October 28, 2008

Change Is Coming ...

Change is afoot here ... and I want to thank HaikuTimes.com for giving me the inspiration to do some sketching needed to finally get around to revamping the look here at The Red Monkey Blog. Be prepared for a completely new look ... soonish. I will try to give you a warning at least a day or two before the new template goes live.

And - to Lisa - I haven't forgotten my promise to return to the excellent conversation we were having on trans issues - particularly in light of some research I saw on BBC the other day.

Posted by Red Monkey at 6:59 PM | Comments (1) | Blog | Design | Stumble

October 10, 2008

Monkeehub?

All right, people, quit dropping off the face of the earth.

The latest hit to my favourite links is Monkeehub. Laith Bahrani began Monkeehub as a portfolio site which quickly became a freaking web icon. Laith is the man behind the awesome video to the brilliant "The JCB Song" by Nizlopi. He's also behind the incredible video to Radiohead's "Creep."

Now, every domain I know to be Laith's is only a domain parking page. Monkeehub is down and has been for a few weeks. Low Morale is down as well. And Everloving is actually timing out completely. He's not logged in to MySpace since June, I think ... and he also hasn't had anyone leave him any comments since then, either.

This dude is simply too talented to suddenly drop off. Running a Google search showed scores of articles about him and interviews with him.

So ... anyone know what's going on with Laith? Is he so busy he forgot to pay the hosting bill? Is it rampant xenophobia which has made him deny access to Amuricunz?

Seriously, I need my Monkeehub fix.

UPDATE 10/13/2008
I've heard through the ether that the issue is simply a crashed server and, of course, crashed backup server. Laith Bahrani has apparently been working on an involved project and hopes to get the server issues worked out soon and get his wonderful presence back on the web again.

*phew* I'm glad that's all it was.

As for the rest of you, consider yourself on notice. No more disappearing.

Posted by Red Monkey at 2:37 AM | Comments (4) | Blog | Design | Stumble

October 8, 2008

Fifteen Months Later

Fifteen months is taking its toll on this blog. You would think that not having a steady gig would mean I had more time to write. Unfortunately, it means that I'm not getting the constant stimulation I need to be able to write. Despite the wide variety of topics and issues I would normally need to write about ... I am oddly quiet.

Every sentence I start to write about how my partner and I actually bought a house we could afford instead of doing what many of her co-workers did ... buying the house they were loaned money for, along with two brand new cars ... I think, "I should be working on promoting Oppositional Design" ... or "I should be reading my Typography book" ... or "I should build a newsletter or a new logo or something just to add it to my portfolio." Or, even worse, "I should clean the house."

After an incredibly warm job market a few weeks ago, I'm back to wondering where I've gone wrong and if it's something I can change or is it just this crappy economy?

I have no way of knowing.

I really wish I'd manage to land the job doing emailers for a large musical instruments company. I think I could have had a LOT of fun doing that ... but it was apparently not meant to be. Again.

I am profoundly grateful that my partner still has a job. I wish she could get out of there as it's, I feel certain, contributing to her constant migraines ... but there's little out there for her, either. The market is simply too tight.

I am profoundly grateful that we purchased a home within our means - and that we were somewhat conservative about what those means were. Sure, I'd love a home with normal dimensions instead of something so small - but we can afford this and it's ours.

I'm not a big stats person ... but I do feel regret that I've managed to slip from a pagerank of 5 back down to a 3. I'm no longer getting 500+ hits a day ... I'm lucky to get about 200. And while I still get hits for those damn Red Monkey jeans - I get more hits from Nerfers about modifying their Nerf guns now. (And most of them want to bitch at me and miss my point altogether. Let me repeat: I DO NOT WANT TO BAN NERF GUNS OR NERF WARS. Geez. I just think more parents should be more aware of what their kids are doing and what they're playing with. I also think that there is no such thing as a "toy" sniper rifle. On the other hand, I enjoyed modifying my Nerf Maverick into a steampunk looking thing.)

The blog is a bit adrift and aimless at the moment and I apologize to all of my readers, old and new. Right now, I'm afraid that I am a bit adrift and ... not exactly aimless ... but feeling somewhat lost.

Posted by Red Monkey at 10:54 AM | Comments (5) | Blog | Struggles | Stumble

October 3, 2008

It's Always the Same

Melancholy has set in again. Fourteen point five months is a long freaking time. Too long.
So ... whilst getting ready to go to my youngest cousin's wedding, Sick Puppies "All the Same" came on. It seemed to fit my mood, so I share my life's soundtrack with you today. Some of the lyrics fit my mood, but it's really the feel of the whole song that suits right now.

If you've not checked them out before, I highly recommend them.

"All the Same" - Sick Puppies
I don't mind where you come from
As long as you come to me
But I don't like illusions I can't see
Them clearly
I don't care, no I wouldn't dare
To fix the twist in you
You've shown me eventually what you'll do
I don't mind
I don't care
As long as you're here

Go ahead and tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's all the same

Hours slide and days go by
Till you decide to come
However long you stay is all that I am
I don't mind, I don't care
As long as you're here

Go ahead, tell me you'll leave again
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are
If you take me for everything
And do it all over again
It's always the same

Go ahead say it
You're leaving
You'll just come back running
Holding your scarred heart in hand
It's all the same
And I'll take you for who you are now
If you take me for everything
Do it all over again
It's all the same

Posted by Red Monkey at 6:38 AM | Comments (1) | Blog | Stumble

September 24, 2008

In Which I Say Little

Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac. School shooting in Finland. Marriott blast in Pakistan. Lehman Bros. AIG. Getting off my crutches. Lohan coming out. Palin speaking. Heroes starting back up.

It's not that there's nothing to write about - rather there is so much that I've been somewhat overwhelmed by where to start. And, frankly, most of my time the last week has gone to continuing to finesse Oppositional Design and revamping my printed portfolio. I went to an interview yesterday for a job that I want so badly I can taste it. You know, the kind of job that just excites you, the kind you can't wait to get up in the morning and go to work ... the kind of job most people dream of getting.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but I think it went well. Of course, she's interviewing some 6 or 7 other people as well. I just gotta say, 45 minute drive be damned - this is the job for me!

I've also been ruminating about elementary school again ... and I know there's another one of those posts brewing, but it keeps getting interrupted by more pressing demands.

Posted by Red Monkey at 4:41 AM | Comments (1) | Blog | Stumble

September 14, 2008

Srsly?

I know. Srsly. Who is surprised?

Should I be concerned that the social line is red and I am waaaay over in the red zone? *snort*

Posted by Red Monkey at 1:17 AM | Comments (3) | Blog | Stumble