The Quest for Brown Ale

June 23, 2006

The Quest for Brown Ale

So, it's my last day at Sumo. I fooled around a bit with more History of York stuff. Website, T-shirts, banners, etc. There's a meeting on Monday to present this stuff. I hope it all goes well.

Anyway, what better way to say "goodbye" on a Friday night than by going out for happy hour with friends!

This isn't any ol' happy hour, though. It's a Quest for Brown Ale.

Just so you'll know, the entire time I've been in Newcastle, I've only had Newcastle Brown Ale once. I'm not sure why, but most places I've been to in town don't serve it. That's why, tonight, we were all on a quest. We need to find a pub that serves Newcastle before I leave everyone for good.

The night started out at "The Forth." It's right around the corner, and it's a SUMO favorite. We found Kenny (Jens' husband) but no Brown Ale. That didn't keep us from staying of course.




Alright, I'll make this short and sweet. We went from pub to pub to pub, with no luck finding Newcastle. We of course sampled what each pub had to offer, but we didn't lose sight of the goal. We probably visited 5 or 6 places.
















Later that night. someone hypothesized that the "old people's" bar might have brown ale. For such a Newcastle-less night, it was our only hope.




SUCCESS!!
As luck would have it, these folks know what good beer is.




Next? Food. Hmm... looks like a Chinese buffet again. What's this? Another warning about being charged for the buffet? This is weird. Is it that common for Chinese buffet places to charge you for sitting in a chair... even with no food in your vicinity? Sheesh!







It was a great night going out with my new friends and fellow workmates from the previous two weeks. Thanks guys for making me feel welcome and for showing me a good time.

Let's keep in touch.

p.s.
I wanted to mention to you all that Kenny is one of my kindred music spirits. One casual mentioning of Pan Sonic made each of us realize who we'd stumbled upon. I only mention this because it's hard for me to find people who share my musical tastes.

Goodbye!

So, today's my last day with SUMO. I'm still hanging around for the weekend, so I'll let you all know what happens.

Thanks again, Jim, Suzanne and the SUMO crew. It's been great being a part of your team for the past two weeks. I'm sure we'll cross paths again.



Keep in touch.

Until then... BYE!

I'll see you all in the States early next week.
Justin

I'm a slacker.

June 22, 2006

Sorry folks, I'm a bit "blogged-out." I didn't document a single event from yesterday.

The SUMO workday went well. I just continued with work on the History of York website, helped with Cenamps materials, and helped a bit with Springfield Packaging letterhead and stuff.

Outside of work, I didn't do too much. Met some folks for dinner, walked the streets, and stopped in a pub for a while. No details, no photos, no problem.

Since you are all accustom to new photos every day, I'll just share some other pics you haven't seen yet.

Also, here are some goofy observations from the past couple of weeks:

- The adult XL T-shirts from "Super-Dry" brand designer shirts fit more like a children's small.

- Only pubs provide places for you to sit and enjoy a meal (more or less). Most places provide only "take-away."

- Even bums on the street are metrosexual. I'm exaggerating a bit, but most folks I've encountered are well presented and are "fashionable" in some way.

- Everyone here just squints while walking into the sun. No sunglasses. No blocking the sun with a hand. Just flat-out staring into the sun.

That's all for today.

Launch2006 / SpaceRiders / Secco

June 21, 2006

Another windy day. I actually need my jacket today, but I Ieft it in my hotel room. Oh well, I can rough it.

Anyway, today I made some progress on the History of York logo. It feels good to be doing logo work again.





I also met a local photographer today who came to offer his services to SUMO. He brought in his book chock full of really nice portraiture. The work seemed top-notch and "sophisticated," but he left us with a pretty goofy calling card – a Matchbox Portfolio. It's definitely an easy way to leave your work behind, but I'm not quite sure how effective it is.



After work today, some of us went out to another design event. This time, it's a private opening party. Luckily, SUMO's "cool" enough to get invited (which means I'm cool by association).

Unfortunately, before we ventured out, Suzanne called. She had a flat tire. Luckily, Graham (with his paternal instinct kicking in) ran off and changed the tire. I offered to help, I didn't just hold the camera. Graham was done by the time we'd made it down the street. Seriously.



So, we continued onto the event called "Launch 2006." It's a collection of the region's hottest designers. The venue? An old fire station. What other place can you feature hot designers than in an old fire station (get it? Hot? Fire station? Funny, huh?)? The exhibition presented the latest in furniture, lighting and jewelry. Guests were able to buy products or commission work from the designers. The work was pretty nice. In fact, it was a pretty cool event. Great venue. Check it out.










