Observation:

Every Guru whose wisdom we seek out tends to have these qualities:

1. They work really hard.

2. They never stop learning how to improve their craft. Including the 101 level fundamentals.

I stopped into the greenroom earlier today at the Gurus of Tech Conference to refill my coffee and found a conversation happening between some people that are definitely top names (if I were to type them here would be definitely known) in the field of their discipline. Anyway, I heard them talking about some thoughts they were learning that could definitely be considered "beneath" their expertise level.

The humility I saw displayed was a tremendous encouragement to me.

"Lamp Friday" is the best! I get so much more done in these mornings when the office isn’t full of chaos. #fluorescentlightinginhibitscreativity

Check out some highlights from our backpacking trip to the Smokey Mountains last weekend:

http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/1017512/1/Smokey%20Mountain%20Trip%20Highlights?h=91a390

As a Steelers fan, I have been quite disappointed in what has been been the story of our team for most of 2010. "Big Ben" has selfishly taken a spotlight that does not reflect the identity demanded of representatives of the organization. I’ve been a big proponent that it might be a better thing for us to move on without him. The team is bigger than any player.

The interesting issue is when the realization is made that a player is a person, too.

I’ve just spent time watching the segment of ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown about Ben Roethlisberger. Merril Hoge (respected former Steeler and voice for ESPN and NFL) has served as a mentor to Roethlisberger over the past several months. The video interview between the two men and the Hoge’s followup thoughts on the issue was pretty intriguing to me…

Ben told how he became a different person when the fame and success got to his head. He told how he refused to acknowledge the nudges from God; and had to have a brick hit him to shake his attention into place.

I am inspired by stories of redemption.

"I wouldn’t sit here and talk to you and believe in this guy if I hadn’t seen the action and the verbiage along with that action to take place." -Hoge

I have respected Hoge since his playing days and appreciate how he represents the Steelers. I’m encouraged by hope that he appears to have.

It is our hope that it won’t be the failure that defines Ben, but how he handles success again if he reaches it.

Here’s to the story being told well…

I realize that a key to having a blog is regular posts. I’ve been trying to figure out what exactly to post. In the absence of time to create articulated content, I’ve ended up posting nothing. It’s not that I haven’t created anything worth posting; it’s simply that I haven’t put the thoughts to text or uploaded the photos.

One of my reasons for switching to Tumblr as my blog hosting site was the ease of UI and the simplicity of the experience. The best way to cure writers block is to write - anything, something. So why haven’t I?

I desire to have a solid brand. The best way to build a brand at all is to have content. It would be nice if it was at least slightly refined and held at least some purpose. However, I suppose it’s better to start with something at all, otherwise there would be nothing to refine.

I quite often am told that topics I could speak on are interesting and that things I create are fascinating. I honestly remain skeptical that people just say these things to be polite. But that’s another essay altogether.

So, here’s my declaration. I resolve to publish frequently. Even if not fully put together, I will share.

Until determining a brand I will attempt to write posts about how I put together things I create.

Production Design is obvious. It’s what I do professionally. Not many people do it; and therefore it’s something that if people are interested in the subject, they’ll probably want to hear what I have to say.

I don’t want to simply be known by the Production hat I wear. I like a lot of things. Photography to philosophy; sports to cooking. I’ll probably find ways to weave them all in.

Cooking is a great example. I figure if I don’t have time to write and edit a proper blog post, at least I can take a photo of a yummy meal with my phone and perhaps tell what I did to make it…

If I can do that with food (like my post a couple days ago) I can do the same thing with a set design.

…and if I start to post regularly, perhaps it can become a habit.

So here’s to posting something. Please reply and let me know if what you find is interesting to you, and what you’d rather me write about.

I ride my bike to and from work as often as I’m able. That story is another blog post. This post is about choosing the right backpack to replace the messenger style Patagonia bag that I have been using. I like my current bag. I have a decent workflow with it. It’s in great condition still - especially after 5 years. The problem is that it’s a terrible bag to use when I’m riding my bike. It sloshes around on my back and honestly slows me down substantially. I realized by how much the first time I left my bag at work overnight. I improved my time over the 9.3km (5.8miles) from 27min. to 23 minutes!Therefore, I want a backpack. Simply having straps for both shoulders will be amazing. It also needs to carry and protect a computer among some other items. I want it to be as snug as possible. I try to be a minimalist. I want to be prepared; but I never want to carry more than I’ll actually use.For work, that’s a computer (13"MBP), a folder for design (I’ve converted almost entirely to the digital workflow, but nothing’s better than ideating a sketch on plain white paper. At some point I’ll have to blog about this…) my pencil bag, a basic little notebook (I love small moleskines), keys, a light, leatherman, lighting multitool, a knife, gloves, a power supply, a stack of business cards, and my IEM headphones. I also like to carry lip balm, my Kindle (this is a recent addition, I used to carry at least one book and a copy of the Scriptures, and a journal.I always try to be a good steward. I don’t want the most expensive; I want the best quality I can get for a reasonable price.I think I found the bag for this. This Mountain Hardware Crimper s10 bag is pretty nice. I love the 2 Arc’Teryx bags that I played with even more, but the price jump is substantial. It carries all this (though I might get whittle it down even a touch more - do I really need all the tools with my current job?) and has enough room left over for a shirt to change into when I get to work.I bought it. …but I haven’t taken the tags off because that’s all that can really fit. Considering that I’ll be taking at least 3 work trips this fall, I really want something that I can also pack a couple days worth of clothes in. I could do this with my personal backpack. But after 14 years, I think it’s finished. Plus, it doesn’t protect the computer well.So, I’m back to this choice. Pictured is my test packing for my trip to Orlando this weekend. Everything I listed above - minus the tools (TSA) and keys; plus a phone charger, some toiletries, 2 extra days worth of clothes with a swimsuit just in case. It all fit, but it was VERY tight in the less than 15L that this bag has.This is a pretty nice bag for regular use; but is it enough for everything?I’ve seriously been considering a Tom Bihn Synapse (19L) but haven’t chosen that because I’ve been looking at bags in person and I have to make the purchase in order see the Synapse - and while the web photos are good, I just don’t know.Anyway, with what I can justifiably spend, I think it’s either this MH bag or the Synapse.Thoughts?
P.S. This was supposed to be sent along with the photo this morning. I don’t understand why the text didn’t publish…
P.P.S. Apparently, Tumblr doesn’t like the "less than" symbol. It considers that the end of the intended text stream. I solved the problem…I think.

I’m finishing up a few things tonight before leaving town. I had all the necessary in-person conversations at work in the afternoon. Quite a headache of a day but it’s all handled. I think… We picked up the boys and had dinner as a family. Then, I had my Fantasy Football draft earlier in the evening. It was the fastest draft I’ve ever done. I feel pretty good about my team too… Jessica and I packed (while watching an episode of Friends) after she got home from the store. She loves me by keeping me stocked up on popcorn and coffee. I made popcorn and we watched an episode of West Wing before bed. I woke up to move the sleeping bag from the washer to the dryer. …I’m managing the completion of the bags’ drying process now. Probably only 20min. more. It’s ok, cuz I’m completing a few outstanding to-dos while I’m waiting. Less sleep is an ok trade-off for peace of mind that everything’s done.