So, after a couple of glasses of wine last night, I knew I wasn’t going to run this morning.  Guess I’m not hardcore, but that’s okay…but congrats to Nicole for finishing the 15K in under 2 hours and qualifying for guaranteed entry into the 2010 NYC Marathon!!  I’ll see you out there

Anyway, happy first snow in NYC!  The weather outside is not so frightful right now, but it sounds like the worst is still to come — close to two feet of snow is expected to accumulate overnight.  Ugh!  I busted out these puppies to take Barkley for a walk:

I know my boots aren’t particularly unsightly, but they are by far my least favorite pair of shoes.  I love looking at pictures of snow-covered city streets, but HATE walking around in the snow!  The snow immediately turns to dirty, exhaust-coated slush, and the snow and salt stain your pants every time you go outside.  Double ugh!  Also, winter is my least favorite season to be a dog owner; no matter how cold it is, the pup still needs to go outside

Speaking of my four-legged friend, here are a few shots I took on his afternoon walk:

I love the mid-snowfall shots!  I also took a few shots of my favorite snow puppy:

Got some dandruff there, pup?

While we were out on our stroll, we made a stop at Barkley’s favorite place on earth: the pet store!  Now, we’re not the types of pet owners that like to dress up our dog (no offense to those who do, of course!), but boots/foot coverings are really necessary in the city in the wintertime.  The ice, cold slush and salt on the sidewalk (or whatever chemical de-icers places use) really irritate his paws.  Last year, Barkley would actually balance on three legs while waiting for the light to change so one paw would be off the cold sidewalk — poor thing!

We’ll give his new paw covers a try tonight and I’ll report back with how well they work.  Barkley might’ve also gotten an early visit from Santa Paws today…

This is my favorite picture from the “Santa Paws” Google image search, btw:

Alright, time to veg out some more with Don Draper, Mario, Luigi and wine  Back later!  Be sure to drive safe if you’re traveling in this snow!!

brrr this is the slippery stuff

Cold Weather Tips

• During this cold season, remember not to heat your home with your barbeque, charcoal, propane patio heater, or other method intended for the outdoors as they will release carbon monoxide in your home. Generators are also intended for outdoor use only and are unsafe to use indoors.
• Check on elderly relatives and neighbors. Your ability to feel a change in temperature decreases with age, and older people are more susceptible to cold-related injury or illness like frostbite or hypothermia.
• If you have pets, bring them indoors. If you cannot bring them inside, provide them an adequate place to sleep – off the floor and away from all drafts. Make sure that they have access to unfrozen water.
• Recognize the symptoms of hypothermia: confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering. Recognize frostbite warning signs: gray, white or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, waxy feeling skin. Seek medical attention immediately if you have these symptoms.
• Dress warmly and in layers – don’t forget the hat and gloves
• Get out of wet clothes immediately and warm the core body temperature with a blanket or warm fluids like hot cider, hot cocoa or soup.
• Dress in several layers of loose-fitting clothing to create pockets of insulating warm air.
• Wear wool or fleece fabrics, not cotton as it dries slowly; warm socks with a thermal sock liner; comfortable, closed shoes; a scarf, hat and earmuffs to prevent loss of body heat; a water repellent, hooded outer garment to add extra protection; and mittens instead of gloves to keep hands warm.
• Walk around or move in place to increase circulation and generate additional body heat.
• Drink warm beverages.
• Do not drink alcohol as it will cause a loss of body heat by dilating blood vessels.

Don't forget to put on those snow tires or all weather tires

Driving Tips:

• Do not use the cruise control when there is ice on the road. If the cruise accelerates on ice, you may lose control of the car.
• Let off the accelerator as you approach a bridge.
• Just because you have four-wheel drive and studded snow tires does not mean you can still drive safely at 75 mph on ice.
• Do not run parallel to semis during a snow storm or when driving on ice. Either pass them or stay well behind them.
• Black ice is nearly invisible and will accumulate on bridge overpasses – especially those crossing water.
• Carry some emergency items in your car – flares, blanket, candle, matches, tire chains and a small folding shovel like soldiers carry. They may save your life if you go off a rural country road during winter.
• Never throw hot water on a frosty windshield; it might crack the glass. Use a scraper or start your car early and let the defroster do the job.
• If you take your car through an automatic wash on a freezing day, don’t try to use the power windows until all the water dries up – wind will evaporate the ice as you drive around.

