Inlay, in my opinion, is the first blush of what art critics today call "process art." The work of selecting and manipulating materials echo in a finished piece. The interaction of the bending of the artist's intentions to the constraints of the medium and the medium's conformity to a final design, though intentionally hidden, still linger in the edges and curves of wood, shell, and bone.

Back of a truly excellent work of inlay lies a deep understanding and creativity on the artist's part. Not only are there dozens of wood varieties (each with their own resonance, timber, and 'sustain'), but even more types of shell that vary in luster, color, texture, and value. Some shells even change appearance depending on the light or the direction from which you view the material.

The remarkable thing about Stan is his encyclopedic understanding of the materials and their acoustic value. Also, his workshop (you can find photos on his website) is pretty awesome! You can even commission a custom guitar of your own through the site (link above in the first line of this entry)!

I would wish upon the good residents of our great nation's capitol a Purple Line! It would be a line to unite all lines! It would be a grand circulator that would bring people to Langley, Georgetown, and the National Arboretum. Having another point of departure from Reagan International would be pretty nifty, too!

To my friends that would visit this area any time soon, you'll see that there are a great number of places worth checking out that aren't that close to the metro. Conversely, you'll find that you really don't want to be on the metro in some places (Metro Center or Gallery Place/China Town) because of the high volume of commuters. I think that a Purple line would relieve some of the congestion in the system and make a lot of people very happy.

2) Larry Torrez, former Disney animator and illustrator extraordinaire, has most recently completed work for various US Government education and awareness projects including the US Mint kids' site and various other projects for the FDA, CDC, and American Lung Association. I had the privilege of working with Larry on projects for the National HIV/AIDS Partnership. I learned a whole lot about the importance of telling a story with everything you do because aesthetics alone doesn't impress people as much as designers assume it does. I really like how adaptable Larry's style is to the constraints of the project. His style has a friendly and familiar appeal that works well with materials geared toward just about every age level and demographic. His work never looks out-of-place.

3) Tim Biskup's portfolio really speaks for itself. His collaborative work is so interesting to me. I would have loved to do some collaborative stuff while completing my undergrad degree.

4) Vladimir Tretchikoff's life (let alone his art) was quite remarkable. I'm attracted to his art because it often combines very raw sketching and fully developed realism in the same piece. It's like getting a backstage pass into the artists' performance. Or maybe it's like seeing a Thornton Wilder production. Also, Vlad is just flat out good at what he does.

5) Elly Kalagayan (whose work is grossly unrepresented online, much to my dismay) is by far the person with the greatest influence on me as a designer. What was the most important thing you learned from him, you ask? Well, though I can't say that it was a patent lesson, I definitely learned not to give up on a design (and when to quit). I'd often have a project on my table that I'd play with; then, thinking that I was pretty much finished, I'd show it to him (now, mind you, usually at this point what I had to show was complete trash). He'd look at it with a reticent expression (though definitely thoughtful) and say, "OK, just keep going." Initially, this was pretty frustrating. I really wanted to hear, "move that there and change that color and make that larger." Eventually I'd figure it out and arrive at something worth publishing. The flip side to learning to never be satisfied with your design is knowing when to stop. The story is much the same for that lesson, too. Elly's impeccable attention to detail makes everything he works on turn to gold. He's also an excellent typographer with a knack for custom lettering and a master of bezier awesomeness.

- C. S. lewis, Mere Christianity

Applying the leaf was a dual practice in patience and not needing to breath. But most of my readers who are experts in reattaching sun-burned skin flakes to the tender shoulder with a slow-drying glue and brush-on sealer would have little trouble mastering the art.

The unframed piece is 17x30cm oil and gold leaf on board and resides upon my desk at work. Poor-quality image was produced with uncontrolled natural light and a Casio Exilim EX-Z200.

Intellectuals, the ones who bathe in public, do so in only the modest of swim wear.

I used a Wacom Bamboo Fun to execute fifteen illustrations for each lesson. I enjoyed getting to exercise the skills I learned in illustration class. I can't say that all of the pieces are stellar, but I like how they work together as an ensemble in the book. I'll post a scan of the cover once I get the blue-line from the printer (the foil stamping and stuff that are on the cover don't simulate well with those nifty Photoshop filters).

