Where The Wind Blows

As promised in my last post there is something big I need to announce.

Manboy and my Ladygirl are moving to Chicago! I have accepted an internship offer to Leo Burnett. I am super stoked for so many reasons.

Leo Burnett has been blowing up the advertising world. They were voted for #1 agency by Young Guns, a world wide competition for students and industry rookies. They were also voted top 30 agencies to work for in 2012 by AdAge. Check out the environment I'll be "working" in here.

They are the geniuses behind the Samsung commercials. This is one of my personal favorites. Written by a friend of mine who graduated from BYU last year, great work Chad. They also do those cute Cheez-It commercials, like this one. Leo Burnett has also been known to cause a little mayhem. That's right, those geniuses.

I have never been to Chicago. But, I am excited to go there. I have heard nothing but great things about it. All I know about it is they have that giant silver bean thing, which I want to climb. It's also windy, which is fine. It is home of the Chicago Cubs, I am convinced I will be there for when they break the curse of the billy goat. And, they have good hot dogs, which I will eat.

We are both very excited. I start in June so until then I will be stuck in Utah. Finally after years and years of work I have found my way out.

Late Night Rendezvous

First, before we dive into what this post is really about, can we just talk about how weird of a word "rendezvous" is. It looks like a word that is the result of throwing your fingers down on a keyboard all at once. I bet if you do that ten times, at least three of those times you'll spell rendezvous perfectly. This is how it should be spelled: rondayvoo. That would eliminate all confusion, for me at least.

Anyways, about this late night rendez.... you know what, I can't do it. From here on instead of using r... (that word), I am going to just say "meet up." So, about this late night meet up. I am referring to me meeting up with food. It seems the later in the night it is, the lower my standards for food get. Why is it that when it gets past 10 PM all I want to do is go to a drive through and get weird? And by get weird I mean order the most unhealthy things I can think of. Large amounts and certain foods that cause even me, Manboy, to be a little ashamed to eat.

Little Caesar's Pizza, yes those gross $5 pizzas. I know they aren't the best tasting, but for $5, and when few pizza places are still open late at night, it's hard to resist them. I have had several occasions where I have put away one whole pizza by my self. I am not ashamed. (Yes, I am.)

That ginger that everyone likes. That's right, I am talking about the queen of the dollar menu, Wendy. My usual order: 5 chicken nuggets with ranch dressing, chicken sandwich, medium fries, medium Dr. Pepper (or Coke) and of course a frosty. You always feel so much better entering that drive through than a half an hour after leaving it. It's usually just depression or questioning a lot of your life decisions. But, that 30 minute gap is worth it.

Del Taco. Now I know what you're thinking, what about Taco Bell? Listen, if you can eat a meal at Taco Bell and look me in the eye and tell me honestly you're glad you ate that, then I will reconsider. Del Taco isn't all that much better, but you can't get the cinnamon twists at Taco Bell without having to use a bathroom 7 minutes later. Best kept secret at The Del is The Double Del Cheeseburger. Trust me. Next time it's late and no one is around, go to Del Taco's drive through and treat yourself. You'll thank me.

Then of course when it's really late, we're talking pushing daylight late, there are always those golden arches guiding you home. That's right, even McDonald's has a fatty little place in my heart. A trip here should be reserved for when things are really dark and desperate in your life. You know the feeling. You go, you get something that sounds the least terrible, you don't even make eye contact with the worker, and you rush home. Half the time, I eat all of it on the way home just so I can destroy the evidence right away. If you find yourself there, emotionally and physically, don't be too dismayed. We've all been there. I recommend the chocolate chip cookies.

Well my faithful followers, I wish you the best. There will be a special announcement on here next time. No, it's not that. The only baby to announce is a food baby because it's late at night and I just left The Del.

GraduNate

See what I did there? I put my name in the title of the post. I'm pretty clever huh? But you already knew that. That's why you're reading this. Also because you are smart beautiful people, that's another reason why you are reading this.

So, you beautiful, smart, clever loving readers, what do you want to know about. Oh, my hand stands? They're going well. I am pleased to announce that I broke into double digits the other day. That's right, the 10 second hand stand. Although I have accomplished basically the highest honor in the sport, that's right it's a sport, I am going to be keeping things right side up for a while. After I broke my personal record I got greedy and wanted more. I was unfortunately in a terrible hand stand accident. I injured my leg on the globe in my family room when I toppled over. Luckily, my ladygirl did not get mad. Don't worry, I will be okay but I will be retiring for the time being.

Anyway, to the subject of this post: In a couple months, Manboy will be graduating from college. College! Last semester I sat down with my guidance counselor and she told me I was on track to graduate in April. I had to ask her if this was some sort of sick joke someone was paying her to lie to me about. I don't know why it feels so weird to hear about my graduation. I have been looking forward to this since the first time snow fell Winter 2005 in Provo. December 9th to be exact. Yeah, that's right, I'll never forget that date. It's the day I realized that going to school in Utah was going be a long journey.