Don't forget the pets (in this picture: Tom and Picard)

Cold-Weather Plumbing Tips

• As temperatures reach freezing, close all air vents and other openings in the crawl space under your house. (Note: Monitor temperature and open one or two vents in warmer weather for ventilation.)
• In freezing weather, never set your home’s thermostat below 55 degrees.
• Insulate pipes prone to freezing, such as those near an outside wall; those in unheated areas of your home; or any exposed plumbing such as outside faucets.
• In extremely cold weather, leave cabinet doors under sinks open to keep warm air circulating.
• Be sure you know where your master valve is located so you can turn your home’s water off temporarily if a line does break. In most homes, this valve will be located near the water heater, near the clothes washer, or where the water service line enters your home.
• In extreme cold weather, if you are going to be gone for an extended period of time (2 days), it is advisable to shut the master value off.
• Be sure to shut your garage door during cold weather to prevent pipes within the walls from freezing.
• Remove hoses from outside faucets and either buy inexpensive faucet covers or even a towel wrapped around the faucet is better then nothing.
• If you have a bathroom over a garage, never leave the garage door open.
• Remember: When thawing things, slower is better.
• A hair dryer trained at the frozen area of the pipe is appropriate. A blow torch is not.  ***This seems to be the most useful tip****
• Pipes warmed too fast may break anyway.

And as a special bonus for all you wood cutting folks I have included chainsaw cold weather tips

vroom vroom

Cold-Weather Cutting

Chainsaws are often called into use during cold and unpleasant conditions. The risk of injury can climb when you combine compromised operator control due to cold and increased stress on the chainsaw itself. Cold and snowy conditions along with wood that can be frozen hard can lead to more rapid wear and increased chance for mechanical failure of the cutting chain. When cutting in cold climates and conditions, follow the tips below to minimize the cold-weather wear and tear on your saw.

1. Chain tension. Even metal can shrink and contract in cold weather so it’s very important to have your chain properly adjusted for cold-weather cutting. It may be necessary to check and adjust it more frequently in very cold conditions.
2. Cutting teeth. Your chain can only cut as well as it’s sharpened. Keep your cutters sharp and touch them up as often as needed while cutting. Cutting hard and frozen wood will dull your chain quickly. Safe and dependable cutting demands a sharp chain.
3. Oil, oil. Cold-weather cutting calls for lighter-weight bar-chain oil. If need be, you can dilute your normal chain oil with 25% kerosene. Make certain that your chain is receiving oil when cutting and oil your chain liberally while cutting in cold weather.
4. Bar talk. Keeping your bar groove clean and oil holes open will help insure safe chain operation while cutting. Symmetrical bars should be turned over to guarantee even wear.
5. Check your depth. The leading portion of each cutter acts as a depth gauge and regulates the “bite” of the cutting teeth. You should always check and adjust the depth gauges at each chain sharpening.
6. Sprocket wear. Watch the wear on your drive sprocket. Drive sprockets generally last for about two chains. Replace sooner if you notice significant wear.

USC once again showed how uninspired their offense really is. Unable to establish a run or pass offense, they only scored 17 points at HOME to Arizona. Given that Arizona has 4 losses that could easily be wins, they are underrated in a year where the PAC-10 is a juggernaut. Still, USC provided little spark and Barkley continues to fall further down the growth chart.  Actually, he has digressed since opening with such confidence at the start of the season – remember the final drive against Ohio State. If it wasn’t for his man crush on Barkely, Carroll should have pulled him for this final game and go for the win!!!

