes me want to do... something. Anything. Go for a run. Read a novel. Work on concepts till my ears bleed. Take steps to become a better man. Or maybe I'm in one of my moments where I need some inspiration.

I've been watching this spot a lot lately.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 6:47 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Just... so South Beach ::

I would have posted this sooner had I not been so busy this week (pulling my hair out).

Imagine if you will, four shirtless guys in pants and sandals hanging out behind the Mirador Apartments... fishing. We went snapper fishing off the pier behind the pool area last Friday to and while none of us thought twice, it probably made for an odd sight. Seeing a group of shirtless guys is quintessential South Beach. Just not when they're fishing, drinking trailer-trash beer (Miller High Life), and gutting fish for bait - which entails having to touch "icky stuff" in gay-speak - while sporting face scruff and untouched body hair.

It was catch-and-release since everything we caught was rather small but that wasn't the point. There's that old saying: "the worst day of fishing still beats the best day at work." None of us had particularly great weeks and EJ and I were especially tired since we were up until 5:30am finishing up stuff for that days's presentation.

By the way, my life at this point, is reduced to doing projects and counting down the days till I can go buy that new U2 CD. I can't wait.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 12:03 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Such a Fucking Klutz ::

It's weeks like this that remind me why I should never get drunk again. Ever.

I bought my first pair of Oakley's in 7 years from ebay 2 months ago thinking I was free of my "sunglass curse" - my propensity for losing, breaking, or irrepairably damaging expensive shades.

This happens last Saturday: I'm walking with some friends on the sidewalk. One of the guys behind me asks me a question so I turn around and reply to him. I end up walking with my head turned around for a good ten feet or so on a narrow sidewalk. Our chat is over, I start to turn back forward, only to walk face-first into a signpost. And I walk pretty fast.

So now there's a two deep, nasty, inch-long scratches on the left side, right in my field of vision. Unlike the Bambino, my curse seems to be alive and well. Fortunately, the lenses are easily interchangable, but still.

Wednesday, I'm at class at the Crispin office. It's held in a conference room with all glass doors. Back up to earlier that day, when I drag myself out of bed after going to sleep around 6:00am.

So now its about 8:30, I'm a little tired, and I have a lot on my mind. I'm walking back to the conference room after a bathroom break. Thoughts about Friday's presentation is first and foremost in my mind. I'm the type to put my hand on my head when I'm deep in thought. As I approach the room, I start rubbing my eye... only to walk face-first into a glass door. Again, I don't walk slow so I'm honestly surprised that the door didn't break. So now I have nice little knot on my forehead right above my left eye. I can honestly say that's my first classroom-related injury.

This is why I don't get drunk. I'm dangerous enough sober.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:18 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Oh by the way, on the off chance that anyone who read the previous post has any idea what/who the hell I'm talking about, I implore you... SHUT UP.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:00 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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Buddy: So what are you doing tonight?

Me: I'm gonna stay home and do homework. What about you?

B: I'm not sure yet.

M: Weren't some of you talking about [going out] tonight?

B: Yeah, Cathy* (* = name has been changed) is all about the [going out].

M: (Chuckle) Yeah.

B: You should call her and see what's up

M: I don't have her number.

B: I can give it to you.

M: Nah.

B: You sure?

M: Yeah, I'd feel weird calling someone unless I got the number from them.

B: You know Cathy is single again.

M: (Pause) Again? Wait, what?

B: Yeah, her and [that guy] broke things off.

M: Oh...

... (pointless inane chatter about [that guy])

M: Why are you telling me this?

B: You guys seem to really hit it off the other night.

M: Oh...

B: She's really pretty.

M: (Sarcastically) I saw that.

B: You date [ethnicity deleted] girls?

M: I have.

B: There you go.

M: Oh...

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 10:29 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Four More Years Pt. II ::

I can understand the bitterness expressed by some Democrats I know over the election results but what I can't understand is their desire for the President to fail. Really? It's one thing to spew hyperbole when you're angry but is the collapse of the Administration in anyone's best interest? I never once voted for Clinton but as long as he was in office, he's my President and a fellow resident of the United States and never once did I want him to fail. (I just never got that vibe.) Sometimes, I don't understand Americans.

For that matter, I'm never more ashamed of our country than when national elections are being held. From the perspective of some of the foreign students in my school, our level of apathy and ignorance is appalling and I couldn't disagree. There isn't anything wrong with the Electoral process, per se. It's the way candidates run that makes me want to vomit. It's a throwback to high school popularity contests where the absolute worst thing a candidate can do is - get this - look bad on TV.