Even though it's been a long time coming, it seems like graduation is coming faster than ever. Although it's a little scary to be leaving college, it's not scary at all to leave Provo. I won't miss the snow. I won't miss the parking situation. I won' t miss close-minded people. I won't miss the construction on every other road and on the one freeway for all the four years I have been here. I most definitely will not miss the terrible drivers (I'm not saying it's a Utah thing, they just all happen to have Utah plates).

What I will miss is the convenience of having all the people I know and love so close to me. After I graduate, it's off to a new city where I'll know no one, except Ladygirl, obviously. I will miss BYU, mainly the AdLab. For the first time... ever, I wake up and I want to go to class. I love the ad program and the professors in it. I will miss the certainty of being a student. Right now, I know what I'm doing. I'm a student. My future is uncertain. Sometimes I get a little nervous about it all. I guess all can do is follow the counsel of this amazing kid.

39 Million Dollars Well Spent

Well it happened. Yesterday hundreds of millions dollars was spent to show America advertisements, and that doesn't include production value. Hundreds of millions of dollars to promote products to hundreds of millions of people tuned in to watch a football game. It's very interesting idea when you think about it. Going into the advertising industry made yesterday quite an event for me. I have to admit there were many commercials that let me down. However, this made the truly great ads stand out even more. Below are my top picks. These are solely based on my opinion. I focused on three things; writing, artistic value, and memorability. They are in no particular order except for one. Let's just say I saved the best for last. 

This ad may not be the most popular but the idea was brilliant. It comes from a truly spectacular agency over in the Rockies, Crispin Porter & Bogusky (CPB). The ad is simple and gives you an inside look at the people behind the technology we sometimes take for granted on our phones. Plus I loved the little stab at Alec Baldwin at 0:19 (if you don't know what I am talking about Google News Search Alec Baldwin gets kicked off plane for playing words with friends). Good job CPB. They also had an amazing Hulu ad that I was tempted to put on this list as well just because there was an Arrested Development line in it. You can check out their other work here. 

Audi ran this commercial right after kickoff. It's simple, well executed, and takes a popular trend and completely destroys it. With the hash-tag #SoLongVampires displayed at the end thousands of tweets rolled in by the minute and hundreds per minute are still rolling in. Hats off to you Venables Bell & Partners. Check 'em out here.

Goodby Silverstein I think wins for best group of ads. This apocalyptic spot was put together so well. When you make fun of Ford and remind the human population Twinkies are the one food you can depend on for surviving the end of the world it just makes your ad that much sweeter. 

Goodby Silverstein's second Chevy ad which was a compilation of all the stunts they put the Sonic through. Each individual stunt alone could have been an amazing ad. I highly recommend you check each stunt out (fine, you lazies here they are: Chevy Sonic Skydive, Rob Dyrdek Chevy Sonic Kickflip, Chevy Sonic Bungee Jump, and Chevy Sonic OK Go Music Video). Check out more of Goodby Silverstein's work here.

Can it getter better than the 80s classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off? This Honda CR-V commercial comes pretty close. So many little things about this commercial brought big smiles to my face. For example, the stare down with the walrus at the museum reminded me of his walrus comment in the movie. For your information I have that entire monologue from the movie memorized, because I'm a boss. RPA did this little ditty along with the Jerry Seinfeld Acura commercial. Check out their stuff here.

Nothing really needs to be said about this ad. It speaks for itself. I hope one day to write like this. Commercials of this caliber are the reason I am getting into the industry. The geniuses at Wieden & Kennedy put this beautiful piece together. They are also the mad scientists behind the Old Spice campaign, yeah those guys. Their work.

Well that is my take on the biggest day in advertising. Of course there were other great commercials but these are my tops. If you think I completely botched this list comment and let me know. 

Observing Observations Observantly

I have noticed some things lately. Some good. Some not so good. But, I feel like most of the seven billion human people on this globe will agree with some or all of the following list:

- One of the most frustrating feelings ever: you have something stuck in your teeth, and for the life of you, you cannot get it out. Your tongue starts get sore from trying to get it out. And, if you think about it, your tongue is probably the farthest thing from floss that your body has to offer. Right when you feel like you're on the brink of dislodging this thing, your tongue feels like its about to fall out of your jaw, and at this exact moment, you make eye contact with someone. Now, this isn't weird, except for the fact your tongue is currently reaching all the way across your mouth, it's shoved up against your teeth making your lip/cheek look huge, and you have your head tilted totally sideways (as if gravity will assist you in getting this tiny morsel of food beat). So, now, you're sitting there staring at this person who is trying not to look at you, thinking, "Wow! This is weird. I've got Quasimodo staring at me." Because you're so focused you forget the fact that you're in public, you're looking at someone, and they're looking at you.