We left this exhibition party for another event taking place at the Baltic. It's called "SpaceRiders" and was promoted as "the first ever collaboration between the cultures of art, architecture and the extreme talents of skateboarding, BMXing and trail biking." Apparently it was hosted by PSP (Playstation Portable) to promote a new game being launched later this summer.






Simply put, it sucked. Once we'd arrived, we saw this groundbreaking clash of cultures was nothing more than an exhibition space with skateboard videos being projected on the wall and stills of extreme sports hanging on the wall. If these pieces were done well, it could've been passable. Even some "performance art" would've been nice. Nope, just a room full of mostly teenagers, a DJ playing deafening music, and free drinks. There were supposed to be PSP demos, downloads, etc. All bull. Nothing but bowls of potato chips (crisps) and beer.




Free drinks still didn't keep us there. It was that bad.




So, back to the fire station.. to the crowd we know we liked.
Just more of the same. Mixture of business and pleasure – artsy and corporate.





Last stop? Secco. Apparently the guy who set up the Launch show was closing shop soon and let some of the "insiders" know where to go to meet for drinks or whatever.




That's all for you. See ya again tomorrow.

Rainy Day

June 20, 2006

Finally, the overcast cloudy weather I was expecting from Newcastle has arrived. Seriously, I love it. It was a brisk Tuesday morning. I probably could've used a jacket, but I'm too manly for that.



It was a typical workday I guess. I did some more on the Durham Lit Fest pieces, and now I'm just continuing along with the History of York identity. I hope to get some good stuff going before I head out of town at the end of the week. Oh, I did some more photo retouching again today. Woo-hoo!






After work today, we ventured out to a local arthouse theatre (Tyneside Cinema) to see "Titles Highlights" (a 120 minute film featuring the most iconic film titles from 1950-1999). It pretty much featured sequences by esteemed designers such as Saul Bass (Vertigo, Psycho and The Man With The Golden Arm), Maurice Binder (Dr. No), Pablo Ferro (Bullitt and Dr. Strangelove), Imaginary Forces, Kyle Cooper (Se7en) and many others. Some other sequences include classics like "The Pink Panther," "Delicatessin" and "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." I actually felt like they'd missed a lot... and some that were included could've easily been dropped. It's still great to see that this community can support a theatre like this... let alone a film that's basically a collection of opening movie credits.



Other big news: It's time for another World Cup match. Who's playing in this life-changing match? England and Sweden of course, It was odd though. The match started at 8, but the streets were totally empty. Not a soul. Maybe everyone was indoors watching. Anyway, things seemed a lot calmer than last week's 6 o'clock match. We actually watched the match in the cellar bar at my hotel. Much different crowd this time around. Oh, the match was a draw by the way.



I had my first "fish and chips" since I've arrived. Notice it's served on newspaper. Classic.

Finally, some progress.

June 19, 2006

Okay, for all those whiners out there that've begged to see what've I've been working on, today's your lucky day! Time for a small taste.

Here're a couple of comps for the Durham Literature Festival. It's a banner that illustrates the basics of literature: reading and writing. The banner can be hung upside down and read just as well.




The horizontal format poster can be placed on building corners (interior and exterior).




Also, I'm told that my work looks very "American." Just the graphic style, typography and everything. I've noticed most of the work being done out here is more minimal, clean, vector, type-driven stuff. Interesting.

All in all, my day at Sumo was pretty productive. Much more than last week (in my opinion). I guess my time spent brainstorming, sketching and trashing ideas is finally paying off (We'll have to hear from the client before I can say that).

Oh, I was introduced to some more British food today, the Cornish Pasty, for lunch. It's kind of like a calzone, but it has more of a pie crust.



At the end of the productive SUMO day, a few of us went out for drinks at a bar called "Revolution." It was originally a bank, but it was remodeled for nightlife I guess. Jim's Dad even used to work at this place. Kinda funny, actually. I can hear it now, "See that guy over there passed out in the corner? That's where I used to sit." Nevermind.



We met up with one of Jim's design buddies, Andy. We spent a lot of time just hanging out chit-chatting. A common topic of conversation? Graphic Design (and its current state). Topics varied from bad students to ill-prepared Universities to annoying pitches for new business, etc., etc.. Well, it wasn't ALL negative. There was good stuff in there too.

