Category: Tech

Thinking About 5 Things: From Fidgeting to Bones

September 15, 2016 / Claire

1. Sully

For someone who once had a fear of flying—take-off and turbulence equaled my own personal hell of anxiety and panic—I love airplane movies! Last weekend I saw Sully and it didn’t disappoint in the terror department. Cool effects, gripping, heroic, and the extra bonus of a cartoony portrayal of the NTSB “bad guys.” Very cathartic to see Sully save the day.

Side note: I overcame my 20-year fear of flying with the help of a hypnosis recording. This summer I took 8 flights with no issues. One time I even fell asleep during take-off. Now that’s a first!

2. Fidget

The goal for this Kickstarter started at $15,000 and, at the time of this posting, it’s well over $4 M! For a plastic cube you can play with at your desk. No joke. Check out the link and watch the money pour in.

3. Bone broth

In our continual efforts to achieve good health, we’re consuming bone broth, from grass-fed, grass finished bones. My husband lets it simmer on the stove for two-days, creating a broth rich in minerals and collagen. Our hair and nails are growing like crazy and my skin’s looking healthier too. I can only imagine the positive effects on my innards.

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

4. Apple Plug

Not yet ready to upgrade to the iPhone 7? Consider this …

5. Graffiti

A strange place to find this political statement.

Must-See! Aziz Ansari’s New Show on Netflix

November 11, 2015 / Claire / 0 Comments

Aziz Ansari first hit my radar in the under-seen and under-appreciated black comedy Observe and Report. He plays a mall kiosk salesman who gets into a “fuck you” battle with a lame-ass cop played by Seth Rogen. It’s a ridiculous and funny sequence. Rather than his expletives exploding in volume and aggressiveness, Ansari’s “fuck you’s” evolve into silent mouth contortions.

Since then he’s blown up everywhere. And now he’s got a new show on Netflix called Master of None. I love this show! He plays a version of himself (his real-life parents play his parents) as a New York actor who attempts to negotiate the modern world and its many challenges: sex, marriage, parenting, and racism. Topics he delves into in his stand-up act, too. His take is incisive, poignant, and hilarious.

In the second episode, “Parents,” he and his Taiwanese-American buddy Brian, learn about their parents’ hardships and struggles while growing up and immigrating to America. He handles the subject matter with keen wit and tenderness. While I’m tempted to binge-watch, all episodes are online now, I’m refraining, so I can savor this great new show, one day at a time.

Event Planning: Sometimes You Have to Get Wet

August 15, 2015 / Claire / 0 Comments

I had the pleasure of working with Grammatik Agency—one of London’s top marketing and PR boutiques—to put on a networking party for the Google Cloud Platform team during Siggraph 2015. The international conference and exhibition on computer graphics and interactive techniques took place this year in downtown Los Angeles.

The party was held rooftop poolside at the hip and very happening ACE Hotel. The location was the perfect venue for VFX professionals to network and have a drink and a nosh after a day of conferences and exhibitions.

Logo pillows: creative branding

Flowers by Birch and Bone.

Party on

With the Grammatik Agency Team

Networking into the night

roof detail

Event planning is similar to producing a film or any kind of project that involves lots of moving parts: you must stay on top of the details and deadlines, be responsive to client needs, utilize your resources, and importantly, anticipate any potential problems or issues.

For this project, everything went smoothly … except for one little curve ball. I initially wasn’t supposed to get into the pool during set up to lay down the branded pool mat. But, just in case, I packed a bathing suit. Well, guess who had to get wet before the party and afterwards to retrieve it? Sometimes I wonder if anticipating a possible future actually creates that future!

The event was a big success: well attended, business connections were made, everyone enjoyed themselves … and even after dunking in the pool, I managed not to ruin my hair.