- Something terrible: wet socks. Ugh! Seriously, there is no article of clothing more uncomfortable while wet. If the socks get totally wet, you might as well be barefoot. Your feet get all cold, the socks never really dry until you get home, your feet get all pruney and start to absorb all the wet smelly sock-water...

- A little thing in life that gives you a feeling of victory: when you are walking outside on a rainy/ snowy day and you watch a small glob of snow or a giant rain drop fall right, not on, but right in front of you. It makes feel you invincible. How did I time my day so perfectly, that I was able to evade Mother Nature's sinister plan by exactly one second? For me it's usually one more second of contemplating whether or not I should leave the comfortable sanctuary of my bed. But back to the drop-- if that drop had landed on your head, it would have been a cold cruel joke that made you feel uncomfortable because you don't know where it came from. Only drips I want on this scalp are the scalding hot ones coming from my shower, thank you.

- This isn't so much a good thing or a bad thing as much as it is a reoccurring thought that I have every time I find myself in this situation: whenever I see a "Wet Paint" sign, I have the overwhelming desire to run up and put my hands all over it. (I am a four year old.)

- Another truly amazing feeling is when you roll into a giant parking lot, and even though there are four to five hundred peeps scouring the lot for a spot, you pull up to the person with by far the best spot, and snag it. Even though all those chumps were in the parking lot before you, some of them probably for a solid 15 minutes, you were in the right place at the right time. Also, might I suggest backing up into these spots. If you have the time, try backing up into the spot it will give you a good feeling when you leave the parking lot. You will find that, by not having to put your car in reverse, twisting your back all the way around, and worrying about the cars on either side of you, this will allow you to leave anywhere with a smile on your face. It will change everything for you. Your pants will fit better, your significant other will look hotter, and you'll ultimately feel smarter. Trust me, try it.

Well my good friends. Enjoy your week. I think my next post, or the one after that, will be about the biggest advertising day in the world. If you don't know what that is, you better ask someone who won't judge you.

The Future Was So Yesterday

First off, I want all my followers (all five of you, but I am sure you guys tell all your friends about me) to know that I recently broke my personal handstand record. Nine seconds! Yeah it's no big deal but that's three seconds more than my previous record. I will keep you all updated when I break into double digits.

Anyways, let's talk about this thing the future. It's a pretty scary word. It can't really be defined because unless you are Raven Symoné (from Disney's award winning show That's So Raven) you don't know what will happen in the future. Well in the next couple months my future will start to reveal itself to me (reveal was a bad choice of words, I regretted it the second I typed it out).

My whole life I have lived in segments. My teenager segment I was in high school, all I cared about was going to the beach, and eating Wendy's. Then I went on a mission and was in Asia for two years and I dreamt about Wendy's. Now I am in college and have been for the past four years and I work hard in school, because I actually enjoy what I am learning, and I am back to eating Wendy's again. But, the next segment of my life has yet to be determined.

It's a little scary but I am trying to stay positive, glass half full and all that jazz. Part of me is still thinking it's going to end up with me having to sell my body to science just to maintain the Wendy's lifestyle I am used to though.

Well I will keep everyone updated on my future, if there are things to keep you updated on. I am pretty sure Raven is unemployed at the moment so if anyone can help a Manboy out and give me her number I just need to know if I am in some way employed in the near future.

Things We Can Do Without

1. Short faucets - Next time you're in a bathroom washing your hands (which you should always do because you're a human who interacts with other humans and therefore it is a requirement to wash your hands after entering a bathroom, especially a public one). Anyways, next time you're washing your hands, take a moment and check out when your hands are under the water if they are touching/rubbing up against the back of the sink. The last place I want to put my hands I'm washing is up against the wall of a sink where other men who have recently done things are forced to touch as well. There should be a world-wide law against any faucet that doesn't reach out to the center of the sink. Any establishment found breaking this law will be punished to giving all bathroom users free food (or goods, like candy) until the violating sink is fixed.

2. Ice on the roads - This isn't helping anyone out. I personally am not affected too much by it because I am prepared and drive something with four-wheel drive. Something I don't comprehend is when people drive around their half-wheel drive Toyotas in snow storms. I am convinced I am pushing my luck sticking around Utah this long. (I have been t-boned once already and ice wasn't even involved in that incident.) I figure, more logical than asking Utah drivers to learn how to drive or drive in safer vehicles, would be to just ask ice to stop forming on roads.

3. Snakes

4. Large potato chip bags - You're not fooling anyone, we all know that you're 75% air.

5. Sugar-free anything - Probably the worst feature to advertise for any product. Sugar free Oreos? I don't think you get who your consumers are. They are buying Oreos, they threw out nutritional benefits long ago. Don't be ashamed of who you are.