Jim and Andy both touched on a concept I wasn't aware of. Apparently there's a UK government organiztion called "Business Link." They provide various services for startup companies, but what surprised me most is the fact that Business Link will cover 40% of design costs for folks that can't afford it. They help pay for logos, letterhead, promotions, etc. Various agencies can sign up as volunteers/partners to Business Link and are immediately on a list to be contacted or recommended to startups. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but that's just my impression from a casual pub conversation.

Dinner followed, and all you Brains folks out there will be happy to know I've found my favorite bread in Newcastle (so far anyway)! We ate at an Indian restaurant called "Latifs" and I had the best nan ever! Great food, and the servers have a great sense of humor (the waiter was busting my balls, insisting the bread was £20. I was trying to tell him to cancel it, but he insisted, "it's only £20." Turns out, I'm dumb, and he was joking). British Indian food is much better than British Japanese food. MMmm-mmm.



All for now. Thanks for reading. I know no one cares about the minuta of my day. I'm just trying to let you "live" it with me. Plus, I can't write about the real juicy parts. That'll be in "Adventures in Newcastle: The Director's Cut."

M.I.A.

Love,

Justin and the SUMO Team

Cambridge

June 18, 2006

WARNING: The following blog entry is probably too irrelevant for those of you who don't really know me or my friends, Dru and Arianna. Most of what you're about to read is for the benefit of our mutual friends. If you are our friends, the following is still just a documentation of an uneventful day. It still means a lot to me, because I love them. If you're still reading this, enjoy.

Hey, today I actually woke up before noon.

Dru, Arianna and I drove to Cambridge to spend the day and see the sites.

Unfortunately, my camera's battery died Saturday, so the pics you're seeing in this entry are all lower quality camera phone photos. Very gross indeed.

Here's a deathtrap we saw in the parking lot.



We first stopped for lunch. I don't remember the name of the place, but it was a cozy (and air-conditioned) little restaurant that served some "traditional" English food. I ended up having an Oxtail sandwich with greens and potatoes. The bread was fantastic. Toasted garlic bread. Unhealthy, but delicious. We finished with cream tea (hot tea, clotted cream, jam and scones). MMMmm. Unhealthy.

For those who tried to ruin my trip to England by saying I can't get sweet tea... lookee-here:



After lunch we just walked the city streets, wandered in and out of shops, and eventually, we went "punting."




punt
n.
An open flatbottom boat with squared ends, used in shallow waters and usually propelled by a long pole.

v. punt·ed, punt·ing, punts
v. tr.

1. To propel (a boat) with a pole.
2. To carry in a punt.




This definition fails to mention an important element of punting: The possibility of getting ones hands and arms crushed, a concussion, head wound, or being thrown overboard by other inept punters.

Cambridge is filled with beautiful old schools and churches, and they can all be easily viewed on a punt ride down the river. This leads to everyone and his brother attempting to make money by taking toursits down the river. Some rental places will let YOU do the punting... which definitely contributes to so much "bumper boat" action and a lot of near-decapitations. What is intended to be a relaxing trip down the river became a stressful, 45 minute ride of paranoia and slight injury.






But it was fun.



For dinner, we couldn't decide what to do, so it was Arianna's bright idea to go to a local Japanese restaurant, Teri-Aki. The worst Japanese restaurant I've had the displeasure of visiting. Hmm. I guess it is British Japanese food or something. Pretty gross. At least we've all learned our lesson.



That's pretty much it. I just made my way back to Newcastle that night.
Tomorrow, back to SUMO and back to blog entries relevant to me, SUMO and our daily activities.

Lazy Saturday

June 17, 2006

WARNING: The following blog entry is probably too irrelevant for those of you who don't really know me or my friends, Dru and Arianna. Most of what you're about to read is for the benefit of our mutual friends. If you are our friends, the following is still just a documentation of an uneventful day. It still means a lot to me, because I love them. If you're still reading this, enjoy.

Saturday in Huntingdon. What's a tourist to do? Actually, today I'd planned to go to London with Dru and Arianna to see the Queen on parade, Buckingham Palace, art galleries, and all the usual London goodness. I got some good info from Suzanne (from SUMO) about cool places to go and special events happening in London this morning.

Unfortunately, we grossly overslept.



We pretty much kept it an entirely lazy day. The only thing really worth mentioning is my trip to the local bird conservatory. A small collection of endangered birds for humans to enjoy. Here's a peak at some of the birds I saw. Most were in cages. Kinda depressing really.

TGIF --> Huntingdon

June 16, 2006

So, It's Friday. It's come up pretty quickly actually. I feel like I haven't accomplished as much as I should've this week. I guess I'm still not fully adjusted or something. I've come up with several ideas, but none of them are really "clicking" with me. I'm not sure I should be admitting this on the blog, but we've all experienced creative block. I'm not TOO ashamed.