I hope that you continue to read and contribute. Dailey also takes submissions of print design from the public at large. If you would like your print design work featured or if you know an artist/designer whose work deserves some public attention then email a sample of the work (or portfolio website, or what-have-you) to Dailey at dailey@daileyandmichelle.com.

"ok, so my domain name, daileycrafton.com, expired, and i believe it was snarfed soon after. on some computers, my site still shows up, but on others, some spam site under daileycrafton.com shows up. it’s very strange. anyway, i tried to renew daileycrafton.com, but was unable because someone else bought it. so i will be moving everything to daileycrafton.net, please change all of your links to reflect this change."

- Why Beauty Is Truth: A History of Symmetry by Ian Stewart, a concise history of the development of number theory from Babylonian sales receipts to quantum physics.
- From The Easy Chair by George William Curtis, a book recounting the author's various experiences among 1880s New York City cultured.
- Captain Bligh and Mr Christian by Richard Hough, about the circumstances that preceded the infamous mutiny and the events that followed.
- Stop-Time: A Memoir by Frank Conroy, about, well, being a boy and doing boy things.
- Darwin's Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution by Michael J. Behe, about molecular biology and the Darwinian model for the development of cellular structures and systems.

So, as you can see, as a reader I'm pretty schizophrenic.

One thing that I really enjoy about reading across varying topics is seeing how each author treats the paragraph, how they transition, address a theme, assemble the thoughts, terminate. Maybe what I'm talking about is what folks with English degrees would call 'voice.' Whenever I read an especially good one I utter a muted bravo and re-read it.

The last time I remember thinking of the paragraph as a self-contained unit was back in grade school. I think it was covered somewhere between sentences and haiku. I doubt that there would be much interest outside of an English class for admiring the humble paragraph as a stand-alone language art form (perhaps as something similar to non-rhyming poetry?). But I think that if I were to ever write a book it would probably be—quite literally—just a collection of somewhat unrelated paragraphs. This would be one of them:

"The extent of the drama in the office that Joe and I share is limited to a somewhat strained relationship between Joe and a square-shaped lady in her early 40's, mother of one. She has a crush on him. Over the last year or so she's commissioned some portraits through Joe (he does large-scale graphite portraits from photos). Also, she calls him constantly here at the office. Just checking up.
Joe knows when it's her because of the heavy breathing on the other end of the line. I know when she's called because Joe's side of the conversation goes something like, "Hey, this is Joe...[sigh]...great...just very busy...yeah, very busy...well, there you have it...busy...no, I can't come down to the first floor to see you, I've got work...bye." Just a few minutes ago she called to arrange another portrait of three or so people merged together into one frame. It sounded more like she was trying to make conversation about the one tie that holds their relationship together. In case you're wondering, yes, he charges for the artwork. Basically, he's selling his art to her and denying her the under-the-table emotional dependence that artists have historically shared with their patrons. He's just going through the motions and collecting the check. She keeps coming back for more. That's about the extent of the drama in our office."

Or something like that. I've got about three hours in a week-day to polish it.

- let others know who tagged you.
- post 8 random facts about yourself.
- post these rules.
- tag 8 others to continue the meme

2) I stopped reading books while riding the train to work. Now I slowly cut them into little pieces.

3) I prefer Dunkin Donuts coffee over Starbucks.

4) I closely follow emerging fashion trends to stay up-to-date on what to expect to see in the mainstream in coming months/years. It gives me an edge as a designer; helps me anticipate market trends and respond in advance. By the way, the Perry Ellis 2008 spring collection is pretty sweet.

5) I hate making the bed but I love slipping between taught, smooth, perfectly lined up bedding before I go to sleep.

6) I love to cook. I even re-plate/season/combine left-overs as opposed to just microwaving a salmagundi of whatever was in the fridge. You eat with your eyes first.

7) I prefer email over phoning if I have the choice. The info is easier to track and pass along. Besides, I have a horrible phone voice.

8) I had poor penmanship for quite a while. Then I changed the way I wrote certain characters (single to double-decker a and g and others) so that they conformed to my habitual pen strokes as opposed to forcing my hand to make a consistent shape that it invariably failed to execute well.

Those eight people I'm supposed to tag, they know who they are.

