Cheers to 2009

If life were expressed visually via the up-and-down lines on a beeping heart monitor, 2009 would peak like Mt. Everest. This year has been by far the most action-packed 365 days yet.

From the excitement of the unknown that came with the springtime job-hunt, to serendipitously nailing a creative career that I once could only dream of achieving, all the while having more fun than any human being should legally be allowed to–I don’t think I can remember the last time I uttered the words, “I’m bored.”

New opportunities. New relationships. And even an Emerson-like journey into self-reliance, as I bunk up in the woods of Egg Harbor Township with two Renaissance Fair pirates, an unemployed metal head, a PhD’ed minister turned day trader and his wife and two daughters. This experience alone has already inspired a chapter in my book that will be entitled “The American Hostel”–but that’s a story for another night, and a tall glass of whiskey.

2009 has brought so many new kinds of fun. In addition to reacquainting me with all the old kinds, and the amazing people I neglected far too much in the past. I have managed to finally connect with my older brother–whom I was at odds with for most of my life–and my artistic genius of a cousin, who I now am grateful to be able to call a very close friend.

From New York City to Philadelphia to Boston to Atlantic City to Baltimore, and even good ol’ Glassboro–I’ve dumped about 80 truckloads of crimson throughout my quest to paint every town red. And as the song goes, “we’ve only just begun.” I feel like I’ve just barely scratched the surface of this crazy world, and the extent of accomplishments I intend to achieve.

Be on the lookout for big things in 2010. The world’s largest creative portfolio review and advertising recruitment event is coming to Philadelphia in May, thanks to my ambitious friends at Philly Ad Club YP. We plan to keep turning heads and shaking things up even more in the new year.

The commencement of this decade just brings to mind one question, though: Is there something wrong with all this fast-paced, carpe-the-shit-out-of-diem way of living? I feel like society wants us all to settle down, mellow out and fit snugly into a routine far too early. Onlookers will say, “yeah, I used to live crazy like that back when I was in my twenties. You grow out of it eventually.” But why? If you’re truly happy with the way you live, by all means, keep living it that way. Don’t bend under the norms and self-inflicted time restrictions of marriage-by-30, picket-fence-imprisonment with a side of 2.5 kids.

Sure, I will someday have a family to support, and then I may slow it down and pull into the right lane for a while. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to ‘follow the model.’

Your life is the greatest piece of art you will ever create. So please, make it original.

7 Things I Like About Winter…

…to get my mind off the fact that I hate winter.

Here’s a glass-half-full approach to what I normally call “the four-month depression.”

1. Snow.

If we ever get any, that is. I absolutely love snow. I think everyone does. Except maybe for those regions that get dumped on regularly with avalanches of white (shoutout to my Canada/Syracuse/Boston fam). A good snowfall is such a rarity in Jersey that it always seems special to me. The way it covers everything in a clean, reflective blanket, making the whole world seem brighter. Sometimes letting a few spots of earth peek through, painting the scenery like a Bev Doolittle piece. Not to mention, it provides for certain fun-filled activities that can only be done in the snow, such as…

2. Sledding.

I’ve never had a bad time sledding. Even when my brother and I were younger and used to hurt ourselves incessantly while hosting “Full-Contact Sledding” at our house (it was the best hill in our neighborhood). We would make snow ramps, and usually descend the hill standing up on the sleds as if they were snowboards with no footing. Falling was inevitable as we attempted skateboard tricks on busted old pieces of plastic, ultimately smashing our bodies into the snow and rolling the rest of the way down the hill in tumultuous clumps of adrenaline.

3. Unlimited refrigerator space.

One of my favorite selling points of winter is the fact that I can store my beer outside and keep it even colder than the fridge would. This frees up much-needed space in the icebox for my other favorite thing: food. Which, by the way, it is completely acceptable to eat more of during the winter, as it provides for insulation during the hibernating months.

4. The holiday feast.

Speaking of food…there are some remarkable holiday feasts in my family around the winter holidays. Being the son of a chef definitely has its perks, especially during Christmastime. Gift-giving stress aside, Christmas brings all of my local family to my parents’ house for a gluttonous gauntlet of appetizers, roast beast, famous holiday soup, fine wines and delicious desserts fit for a king. Nobody even has room for my grandmother’s rum cake by the time we’ve polished off the main course. But there’s always ample room in the giant outdoor fridge to store the leftovers.

5. New Year’s.

This is one of my favorite holidays, simply because there are no gifts, no obligations, and no need to “do” anything except be with the people you love through those highly-anticipated ten seconds that lead an entire timezone into the new year. In essence, it’s just another reason to throw a party. But to me, it’s a special moment–albeit a short one–in which millions of people are all on the same page, thinking about the same thing and celebrating another year of being alive. Plus, the following day marks the annual Turducken that my dad prepares as a recent New Year’s Day tradition. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Turducken…it’s a chicken inside of a duck inside of a turkey, stuffed snugly into one hedonistic hybrid like oversized edible Russian dolls. Mmmm…

6. No bugs.

You probably have to live in the woods to understand this one. I am recently starting to appreciate the frigid weather for its built-in bug-repelling quality. After spending a whole summer and autumn with arthropodal encounters of all kinds–from chiggers to grasshoppers to some species I couldn’t even identify–it’s nice to wake up without fearing that I’ll have to pull a deer tick out of my thigh. Again.

