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In a first-ever for me, I’ve been tagged in a 4×4 blog meme. Stan Hieronymous tagged me, and he’s such a good guy that I feel that this is a mandatory post. A 4×4 post is something where you write about 4 subjects, with each answer having 4 different answers.
According to tradition, I’m going to tag 4 other bloggers to do this same thing. Your answers can be brief. Just like Stan’s example (see above link).
Morland
Neal (you can use the turkey sandwich report or Big Slice of Awesome)
The Denver Egotist
George Oates, Flickr Goddess – I hope she does this, I think it’s a longshot.
4 places I’ve lived
Denver, Colorado – I was born and raised in Denver and it’s where I live now. I can’t think of a better combination of urban living close to the amenities of the Rocky Mountains. We’re no longer a cow town. Well, we’re still sort of a cow town.
Saratoga Springs, New York – I spent the better part of four years in Upstate New York and loved the region (even if I wasn’t really into much of the student population). Saratoga is 3 hours from Boston, Manhattan and Montreal. Definitely an interesting place to spend my college years, a nice blend between hippies, yuppies and rednecks.
Vail, Colorado – A good place to be a drunken ski bum, which is exactly what I was. Sort of lame to have to live in some gaper’s (aka tourist’s) vacation, but I didn’t much care. They were in my drunken stupor so it’s all a bit hazy. I remember going to lots of great shows, skiing some unbelievably deep snow and making a few good friends. Going up there now, I wonder how I ever lasted 18 months. But I lived a quarter-mile from world-class fishing, that must have helped keep me sane.
Shwayder Camp, Clear Creek County, Colorado – I spent parts of 9 straight summers at Shwayder. Their catchphrase is that it’s a “summer to build your life on” and that’s no lie. I loved most every minute of my time at camp, from overnight camping trips to playing guitar to learning how to cream some poor schmoe in a game of frisbee suicide – which should have really been called frisbee homocide. And in failing to be hired as a counselor there in the summer of 1997 allowed me to become a Production Designer at Lance Jackson & Associates the summer after graduating high school. Which set me on my career path four years earlier than most everyone else I knew. I wouldn’t be where I am if I wasn’t completely embarrassed by the camp director when I wasn’t offered a job.
4 design jobs I’ve had
Imperial Headwear – My first design job out of college. I made designs that later became embroidery patters on caps. Made a hat that was in the LL Bean catalog for a few years.
Vail Daily Newspaper – I lucked out and got a job at the free newspaper in Vail as an ad designer. This job allowed me to hone my Quark Xpress skills. I also am an expert PDF distiller now because of it. I had some great friends in Vail, but my aforementioned drunkenness didn’t help the job performance. Throw in the fact that my second boss was a total lying douchebag and it wasn’t exactly a great fit. But it was a great job with great hours that gave me time to ski and fly fish and there were some killer perks (free dinners at exquisite restaurants and free concert tickets every week are two examples).
Tinaglia Advertising – My first real agency job. We had some really high-profile clients including the US Tennis Association. I really learned the business-side of design, and I learned how to set-up my artwork for press so that there would be no problems. I wasn’t exactly in love with the work atmosphere (on par with the cold dead vacuum of space). Really poor hardware (a really fucking old Mac) and much too much downtime made the job tough. But I appreciate them taking a chance on me and I hope I made them happy.
Flying Dog Brewery – Finally the job I’ve been looking for! I responded to a craigslist ad for a Creative Manager and beat out a million applicants to land what I’m calling “the perfect job.” I love most everything I do, and I can’t think of a more fun place to work. We’ve been through some rough times, what with the concentration of brewing operations to Maryland and all, but I continue to be challenged every day with what I’m doing. I’ve gotten the opportunity to refresh our packaging and I’ve also been able to help shape our online presence, in the form of multiple blogs, a strong photo video presence, del.icio.us, twitter, and a host of other online marketing platforms. People pay me to design beer labels. How fucking cool is that?
4 places I’ve skied
Vail, Colorado – The mountain that is nearest and dearest to my heart. I know that mountain like the back of my hand and I have some great powder stashes. Last winter, I got waist deep turns and loved every second of it there. But the town of Vail sucks, so that’s a bad trade off.
West Mountain, New York – My “local” ski area near my college town. Irony being that West Mountain is in the East. Well, it introduced me to what terrible skiing is all about. I took Colorado skiing for granted up until I was 19. That all changed once I skied West, especially at night.
Winter Park, Colorado – My new home mountain. My parents live up that way, and so I have a place to stay when I go skiing. Sure, it’s not as expansive as Vail, but there are some great stashes that I know about. And free parking doesn’t hurt, either.
Crystal Mountain, Washington – I flew to Seattle to participate in the Crystal Mountain chapter of the Jimmie Heuga Vertical Express for MS. Our two teams raised about $3,000 for MS research and that is a nice feeling. I also got to ski some of the steepest shit I’ve ever skied. It was amazing. Looking forward to going back next February.
4 bands/musicians that have influenced me
The Police – Having older brothers helped me appreciate the awesome late 70s and 80s rock that I otherwise would have missed out on. The Police are one of these bands. Can’t wait to see them at Red Rocks in a month.
Yonder Mountain String Band – The band that rocked my world after college. I’ve seen them about 40 times in 7 years. I’ve learned most everything I know about bluegrass guitar from their guitar player, Adam Aijala. They’re not just a bluegrass band, though – they transcend genres from Bluegrass to Jamband to Rock to Old Timey.
James Taylor – I listen to James Taylor on random to help me fall asleep. For the last 5 years or so. It’s like 200 songs on random, but that’s impressive that I haven’t hated him yet. An impeccable songwriter and wonderful guitar player. Plus he’s been on a great Simpsons episode. “I, for one, would like to salute our insect overlords.”
Jim Croce – Again, an amazing songwriter but Jim had a great edge to his songs. New York’s Not My Home really resonated with me and my life whilst living in Upstate New York and not wanting to for various reasons (bad relationship, no real skiing, terrible weather, depression).