Polish food & polka

This weekend, Chicago is celebrating one of its last summer weekend festivals - this one called "The Taste of Polonia." The Polish people of Chicago have a pretty long history here, starting in 1837 with the settlement of Polish Downtown. They settled in 5 areas around town, one of them being prominent in the meatpacking district so much so that Sinclair based his novel "The Jungle" upon Polish characters... (yeah - I'm reading that book right now)
Nowadays, Chicago is the headquarters of every major Polish organization in the US. Polish people are the largest white ethnic group in Chicago, and they claim to have the largest Polish population of any city outside Poland (185,000). Pretty incredible.
So Chris had a great idea to go see all the celebrations and watch some polka. I've always wanted to try Polish food, so of course I was down for it. And the weather was great. I got the "polish dinner" which was polish sausage, sauerkraut, cabbage meat roll, potato pancake and a couple pierogies. That's a lot of food. But good.

Backstreet's back, ALRIGHT!

Ok - so for you who don't know about Leo Burnett and their "Artists in Residence" program, our agency sometimes has musicians and other celebrities come to our office and perform. These artists have ranged from Dwight Yoakum to Jewel to OAR to Duran Duran. Sometimes we just luck out and get great bands.
Today, however, the AiR program was taken to a new level - that of the boy band.
Yes folks, I was witness to a live 3-song-exclusive performance of Backstreet Boys in my very own office.
I can't remember the names of the first two songs, but we ended with a roaring rendition of "I Want it That Way." So eloquent and poetic, these singers only had about 8 crates of equipment for their "unplugged session" on the 21st floor.
Yours truly had a great spot about 20 feet away from the stage. So of course I had to take some photos. Shown below. Enjoy.

The Process

In case you're wondering about how some clients view the "creative process" just watch this video. Bad clients do this all the time. Good clients find a way to enable the message to be simple, direct and meaningful.

Dinner at Otom... a lesson in molecular gastronomy

So tonight I was able to knock one meal off the Chicago dining wish list: dinner at Otom - Homaro Cantu's more "casual" restaurant that is the brother to his experimental Moto restaurant. Cantu has been written up in many places has having some of the most unique, creative and experimental dishes in a type of dining called Molecular Gastronomy.
Essentially, it's applying science to cooking techniques to change the dynamics of food and challenge the conventions of how cooking and preparing occurs.

Case in point: my dessert- called simply, "The Coffee Break." (shown above) But its description is misleading--- and maybe on purpose. The menu reads, "Donut, strawberry and honey brioche." That may have been true - but what you see, and what you taste are two very different things.
First - the "coffee" is actually the honey brioche and a coffee cream mousse. You then take it and dip it into a donut custard that is filled with a kind of jelly donut strawberry filling. So you dip the coffee into the donut! It's completely bizarre and thoroughly entertaining. Not just because your mouth has a harder time catching up, but because the donut custard actually feels like you've bitten into a donut and you're dissolving the pastry in your mouth. The white powder on top is almost exactly like the typical powder you feel on your tongue when eating powdered donuts.
It was definitely a first for my palette. And that's a rare thing for me these days.. rare, but very sweet.
Our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable, gracious and pleasant. All in all - one of the best dining experiences I've had in Chicago. Woo hoo!

Hangin with the bros & sisters & nephews!

So last weekend I was able to get down to Tejas for a couple days and meet all these new kids in the fam. Great times. It was extraordinary, but also tough that I didn't get to spend more time there, nor spend any time with the rest of the fam... but Thanksgiving will be here before I know it - and I can see a bunch more folks when I'm back this fall.
Till then, here's a quick album of nephew shots... go to Flickr and log-in to see the rest of the pictures from the weekend!

August Family Weekend

Generated by Flickr Album Maker

Maybe a lucky day after all?

Across the way, the Magnificent Mile
Originally uploaded by vicambulist

I woke up exactly at the 8th hour on this the 8th day of the 8th month of the 8th year in this century and millenium.
Exactly 1 hour before--- on the opposite side of the world, 4 billion people were expected to have watched the opening of the Beijing Olympic games... along with President Bush, President Putin, Chairman Mao and a long list of political figures and celebrities.
It's said to be the luckiest time of the luckiest day in this century to the Chinese..and I happened to wake up during our luckiest time of the day.
Since it was only 65 degrees, and a Friday, I decided to bike to work. I know I'm a broken record, but it is unbelievable to me that I can enjoy a pleasant morning in the middle of August without passing out from oppressive heat.
And thus - a good start to the day and to the weekend. I do feel pretty lucky to live in this town and to enjoy life the way it is these days.
Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

It's our anniversary

From the CEO:
73 years ago today, a simple, profound gesture marked the birth of the Leo Burnett Company:

A receptionist set out a bowl of apples to welcome visitors to the newly formed advertising agency. While a lot has changed since Leo’s time, our agency’s core values would still feel very familiar to him if he were with us today. We still believe that creativity has the power to transform people’s behavior. And we still believe that ideas built around human-centric Acts…like putting out a bowl of apples…are the ones that truly move people.

