Best laugh of the week

My recent birthday buddy Jimmy Kimmel has created the ultimate Twilight spoof. Count me as someone who has had quite enough, thank you. Wake me when 13-year olds are no longer dominating popular culture.

One great song.

Me and Brooklyn Rehab unite!

This has been in the works for a few weeks now, but today is the official release of a new collaboration between myself and Alyssa of Brooklyn Rehab! Only in the internet age can two artists collaborate between Toronto and Brooklyn. We are super excited about this. It works the same way as my custom couple portraits, but along with the standard portraits, Brooklyn Rehab will then take those portraits and send you two customized mugs. I think this is a really special wedding or engagement gift. You can drink from your own, or keep your beloved at your desk at work for storing your pens!

A lovely scent

I finally found it. A perfume that doesn't smell like 'perfume'. I have the hardest time with commercial scents--everything ends up smelling overbearing on me. This isn't too strong, too sweet, or too musky. Perfection! I found Acca Kappa Muschio Bianco (white moss) while I was in St. John's, and it was a revelation. It's composed of the essential oils of lavender and juniper. It's fresh, soapy and with just a hint of floral. The best part is, it actually stays on all day (not like Clean, which I love but lasts for 10 minutes). If you're like me, and don't want to smell like a teenager, hippie or mafia wife, rejoice!

Just Finished

The Learners is the sequel to Chip Kidd's debut novel The Cheese Monkeys, in which we were introduced to a graphic design student called Happy. Now it is the early 60's, and Happy just landed a job in an advertising agency. Chip Kidd is better known for his book jacket design, and while I enjoyed his first book, it drastically went off the rails late in the story. I was happy to find that he learned to restrain himself a bit more on his second book.

If you are at all interested in design, I highly recommend his books. His writing has a lively, effervescent quality to it, and it is a rare to come across books that use graphic design as the main conduit for the storytelling. This one tackles the idea of form vs. content in really funny, interesting ways. Without giving too much away, the second half of the book takes a surreal scientific turn, based on actual events that occurred at Yale regarding the controversial Milgram experiments, which explored the limits of human behaviour. It may have been interesting if Kidd expanded on that idea to explore the ethics of graphic design itself, and what role it has to be socially responsible, but it's a minor criticism.

I like.

From Mudpuppy

Happy Halloween

Courtesy of my brother's parrotlet, Paulie.