something to look forward to Tweet

Leaving the office while there was still light outside did not become an imperative this year before the good weather got going, and that was rather late. In bad weather, home means projects and pottering, cooking warming meals and catching an episode of a favourite show. All that if once I spread my mobile office in the kitchen, and Chris in the lounge, anyone remembers what life is supposed to be like.

In this revised weather, life moves outdoor, and so does home, the rest of the space auxiliary, used as a passage. Little changes about what we do, if you don't count trying to cook every damn thing on the grill, but doing everything in open air, the fragrance of jasmine, the chatter of a busy restaurant, the pink clouds of sunset, that makes home a destination. So I don't mind working now, in the least.

It is from now on that all the hours invested in the terrace pay manifold, be it a place to catch one's breath and wear loose clothes, the place where one admires the progress of summer fruits and greens, or equally, and more often that not, the place where one cracks the next mindboggling business problem. And it is where we started living upon moving in, so it is here where we feel most ourselves. At home.

ebay message of the day: fair enough Tweet

Hello,

Thank you for your payment. I'm at a cat show tomorrow and my son said he'll go to the PO. If he doesn't, cos he's 19, I'll send it on Mon!

Thanks!

alien life on the entrepreneur ship Tweet

Time I got home: 8.45 This is early, and I live around the corner from the office.

Time I left home: 8.45 This is early, so I had to do with 6 hours sleep again.

Outside temperature: 24 Celsius This is hot. We only turned off the heating three days ago.

Internal temperature: lizard. This is good, lots of things don't get on my nerves anymore.

Daytime layers: 4 This is mad, but one was silk, and I've got to wear a bra.

Evening layers: 1 This is good, nothing beats being barefoot about the place.

National product launches: 1 This is good, considering we're all home for dinner.

Free client trials: 2 This is good, but five times more won't hurt.

Work emails sent: 17 This is bad, as much more fell by the side.

Other comms: countless. Most written ones are in Skype & Twitter DMs.

Glasses of cava: 1 This doesn't happen nearly enough, but here's hoping for more.

Mugs of double espressos: 4 This is very good, I normally lose count.

Useless networking events: 1 This is alright, I was working during most of it.

Profanities uttered: countless This is good, it's how I entertain myself.

Fruits consumed: 500g This is great, and not negotiable, because...

Junk food consumed: 1 This is bad, but counters 4 beers last night.

Important tasks on my list: 65 This is normal, and only what I don't keep in mind.

Urgent tasks on my list: 65 This is equally normal, everything must get done.

Pains in my body: 3 This is normal. Hello GP fave, ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Kgs in my bag: 6 This is good, it was actually a bag, not a backpack.

Videos processed: 3 This is good, we must document more of our work.

Blog posts written: 1 This is good, but if you ask, I'll do even better.

Time spent putting this together: 15 minutes Outrageous, but I glanced around at my babies, took photos, had a smoke, you get the picture.

effing budding talent Tweet

Chris: Do you know the business account sort code?
Me, laughing: What do you mean? It's on your fucking card.
Chris, annoyed: No, it's not!
Me, pulling out my card: What IS this?! Fuck me!
Chris, as I look up electronic records: You give Malcolm Tucker a run for the money. Did you hear what you said?
Me, sort code dictated and fucking memorised: What did I say?

counting sheep in his sleep Tweet

Chris: Three thousand. Fourteen hundred. Ninety nine.
Me: You mean four thousand, four hundred...?
Chris: Hmm! You KNOW what I mean!

Twist the knife, damn it: I NEVER do.

where my olympic journey ends... Tweet

...at least in its official track, as a volunteer, in equally official gear. This hot piece of euphemistic passive aggressive communication has just landed in my inbox:

[...] Unfortunately, your application has not been successful. While we cannot commit the time to answer individual queries, we can confirm the most typical reason for not being shortlisted was limited availability. We thank you very much for your interest and enthusiasm in support of London 2012 Ceremonies and hope that you will support London 2012 in other ways. [...]

If you don't know what the fuss is all about, find out where my Olympic journey started, and where it stumbled severely. And to my 3 year younger self: HAHAHA!

save for never: episode 1 Tweet

This idea has consumed me for at least a week. I live in a world of ideas, and no resource to make most happen, so nothing really consumes me for a whole week. Ideas are cheap. Fleeting. Done before. Shifted. Etc. Seeing this one won't go away, however, or morph into something completely different, here goes.

Bookmarks are dead, we all know it. But we all still do it, to some degree, and for some reason that may be about status, if not self-esteem. Regardless. Who ever goes through the bookmarks again? Though my life is different from yours, none of us has time. Except for those things that still get us.

Save for never is an attempt to chronicle what got me, and was gotten by me, without the need to save it for later. I'll keep it short.

1. "I'm not fucking happy—who's happy? I don't even know what that is." >> David Chang, chef (cameo), Treme

2. The sound of the last day of summer. It has been with me since the last perceivable day of summer, and will stay for years to come. I don't even own this yet. I don't need to. I like how it comes at me serendipitously, from here, there and nowhere.



3. Marc Jacobs AW12. Yes, fashion! The best of it. Mad as a nut. Even the fashion people can't get shit about it. They will ponder whether it was serious or a joke until the end of their lives. How delightful! That doesn't happen often. Truly, and gorgeously disruptive. Plus I kinda have one of them mad hats, the trendsetter I am.

my london 2012 olympics will run under @fru's logo Tweet

When I saw this beautiful logo for the London 2012 Olympics made by Frulwinn Collick I had one more reason to cry over the rivers of spilt milk around these games. The logo in use, as it stands, conveys no joy, no unity, no movement (citius, altius, fortius as of 1924), no recognisable image of London—not even as seen by the eyes of its millions of residents, nevermind the world population. The logo in use could've shown, among others, just how strong the UK is at "creative industries" (apparently its intended leading spear, should one remove financial services). Perhaps the official logo has, in fact, succeeded too well in reflecting how London, and the country at large feel: broken, fragmented, moving at once in all directions—thus none, lacking ambition, searching for an identity.

@gorgeoux i made an alternative olympic logo for fun yesterday. do you like it? any feedback is welcomed :) twitter.com/Fru/status/174…

— Fru (@Fru) February 28, 2012

By contrast, Fru's logo is something that made me smile instantly, that anyone anywhere could read in a blink, memorise, recognise and identify with. It would also stand the test of time, and convey London in its informal, playful nature of nowadays, while simultaneously nodding towards its history. I love its joy, simplicity and power so much that I'll print it on a white t-shirt and wear it religiously during the Olympics. I know it'll catch the eye of many, make them happy on the spot, and be an awesome conversation starter as amazing athletes from hundreds of nations save the day and help us forget how the organisers broke some part or other again*. Why not print your own t-shirt with @fru's logo?


* OK, they'll probably get the fireworks & lighting the flame right