This stuff is great! I keep a tube of it in my desk at work and pull it out as soon as I arrive in the morning and right after lunch. I've never tried a toothpaste before that actually kept my breath very fresh for a very long time. The little breath strips definitely do their job! If halitosis plagues you then I heartily recommend this product.

I know that these have been on the market for a while now and that they aren't anything new to anyone who is familiar enough with the internet to read a blog posting, but I think that they're great. I use mine a lot while commuting. Sometimes I'll play one of the games when I'm on the metro for a while.

I keep a Firefox window open to this site all day long. Dailey, the blog's keeper, has pulled together a top-notch links list which will guide you to the best of creative graphic communications folks on the web. He also posts thought-provoking print designs from many talented artists. This site is great because it never fails to punch me through the worst case of designer's block. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Today is health awareness day at work. The HR department invited a group from a local hospital to set up a health fair in the main conference room to teach us employees about food portion sizes, exercise, bone health, the works.

The good news is that I have really good cholesterol readings with total 179 with 69 HDL and and HDL ratio of 2.6. Plus, my glucose is 102 after having a maple scone for breakfast. I really have no idea what all of that means, but the health care professional assures me that I'm in the safe zone and probably won't die of a heart attack (huzzah!).

In other news, 16.4% of me is fat. I'm technically in the "appropriate for fitness" slot, but I'm supposed to start weight training to trim off the excess.

[EDIT: I really have no idea why I posted this. Maybe you, the reader, can share your health stories to make this relevant (shot in the dark)]

Her fingers skimmed across the braille, stopping occasionally to reread a word or find the right line. Her motions were absolutely captivating. When she turned the page to read the left side of the spread she left the periodical half folded with the page resting face down on her hand. She opened the paper wider when it came time to start on the right-hand-read.

Initially I was really impressed with how quickly she could skim the pages with oddly curled middle and ring fingers. Then the designer side of me took over and couldn't believe that there was nothing to the manuscript at all. The paper must have been a heavier weight regular matte white bond, roughly 12x14" format, perfect bound, and a pretty wide gutter margin between the spine and the lines of little bumps. The whole tactile experience of it must have been very bland. True, good design gets out of the way of the message, but total disregard for the sensuous experience isn't very satisfying; it doesn't make you want the message.

So I've been thinking about what it would take to design for the blind. If I were designing a brochure for the Cherry Blossom Festival (for example) how would someone know simply by touching the piece that it is a spring event? How would the feel of the paper communicate the delicate fall of pink confetti across the steps of the Jefferson Memorial? What about the shape or weight would call to mind the Japanese influence on the landscape--before the fingers find the first word? Is there a commercial printer out there that offers a line of scented inks?

I managed to find one or two sources on making design accessible to the visually impaired. I'm interested in doing my own research into the specifics of how the average human perceives with touch.

I'm also interested in whether braille is as malleable as typography. I assume that a magazine article for the blind about grain could be spelled out using embossed barley-shaped braille dots (the way that one might substitute an apple for the letter "O" in a word). Is braille ever set in different font sizes?

2) click on the "Get Directions" tab

3) type "New York" in the first empty form field

4) type "London" in the second empty form field

5) click on the "Get Directions" button

6) closely follow directions (especially step #23)

Travel Tip #12: Make photocopies of your passport and other important identification documents to keep in luggage, purses, carry-ons, and on your person (in case your passport is lost or stolen). Store them in waterproof plastic bags.

I managed to perceive the difference between two tones which were 1.8 Hz apart which puts me in the slightly above normal spot. Can you best me?

Thoughts:
I've been thinking about how much I hate money. I find myself scrambling to ensure that what flows in matches the demand of what flows out. It is a strange and complicated beast to me still, but a new job and some guidance will hopefully chain that beast fast to the ground. I'm changing and it feels good.

