Life ... Not As I Knew It.

While driving to work today El and I were listening to one of the local radio personalities talk about how she hasn't had a proper date since she moved to Charleston over a year ago. She only had one and as luck would have it she didn't have a second with the person. The real issue she explained was that the dating scene has changed so much in recent years. People have short attention spans and have lost a certain ability to socialize in a more appropriate manner. She was blown off by her date explaining he had forgotten the time and date of them meeting for dinner or whatever and could they just meet on a Sunday night instead. She said "hell no" - good for her. As she rambled on about the details and her thoughts on the whole dating scene Eleanor and I discussed how we have heard this same experience from another friend of ours recently.

I have always thought that society's inability to properly interact with one another has been because of the internet and being plugged in too much. Match.com, eHarmony, Facebook, smartphones, iPads, Twitter, LinkedIn. They're all to blame. Everyone has gotten so reliant on these social media networking sites they've forgotten how to actually go out and meet with other people to get to know them. Snap judgements are made based on what you look like on Facebook, what you're credentials are on LinkedIn, what you tweet about. It's terrible. You have to literally put your whole life online now to be judged in a few minutes by a complete stranger.

Recently I submitted a portfolio to an agency by actually printing one and walking my ass there and introducing myself to them. I apologized for my unscheduled visit, but felt compelled to actually introduce myself to them like the good ol' days. Her response? A nice and refreshing touch. WOW.

We put too much emphasis on our online persona we seem to have lost our persona. I've read alot recently about how hard it is to even get a confirmation from anyone hiring that they've even received your resume or portfolio via email. What happened to professional courtesy nowadays? The tell us to be sure to send a thank you email after an interview, but that's only IF you even get that far. For the most part people in the articles complained about how impersonal everything feels now. I couldn't agree more.

Soft Shell Crab Festival @ Port Royal

Soft Shell Crab Festival, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

The last few weeks have been long. Really long. After speaking with my supervisor about weekend plans he mentioned this festival near Beaufort, SC. Soft shell crabs, antique car show, rides and games for kids and the weather was shaping up to be beautiful - sunny and warm. What's not to like about that?

El and I have been itching to take a short day trip somewhere to blow off some steam. We've both been having some pretty hectic schedules these last few weeks with getting the kids to adjusted to daycare, treating runny noses and coughing, working non-stop at home and work. This seems like the perfect opportunity to get some local seafood, be outside, shoot some photography and generally decompress.

Hopefully, we will all feel better by tomorrow morning to make the excursion to Port Royal, SC (right by Beaufort). Fingers crossed. I guess this means getting clothes and food ready for the trip and getting the kids to bed at a reasonable hour so we can start bright and early the next morning.

I'd love to get more shots for my upcoming book. Beaufort is also a very photogenic town and I hope to make it back out to the Tree Graveyard to reshoot if the tides are low enough. I should check on that now...

Happy Easter!

Dad and the kids, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

Earlier part of the week would have scared most into thinking the weekend was going to be a wipe. Cold and rainy. Nope this weekend shaped up to be pretty killer.

Easter Sunday we were up early and cooked (appropriately enough) Eggs in a Basket for breakfast. Afterwards we rolled into Easter Mass and then headed over to Triangle Char & Bar nearby for lunch.

Seeing this place REALLY makes me want to open my restaurant. It;s exactly what I would want. Simple, fresh, well cooked food with the right ambience of being outdoors, but not. Temp was just right with a slight breeze and the place was packed.

After lunch I decided to do a quick shoot with El and the kids, but Nico Boy passed out before we got home. I decided to photograph El and Isa and wait until later for the little guy.

When he did I got them cleaned up and got a great (rare) shot of me with them compliments of Ellen. Anyways, Happy Easter everyone! I'd love to hang out with the family doing gardening, but freelance work calls today (and tonight)...