Anyway, today was a pretty casual day. Only a handful of us in the office. I actually did help out with mocking up some food packaging. Reminded me of my old Wilton Connor Packaging Days. I'm still working with the Durham Lit Fest stuff as well.

At the end of the day, I walked down to the train station. I'm actually heading out of town to visit some old friends of mine I haven't seen for ages (ever since they moved to England). I figured now's the best time, since I'm usually across the globe in the US.



After a few hours, a train stop and a full Phil Hendrie episode, I finally made it. Another English town to experience, Huntingdon.




WARNING: the following bit of blog entry is probably too overly detailed and irrelevant for those of you who don't really know me or my friends, Dru and Arianna. Most of what you're about to read is for the benefit of our mutual friends. If you are our friends, the following is still just a documentation of an uneventful night. It still means a lot to me, because I love them. If you're still reading this, enjoy.

It was so good to see Dru and Arianna. It was also odd to be interacting with Americans. I was actually surprised by their accents (or lack-of). They even brought me a gift to make me feel at home... a bag of Doritos.


So, first stop? Dru and Arianna's house. It's actually an old stable that's been remodeled into a cool little house. Nice comfy place. Awfully close to the street though. Passers-by can literally look right into any window... inches away. It gives their cat, Mocha, something to do though.







Dinnertime! Luckily, Arianna's a great cook. Not only that, but it was great to eat fresh, homemade food again (as opposed to typical pub food). But, what meal is complete without dessert? None (at least according to these two). This is where I was introduced to "Sticky Toffee." Supposedly, it's "to die for" and I HAD to have some. Luckily, Dru and Arianna knew of a great local pub, "The Crown" which serves it.






Oh I forgot to mention, this was my first time experiencing driving on the left side of the road (Well, I wasn't driving, but even as a passenger, it was still unsettling). Anytime I'd see oncoming headlights, my gut was telling me we're headed right for them. Fun stuff.




So, we made a trip to this place. We just started things off with tea and pints. That's when we noticed something distressing. The sticky toffee was no longer on the dessert menu. Just to be sure, we asked the waitress if it was still available. Apparently, they no longer serve it. Crap. But later, when we finally got someone to come over to take our order, we were told the kitchen's closed (Even after they knew damn well we wanted some dessert!!).






Hmmm. Dru and Arianna know of another posh place to get some good sticky toffee, "The Old Bridge." This place was NICE (probably too nice for some t-shirt wearing folks as ourselves, but they didn't seem to mind). Not only did they serve sticky toffee, but we actually had a waitress come out, take our order and serve it to us! Can you believe it?

The sticky toffee was actually pretty good. It's basically a piece of spice cake with some toffee and ice cream on top. Delish. It made me wonder: is the calorie exchange rate in the UK the same as £/$ exchange?. If so, I just ate nearly double the calories this dessert would've had in the US (Yes. Thats was a dumb joke, but I enjoyed it.).

After we paid too much for a couple of bites of dessert, we decided to walk the streets of downtown Huntingdon. Most places were closed, but it was still a nice place to see. Super clean. The place actually looked like a move set, it was so pristine. Here are some blurry nighttime shots for you.







I was actually surprised this place was closed:



And what night would be complete without a trip to the laundramat. "Most nights," you say? Well, not this one. Luckily my laundry schedule coordinated with theirs. By the way, it would've cost me £45 to do my laundry through my hotel's laundry service. What the heck? DIY is much more affordable... but boring.



That's it. I hope you all enjoyed your virtual renuinon with Dru and Arianna. If not, I still have the rest of the weekend to bore you.

Later.

England vs. Trinidad and Tobago

June 15, 2006

Nothing too thrilling going on for you guys today. Just another great day spent at SUMO creating some more variations for the Durham Literature Festival. Nothing final yet, but I'm getting excited. The piece is definitely becoming something that's more "cutting edge" than previously anticipated.

I don't have much to say other than we all worked a typical SUMO day. It all went well I think. I also did a bit of photo retouching again.

Umm.... and I ate a wrap for lunch. It had hummus. What do you want from me?

