When I need to concentrate on work, I find myself listening to either classical music or jazz.
As I unpacked the boxes in my new apartment this weekend, I discovered some old favorites. At the moment I'm listening to the incomparable Mitsuko Uchida playing Mozart's Piano Sonata in A (KV 331). Quite a lovely and familiar piece.
Just the thing for when I need to concentrate.
I was thinking about torrent popularity the other night while looking to see what was available.
I found it very interesting that some shows (Sopranos, Alias, 24, The Unit) are very easily findable and have many seeders. But others, touted by the networks as "hits", seem to have very few adherents (Thief, Heist).
Given that one might think that the audience demographic ("demo" in ad terms) is the largely the same for all these shows I'm wondering if a "torrent popularity index" might not prove a useful barometer of whether a show will thrive or even survive.
Sort of puts the lie to Nielsen ratings and network claims to my mind..
I'm dying from the pollen right now. Ending up taking an Allegra every 12 hours or so to stay functional. I know it's decreasing my mental acuity but I don't have a lot of choice I think.. it's either that or weep and cough all the time.
On the plus side, I've discovered an odd phenomenon that we don't see out west. Here the row houses (typical architecture within the city) are in long blocks. They have long since paved over their yards in front or they are tiny, sad patches. But that doesn't stop residents from getting out. Most houses seem to have a couple of chairs out front, even fronting on busy streets.
I've seen people of all ages sitting out, reading a paper, at all times of day. Kind of cool really.. a vestige of an age gone by I think. From Laura's house on the porch it's possible to look left or right and see the front porches of a dozen houses, all of which might have someone sitting out.
I think there are great photographic possibilities if I walk in some of these neighborhoods and bring my 90 and 35 lenses.
I went to the Addy's last night and was gratified to see that my new firm was probably tops in the Baltimore region. There is an agency that reports larger billings but it felt like we won more (8 gold, 3 silvers, Best of Show in Broadcast).
Our interactive pieces weren't represented at all, not really surprising since we didn't have a very big group last year. I anticipate that the coming six months will see some nice design though and that we will finish on top in the Interactive category next year. Famous last words, but I've got confidence that we can excel.
Talent doesn't abound (in design terms) the way it seems to in the SF area. I always presumed that talent was spread around evenly with major cities but I now think there really is something to the Fin-de-Siecle theory. San Francisco in the late 90's was exceptional. I hired some really extraordinary designers without a hell of a lot of effort.
It's taking more effort here, surprisingly. That said, I believe it'll get better.
There are some basic rules of moving I've learned over as many moves as I have years:
I had some extra French bread (stale) and rather than throwing it in the garbage, I thought to give it to the animals in my new neighborhood. For a city neighborhood, we have lots of trees, and a creek and a wooded area nearby and I've noticed both squirrels and lots of birds - including some raptors.
Thinking that someone would like the bread, I threw it off my porch two days ago. Last night, I came home to see that it had disappeared. I was very happy that it hadn't gone to waste.
About an hour later I'm settling in to a chair in my living room, catching up on an episode of the Sopranos, and I hear a scrabbling at the corner window. I walk over, and who is it but my friendly neighborhood squirrel. Now I'm on the second floor and the house has a wood siding so he was able to climb up it like it was a tree.
I opened the window and leaned out and saw the little fellow just below the window. In his mouth was a large piece of French bread. He was apparently looking for a safe place to chow down.
Made my evening.
So far, I really quite like Baltimore. It's a bit strange moving to a city where I know so few people. My best friend here in the city has very little time for me because she is dealing with separating from her ex- and taking care of two little children so most days I find myself on my own.
I spend 12 hrs a day (on average) at work and am just disinterested in unpacking when I get home.. but I know it has to be done, so that is my weekend until I do get it done. Part of the problem is not having enough storage for anything - I unwisely chose an old house in a nice neighborhood and it didn't really register that the stairs were very narrow (three major pieces of furniture now reside in the basement) and that there was no storage (tiny closets in the rooms if one is lucky).
If it sounds like I'm complaining it's just because these are problems I haven't yet resolved. Life is good, the weather is sunny, the commute is easy, and people here at gkv are really very nice.
My office doesn't overlook the harbor but as I step out of my door I face a wall of windows with a view of the pier used by Domino Sugar. It's really very cool.. every couple of days a large freighter pulls up, having come from South America, and is emptied of cane sugar by giant cranes. It takes several days and then I guess they are back off south of the equator for another load.
It really brings home the immediacy of world commerce when you can watch goods being moved back and forth. Then, of course, I step out the doors and can smell the sugar being reduced to wonderful Tate & Lyle golden syrup. I grew up with it on my toast in England at breakfast and I still love it.
There are far worse things to smell in the morning.