Hurting

alarm-clock, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

Maybe I'm out of practice or maybe my body just handle the regimented schedule as well as it used to. Monday thru Friday is basically the same. El and I are up right around 5am to get showered and dressed quickly and take turns rousing the kids up to get ready for daycare. We stopped making breakfast for the most part since the daycare makes a simple and quick one for the kids - it literally saves us 30 minutes off our time. We have to be on the road no later than 6:30am to beat daycare traffic and back on the road no later than 6:45am to beat bridge traffic downtown to get to MUSC. Since we carpool we walk to our buildings to get in by 7:15-7:30am.

We meet for a fast 30 minute lunch in the horseshoe if workload doesn't slow one of us down. By 5:30ish we are back fighting our way thru traffic to pick up the kids. We fight the rest of the way to get home before Bailey uses the bathroom on our floors. Kids are washed up and sometimes bathed before dinner (which may or may not be prepared already - depends on how we feel the day before).

By 7:30pm we have had dinner and usually followed by chores (if we have energy). By 8 the kids should already be bathed and in bed no later than 9pm.By 10 pm we are in bed ourselves if we are lucky.

Usually thru the night one or both kids have found their way to our bed to wake us up momentarily. Then the cycle starts all over again. Note that thru the day I find myself TRYING to stay awake and usually have to step outside to get some air or a drink.

El has only 4 day work weeks so that last day I'm on my own, but at least I don't have to wake up the kids so early, Still at the end of the day my body feels like tapioca.

About to Start Another Chapter

King Sized Bed at Francis Marion Hotel=GOOD, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

You know the old saying, "TIme flies when you're having fun?" Wise words. I'm stunned how fast these last few years have gone by in a blur. We've gone through alot and. After the kids were born I changed jobs three times and about to transition to yet another one (and as a career change kind of). We've moved to another state and built a new home. The kids have made new friends and seen new things. I watch as they outgrow their old clothes and the closet has gotten cluttered with old shoes that don't fit anymore. One has become a girly girl who loves princesses, unicorns and rainbows. She is as sweet as they come with a vivid imagination. The other is a headstrong little boy with a deep voice, but can melt you with his smile.

These past two years working from home has really allowed me to see these changes. Some are more subtle than others, but I don't think I missed anything. I'm grateful for that. I really love my children.

This year (because of Isa's late birthdate) they will be both starting school. Nicholas in preschool (he'll be four by August) and Isabella into kindergarten as a six-year-old. They seem excited about it and will be entering daycare very soon. It'll be good practice for them. I'm glad they'll be starting at the same time.

Like all brothers and sisters they quarrel, but it ends quickly. They're very close to each other. I don't remember me and my siblings constantly kissing and hugging each other. I like that they do. She's protective of him and actually takes care of him on occasion. She'll dress him, help him to the bathroom, straighten out his room when it's messy. Such a good sister, but I hope he doesn't rely on her too much as they grow older. They may be going to daycare as early as next week and me off to work again.

I know I'll miss them during the day. It'll be worse for me when they go to school. Consider it an early Empty Nest Syndrome. I've been attached to the hip to them the past two years and it'll feel weird that I go back to a regular job with regular hours and working in an office again. Bittersweet, right? They're growing up, but I'm glad I was there for their early years.

Must. Keep. Going.

running, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

I'm a self professed desk jockey. I'm no longer in denial. At 40-years-old with two small kids and a paunch I admit I let myself go. Whereas I used to enjoy a fast(er) metabolism a few years ago I've watched that steadily slow down. Meanwhile I've watched my friends fight the good fight and hit the gym regularly and stay active. I'm ashamed of myself.

Last Fall I got it in my head I would start to get more in tune with my aging bones and do something about my blood pressure, weight and overall health. Proud to say I stayed strong during the holidays with very little breaking of my goal and managed to lose a respectable 15 lbs. during the hardest season of the year. Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Eve, El's birthday and a variety of parties and other events never stood a chance. By simply watching what I ate, cutting down on salt and carbs, and drinking plenty of water (and cutting out sugary drinks) I was able to lose it. In January during my checkup I still had higher blood pressure, but my doc was pleased with my weight loss.