Oh! There was a highlight in the workday! Jim asked me and Jack to join him in an interview of a recent "uni" graduate... a graphic design student. The guy even reads my blog (it was very odd to meet a local design student who's been following my Newcastle adventures). Anyway, we'd reviewed this guy's work, but he insisted on even more specific pointers, direction, room for improvement, etc. I thought things went well enough, but apparently I ripped the guy a new one. I think someone mentioned "blunt American honesty," but I don't retract a thing I said. I gave him purely constructive criticism and direction. I told him exactly what he should do to enhance his work and presentation. Trust me, I was nice. Oh well. He needed it, Maybe he'll rework some of the pieces (I got the impression he won't)

Hey, remember my thoughts on everything closing at 6pm? Well, today, Newcastle took it up a notch. I think all businesses (other than pubs) shut down at 4pm for the football match ("soccer" for all the Americans that are confused). It was England vs. Trinidad and Tobago. There're some pretty passionate folks around here.

We actually left the office a bit early to visit a "tame" pub to watch the game, but it was packed. They wouldn't even allow us to come in. We stopped again at several other places before we finally found a place that could accommadate us. Nice place I guess. I think most folks just cared about the big screen TVs. Plenty of hooting and hollering and drinking for all. It was a good time. Luckily England won, 2-0. If not, I probably wouldn't be alive to post this entry in my blog.







Anyway, a handful of us just walked the town... meeting up with other friends for dinner and drinks.








Hey, Here's "Chinatown." I think it's more like "Chinastreet."



... and THIS is total bull. It's a sign posted on a back wall where most people wouldn't see it.



Here's a glimpse of the football passion. Wearing a cape to the chinese buffet. Hilarious.



That's it more-or-less. Nothing too groundbreaking or Newcastle-y here. Hmmm. Actually, this night is probably the Newcastle-iest of all nights. Groups roaming the streets in good spirits spending time with their friends.


OH! one last thing. I wanted you all to see the size of the elevator (or is that "lift?") in my hotel. Supposedly, it will fit 4 people. My back is against the wall in this shot.

Lou at the Sage

June 14, 2006
My 2nd blog entry today!

Another day, another dollar... or another pound... or whatever.

So, today, I was actually in the office. I think I may have annoyed the SUMO team though. I started giving them pointers on font organization. They were gracious enough to humor me, but I honestly think if nothing else, I've put a small dent in their type management struggles. As far as REAL work goes, I had some more time with the Durham Literature Festival project. I ended up with a handful of ideas and executions, but there was one idea that Jim and Gav are both keen on, so it may develop into something much more interesting (Hopefully it will, because I'd really love to have some design work left behind to remind the SUMO folks that I've contributed.).

Around lunchtime, I stepped out with Gav to pick up some food, but I had to stop at some shops as well. You may ask, "Why now? Can't you go after work?" In return, I'd say, "No, I can't shop after work, because at 6pm, everything's CLOSED (said in the muffled Lloyd Bonafide phone voice... that only Phil Hendrie Show fans would recognize)!" Shops close at 6? Can you believe that? Wal-Mart would dominate in this place.

The work day continued – just the usual clatter of keyboard keys, the clicking of mouse buttons and casual conversation. But late in the day, Suzanne returned from some university lecturing and also a client meeting I think. Turns out, there were some hot-&-heavy changes necessary for an annual report that had to go to press Thursday. Snipes! SUMO actually hesitantly asked if I was any good at photo retouching (I suddenly had Hops and Don Pablo's flashbacks). Apparently there were some photos that needed an extra 2 or 3 inches added to them... pretty much faking the background. PPfffft! I could do it with my eyes closed. This pretty much lead to my first "late night" (ooohhh... 7:30... child's play). Unfortunately, Suzanne and Sarah had to work even later... while I joined Jim and Gav for a Lou Reed concert (yes, I felt bad).





... and we saw George Lucas on the way over. Wow!!



Ah yes, Lou Reed. I don't own any of his albums, and I'm a less-than-casual listener, but I still enjoyed the show. He played at this fantastic, fairly new venue called "The Sage Gateshead Music Centre." An inspirational new addition to the artsy, modern, contemporary side of Newcastle (the stuff you see on all the postcards). Here's a quick look at the venue before and after the show.








I forgot to mention a while ago, it gets dark between 10 and 11 pm. Odd... and enjoyable. Also, I haven't had the chance to sketch as much as I'd hoped. I'm usually busy during the day or out on the town (with no chance to stay still and draw). I'll try some later.

We stopped off for a drink after the show (of course), and that was that.

By the way, here are various nighttime shots of Newcastle i've neglected to include in any previous entries. Enjoy.

Old York (as opposed to New York)

June 13, 2006


Another day, another blog post. Let me know if this is getting old (even if it is. I can't help it. I feel obligated to fill you in).

