10 Items Or Fewer

This is my last blog post of the year. No…don’t cry. It’s ok. A new year begins in two weeks. I’ll be back. But until then, let’s take a short look at some important grammar lessons we’ve learned this semester.

Don’t dangle your participles…

Leaking gas, I turned off the stove.

…or your friends might think that you’re leaking gas.

A passive voice eliminates responsibilities.

My sister was hit with a water balloon.

What? I didn’t say that I threw it…

A sentence feels awkward if it isn’t in a parallel format.

Class taught me to be a better writer, designer, and how to create a blog.

These little lessons may seem simple, but they make all the difference and I’m happy to have had the grammar refresher.

I will miss my PBDS 601 classmates and teachers. However, I probably won’t miss our freezing cold classroom and that creepy painting of a female Jerry Springer look-a-like.

Happy Holidays!

It's Magnetidezed

Tide seems to be a never ending source for unique ad campaigns. This interactive campaign borrows the magnetic properties from that old childhood favorite toy Hairy Gary and allows the reader to "remove" the stain from the shirt by dragging the magnetized tide swatch across the page. Clever and effective. Ketchup stain? No problem!

Coffee spill? No worries.

Ink leak? Easy.

Cracked an egg on yourself? Who does that? But either way, Tide will save the day.

Yuletide Cheer

Bonnalogos

As the weather gets colder and colder, I yearn for summer more and more. I miss the easiness of slipping on a sundress and a pair of flip flops, the warmth of the sun on my back as I lay on the beach and the smell of sea salt in my hair. Most of all, I miss my favorite place in the world - Bonnaroo.

Bonnaroo's logo changes every year, but the concept stays the same. The logo has always contained the signature three rings and the words "bonnaroo" "music" and "festival". The main font has barely changed, however the word "arts" was added into the equation in 2005. In 2006, the three rings merged with the word bonnaroo and have stayed that way ever since. My favorite logo is from 2008. Something about the combination of those colors makes me really happy. The 2011 logo hasn't been released yet, but I really hope it's nothing like last years. I wasn't too crazy about the drippy look.

Happy Winter

Two weeks ago, while getting my car tuned up, the technician told me that I should get new tires before any winter weather comes or else "I will die".

This morning I woke up to what looked to be just a slight dusting of snow. Knowing the current/worthless state of my tires, I thought it best not to drive anywhere (even though I needed to print my project). Two hours later when I took my dogs for their afternoon walk, I saw sea vehicles including two tractor trailers, a school bus and a handfull of 4-wheel-drive trucks and cars all stuck in the 50 foot stretch of street outside of my house. Good thing Kinko's is 24/7.

Show and Tell Whatever You Want: Produce Map

I found this interesting infographic showing the types of seasonal produce available in each region of the United States during the month of November. This infographic ties into the one I posted a few weeks ago and is put together in a really neat way. The darker the word, the more popular and in-season the produce and vice-versa.

Anthropologie, Translated As A Southern Gothic Novella

Dodai Stewart found the June Anthropologie catalog to look more like a "Southern Gothic novel come to life, compete with dilapidated porches, lonesome shores and shoes fit for hardscrabble dusty roads", so she wrote a clever little story to go along with the pictures. Click here to check it out.

Copy Cat

While browsing the book section at Target, I noticed all three of these books on the “best sellers” shelf. What is it about the image of a mysterious jean-clad female figure holding the hand/shoulder of a child while mid-walk that says “perfect book cover”? I’m not sure either. But whatever it is, it’s working.