For my 40th El got me a treadmill and I would once in awhile get into a groove with it and stay on it for 2 or 3 weeks at a time. I admit it got boring and luckily Ron's Christmas gift of an iPad helped me get through it via Netflix. A couple of weeks ago my sister, Cher, coerced me to walk/run the Cooper River Bridge with her. What a shock to the system!

Six miles of steep inclines with a freezing headwind and a blown out pair of Nike AirMax's sent me a clear message. I needed to get more serious about the health regimen. Soon after I recovered from that run (I ached all over in places I never knew I could ache from) I took to the task of researching better running shoes based on what I felt during that run.

After spending almost an hour and a half trying on multiple brands and styles I settled on a pair of New Balances with the proper bounce in the heel, support on the sides and better overall fit. I was done with Nikes and shoes based on looks. I could give a rat's ass if my shoes were fluorescent orange and green with pink hearts on them if they fit well. Shins still ache on runs, but feels nothing like that first run on the bridge.

I've done well with trying to squeeze in a run almost every night after the kids are put to bed. The cold night air suits me. I'm alone (unless El joins me) and it feels like a good way to unwind at the end of the day and get some solitude. I know where my limitations are now (I'm not naturally a runner) and have adjusted my pacing to keep my heart rate up, but not kill myself (thanks Cher).

I don't think I'll be running the Cooper River Bridge like my sister and I imagine I will still slow her down this coming weekend, but pride be damned. I. Must. Keep. Going.

T.M.I.

Plugged In, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

For awhile now I've considered killing off my Facebook account. Between smartphones, iPads, laptops, desktop computers, LinkedIn, Facebook, my blogs, YouTube and the random Google searches there isn't much left in the way of privacy. Is there such a thing as being TOO plugged in? Is it just me or does anyone else feel the web has developed so much these last few years and our lives have become too dependent on it? Or rather that we think we NEED it?

Yes, its convenient at Christmas time when you need to get your shopping done. Sure it's great keeping up with family and friends via Skype. But I think people become desensitized because of too much accessibility to everything. I don't want to get know what some people search for on the web.

It used to be that the early days of the internet were BBS'es of postings from people you knew. Then it became a cool way to write letters, chat (via IMs) and buy music (and eventually steal it). Next it developed into a means to watch your favorite movies and TV shows, shop online and video chat your family and friends.

Now people have to be careful about spouting off about their jobs on Facebook lest they get fired for it. Or building an online persona for everyone's approval. I recently read online about how Facebook has created a need for a "reward" response by users or how some judge the quality of their lives based on the postings of others. Whatever happened to just being able to walk into a business and submit your resume in person and speaking to someone? Whatever happened to just calling someone to say "hi"?

It seems a lot of proper personal interaction has been lost because of the web. Things are too easily accessible through the maze of networks, hardware, software and wiring. And we're paying for all of it.

I think this came to me after I decided to kill off my "smart" phone. Almost $160 a month so I can post on Facebook? To know when my next spam email of Viagra comes in? To update where I'm eating at via Twitter? Really? I just needed a phone in case someone actually needed to get a hold of me.

We've created a blackhole of "need" for ourselves by plugging every aspect of our lives into the web. I'm slowly figuring out where I can trim away some of this need and regain some of my privacy back. Call me if you need me.

