The slang of creative work.

So, for years I've had a huge pet peeve about people using words that are verbs and adjectives as nouns in the place of business. For some reason it runs unleashed in the creative world.

For example, often times I am referred to as a creative. I wonder what they mean. A creative what? A creative dancer? A creative painter? A creative nose picker? That last noun is left off and replaced by creative. I appreciate the compliment...I try hard to be creative, but please identify me as something more than an adjective.

I don't call you a blue, or a green, or a fast. It just 'don't make 'no sense.

And then there's production. We have producers. We produce. We also do production. From my experience, producers are lame-o creatives that never produced, so they became producers. Make sense. Are you with me so far?

I do production when I am not doing creative. Because production doesn't involve creative. But producers are considered part of the creative, they just don't really produce anything.

Do you see my quandary?

So, lets all try to keep our nouns and adjectives straight, and for goodness sake, form a complete sentence. I know it's hip and cool to talk like this, but it drives me insane.

Next time you get the urge to refer to someone as a good creative...go the extra mile. Slap a noun on the end there, like "a good creative illustrator", or "a good creative designer," they'll appreciate the sentiment.

The Old Man Car.

I just purchased a brand new, left-over 2006 Toyota Camry this weekend.

We got a good deal on it, so we went ahead and bought it. I don't have any regrets, and I really like driving it. It's actually fun to drive.

Lauren likes it too. She likes it's comfort and quiet interior. She does, however, like to call it a "dorky old man's car".

I keep showing her what I'm going to do with it once it's paid off. New rims and tires, maybe a body kit so it looks like a GP car, for sure a rear spoiler and tinted windows. It's going to be my pre-midlife crisis! For now, though, it is technically a "family sedan". That's just until I get under the hood and soup that baby up a little. (post warranty and pay-off, of course)

She just rolls her eyes and says "Yeah, right. Dorky old man car."

So anyway, I'm happy with it. I took some people to lunch today just so I could drive it some more. It's just fun! As with anything, I'm sure it will get old, but it's an import. And like a co-worker was saying, imports are easy to soup up, so I can always have something to tinker with! Who knows, if the car lasts 16 years it may be the perfect first car for the twins!

Somedays you're the dog. Other days the hydrant.

That pretty much describes my week so far. Completely crapped on..

I'm selling my Ranger to purchase a Honda Civic. Hopefully my truck will sell before August, because that's our limit on this ordeal. If it isn't gone by then I'll go to a dealership and deal with the sleazeball salesmen.

Have I mentioned I hate salespeople?

Sorry for the strong language...but that's how I feel. They'll lie to you while looking right into your eyes. I can't do that. Maybe because I have a conscious. That little voice in my head that points out right from wrong. You know the one?

Anyway, if you know someone with a good 05 Civic and they are going to be selling it in the next few months, let me know. I'm in the market.

1st Annual Moto-Electro Grand Prix

You know we're always looking for something fun to do at lunch time here at work. It's not enough that we ride little motorcycles around in the hallways some days. No. We have to go outside and RACE them.

Of course, I don't own one of the little electric bikes, so I was stuck being the photographer...again.

I did take a few laps after the race was over. Anyway, take a look at the photos. (link below) Shawn, the guy on the red sportbike, beat Bill, on his chopper.

Interesting enough, they both own and ride full sized bikes - Shawn on a sportbike, and bill on a chopper!

Here are the photos. Enjoy!

It's a girl(s)!

So, today we found out we are having twin girls!

I've been holding off writing the news because we had a bit of a scare. On Friday, the week before last, Lauren went in for a routine baby check up and was told that she seemed very big for being 16 weeks along. They wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure it was all ok.

Well, they got in there and found two babies...twins! They thought that they were sharing an amniotic sack, however, which can be a very high risk pregnancy. They call it monoamniotic twins.

Upon getting this news I had a little mini melt down, and got right on the internet (because that's the safest place to find information...right?) and looked up "twins in the same sack". What I found was horrifying. The odds were stacked against these twins. Immediately a lump formed in my throat and every other thought in my mind was "what if....".

Finally today the lump went away when we went for a Level II ultrasound at the specialist, and they saw the membrane right away. They did measurements and looked at them both and said they both were right on target for where they should be, and it all looked good. They answered all of our questions, like "does the membrane ever rupture", and "can we still go to Hawaii", and we were out of the office in about an hour, relieved and overjoyed by the news of two little healthy girls.

Now it just looks like I'm going to have to find some way to keep my masculinity in a house full of girls. Chachi and I are outnumbered. I think I'll sleep with an old carburetor under my pillow, and maybe smear some oil on my pajamas to help out....

Just reminiscing about my inept social skills.

So maybe I'm alone in this, but does anyone else have those moments in life, usually when you are meeting new people, where you say or do something so completely clumsey and awkward you feel like a baby giraffe learning to walk?

I do it all the time.

Yesterday, though, someone said something to me and I just had to laugh about a situation that happened about 5 years ago.

I was an intern, and I'd just started my first intership at a company I went on to work for, Brainstorm (www.getzapped.com). I was nervous as could be, just starting out and not knowing if my skills were good enough, if I was going to get along with people, or if I'd be the outcast. Or if I had applied sufficient deodorant to get through the day...

So, I'm there, just settling into my new intern station. I had to set up my own computer, desk, the works. Apparently they had only had one other intern previously, and they had moved the station around. So I'm there, on my knees under the desk plugging things in and moving things around, and one of the partners that owns the company, Jim, comes in.

"Hey there, you must be Tom."

"Uh...yeah. Yes...I mean, yes I am Tom..." - nervous laughing from me...

"So how's your first day been so far?"

"Oh, pretty good...I mean for my first day. Well, great... I mean I'm really glad to be here. I hope that came out right..." - more stupid laughing...

"Well great. If you need anything, just let me know. It's great to have you aboard."

"Oh, well thank you! It's great to have you aboard, too."

Huh?

Jim smiled and walked out of the room. I could just imagine him scratching his head on his way back to his office. "It's great to have you aboard, too?" What?

I do that kind of crap all the time...