First, some business related stuff: Suzanne and I briefly discussed the processes for gathering honest, non-biased, truly-valuable insight from the client (for re-branding projects) this morning. She just wanted to share her thoughts and allow discussion before she met with some clients later in the day. Honestly, It's very reassuring to see how similar SUMO's approach is to Brains on Fire's. Either we've both caught on to a "system" that works, or we're both making the same mistakes. I guess only time and clients will tell (I'm intentionally being vague by the way. You think I'd let out those kind of "secrets?").

Second, I've been put on another assignment! I'm gonna be working on a "History of York" website, so SUMO sent me down to York for a day of research. It was only an hour or so ride by train. It gave me the chance to see the countryside and eventually come upon with the historical city of York.




Upon arrival, I didn't really know where to go, so I just followed the castle/catherdal spires I saw in the distance. As I approached the center of town, I noticed some pretty cool architecture. Once I got INTO the center of town, I was blown away. Wow! Another historical and beautiful city for me to enjoy... and I was actually here WORKING. My "sightseeing" is my research. Fantastic!



First things first though. I can't walk the city and soak up valuable information on an empty stomach, so that's when I decided to stop for lunch. I wandered a bit trying to decide where I'd eat. I needed a good "York Meal" (Sound familiar?). Anyway, I happened too see a menu item in a window I just HAD to try.



I was curious to see how I'd taste grilled.



Hmm... I didn't look as appetizing as I'd hoped. In fact, I tasted an awful lot like I'd just come from a Waffle House or any Meat-and-3 you've had the joy of experiencing. I had my food brought to me, but there was something out-of-whack. Ah, yes. No ketchup. I asked my server for ketchup and she gave me a puzzled look (seriously. she even asked, "ketchup?"), walked back into the kitchen and several minutes later she brought this to my table:




For a plate full of fries... er.. I mean "chips?" A single packet? Cool package though. Super-simple with no branding.



I spent the rest of the day wandering the streets, visiting museums, galleries, gift shops, blending in with the tourists, etc.... Trying to absorb thousands of years of history in a few hours. I think I got a good impression of the town (along with some exercise)... but it'll definitely be time to Google "York" when I get back. There's nothing wrong with that.














I eventually made my way back to the station and the office. Thanks for the research trip guys (SUMO)!


After the workday, some of the "hard-core" designers amongst us decided to visit the graphic design degree show at Northumbria University. The trip to the school was just a hop, skip and a jump... and another hop... and maybe another skip... but we eventually made it.



The room was pretty full. I'm really glad these students were getting this kind of support. We split ways to soak in the work of our future colleagues and competition. I saw a lot of good work... some bad work too of course. It's reassuring (or is that depressing?) that English design students can make horrible messes with zero concept and too many Photoshop filters as well as the American students. So it's definitely not cultural.




That's all for now loyal readers. Aren't you glad you feel obligated to read this stuff? I am.

First Day Butterflies

June 12, 2006

Ahhhhhhh... Monday morning. Slightly cool and overcast - just the way I like it! My first day of work. Finally time to start earning my keep.

Well, not quite yet. As one might expect from the previous night of events, the scratched eye hurt a bit this morning (but it was tons better than Sunday night). Having left off with the eyeball adventures, last night, that's where we'll start today.

Jim volunteered to meet me Monday morning to walk me to the eye clinic (notice all these acts of kindness. He must know I'm blogging. Just kidding). Thanks Jim. We walked several blocks to the eye care clinic. We actually arrived 30-45 minutes early so we'd be first in line (the place opens at 8:30). Well, turns out that bit of a wait was well worth it, because I ended up being 2nd in line (of 15?)... checking in, visiting the doctor and checking out – all well within 10 minutes or less. Public healthcare baby! It's the best (it was that morning, anyway).

Now... i can finally start my SUMO day.

I eventually made it into the office for my first workday with the SUMO crew. I'd met most folks at the dinner party the night before, but I still made my introductions and took a quick look around the office.

First of all, SUMO has a pretty cool space, but it's definitely more "intimate" than I'm used to. Designer's work areas, production areas, conference room (with display of past works!) and... a giant robot in the courtyard? The hell? Fantastic! It's good to see they work in an environment where everyone is happy to work side by side (literally). It allows free flow discussion and idea sharing (although I'm sure it can lead to just as much interruptions). I can't wait to join in.

Okay, this is for all the designers out there who will all share my pain: I really miss my old computer, mouse, chair, application preferences, etc. It's so hard to move into someone else's workstation. I'm so used to my setup at Brains. No big deal, really. Just thought I'd whine a bit (sorry, Michael, if I've screwed up your setup. I'll do my best to put everything as I found it before I leave).