I've been thinking about the man who seems to live with the newsstands outside Union Station. "They're out to get you and you DON'T EVEN KNOW IT... yes, you in the suit... you know what I mean... I've been here for seven years night and day... conspiracy is what is wrong with... I'm telling you that the reason... why not change the sense... you can't ignore the..." he blasts. He doesn't look homeless. He's a black man of no small girth. He's clean and wears his cold-weather garb as one who knows the mechanics of buttons, zippers, cuffs, laces. We exchange glances every morning on my way to the metro. I nod. He acknowledges. We share a moment of brief mutual respect and then quickly return to our regiment. I don't know what his name is, but I call him Isaiah. He sits in the gates, the juncture of transit in the city, and broadcasts his message every day. Nobody stops to listen to him. They prefer the newspaper dispensers over his speech for information regarding the future of the world. I think that the prophets would have been the same way. I can picture people going in and out of Jerusalem thousands of years ago buying and selling and speculating in the grain market, laying up earthly treasure. All the while Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Ezekiel, and the rest of the band broadcast the message. I wonder if the culture back then would have looked at a man literally on his soap-box the way today's culture looks at the man at the newsstands. I wonder if the culture of today will ultimately treat the man at the newsstands the way people treated the prophets.

I've been thinking about how I've lost my faith in the United States Government. Living and working with and among the "govies" leaves me jaded. If the government were run like a business then I am confident (and this is no over-statement) that we would rid ourselves of the national debt quite quickly. I find with every government project I work on that everything is run completely backwards. Project goals for contracts are based on spending the entirety of a budget—not with quality of end-product in mind—so that they can meet or overspend as a basis to request more money for the next fiscal year. Example: I've started work with a project that passed through the hands of about six other designers because a committee of fifty or so people had to approve every detail of a concept design. Everyone in the committee originally shot down a two-column format for a series of fact sheets because they didn't like it. Then someone in the committee attended a seminar where they learned that two-column formatting is easier to read. So, naturally, they switched designers and told the new one to use a two-column layout. Seriously, just let the designer do his job! What a waste of time and money—of OUR time and money! I could have completed a project like this in about three weeks. We're entering the seventh month of going back and forth over this one, small project. I think that I need to write a few letters.

I've been thinking about how cool it is that people voted for one of my patterns at nakedandangry.com. Hexa-herb was selected to be used on merchandise. Those who voted and emailed me, thereby qualifying themselves for free stuff from the site, can go ahead and choose something they like and let me know what they want.

I've been thinking about trust. How it is earned. How it is given. I think that it is easier for me to trust God with the things that He's proven Himself capable of handling (food, money, relationships, prayer). I know that it demonstrates a lack of faith on my part. The thing that gets me thinking is that if God can consistently prove His trustworthiness with one thing, then logically He should be worthy of trust concerning other things as well (forgiving, illuminating others, being capable of expending the kingdom without me). Trust is invested like money or time. Practicing putting stock in God's trust should be easy when you review His portfolio and see that you're guaranteed a high return on investment. Why is it so hard to invest when there is absolutely no risk?

I've been thinking about how people came to so enjoy commemorating a lost war. I write to you now from a vestibule in a coffee shop, flanked by large windows, on the corner of downtown Fredericksburg. Confederate soldiers mingle in the streets with tourists and shoppers. It is rather normal to see them on any given day in town toting their muskets and rifles, blues and greys, wilted hats. I can understand commemorating the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War marked the birth of a new nation; a new land for a free, unified people. But the Civil War is remembered as "The Lost Cause," the war between states and brothers. Do the Brits feel this way over the civil war that they lost (our Revolutionary War)? I can't help but feel uneasy around here having a "Yankee" heritage (though I was born in Louisiana; that detail at least gets my foot in the door). The statues and memorials up north celebrate courage, fortitude, prudence, and temperance in the forms of pious looking soldiers striding forward in confidence or bending to help the fallen. Southern memorials, however, commemorate the millions of yanks that fell by the hand of X company at Y place. They take the form of thick-armed men with vengeful expressions. They are thrusting their bayonet into the fallen skeleton-like effigy of a Yankee soldier begging for a mercy that to this day doesn't exist.

Church:
I am so thankful for the Body of Christ. Amber and I had been hunting for a church for some time and then God brought one right to our door. Amber has been seeing a chiropractor for some neck/shoulder tension. It was at an appointment that she met lady who's daredevil son needed treatment and whose husband is pastor to a small flock a county away. We visited the church and instantly fell in love. We've been attending for several weeks now. Hanover Baptist Church in King George County is an interesting mix of either parents and grandparents or very young children. But we all share a unity in Christ that seems to supercede age or background. The people are very sweet. We all are learning love God as best we can and exhibit His love in our lives.