Hello again. This is officially my first official post.  I like sports.  Watching them specifically. Playing them too although I’m no good at all. Anyone can enjoy sports. Things that caught my attention today and yester-

NBA on TNT

Everyone loves these guys. I do too. Nice to see C-Webb as well. I’m a long time Kings fan. I remember during the years when the Kings were doing well  (ahem, Tim Donaghy) Charles would rip the Kings and say they’re too soft. Eh, sometimes he was probably right. Most of the time it drove me crazy because I thought the Kings had what it took to win. This Thursday I was watching NBA on TNT and was excited to hear Chuck says he likes Tyreke Evans and the job Paul Westphal is doing.  A small win for a struggling small market sports franchise.  At the time he said this, the Kings were 5-5. I just watched them go to 5-6, but I’m hopeful. It’s  about how you play or how you lose. Should always win. But at least I prefer not to watch you suck at losing. go kings

Hockey

Watching it on HD is awesome. All sports in HD are awesome.

Link to storm photos in Bellingham herald

Our own little wind "disaster". It came off in one big piece and smacked into the side of the house missing the window by inches...

Before kindergarten we all started our education on the street… Sesame Street. Can you count to forty? Well, thanks to Count Van Count, I can. Sesame Street is turning forty years old today, and they don’t seem a day over five. Sesame Street taught me everything, from near to far, from A to Z, and even that one of these things is not like the other. They even taught me loss. I, to this day, remember the day Mr. Hooper died. My favorite character from the show wasn’t even a regular on the show. No, I’m not talking about Kermit the roaming reporter. My favorite was always Barkley. What!? You don’t know who Barkley is! Barkley is the giant dog. I loved seeing him run down that hill with those kids in the end credits of every show, but would always be devastated when he wasn’t in the show. Which was like 90% of the time. I remember asking my mom, “Why would they show him at the end of every show, but never have him in the show?” I think the best part about Sesame Street for our generation, is that we got to graduate to The Muppet Show when we out grew Sesame Street. I can’t even begin to thank all the men and women who worked on this show over the last forty year, and helped raise billions of kids. However, there are two men, that we should all take a moment to be thankful for today. They are Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Would we even have a childhood without them? Not one I would care to remember.

Yeah, yeah. We see you.

Here’s something that might help in NBA refs regaining some credibility: According to the Orlando Sentinel, Dick Bavetta might be ready to call it a career when he’s finished leaving his mark on games this season. In case you missed it, the infamous Tim Donaghy said working with the 69-year-old Bavetta was “like pursuing a graduate degree in advanced game manipulation” in a tell-all that the league is currently trying to keep from being published. If Donaghy thinks you blow at calling games, then you really, really suck.

Donaghy claimed Bavetta has been the driving force behind several of the NBA’s most controversial games in recent years, including a pair that extended the Lakers’ playoff lives in elimination games against the Blazers and Kings in 2000 and 2002. However, perhaps the greatest of Donaghy’s revelations about Bavetta comes here (excerpt courtesy of Deadspin):

“Bavetta actually paid an American Airlines employee to watch all the games he worked and write down everything the TV commentators said about him. No matter how late the game was over, he’d wake her up for a full report. He loved the attention.”

That, of course, doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering Bavetta’s little display of stupidity and affection with fellow attention whore Charles Barkley at All-Star Weekend a few years back. Yeah, we see you guys…nobody cares.

Anyway, Bavetta calling it quits would certainly help. Can we get Steve Javie to hang ‘em up next?

For the past 5 years, Craig Neuman has nurtured great ideas into great design as Creative Director at Midwestern creative powerhouse, Barkley. The Kansas City-based, full-service advertising agency has built up an impressive client list and some impressive work. They also have a rocket on top of their building and, among other notable quirks, they are 100% employee-owned.

Clearly, Barkley takes their work seriously, but they don’t take themselves too seriously—and neither does Neuman. Just watch his discussion about Americans butchering the Queen’s English and you can see that he delights in observing and critiquing the world around him. Craig’s work has appeared in The One Show Annual, Communication Arts, Graphis, Print, National ADDYs and POP Times.