Craving Curry

Since we left Florida intermittently we've been craving Indian food. Although we have two places directly across from each other in West Ashley near us we've never pulled the trigger to try either. We sampled the food from Taste of India during the IndiaFest last summer and it was good, we noticed it was significantly higher at the actual restaurant. Being supporters of the hole-in-the-wall eateries we are always on the lookout for something good. Usually what we research and eventually try is decent it's rare we get scared of a place. Things we take into consideration when determining if we plan to patronize a place: Does Yelp, Chowhound to Trip Advisor recommend the place? Does the actual ethnic group the place represent eat there themselves? Is the place crowded or are the parked cars outside part of the staff? Once there how do we critique the place? Of course, most obvious is the food any good? Is the staff helpful, well informed and efficient? How does the interior look? Presentation is everything. Something I learned from working with Paula Deen is the appearance of the bathrooms acceptable? Weird, but very telling. She always said if a place can't keep their bathrooms clean and well stocked what does it tell you about their kitchen? With all that said here is what we found out about a recent visit to North Chuck's Bombay Bazaar Indian Restaurant. After research it seemed clear the food was well received by the locals and well priced. With its lunch buffet you could sample a variety of the places's cooking without blowing the wad. Today it featured some standards expected of Indian cuisine for the general public. Chicken Tikka Masala, curried goat with potatoes, Andoori Chicken, Basmati Rice and the typical assortment of condiments. Overall the food was good. It definitely satisfied by craving for some spicy Indian cuisine. The green chili sauce was tasty and the Tikka Masala and goat was delicious over rice. The Tandoori Chicken was pretty dry and looked like it had been sitting too long. For $8 it wasn't bad. And now the cons. They really gotta clean the place up. Like I said I love the hidden gems scattered about, but damn you have to make sure the place is spotless. Water damaged ceiling tile, dismal lighting and not-so-friendly staff hurt the overall ambience. My inquiries to walk me through the different featured buffet items was forced and not very enlightening. The worst part? The bathrooms. Small black flies competed in grossness with the overpowering smell of urine. No paper towels and filthy tile from 1985 was flat out nasty. This was probably one of the worst restrooms I've ever used (and I've seen some nasty ones). I'm just glad I ate before I went in here. I felt dirtier walking out than walking in. Would I go back? Maybe if I was really craving it. And I would rather take advantage of the $5 to go box instead. Sitting in was pretty depressing.

Late nights.

Habits are hard to break. Ever since the kids started coming to our bed at nights my sleep has been off. It's a very rare night that I sleep straight through for more than 4 or 5 hours at a time. I find myself getting to bed around midnight and once in awhile a little earlier once the kids are settled in and the house is secured. But, like clockwork I am awake at 2 or 3am. Mostly cos during the night this is when one of them wakes up and heads to our room. I don't think it bothers El much. She loves the kids sleeping with her (they snuggle her). Me? I usually get kicked in the head or back and pushed right to the edge of the bed and sheets pulled off of me. My best sleep? On the couch. Alone. Nowadays my body has automatically taken to waking up at this time whether there are kids or not. Talk about brutal. Plus, it's hard for me to just go back to sleep. I usually end up walking around and checking on the kids and/ or using the bathroom. Then it's Netflix until I get drowsy again. Bad habit, I know, but I can't seem to shake it. We've been trying to get Nicholas to stay in his bed, but you know how that goes... Some nights are better than others, but tonight is one of the bad ones.

Experimenting again...

New York, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

I've always loved photography and have had a camera in my hand as early as 10-years-old. Back then it was my mother's 35mm Kodak camera. It was nothing fancy.

I recently went through some old photos from a trip to Italy back in 2002 (?) thinking I would have these scanned and saved digitally. Looking through the prints I realize now how much more experience I needed behind a lens. While they look great for keepsakes they were definitely needing some love. Poor saturations, light leaks, bad exposures. Oy.

I remember the excitement of coming home from that trip to Italy wanting to see what we shot. It looked great then. Not so great now. I have definitely gotten better at my compositions and am learning to embrace more digital techniques to enhance the overall effect. A lot of our images felt flat and lacking depth.

Enter Tilt Shift Focus. While a dedicated lens is very expensive, a photographer can somewhat capture this effect using similar techniques digitally. After playing with it a little I'm pretty excited to comb through the thousands upon thousands of photographs from all over the world and see what are good candidates for this technique. Woot!