Relationships:
Amber continues to be my dearest companion and truest friend. She's quite simply the most amazing person on earth and I love her. I look forward to getting off the train at the end of the day and finding her car, hearing about her day, sharing thoughts together before they're spoken. God is so good to us both in how He expresses His love for us through the earthly relationship that Amber and I share. At times I am caught spellbound at how heavenly love and earthly affection can weave and express themselves together through a single relationship. I grow more and more grateful to God for growing and guiding us together. Things aren't always easy. Circumstances aren't always comfortable. But there's grace and the promise of an easy yolk and a light burden. So in holding fast to Christ we find a tie that binds us closer to each other.

I wish that I could take all the people I love and bring them to where I am. I have to admit that it is hard to keep up with those I miss. I suppose that it reveals something about my priorities if I can't make time for people (!). Amber and I both are learning how precious it truly was to be in such close proximity to all the people with whom we felt most at home. She often refers to her core group of friends as "the family." If you're reading this then please know that you are missed. Please come visit!

Work:
I’ve recently taken a position with HMA Associates, Inc. (don’t bother visiting the website; it is old and we’re revamping the brand). I do primarily concept design work for various projects which include print, web, motion, video, and environment graphics. Naturally there is a good chunk of production to keep me busy, but the variety of work is enjoyably challenging and fun. HMA specializes in targeting multi-cultural markets (specifically the American Latino, Black, Pacific Islander, Native American and Asian demographics). The people with whom I work are incredibly talented and widely experienced. My immediate supervisor has a background in television and even worked with “The Today Show” for a while. The other designer for the company animated for Disney and still does a great deal of illustration work (I’m learning a TON from him). The guy with the office across from mine handled a lot of PR for the NBA and the Washington Wizards before joining HMA. I still haven’t really met everyone since I’ve been thrown into the middle of things at a very busy time. I’ve been meeting people on a day-to-day basis depending on whether I’m working through breaks/lunch or if I need to coordinate with someone on a project. I am loving the challenge of multi-cultural marketing. It stretches my creativity and forces me to stay current on trends in both the market and design worlds.

Design:
People have known for a while now that a lot of the world is shifting back over to an oral culture from a written culture. Growth in television and radio are the obvious evidences of how people enjoy getting their information. The vocabulary and tone of email/internet/IM correspondence offers a greater sense of immediacy compared to snail mail. People even use more conversational language as opposed to the more academic vocabulary and grammar of half a century ago.

Thinking verbally means that it is going to be increasingly difficult to communicate or sell a message to people using only mailers, tracts, brochures, or the like. These printed pieces are no longer valued as the primary source of information but are thought of more and more as the reference point. In other words, most people don’t want to be handed a brochure; they want someone to talk them through it and explain things and then say, “You can read this if you want more information.”

The paradox is that our society, because it is thinking more verbally, is thinking literally as well. So the tangible, concrete concepts are ones that most people readily grasp (hold the imagery, just give me the facts). This doesn’t mean that designers should skimp on the decoration and go hyper-minimalist. On the contrary, a literal-thinking society will respond to design that they can hold in their hands, things that can be felt and handled. Using unique papers and design that communicates a sense of dimension will speak more directly to the emerging market.

I strongly believe that the technologically dependent society that we have become will soon take an anti-technology stance in the arts and music. I say this because we already recognize in our day that technology and the ability to communicate through an increasing array of media is what drives today’s modern culture. It was at this point (historically speaking) that previous major advances in culture gave birth to their philosophical foil. The rediscovery of ancient literature incited a redefining of education that eventually caused the Renaissance. Romanticism sprung out first in art and music from the rigid glorification of logic in the Age of Reason. Hard-edged and fast-paced industrialism shifted into the Arts and Crafts as well as the Art Nouveau movements. Since history has a way of repeating itself, we can expect the first signs of an anti-tech mindset emerge from artists, musicians, and writers. It will most likely focus on the hand-made, technically difficult forms of expression. Lithography will outpace offset printing for display pieces like posters or CD covers. Musicians might imitate the synthesized sounds of computer-generated instruments in live performance. I think that hand-drawn animation of early Disney quality and artistry will come back strong in spite of how expensive it is. Stuff like that (IMHO).

