Two [Artichoke] Heats as One

Since my rocking Flash-tacular design website is still sort of, uh, “gestating” — I thought I’d use this space to post some of the recent work I have simmering. To wit: this poster I did for Stumptown folk legends Kate Power and Steve Einhorn of Artichoke Music. There isn't a muscian's life here that hasn't been touched in some way by their humble music store on Hawthorne. People who know them affectionately refer to Kate and Steve as “Mr & Mrs Artichoke,” which is why there is a pair of artichokes on the poster. (awww...)

Not only are they are two of the nicest people in town, they recently took home a 1st prize trophy at the 2006 Kerrville Folk Festival for Kate’s warily poignant ode to one of the first Oregon soldiers killed in Iraq, “Travis John.”

I had breakfast with them recently, and am giddy to be able to work with artists so highly regarded on several new design projects. (did I mention they own a music store..?) Frankly, I’m also looking forward to the challenge of working in a genre rife with so many nasty clichés.

Should be a gas—stay tuned…

¿Que Paso Gato?

For some reason I have this random factoid floating about in my head that states the percentage of people who begin blogs who actually stick with it is like 2. Percent. No kidding.

I have this artist friend who sort of got me started doing it. In fact lately I've been checking hers out to see if she's as big a slacker as I am—she is. She hasn't put anything up since August 3rd when she posted the brilliant (there's that word again) "OK GO" video—which was amazing. However neither she nor I have written anything since. And for those of you who "blog" (of course now it is a verb, I think William Safire said so), you know that posting a video is what you do when you can't think of anything intersting to write about...

…like the new KITTENS in our house!!! We got them from the Oregon Humane Society last month, after our dearly beloved "Gizmo's" 9th life finally came due. We inherited Gizmo from my dad, so I'm not positive of his exact age, but I am confident he was old enough to buy beer.

So long old friend...

But now — time for new kittens!!!

I joke of course, but there was something about the whole experience that felt oddly like swapping out an old water heater. Indeed Daisy, our 6 year-old, was crazy excited about getting a new cat even while Gizmo lay wheezing on the kitchen floor unable to make it to his Meow Mix. From eulogy to cattery was less than a week. Isn't the innocence of small children adorable?

Our new little friends came from the Humane Society "pre- named." — ladies and gentlemen, this is (or was) "Nutmeg" and "Tippy". When we picked them up they said we could rename them if we wanted (doesn't that confuse them?), so Daisy said she thought that instead their names should be "Nutty" and "Tiptoe".

And so it was...