As far as the work goes, I'm working on the new visual/conceptual theme for the Durham Literature Festival. It's pretty open-ended (which I'm not really accustom to). It's a project for a really cool client who allows SUMO to really spread their creative wings (which I see they regularly do, so I'm feeling the pressure). I've got to clear the cobwebs from my head and bring some truly inspiring (or at least "cool") ideas to the table. I spent all day sketching (which felt great too – Having the opportunity to just brainstorm with pen and paper). Something good's bound to come of it, right?


After work, a few of us gathered at a nearby shop, Elektrik Sheep, which sells cool, artsy, designer limited edition shirts and prints and stuff. I think the shirts are £60 or something. Yeesh! The special event was a small showing of artwork by the likes of Jamie Hewlitt, Banksy, D*Face,and others. There were some nice pieces there, but they were all seriously expensive (and placed too high on the walls for me to steal. Kidding of course). BUT, they did offer free drinks. Yep, small, artsy shops with no space know how to keep the art kids flowing in.










Once we'd had enough of that, we just setoff for dinner and stopped for drinks here and there. Nothing you'd wanna read about (unlike the pure poetry I've been writing for the past couple of days). Well, there was Jim's mocking my American accent version of "cheers!"... even if it was accidental. Pretty funny stuff. I'm glad we had a chance to hang out, chit-chat and get know each other a little better.



All for now. G'night.

Jetlag-Schmetlag

June 11, 2006

It's Sunday. I slept in. Nothing out of the ordinary for my typical Sundays(other than the fact I'm in England). I woke up around noon looking for a bite to eat.

I walked around for a couple of hours around town looking for some more-or-less "traditional" English food. To my surprise, this is what's on most restaurant windows:


Anyway, I eventually found a nice place to eat called "Pitcher & Piano." Comfy, trendy place to have lunch. Which leads me to the restaurant experience. Which wasn't bad... it's just something I'm not accustom to (I'm a spoiled, lazy American you know). Apparently, around here, servers earn a wage... minimum I think. Unlike our servers in the US who make no substantial wage, but depend on tips to survive.



To make a long story short, I saw my waitress three times during my meal: When ordering, when receiving, and when paying. No problem. Again, I'm just so used to waitresses stopping by every five minutes in America.

Come to think of it, it was a bit refreshing. No interruptions or being pesky. I guess I'll just call on them as I need them. Great!

So, I walked the streets some more. Just getting a lay of the land, watching locals, vendors, etc.... Pretty much just wating for the Team SUMO dinner party.







I met up with Jim, Sarah, Jack and Lois and we all walked to Suzanne's house. She's preparing a dinner for us. We just have to walk thirty miles to get there (I'm exaggerating). We finally arrived, and I got to meet most of the SUMO team. Unfortunatley, they're not all pictured here.

Thanks again Suzanne (and the rest of the SUMOs for the gracious welcome).



As the night progressed, I got to eat some delicious, cucumber & salmon, chicken, duck, carrots, parsnips, and strawberries & ice cream. I was also introduced to Pimms (some alcoholic concotion with mint and cucumber in it). Pretty light and refreshing.

We were having too good a time, so I thought I'd crash the party. Apparently my contacts were completely ruining my eyeballs (due to my using some eyedrops that night that weren't contact lens solution) and they decided to let me know around 10pm.

I'm gonna keep it short (relative to this blog entry). Jim and Sarah took me to the hospital (which we immediately left due to a potential five hour wait.). They were then gracious enough to walk me home. And, yes... it was a million miles away. We were walking in the dark streets, and my eyeball was hanging out (not literally). Truly a dinner party to remember. Thanks again Jim and Sarah for helping me.

That's it for now.

Tune again for the further, overly-detailed adventures of Justin in Newcastle.

Terror at 30,000 Feet? Nah.

June 9+10, 2006:

Well, I've safely arrived to Newcastle, but the trip wasn't too glamorous. I had no delays or anything (thank goodness), but unfortunately, I was just a 220-pound man sitting in seats made for 10 year old children. Needless to say, these couple of days of flights really became quite uncomfortable.

It all started easily enough. Jen offered me a ride to the airport (thanks Jen), because Spike backed out (I know it was unavoidable. No hard feelings). I got there a bit early (nearly an hour and a half), but no worries. It gave me a chance to draw some of the folks around me.