Etc:
So many of the celebrated facets of human life have recently passed in my immediate acquaintance: birth, death, passage into adulthood, coming into maturity, falling out of favour, divergence and convergence of minds. All of them together are almost overwhelming. To experience all of it in so short a time changes one. Each demands attention and reflection. My tendency is to try to see the stream that I assume connects each facet to the other. I strain at a theoretical link trying to build conclusions on intangible premises. There’s no real logic in any of it. I choose to take no opinion until I decide on either abandoning the equation or realizing that there is no math to calculate the sum of these experiences. Until then, know that I care.

Soloist auditions are Monday.

:-)

1) submit a pattern
2) have people vote on your pattern
3) if your pattern wins then you get $500 and five free items from the site catalog.

You want a piece of the action?

Good luck and make me proud :-)

the links:

Antique Swirl (http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/5198/Antique_Swirl)

Egg (http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/5199/Egg)

Turning Leaf (http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/5258/Turning_Leaf)

Hexa-Herb (http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/5266/Hexa_herb)

Pink Stripe (http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/5304/Pink_Stripe)

Lunch (http://www.nakedandangry.com/pattern/5314/Lunch)

Consider this the first shout-out to my new Facebook peeps and special thank-you to Gwen for getting me plugged into the new network. Also, all the folks at VA Beach are awesome!

About two weeks ago I finally got around to watching the new Pride & Prejudice after having read the book. The movie moves way too fast. The whole thing was excruciating for me because I am something of a purist. There were things that happened at the ball that should have happened at a dinner several months later. There were conversations that took place that I thought should be the first thing that the director would put in the script. I kept thinking at regular intervals throughout the movie we totally skipped about seven chapters or I guess that quarter of the book wasn't worth acknowledging in the movie. Sheesh! The book ruined a perfectly good film.

Someone suggested that I shouldn't get around to reading any important book until after I had gotten around to seeing the book-inspired film. I might just do that.

1. One book that changed your life:

2. One book you've read more than once:

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:

4. One book that made you laugh:

5. One book that made you cry:

nothing yet, open to suggestions

6. One book that you wish had been written:

"How & Why We Did It" by the Easter Island Sculptors

7. One book you wish had never been written:

It doesn't deserve the attention

8. One book you're currently reading:

9. One book you've been meaning to read:

10. Now tag five people:

Amber
Peter
Aaron
Kilpy
Nathan

Tonight I went straightway to the grocery store after work and picked up a package of chicken breasts (four or so), 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans, 1 24oz can of diced tomoatos, a few green chilis, 1 bunch of cilantro, and a brick of extra sharp cheddar cheese.

Chicken Azteca

When I got home I brought about two cups of water in a saucpan to a boil while I cubed the chicken breasts. Then I let the chicken boil until throuroughly white to the core. Meanwhile, in a large cauldron-sized pot, I poured the whole can of tomoatos with juice, beans with juice, and strained corn to simmer. I seasoned the tomato mixture with a tablespoon of garlic salt, two table spoons of parsley, a table spoon of crushed red pepper, and a dash of the secret ingredient (I'm not even bothering to tell you about it because I know that someone who knows will divulge that information in a comment). I then pitted and cored the chilis, diced them, and added them to the soup. Once the cubed chicken was ready I put it into the tomato mixture. I saved the broth and cooked a cup of rice (whatever kind you like, really) in it and then added the rice to the tomato mixture. Then the whole shabang must be brought to a bubbling temperature before being removed from heat. Lastly, I cut the leafy-most part of the bunch of cilantro into the soup with my trusty cooking shears. The soup was ready once the cilantro had wilted into the brew.

I like this soup most with a heaping pile of cheese grated over my bowl and tortilla chips on the side. The soup also works very well as a dip (had I boiled off most of the broth and pulled the boiled chicken). It always tastes best with a little Azucar playing in the background.

Serves 6.

However, my resolve to nurture my new widget to the point of chi-pet adulthood grew. Finally, yesterday he donned a lush coat and smiled!

Now that I've won this small vicotory I think that I am going to retire the widget. If anything, it taught me that I can carve out at least a few seconds a day to nurture something. Now I'm going to invest my extra few seconds a day into somehting a little more tangible, a little less pointless.