All Growsd Up

Waterfront Park Kids, a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

This past year has gone by so fast for me. A lot has changed. With my extra time I've (and some new lenses and filters) rediscovered my passion for photography. Charleston is an incredibly photogenic city. Earlier in my design career and as a student here I had already shot the obvious subject matter of blatantly touristy subject matter in a typical manner. This go around I've invested a considerable amount of time into exploring what most visitors here have missed.

Local farms, vineyards and distilleries; plenty of night shots after parks have closed, local neighborhoods and out of the way historic sites that seem to be mostly overlooked. There's interest in everything if...you...just...look...a little...closer.

And to boot it's been a great excuse to bring the kids to see something other than SpongeBob and Dora on the TV all day. TV in our house is kept to a minimum - it's usually reserved for nighttime right before bed. We call the short excursions "safaris" to add a little excitement for the two knuckleheads. They seem to enjoy the exploring, too. Even in Florida El and I would take road trips to little known attractions, gardens and other scenic spots (which reminds me that there is alot of other photography hidden away on my drive from Morikami Gardens and the Gulf Coast).

Speaking of change and kids...they've grown so much this past year. I recently posted a short video clip of collected photos Isa and Nico took on their "toy" Lego camera. It was cool to see what would capture a child's interest enough to photograph it. It also was a shocker to see how they had changed in the two short years here in Charleston. My children are my pride and joy and I'm stuck between happy and sad to see them progress the way they have. I love seeing them at this age and excited to see everyday how much they've developed, but at the same time sad that they're leaving a stage in their lives. Corny, I know.

A few words to describe Nicholas and Isabella:

Very affectionate and sweet to each other.
Unbelievably funny.
Naughty, but not in a bad way.
Shockingly intelligent for their ages, but maybe I'm biased.
Fun to be around with.

I'm pretty stoked about this coming year. I've got a project I'm working on. The notion was originally inspired by an old colleague and friend of mine in Orlando (Thanks Sweet T!), but it took a different turn from what she originally suggested for me to try. Nonetheless, it was an idea I was too embarrassed to even consider doing. But now in it's initial phase with a good lead I'm determined to complete it.

So here I am.

Cmon Spring get here already...

Cmon Spring get here already..., a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

We've been having some pretty dreary weather this past week and sitting in front of the computer and seeing it has been challenging. But literally a ray of hope came through the other day. What started out as another grey day ended up being sunny and warm. Woot!

I've been looking at my brown lawn and waiting patiently for spring to come around so I can immerse myself in landscaping again. I love it outdoors. I even preemptively seeded and fertilized over the winter break.

Lush, green grass all trimmed up and fresh. Flower beds cleaned of dead leaves. Trees starting to fill in. To me it's very intoxicating, Kinda like when I get a haircut or detail my car. Satisfying on so many levels. Hell I even got a nice postcard from property management end of last summer letting me know I've been doing good work! Validating indeed.

My biggest project this spring has to be building a new pergola piped with electrical and gas line. I've been doing some research and planning on best methods to construct this. It doesn't seem all that hard if you plan it properly (and have an extra set of hands). My buddy Carl wanted to do one, too. Being the ultra cool guy I am I offered to help him out. That way we can fix whatever we screw up on his and make sure we don't repeat it for mine!!!

Lowes are you ready? C'mon Spring! Get here already!

Cable TV vs. Internet TV

Recently Eleanor and I decided to downgrade our cable tv from Comcast - the fees and charges were ridiculous. With a landline, internet and a premium digital package we were paying almost $130 a month. RIDICULOUS. It would be justified if the system ran flawlessly, but it certainly was not. In our new, developing neighborhood the internet and cable services would just crap out at any given moment. 

With a lot of my design work relying on the high speed internet this just frustrated the hell out of me. Some days my service would be out for half the day. I would also have to constantly reset my router to get it back up and running. If I called Comcast I would on occasion get prerecorded messages of services being temporarily down.

The landline was specifically added to accommodate a dedicated line to my job, but those calls were far and few between with the Florida and Arkansas offices. Mostly it was from solicitors (I briefly forgot why we even cancelled a landline in Florida in the first place). That line is long gone.