This was never more apparent than in 1992 during the Quayle/Gore/Stockdale Vice Presidential debates. The media lambasted VP nominee James Stockdale after that for simply saying he needed to turn up his hearing aid. Given the utter lack of civility during the debate, it's a wonder that anyone with normal hearing was able to comprehend anything. But let's ignore that and pick on the old fart with the earpiece. Let's also ignore the fact the guy was a decorated (two Purple Hearts, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, three Distinguished Service Medals, four Silver Star Medals, and the Congressional Medal of Honor) war hero in Vietnam. He was one of the first ones in and the last ones out in a conflict that our past two Presidents were too chickenshit to sully their hands with. Let's also forget that he's a published author and highly respected Professor at Stanford University. Forget that he was the Vice Presidential nominee, a backup position - something he was grossly overqualified for - that's little more than a glorified advisor that could probably be held by some idiot picked out of the Sox lineup. Let's ignore all that and focus on his most heinous sin: he looked bad on TV.

If anyone has any right to be bitter it's Howard Dean. One Democrat I would have voted for without hesitation because he's the one Democrat that actually might be looking out for the little guy. He had a plan; he not only pointed out what was wrong but offered solutions, he didn't vacillate wildly on issues, and he spoke with an almost unpolished candor that expressed his genuine desire for a better America. And what was his downfall? That yell. I admit, I laughed when he became fodder for late night monologues but when it became the subject of derision on CNN, MSNBC, and local news, my heart sank. I mean geez, even Kerry was mocked for being too stodgy. Yeah? When the hell did charisma become a job requirement?

There's nothing wrong with our electoral process. The fault lies with the majority of the voters out there who continue to sleepwalk through the process and go with the tide of popularity instead of the guy with substance. It almost seems like Americans would rather vote for the guy that lets them bitch about politics than the guy that might elevate the office to something more respected than, say, lawyers or gay porn stars. To the few out there who also try to vote with substance, well, I suppose it could be worse.

ANYWAY, rant over, I'm getting off the soapbox. Here's to four more years. I need a drink.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 2:50 PM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Four More Years. Greeeaaaat. ::

So it's starting to look like four more years of Bush, though it's still a little too soon to tell. As a lifelong Republican, I should be happy about this but I'm not. I was never a Bush fan, having voted for McCain back in 2000 but he was still a better option than Gore.

This time around, I was really hoping Kerry would give me a good reason to vote for him but his entire platform was "I'm not Dubya." No mention of any plans to fix what's wrong, no firm platform, endless streams of vague answers, and constantly vascilating on issues. Nothing but "I'm not Dubya." This guy reminds of the guy who's most vocal when complaining or pointing out other's flaws but shuts up when asked how to make it better. You know the type and you all know at least two or three people like that.

This is what it came down to for me: If I voted for Bush, I'd feel dirty. If I voted for Kerry, I'd feel like an idiot. Now, I've felt like an idiot before and more than likely will again in the future. I hate it, but I can deal with it. However, I don't like feeling dirty. This is by far the worst case of "lesser of two suckfests" I've seen in a while.

Four more years of... what? God only knows and indeed, God help us all.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:19 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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:: Boo! Or not. ::

This year's Halloween wasn't as odd as last year's but it was still fun. I wasn't sure what to dress up as until I got an invite from a student to a pig roast. Right then I thought "Luau!" "Hawaiian theme!" I got a costume!

My original plan was to wear a grass skirt and a white shirt with a coconut bra painted on the chest. It went awry when I discovered that the skirt I bought wouldn't go all the way around my waist. (I guess I'm a little bigger than your average hula girl. What only girls wear grass skirts?! Oh really? Never mind.) I improvised by cutting it in half turning them into grass leggings hula-boy style. I finished it off with a blue lei that matched the flowers on my board shorts.

All of the partying was done on Saturday. A few of us went to that pig roast first and stuffed ourselves full of swine. I gotta tell ya, few things are better than a chunk of pork sliced fresh off the pig after it was cooked over an open fire. I ate quite a bit, which I'm pretty sure you assumed already.

The party at school later that night was a little blah but the costumes were pretty cool. There were a couple of, um, couples that paired up. One had a guy dressed as a plug and the girl dressed as a socket. The another couple dressed liked they were from ancient Rome. My favorite was the husband dressed as Samuel Adams and the wife dressed as the St. Pauli Girl.

Today was relatively mild. Only thing students had to do was show up at soccer Sunday in some sort of git-up. I played in my grass leggings which made an amusing swishing sound whenver I ran. They didn't really help much though when I was playing goalie and got a soccer ball in the "man-berries" as one girl called them. Other than the fact that I'm singing soprano for the next week, it was a fun weekend.

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 1:15 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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