you make lemonade.

More than 130,000 advertising professionals have lost their jobs in this “Great Recession.” Lemonade is about what happens when people who were once paid to be creative in advertising are forced to be creative with their own lives.

Craig and I have talked often over the years of the “what if I lost my job” scenario. Both of my last two jobs had layoffs, and I grew to understand in my first job at a dot com, that at any moment it could be you. Don’t take it personally, you’re a number in the end, not in a bad way, just a salary and when budgets are not being met, it comes down to numbers. To me layoffs have become a fact of life, I’m always some what prepared in my head, a box under my desk and trying to stay one step ahead.

The advertising industry to me feels like the canary in the coal mine. The arts always take the first hit of being the “unnecessary” expense businesses cut in tough times. The irony there is with good marketing and imagery your product will continue to be successful.

It’s wonderful someone is making this movie. As creative professionals I think we generally have the ability to bounce back quicker than others and start off in new directions. Many times, happier directions more in line with our true callings.

Need help coming up with resolutions for 2010? Visit the New Year’s Resolution Generator.

Personally I never seem to have a problem coming up with a long list of resolutions, my usual over eager self. Of course sticking to those resolutions is a whole other matter. I’ll be following up with a post on New Year’s Day of my, very few, resolutions for 2010.

Speaking of 2010, aren’t we supposed to be seeing monoliths start arriving soon?

Let me first address, that I do realize the post before this is about having compassion. I probably should have more compassion for the drivers around me, who knows what insanity they are dealing with or have found no way of dealing with. Before I reach that point of enlightenment though, my list of pet peeves.

1) Blinkers. Cars now-a-days (possibly since the beginning) have blinkers. It’s amazing, they come with them, and even a handy lever off the steering wheel for easy access. Use them! Not only do they help you to remind you where you’re going but they help all of us around you know what your plans are. Best practice, is to turn them on before actually moving your vehicle in that new direction.

2) Drive Right, Pass Left. It’s an entire campaign for a reason. You’re not a cop, you don’t have the right to police the left lane. Just because you don’t think anyone should go above 65mph doesn’t mean you get to enforce this on the rest of us. Maybe we’re going to hell for it, but let me get by and I’ll find out. Note: if there’s a line of cars ahead obviously you can’t move over, but when you’re all by yourself toodling along in the fast lane, move over! I don’t like to use my horn and I’m not a light flasher, and I don’t like to pass on the right.

3) The Wave (Cell Phone Style). So you’re following behind me, and you get really close, then back off, then really close, then back off, rinse and repeat. I’ve been able to prove 100% of the time, you are on your cell phone. Get off the damn phone, if it’s distracting you that much. You’re not safe to yourself or me.

4) Hoppers. Are you the kind of person who likes to try to get ahead of a pack of cars by hopping from lane to lane, slowly increasing by one car at a time and cutting people off? If you are, get a freaking life, because you’re bound to lose yours at some point with that crappy driving. Seriously? it doesn’t work in video games and it rarely pans out in real life.

5) Slow Red Light Runners. While you seem to have an aversion to going the speed limit particularly in areas where it’s only 25-30mph to begin with, how is it you manage to not touch your brakes and roll right through stop signs and red lights. Does the vehicle scare you that much? Is it a safety factor motivating your desire to drive under the speed limit? If so, how is it safe to roll through stop signs and red lights?

6) Park Like You Just Don’t Care. Now parking is not a science, especially the pull in straight type. Parallel, backing in, I’ll cut you some slack, but pulling straight in? You don’t have to be perfect, but getting a relative even distance between you and the cars next to you is respectable. Because as we all know, when you’re in the car, you can tell if you’re too close, and you can certainly tell by the time you get out of the car. Do you really want to end up on a website like youparklikeanasshole.com? It just takes a few moments to care about your fellow driver.

Disclaimer: I am not a perfect driver, and do not claim to be one. I spend roughly 2 hours a day on the road, 5 days a week, and then travel usually on the weekend. I’ve done road trips through the mid-west and south east, I feel I’ve gotten to see a fare amount of drivers out there. All of these items, can be summed up simply, pay attention to the other people around you. Be considerate of your other drivers. Be safe. If someone wants to go faster, let them go!

As we close a decade marked by war, help us usher in a decade focused on compassion.

The names of all affirmers on December 31 will be sent along with the Charter for Compassion to 5 world leaders whose countries are engaged in conflict.

What if more people went about their days with this view on the world and life? Check out the Charter for Compassion video and if you feel moved, add your name.

This year, after everything that we’ve been through this year, I could really appreciate this song.

The guys over at Film Riot put together this hysterical music video to demonstrate how to create a snowy scene, when you don’t have snow. To see how they made the snow, watch the latest episode.

I really miss my Dad this year, as my mother is trying to set me over the edge. The holidays were the one time of year my parents didn’t argue, well actually that should be restated, Christmas eve and day were the only times.

I cherish this time of year, and in recent years it seems to creep up on me faster and faster. I love to shop for my friends and family. I like paying attention to their likes and dislikes over time and trying to find that special gift.

The ornament above was in my Dad’s family since the early part of the 20th century, and possibly earlier. I know it was handed down to him when he was a teenager.

I wish everyone a happy holidays with your family and loved ones.

Shot with the 50mm lense outside my work in the afternoon on lunch break.

My humble and always willing photography subject, Craig. I was showing Ron how the lense worked with depth of field and the expo disc the other night. Craig kindly posed and I snapped this photo. I love the 50mm lense.

I haven’t shared much of my web design work. The Housatonic Friends Meeting website is based off of the Hemmingway theme for WordPress. Quakers are by a rule simple and plain and my objective was to keep the site that way as well. I integrated a Flickr feed of photos of the meeting house, along with a Google Calendar feed for the events. I’m still building secure sections of the site for the minutes and other documents.

Visit the site: http://housatonicmeeting.org