I'm not a huge watcher of daily shows or sitcoms. In fact, I can still watch episodes of Seinfeld when the mood hits and there's a chance I haven't even seen the episode before! I don't know any TV schedules of any particular show, nor am I aware of any new programming out there. Most of my viewing was centered around Travel Channel or Food Network. Sometimes the local news would be on. No Dancing With the Stars, no Survivor XVII, no Burn Notice, nada (although I did get hooked on The Walking Dead on AMC last season).

Eventually we downgraded to regular cable and now basic cable - all 15 channels we are "allowed" to watch. Almost half are dedicated to public access, shopping or spanish. I am not paying for that crap. So more than likely we are killing cable tv altogether. I do like watching the local  news, but shouldn't that be free anyways? 

So on a trial run I subscribed to Netflix. Not the full blown DVD package, but the instant queue for $8/month. I've always been a movie guy and the one saving grave to the digital Comcast package was the ability to watch boxing matches and newer movies on Pay-Per-View. But at $4 a view and $60 for a fight on top of the $130/month bill forget it! Keep yer damn digital package. Netflix for a short time offered a substantial library of movies, but like DVD rentals at a store, eventually you exhaust what you're interested in and the selection of "newer" movies disappears. What to do?

Instead I started trying foreign and indie films. WHOA. A whole world had opened up. The past three months have been a revelation in what American movies have been missing - telling a good story. So far I've actually been into Korean, Chinese and (surprise surprise) Eastern Indian films like Kingdom War 1 & 2, Chocolate and the Warlords. The production can be great and for the most part they rely on a good storyline, whereas American films rely on the absolute best CGI and production tricks to sell a film. I'm not turning my back on the big blockbuster - I do enjoy those. Just lately as I surf Apple for movie trailers I don't see much that's all that appealing. I hate the Twilight and Potter series. Action flicks aren't what they used to be (the Expendables, Fast & the Furious - pleh!) and the funny thing about comedies now are they just aren't all that funny (Hangover 2 - really?).

A recent purchase has been a Roku player to take advantage of my high-speed internet. Now I can get Netflix downstairs. I use the laptop so El and I can watch in bed and I have a Nintendo Wii to watch it in our Master Sitting Room. The only downfall is losing connection on a fairly regular basis - no faut of my wireless router, but of Comast constantly losing its signal. Once I research a less expensive carrier I'm switching. Comcast you blow. You can add more channels to the preloaded Roku, but honestly the ripoffs of Food Network and Travel channel are just plain terrible. What do you expect for free?

For anything I'm missing I can just log onto Hulu or the hosting cable network's own site to watch the latest episodes, but honestly I haven't been jonesing for anything in particular. One unexpected result has been me actually getting out of the house on a regular basis to explore Charleston and its surrounding areas more - that's a plus. No vegging out in front of a monitor unnecessarily. That's what I call a win-win situation.

The Man's "Little Black Dress"

Of course, I'm not literally talking about "a little black dress", but rather the equivalent of it. I had to do some wardrobe updating today. It all started with Eleanor looking for something new to wear to Rya and Todd's upcoming wedding. I pushed her into getting a new "little black dress" and then followed it up by getting her some new black CK pumps (another classic must have for a woman). This, of course, led to picking up accessories and such. This led to her asking me, "what are you going to wear?"

Good question. Since the wedding is in the evening the smart play is to wear a dark suit and I just so happened to have a nice dark pinstripe Kenneth Cole Reaction suit I've been looking for an excuse to wear. This made me think about what to wear with it. Over the years I've gone through the standard style cues of trends of the time. This included the black on black/no tie option, the monochromatic shirt/tie combo (think maroon short/maroon tie, and so on), the suit jacket with jeans/I don't give a damn look, the texture on texture shirt/tie options and so forth. After giving it considerable thought I decided to not try and make a fashion statement and stick with a tried and true option - the white shirt.