7. Wings season.

As a lifelong lacrosse player and fan, I always enjoy going to Philadelphia Wings games in the winter. Nothing like an indoor version of my favorite outdoor sport, with twice the action and violence packed into half the astro turf. And the Wings’ PR team really knows how to throw a party. Every game comes equipped with such attractions as a live cover band, Hooters waitresses riding a mechanical bull, a cheesesteak cannon that launches Geno’s sandwiches into the crowd, and countless promotions to keep even the non-fan entertained. That reminds me…I should buy season tickets.

Well, that does it for me. What do YOU like about winter?

Adventure, or escape?

I’ve always dreamed of moving to another country. At least for a year or so. I firmly believe that experiencing other cultures is key to further appreciating my own. Now, with my career rolling in full-force and nothing tying me down to one place, it would seem like a better time than any to hit the road and just do it. But am I really doing it for the right reasons? Or am I just running away?

Write. Don’t think.

I’ve been thinking way too much lately. Drilling my brain over the margins and blindly missing the big idea centered in between them. When really, I should just be doing what I love: writing. Letting the words flow out, as they dance around and figure out their own paths along the way.

Tonight I took a trip back in time.

Brotherly Love.

Why must a fun night out with my older brother always end in us fighting?

We’ve never really gotten along in the first place. I’ll admit it. But now that my brother and I are both aspiring for similar career goals, we’ve actually reached a common ground: our love for the creative ad industry. For the past several months we have been talking more than in all the 23 years I’ve known him…and, he actually reaches out to me for help. Kind of an honor, having someone that is two years my senior seek out advice from his “little bro.”

So where did it all go wrong this weekend? Atlantic City.

The Bay.

There’s something bittersweet about the bay in South Jersey. Upon first whiff, your nostrils may tend to shy away and block out the pungent aroma reminiscent of sewage. But if you get past that and finish the second half of your breath, the smell of El Mar is more calming than offensive. Especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon, as boaters skim by and fishermen sit on their docks, enjoying the nothingness.

Starry night.

It hadn’t really occurred to me until last night that I’d never lived under the naked sky. Every dwelling I’ve had for the past two decades plus has been adjacent to a city, shopping center or streetlight-spangled suburbia, inconveniently shrouded by the neighboring glow. Now, currently residing in the woods of Egg Harbor Township, NJ, I find myself looking up more so than usual.

Insomnia

Ahh.. it feels so nostalgic.

I was explaining to one of my eccentric flatmates today how my upbringing has led me to strange sleep habits (which I find perfectly normal, to tell you the truth).

My mom has always had trouble sleeping at night. Especially after her father died, something hit her — she started to have a subconscious fear of passing away in her sleep. Not to mention, she is psychic, and lord knows what kind of dreams that leads to. She once revealed to me that she “includes people who have died” in her dreams. I’m not sure if this means they talk to her like the Sixth Sense,

Connecting the world.

Tonight’s annual meteor shower made me realize that, ever since I can remember, I’ve had a goal to bring the world together. As I drove down the rural-suburban backroads of Egg Harbor Township, keeping one eye on the road and the other through my moonroof in hopes of catching a clear glimpse of one of the 80 meteors expected to fall every hour, I wondered: how many other people are looking up at the same thing?

7-second plays, 140-character tweets

In this country, attention spans seem to be getting shorter and shorter. What, with American Football being made-for-TV — with each play lasting only a few seconds from snap to whistle — and now, the skyrocketed popularity of microblogging.

Yes, that means anything from Twitter to what I am writing right at this very moment. Regardless of what it’s about, chances are, you probably don’t want to read all of it.

I’ve noticed myself getting worse about this lately, too. I turn on my computer at work and log into my Twitter account, hastily scrolling through the headlines and recommended articles posted by my tweeps. I cram a whole day of news into twenty minutes just by digesting all the headlines. Occasionally, if a headline really draws me in, I’ll click-through to the article, but I still may not read the whole thing. I take in the first few paragraphs, then move on to the next interesting article.

If I think an article is worth passing on, I’ll send it to the person that it reminds me of or that may get something out of it. For really interesting overall articles, I will retweet them for all to potentially see. That is, if they can get past the headline.

Now, if you’ve gotten this far, good. I’m glad someone reads this. But to be honest, I could go on forever on this topic (or one of many tangents criss-crossing inside my head) and would rather cut it here for brevity’s sake. Hmm, maybe I’ll use an ellipses…