A spammy Tuesday morning.

According to about fifteen e-mails that I have received in the past twelve hours, my order has been approved (repeatedly) and I am eligible for significant discounts on high-quality, replica watches and fashions. On top of that, and maybe I shouldn't mention this to just anybody, but apparently there are a number of ways to legally cancel all of my credit card debt. Now this is a way to start the day!

To prove the old adage that you have to take the better with the bitter, though, there seems to be some sort of security problem with my FifthThird and Citibank accounts--which is espcially troubling since I don't have an account at either bank. They seem to think that they can clear it up as long as I send my credit card info, though, so I'm not too worried.


Spam Subject Line of the Day: Let the size be a subject of your pride

Runner up: I want sale you rolex . Do you want one?

A good start to the week.

The photo is a slightly different view of Midland Street from earlier today. Instead of my usual shot of the studio or shot from the studio steps, I thought I'd show you a shot of bank robbery. Yes, I said bank robbery. We were sitting in the studio when 6-8 police cars went racing by to the bank a few blocks up. I grabbed the Nikon figuring that if there were any pictures to be taken, I could do some stringing for the Times. By the time they got there the bank robbers were gone, so I got a few shots of police cars and a shot of this deputy with his M-16. The best news is that nobody in the bank was hurt. They haven't caught the guys yet, but they will. Face it, bank robbers ain't exactly criminal masterminds.

Aside from the bank robbery, the last couple of weeks have been pretty surreal. I've landed new clients, most notably the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. I'm really very excited about having the opportunity to really give the SBSO a new look for the 2008-2009 season. On top of the Orchestra, a couple of other clients have come my way. It's been a good week in that department.

Better still is the interesting mix of people I've been meeting and talking to. A few of the people I've been getting to know:

Patrick Flynn, an internationally renowned orchestral conductor whose credits include the English National Ballet's historic ballet-in-the-round Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall as well as—at Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber's request—the first concert performances of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Cici Carter, a rapidly up-and-coming jewelry designer who splits her time between her homes in New York City and Saginaw, MI. I am writing a profile piece about her for a regional magazine and was able to sit down for lunch with her and had a really enjoyable time. She has a lot of energy and her enthusiasm is infectious. As I write this her website seems to be a little goofy, but check it out if you get a chance. She does some beautiful work.

Kathy Quinn, the widow of Academy Award winning actor Anthony Quinn. She has signed on with Cici to have Cici create a line of jewelry based on fine art created by Anthony Quinn. It was a brief conversation, but it was kind of cool to get a chance to speak with her and listen to her stories about her husband and his art.

Danny Wiseman, a professional bowler who just won his 12th PBA tournament a couple of weeks ago. And before you laugh at the idea of professional bowling--Danny has made about $1.4 million since going pro. Sure, he's not pulling LeBron money, but the guy is doing pretty well considering that he bowls for a living. And a pretty decent living at that. It looks like there is a pretty good chance that I'm going to be working with a few different parties involved in pro bowling. I will happily add that to the roster of sports clients.

And as if all of that wasn't enough, I even found time to do some serious hanging out when a few of my friends came over to the studio for a late-night beer-and-pong session.

I am having a good life.

Okay...it's ten after midnight, I still have work to do and I hope to be back home and in bed in the next two hours. I should probably get back to work.

An interesting week.

The photo is another Midland Street photo, it's just an interior instead of the usual exterior view. This is the bar at Lumberjacks, which is just up the street from the studio. I don't think it's a great photo, but I like that you can see the reflection of the stuffed bear in the mirror. If you haven't visited Lumberjacks, you really should check it out. Great people working there and really excellent food. They're trying to have a more...um...loungy-type atmosphere on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Give us older kids someplace to hang out that isn't all karaoke all the time, you know?

I tried writing this a couple of times, but haven't really had any time to devote until right now. It's been, as the title says, a really interesting week. Since last we met, I've had a few great opportunities pop up. I can't make any claim to having great timing, it was just dumb luck that I was in the right place at the right time (about three different times), I do believe, though, that we make our own luck to an extent. I guess the seeds I planted are finally coming home to roost (to mix a metaphor or two).

The biggest news is that 989 landed a new client this week. I can't say too much about it yet, other than to say that it is a high-profile client and I will get pretty good exposure because of it. I'm hoping to make the big announcement in the next week, pending a few minor details being wrapped up.

In addition, it look like we are going to be adding a couple of golf courses to the client roster. It won't be a ton of work, but it will mean that I get to golf a lot this year. I'm not really a golfer, but I do enjoy it and I've always said that I think I could be decent if I actually spent some time doing it. I'd like to try to get out once a week all summer long. Check back with me in September and I'll let you know how that went.

I've also met some really neat people in the past ten days. I sat in the studio and had tea with a fascinating person who shared his stories about working with Mikhail Baryshnikov. I met a fellow designer and we had a great conversation about design in the area and about the possibilities of working together. I always love hanging out and talking with designers (how I miss my days at Govnr's Park with my designer pals) because it's fun to share war stories.

I'm more excited about the business than I have ever been. Things are falling into place...the stars are lining up...I feel like I'm on the verge of something big.

What Kind of Day Has it Been?

Today's photo is a shot of Midland Street during last week's snowstorm. It was taken on February 1 at about 7:00AM.

It's only 10:35 as I sit down to write this entry and already I can say that the day has been great. From the moment I first opened my eyes, I was in a great mood (mostly because I was happy to wake up this morning after a night of half-nightmares).

This morning was the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Eye Opener Breakfast. Because I was going to be out in public instead of just in the studio, I chose my good clothes rather than the Preferred Studio Uniform of jeans and Ramones t-shirt.

I got to the breakfast, walked in and ran the gauntlet of Chamber Ambassadors--these are the folks who stand at the door and make you feel welcome when you first arrive. They really are nice people, but whenever I walk into a room with that many green sports jackets I fully expect--nay, demand--that Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros be among them. Otherwise, it's just a lot of green coats, you know?

Anyway, as I am walking in and saying hello to the folks at the door, I see someone look at me and then lean to the person next to them and whisper, "that guy has great hair." Maybe 'whisper' isn't the right word since I heard them say it, but it was awfully nice to hear. It's not that I think I have great hair or anything. In fact, I was planning on getting it cut this week, but I might have to rethink that plan.

The breakfast was the normal Kingfish breakfast buffet, followed by some introductions and some speakers. I tend to sit in the back part of the room (because that's where the cool kids always sit, right) and invariably I only hear about half of what is said. I either need to start sitting closer to the front or hone my lip-reading skills.

There was an interesting presentation on economic development in Bay County by Fred Hollister from Bay Future, Inc. I appreciate the work they are doing because I left a pretty good gig in Denver and tied my entire future to the Tri-Cities. The more they work to promote growth in the area, the better it is for everybody trying to make a future here.

While we're on the topic of the future of Bay City, at some point I really need to make a few notes on why I am not sold on the proposed Maritime Heritage Center. Autoworld, anyone?

In closing, I know that I'm a bit off of my one-post-per-week schedule, but I am trying. In my defense I was pretty sick a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what my excuse is since then, but I'm sure I could come up with several if I were pressed. My (almost) weekly columns will begin running next week. Please take the time to check back and comment.

Have a great week everybody.

Your pal...

...shawn...