Years ago, as a younger me, I would normally shun this option as being too vanilla. I'm a designer damn it and I need to show my more risky, creative side! No more. The last couple of years I've embraced that less is more with all that I do. I did purchase a nice Brooks Brothers version with french cuffs a few years ago during my cufflinks phase. It's a nice classic, cotton piece. Well made. Keeps its shape with no wrinkling. Spread collar. Simple and effective.

Eleanor made me go through all the options of the past that seemed to do well, but I kept going back to the white Brooks Brothers dealio. I paired it with a silver Calvin Klein tie to go with the dark pinstripe suite. Clean and modern. Out of curiosity I put said shirt with a couple of other suits/coats and ties for other upcoming occasions. Again nice results. So I'm sold.

A little older, but wiser I've embraced the man's version of the "little black dress" wholeheartedly. All those fashion experiments over the years and I have come back to the basics. Nothing beats the feel of a crisp, white shirt.

Alot has happened in the past 2 years...

Alot has happened in the past 2 years..., a photo by erickpineda527 on Flickr.

Tonight I decided to water the garden and lawn by hand vs. using the sprinklers. It had been a long day and I guess I needed the quiet night air. Weird how a cool breeze after a long, hot day at dusk can put you somewhere else. It had got me thinking about the past two years and where I had been.

I missed alot of what I did on a regular basis as a way of journaling what had been going on with me and my family. TWO YEARS. I know I:

1. Missed putting entries into my blogger
2. Working with my hands (as evident by the sudden compulsion to immerse myself back into home projects)
3. Understand that I work hard (too hard sometimes?) and forget to take a breather
4. Glad to be back in Charleston closer the people that matter most to me
5. Am enjoying my weekends much more now that I... (see #3)
6. Am contemplating where my career will lead me to next (am I a designer or am i entrepreneurial restauanteur?)
7. That in some ways I still miss Florida (the Gulf beaches, the diversity of GOOD "hole-in-the-wall" eating joints)
8. How much has changed in my career so quickly

...amongst other things. SO what's the next logical thing to write about? How about where I left off after I resigned after 10 years at the Golf Channel.

1. I resigned TGC after 10 years of dedicated work to pursue and grow as a designer
2. Got hired on as art director for Caldwell Group during which time I immersed myself into rebranding and conceptualizing a whole new face for Golden Living.
3. 4 short months later after GL cut the budget from Caldwell I was hired on directly as their art director in which again I immersed myself into helping develop and grow a fledglling internal marketing department.
4. A year later because of personal reasons I decided to move my family back to Charleston, but not before informing my boss that I was thinking of resigning.
5. My boss then asked me to stay on board and work remotely from Charleston (to which I am currently doing)
6. I move to Charleston and sell my home in Orlando all in the very short span of two months later
7. I am back to my roots and quite happy.

There you go. So now about my family...
My wife, Eleanor, was offered two position before we moved to SC and chose to work with her old alma mater Medical University of South Carolina. We now have occasional weekends and nights together (we hadn't actually had any QT for the past 4-5 years after we had kids). My children, Isabella and Nicholas, are cute little knuckleheads whom I adore immensely. I consider myself quite lucky in this regard. They're fantastic kids. I still have my old pal, Bailey, with me. He's been a good dog despite that we don't quite give him the attention we lavished upon him in Florida prior to us having children. Poor guy.

Lately, I've been doing some research in two areas of interest regarding my career. Do I continue on in the field of design (starting over here in SC)? Do I go back to agency life? Do I go freelance? Do I start my own studio? I've got the equipment. I've got the experience, knowledge and skill. I've got the desire to do so.

OR

do I continue exploring my other love - cooking? Anyone who has followed this blog knows my past history and dreams of reactivating my passion in the hospitality field. I have a plan in mind. I've got a solid concept and partners in the wait. It's currently in the planning/development stage. Can;t say what is yet lest I jinx myself.