First stop? Memphis, TN. Quick and painless. I actually sat with a pleasant young lady named Meredith on the way over. She's a college student who's somehow decided she wants to do an internship in Gaffney, SC at the Nestle plant. I was raised in Gaffney. It doesn't have too much to offer. Friday night at Wal-Mart is the main social event. I even confirmed that with Meredith. Sorry Meredith (but I did tell her to check out Greenville when you get back)

So, I arrived at the Memphis airport and discovered my flight had been overbooked (Snipes!). They were offering money and rooms and massages (kidding about that last one) for anyone willing to stay off the flight. Luckily, I was there early enough to guarantee myself a seat.



On this flight, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Mike. He's traveling from Chicago, but he's an England native. It allowed me the chance to be the bothersome planemate... or seat buddy... or whatever the hell you wanna call a guy you're stuck sitting next to for 9 hours. We did the usual courtesy conversation. What do you do? Where do you work? Can you please get your elbow out of my ribs? Mike also gave me all kinds of Newcastle trivia. I won't get into it here. It was pretty much a chance for me to adapt to the British accent for the next 9 hours.

Oh! One more thing.
I couldn't sleep. I tried, but I hurt too much. Plus there was this annoying church group just walking around, clapping, yelling, talking, etc... all through the night. It didn't help that they were all overweight, white Americans. I was embarrassed for my people. They were honestly acting as if they were on a thrill ride. Seriously. No exaggeration. Hands in the air... in unison... yelling "whhhhooooooaaaaaooohhh."

Next stop: Amsterdam. This was the big time! Huge international airport. Great shops, great people, not so great feeling (me). I was the walking dead. Everything's German (it seemed like the signage was) and extremely well designed. Even the urinals were cool (sorry, no photos. I didn't want to get punched). I sat around a bit just reading a new book I bought before the trip (Nick Hornby's "A Long Way Down.).

Almost in Newcastle. This flight was super-small and super-tight. This time, I had a window seat. As I approached my assigned seat, I noticed a frail old British lady. To my surprise, she was seated before the rest of us and was unable to get up. She actually asked me to climb over her. It was a bit touchy. The slightest misstep and I would've crushed her. She was so sweet (and frail). I'd hate for her to lose her life to a size 13 EEE Frankenstein foot. Luckily, I can be "delicate" when I need to be... or when old ladies need me to be... or something like that.



Aaaannnnnddd... I made it!! And, boy, was it refreshing to step off of that final plane. Bright and sunny skies with a cool, dry breeze on my face. I was thrilled. I, of course, still had to go through customs, luggage claim, etc. but in the end, Jim (from SUMO) greeted me with a warm Newcastle smile letting me know I have a friend to help me home.





We jumped on the metro and rode into the main area of the city. It was phenomenal. Classic architecture, end-on-end as far as I could see. Really cool place. Found my hotel, checked in, and decided to shower and nap (contrary to what everyone told me to do. I don't care. I needed it. Plus, i'm used to little sleep)

Jim and I met up later for dinner and drinks. He took me by a lot of the local spots for eating, drinking, drinking and drinking. It was a great time. Drinking while tired and jetlagged will definintely help me sleep through the night... right?

ZZZZZzzzzz.... nope I woke up close to 4am. Wide awake. So, i just read a bit more. I eventually forced myself to sleep. G'night.

I'll fill you all in on the rest of the weekend soon.
Hope this wasn't too detailed or boring or pointless.

Justin

Alright. This is it.

Well, it's been a while since I last wrote, but no one's reading this anyway.

Just so you'll know, THIS is the big week! I'm heading overseas Friday to spend a coupla weeks with the good folks at SUMO (I'm not explaining the setup, because anyone reading this knows what's going on).

I'm in the process of packing my bags, buying international outlet adaptors, setting up a place for my cat Murray to stay, and pretty much just counting down the days 'til I head outta here.

I don't plan on posting again until I'm actually on the ground in England, but I may take notes documenting my voyage, so I'll post 'em all here.

That's it. I'll miss you all.

Destination: Newcastle

Uh-oh! It's getting closer! This week it finally hit me that I'm really going to England. Newcastle to be exact. The dates are set and the wheels are in motion. I've even applied for my passport. I can't wait!

Thanks again Robbin, The Gregs and Kathie. You're the best!

Better late than never

So, I know everyone and his brother has a blog, so why am I adding to the digital mess? Well, mostly to keep some friends and family aware of what I'm up to. Sounds dumb, but I'm going to England soon, and I figured this would be a good way to track my trip.

Just sit back and enjoy... or get bored. I don't really care. Who knows? I may write some stuff leading up to my trip. I'm mostly writing stuff now so I can design my blog template and crap.

See ya.