Rents hit Chicago

Mom & Dad touch Cloud Gate for the first time
Originally uploaded by j_b_copeland

The folks were able to make it up to my neck of the woods last weekend - and I'm so glad they did. I took a bunch of pictures, but picked a set of my favorites - and I knew people wouldn't want to see 800 photos of buildings, street scenes and other boring stuff.
Visit this set of photos on Flickr - but you do have to be logged in to see them.

Red line to Crazytown. Next stop, Crazytown.

So I had my first scary/freaky/silly/laughable experience on the train home tonight. After a date with Tim (a new guy I met recently), I took the red line home from downtown. There's nothing special about the train at 8:30pm - it's on the end of rush hour but still too early for one to feel the need to be cautious.
I'm not 30 seconds into Aesop Rock's "none shall pass" on my iPhone when I hear a blood-curdling f-bomb drop from a guy 10 rows behind me. "Must have left something at home" I thought. But he didn't need to yell out loud. That might scare folks.
Oh - I'm such a newbie.
"GOD MUST HAVE A SPECIAL PLAN FOR ME. HE'S KILLED EVERYONE AROUND ME BUT HE'S LEFT ME. I DON'T KNOW WHAT FOR, BUT IT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING F%#$^ GREAT! F%~@! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH *GOD* BLAH BLAH BLAH F-BOMB. BLAH BLAH BLAH."
It's weird to hear someone screaming at the top of their lungs on a subway car - because people don't speak - much less yell. It's even more weird to be witness to a dictionary definition of crazy ranting lunatic. You want to laugh, but it's not funny.


Needless to say - I realized for the first time that sometimes the train can't run fast enough.

Long day. I'm tired.

I realize that work takes up most of my life but sometimes you have long days. Good days, but chock-full. So here I am on the L at almost 11pm. But I'm not alone. So thats cool.
Sent from my iPhone

Lunch on the river

So me and a couple if my account folks had a going away lunch for our senior AE who is moving to LA. It was great weather and the view, as you can see, also didnt suck. :) That's my office on the right in dark gray.



Sent from my iPhone

My neighborhood - coming to a theater near you in 2009.

Public Enemies on Surf Street
Originally uploaded by Diversey Harbor

So - after less than a year, I see my first movie being shot here in Chicago... this one is actually filming a block away from me. Michael Mann's "Public Enemies" has taken over a few locations in Chicago. It's a new biopic about John Dillinger set to show on the big screen next year. Considering this is the same director that brought us the Oscar-nominated "Collateral" and "Insider", along with other movies like Heat, Ali, the Aviator and more. Stars in this one include Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Channing Tatum and Giovanni Ribisi. I hope this lives up to the hype.


Since I live a block away from the real location that John Dillinger was shot (right next to the Biograph Theater), they are including that location in the movie--- and they've completely re-made Lincoln street--- including faux brick walls-- a lot of faux neon signage and the Qdoba has been turned into the "National Food Store". Fun times. This shot is from another location about a half-mile from me.

"Give Back" Day - Arc & Leo Burnett

So today, our entire agency packed up and bussed down to the southside of Chicago, so that we could give a little bit back to the community. In this case, it was Maria High School-- sponsored by the Sisters of St. Casimir, whose mission is to teach and evangelize, care for the sick, the aging, and share Christ’s special love for the poor.
Since it first opened its doors in 1911, Maria has educated over 15,000 young women. These women have gone on to make a difference in their families, neighborhoods, churches, and world.
On this day in 2008, we repainted all of the school's classrooms and main hallways. In 8 hours.
The day started early (7:45am downtown) but we finished early too-- and headed back to the office for a little happy hour. Ok - a big one. Seriously - advertising is full of alcoholics. But it was still a great day to get out of the office and get some real work done. I've selected a few choice pictures below.

Working with an executive creative director...

So - sometimes ECDs have an interesting perspective on the creative process. I can't say that I work with this exact personality, but sometimes I think that it's not too far off from some guys who will remain nameless. Plus - when it comes to "storytelling" this can be especially true.

Josh - the solo album

So Chris helped me get a few new snaps last week. I figured I'd post one, partly because it doesn't suck and partly because it reminds me of some cheesy album cover art. But primarily because I haven't seen anyone in the fam in a while and I'm sure they wonder if I've grown a third eye or something. (I have - I just photoshopped it out)


Spring has sprung, memorial day may be right around the corner, but I'm still wearing pullovers and jackets. I've also updated my living room to replace the overwhelming white bookshelves that held clutter stuff and now holds more important things. I'd call it some spring cleaning. Pre- and post- pictures below.