DCS will present Craig Neuman at SAA on Monday, November 9 beginning at 6:00PM. That’s coming up very soon and seating is limited, so register online now to reserve your spot.

Details

• Monday, November 9 at 6:00
• School of Advertising Art – 1725 East David Road in Kettering

Pricing

• DCS members: $5
• Non-members: $10
• Students (cash at door only with valid student ID): $5

Register Online

(You will be taken to GDAA’s website for payment and registration)

About Craig Neuman

Craig oversees a talented design group at Barkley that works on strategy and execution of brand identity, packaging and POP displays. His work has been honored by Communication Arts, Graphis, Print Regional Design Annual, National Gold Addys and One Show Design Annuals. Craig has been involved with creating effective communication strategies for clients including 24-Hour Fitness, Sonic Drive-ins, Blue Bunny Ice Cream, L’Oreal, March of Dimes and H+R Block.

Perhaps his proudest moment? Winning a James Beard Award, the culinary equivalent of an Oscar, for best restaurant graphics in the nation.

since moving to chicago, i have joined the large population of dog-owners that enjoy walking their dogs, running with their dogs, dressing up their dogs, talking to their dogs, and, in general, enjoying dog-ownership. surprisingly, chicago ranks as the second pet-friendliest city in the US (according to rent.com). i say surprisingly because, of all these dog-lovers, there is also an astounding number of miserable chicagoans that choose to neither smile, pet, or even look at my dog, barkley. his wheaten-terrier cuteness seems to be lost on these corporate, cold-hearted, careless, canine haters.

just this afternoon, on our mid-afternoon coffee walk, barkley was politely sitting at the cross-walk while we waited for the light. out of nowhere, this young, hot dude  i might normally have let buy me drinks decided, rather than walking the three steps it would have taken to get around us, he would take one, very large step OVER barkley instead. needless to say, barkley (having no idea what this meant) stood up just as the dude was mid-step – causing him to stumble over  embarrassingly. interestingly, he scowled at me as if it were my fault he fell down. muttering as he walked away, i realized that it is quite possible he does not like dogs.

which brings me to my point, why do chicagoans seem to hate dog-socializing? i don’t mean the type of socializing where you introduce your dog to other dogs. i mean the kind where two humans bond over the fact that they have dogs and like doing dog things with them-like walking them. i, for one, get rather excited when i cross paths with a fellow dog-walker on the sidewalk and always prepare for a quick interchange of our dog’s names, breeds, and general “oohs” and “aahs.” however, the moment comes right as we pass…and they just keep going; no hello, no sign of “hey, i have a dog too!”, not even a glance. it’s like making any hint of eye-contact is comparable to being dragged into a conversation about politics while on a treadmill.

i suppose there are some benefits to this anti-dog-socializing though: no scrutiny about your apparel during the 7am walk, no awkward pauses in a conversation, no dog-on-dog action. but mostly, i think all these dog haters are just making it easy to turn down should i ever run into them at a bar, because: i do not like people who do not love dogs.

18 มกราคม 1998 "Charles ไม่ Charles ปากของเขาปิด. นั่นฉันชอบเล่น …. ผม." – จอร์แดน. Rockets ถูกเล่นโดยไม่ได้รับบาดเจ็บ Hakeem และ Drexler. Pippen คือเล่นเฉพาะเกมที่ 5 ของเขาหลังจากกลับจากการบาดเจ็บยาวของเขา. เวทีได้ตั้งสองเพื่อนเก่าและพวกเขาไม่ผิดหวัง. พวกเขาทั้ง 35 ปีแต่ไฟการแข่งขันของพวกเขาคือหนุ่มสาวยังคง. นอกเหนือจากการแสดงอันยิ่งใหญ่ที่มีจำนวนมากฟาดคุยสนุกและเคารพซึ่งกันและกันสำหรับกันและกัน. …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGX_HXlTV-Q&hl=en

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