Ahhh choices, choices, choices. The next question is will I continue down this path of blogging??? I used to enjoy (maybe I still do), but my time to devote to something like this is already limited. I use(d) Facebook, but it's become something of a passing novelty now. I even "cleaned house" a few months ago of "friends" and left only the ones I actually still read or communicate with on a somewhat frequent basis. Social media has its place, but I find it tempting to pull the cord on my FB. There's something liberating about minimizing my personal memos out in cyber land and only including those who know where to find me (here, for example).

Facebook has become MySpace. I don't "collect" friends. I no longer need to validate my existence by having 350+ "friends". Who the hell actually KNOWS that many people? I can count my closest friends on my toes and fingers - not including family and relatives, of course. So overrated.

Alright maybe I will get back in the habit of posting my photos and memoirs here instead of blabbing it out on FB all the time. I kinda miss the nightly ritual of getting on here and just writing whatever...

Okay...I am officially a fan.

It started out as research for a website design on Google, which led me to this site, which led me to just read a sampling of his blog, which led me to become a fan of his blog. You rock, Dave Mance.

A sample entry for your reading delight...


Creative cleansing


Is it just me or is anyone else finding it increasingly difficult to get work through?

Presumably this is a result of the recession and clients being more cautious with their budget. Whatever it is, I’m finding I have to do increasingly demeaning and sordid things to sell stuff in.

It’s got so bad now that Mrs RMWLC always knows when I’m presenting work because I’ll leave the house in tight shorts and a low-cut top.

Which is fine except I’m beginning to wonder how much further I can go. Even as I type this I’m sat at my desk in nothing but a negligee and it’s well draughty I can tell you.

But those I present to are constantly baying for more, licking their lips then dropping pens on the floor and demanding I slowly pick them up going “oooh ahhh”.

So what’s the answer?

The more I think about it, the more I believe that this is a time when our industry needs a new breed of creative. One that is less focussed on the work and more focussed on pointing at it seductively and pouting.

You can see things are already going that way. Junior creatives today are at least 10% better looking than their counterparts from a couple of years ago. And students now are generally expected to include a few glamour shots in their books. Otherwise, how does the CD know what you’re capable of?

But is there an ugly side to the beautiful creative department?

Of course we're told there’s still a place for the old-fashioned ugly, talented creative in the modern agency. What they don't mention is that that place is generally dark and windowless.

Here at Partners, we use the bike storage facility. Briefs are simply slipped under the door and scamps are passed back a few hours later. Then, the more aesthetically-pleasing creatives can present the work and our creative Quasimodos can do their job without scaring clients or small children.

But I can't help worrying there's a price to all this. Once I lose my youthful good looks and my firm thighs have begun to sag, will I also be cast into the darkness? Anyone?
Posted by real men write long copy at 12:45 PM 1 comments Links to this post

Looking back briefly.

First Born
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527

Going thru some older digital memory cards at work this morning and I found this picture. I'll always remember this moment - the look on Eleanor's face right after Isabella was born. Of course, we were both so happy and excited about Isa being born, but it was how beautiful and content El looked holding her first baby. I don't think I could ever catch another moment that will strike me as much.

Isa was awake for almost 2 hours looking around the room - not crying - but soaking in everything around her. I knew El wanted this moment so much. I was glad to have captured it.

New Shoes for the G35

G35 Gets A New Look
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527

As a 10 Year Anniversary gift Eleanor bought me these brand new rims for my ride. I later bought Yokohamas to pimp them out. I felt after all my hard work the past 2 years I wanted to treat myself to some feel-good time. I dig em. Not too flashy, but just enough to make them not look stock. Sick.

Happy 1st Birthday Nicholas!

Lolo and Lola Succumb to Nico Boy's Charms
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527

On the fly Eleanor and I were able to plan a nice weekend for my parents and Cher and her son, Gabriel's, visit to Orlando. Since they had to leave suddenly after Nico got sick over Father's Day weekend I had hoped to have a redo of the Silver Springs trip.

Macaroni Grill
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527