Coffee Break

Yeah, I sold my soul for a free sample of coffee.

I also really like the combination of orange and pink.

Maybe HRA's Just Not That Into You

I think my health reimbursement account (HRA) is trying to break up with me. I keep submitting claims to my HRA, but I don't get any response. I upload my files, I fax them. But nothing. I sit and wait. I tell my email to check for new messages, but all I get are ads from Crate and Barrel and Tiger Direct.

It's not like I was asking for anything serious. I just wanted to keep it casual. You know. I would pay for my doctor visits, submit claims and the HRA would give me money. No big deal. I even played on the terms of the HRA. I made sacrifices. I didn't want to fax my personal information. But I did.

I guess we had a connection failure.

Musical Diversion

I don't even know where to start on this one. I can't pretend that I'm a music critic. Scratch that. Yes I could pretend. But that's not the point. When I was logging on to Playlist.com (I'm an addict) the featured playlist was from a band named Metro Station. Start the judging now, please. First, you might have heard about this band last year. And I just heard about it. Second, you might realize what a popsicle rainbow delight boyband this group is. And, yes, I did take a listen in spite of the photo that accompanied the songs. When I heard the pop dance beats and a fake British accent, I had hopes they would be like the Prima Donnas. They weren't.

Now, if you haven't heard of Metro Station, I wouldn't feel bad. You're probably not a 14 year old girl.

I listened to the songs and it made me wish I was younger, much younger. I know that if I were that 14 year old, I'd be plotting a way to follow these guys on tour. I'd probably be trying to figure out how to get back stage to have fumbly teenage make out sessions.

Are they cute? Not really. But what they are is ugly and awkward. And much more scruffy than those Brothers (again, you'd probably have to be in your pre- or early teens to know what I'm talking about.) They are all post-emo rock in appearance. So to young girls, in a word, irresistable. I mean, dang. I can't stop laughing.

No, I'm not laughing at them. No, indeed not. I'm laughing for the pure joy they bring to my heart. But you rock on, Metro Station, with songs like Seventeen Forever and Wish We Were Older!

Make Over Madness

There is something so fulfilling about a make over. The results are so obvious; either much improved, or at times, a step backwards. My love of make overs extends past TLC's What Not to Wear and Property Ladder.

The other day I spent way too much time on photo retouchers' portfolios, just rolling my mouse over the images, over and over again. Oh, she used to have muscles, now they're gone. That little girl used to have on a long sleeve top, now the sleeves are short. Where did those arms come from?

Combine my fascination of "before and afters" with my love of logos; yes, I gaze at them all the time, and you get one of my favorite blogs to check in on, Brand New. I'm kind of obsessed with it. It's not always redesigns. Sometimes it's just interesting things in corporate branding. To a certain extent I like to read the comments. Although, sometimes you know what they are going to be. It gets a little formulaic at times. The first person to comment on it will hate it. The next three will, too. Then after a few comments there is the person who says they like it. If you're lucky, someone will throw in a picture of something that the new logo resembles. I like those. If somehow my design ever made it to that site, I would not have the nerve to see what people where saying about it.

I've just discovered The Dieline today. This blog isn't about redesigns, though it has a category for them. It showcases packaging design. I've always found packaging design incredibly interesting. It adds another dimension in which to solve problems. I'd love to have the chance to do more of it. And when people think designing is about drawing pictures and making things look pretty, I wish I could force them to read articles like this about the redesign of Target's perscription bottles.