I'm also coming up on my anniversary--- one year in Chicago and one year at Arc Worldwide. I'll probably publish a list of firsts.. or whatever I've done in the 365 days since I pulled off the highway in the west loop on September 1, 2007. Time sure does fly.

Tired. Tan. Delayed. Home.

Ok - so we just couldn't make it home fast enough today. And though we got up at 8:30am Madrid time to walk around a bit before our flight at 1pm, I certainly didn't expect to be walking in my door at home in Chicago at 10pm central. That's 4am Madrid time.
But though it's late, it's good to be back. I'm relieved our 2nd flight from Philly was only 2 hours late. I'm relieved my bag made it home with me. And I'm relieved that I could come home to my own bed once again.
Details on the trip soon...

How Chicago celebrates Independence Day

For at least the last month, this flag has been displayed inside the Macy's department Store (originally the Marshall Field's Flagship store) on State Street. It is by their account the largest indoor flag in America. And it's pretty incredible.
I'm headed to the beach to celebrate freedom today with a few new city friends. The weather will be perfect, albeit unseasonably cool by local standards.
I'll think about the fact that our freedom has never been free. I'll remember that many people have worked long and hard to enable this democracy to allow its citizens the rights to free speech, press, assembly and above all that "all men are created equal..." even if that equality takes some fighting.
I hope yours has some bbq or a parade or maybe just some good fireworks.

Still packin 40 hours into a 24 hr work week.

So - I actually started this week in Michigan, shooting video for an upcoming client website. We had the fortune of getting approval to shoot green-screen video of the talent used in a catalog photoshoot to give some life to the new website homepage.
Shooting video is actually one of the more exciting things we get to do - and the creatives love it because they really get to affect the brand and how we position it.
But alas - our schedule for Monday was chock-a-block full--- shooting 5 videos and two photo setups (one 30 miles out of town in the middle of nowhere). And I also attended three client meetings in the corporate office.
But hey - I can't really complain. It gets me out of the office.
Now, I'm officially on vacation until 8am July 21.
Amen to that.

30 pictures in 30 hours

Times Square trenches
Originally uploaded by j_b_copeland

I had a little more time to check out my New York City pictures from my recent trip, and posted a few to flickr. My favorites were pulled from my late-night walk up to Times Square to find hidden tags (stickers/graffiti/etc) that a million people a day walk right by-- and never see. i took more night photos than day photos, but then again - my camera takes very decent low-light photos. Check out the set by clicking on the adjacent picture.

The Embarrassment of Riches

Tonight, I plan to meet with an old fraternity brother of mine who is now a personal financial planner. This - this I am in need of. Not because I'm behind on bills or because I have a mountain of debt - but the contrary.
I have a 401k that I contribute to that I had COMPLETELY forgotten the value of. I looked online tonight and found that I had twice as much tied up in retirement investments than I thought.
Maybe this is a luxury to have, but to me, it breeds more stress. "What am I doing with those investments?" "Are they the right ones?" "Am I investing aggressively enough?"
How the hell am I 32 and only have one credit card to my name? Even with a decent cash flow, I still have some credit blemishes that keep me from getting the same AAdvantage Mastercard that I'd say 90% of my friends have.
And am I saving for a property of my own? Maybe - but I wouldn't be able buy the place I'm renting now if I had to put down a downpayment.
And what about contributing to things other than myself and my life? Very little there.
Time to go see Cary. I look forward to putting my finances in order.

Whew. All set. (I think)

So as of this morning, the paperwork has been sent & confirmed and the bank transfer is in place. We've got a place in the village center of Lagos, Portugal. Check out the google map below!




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30 hours in NYC

As is typical of my trips to New York, I have very little time to actually do anything - but I always end up staying right in the thick of things. So of course my attitude is, "do as much as you can in the hours you're there."
I tried.
Despite the 6 hour flight from Chicago (including an unexpected refuel & 'pause' in Harrisburg, PA), I still wanted to take a little time to shoot some night scenes. I got em. More to be loaded on flickr later.
I came to town to spend the day with Thom Filicia, doing a video shoot for the upcoming website refresh for my client. More about all that in another post. In the meantime - a juicy afternoon shot of ESB, just a block from my hotel on Broadway.

"Underground" dinner Sunday night

Clandestino: The dinner table
Originally uploaded by j_b_copeland

When I arrived in Chicago last summer, one of the first things I remembered reading about was the concept of last-minute, little-known, underground supper clubs that would be held on any given weekend to small groups of people who shared a passion for good food and interesting conversation. In fact, this article is what really tipped me off.
Fast forward almost a year later, and I finally took advantage of an invite into one of the more publicized groups. Chef Efrain Cuevas has been cooking all kinds of food for all kinds of people for about a year now, and with this menu for this weekend - I went for it. I'm glad I did. Not only was the meal stellar, but the setting was equally as unexpected and appealing.
We had dinner in the garden of Chef Efrain's good friend Willy - who's the owner and chef of Honky Tonk BBQ in the Pilsen neighborhood. Willy and his family live in the front house of what was once an old Nunnery (120 yrs ago) that was then sold to a Lithuanian family to become a half-way house of sorts for the people that lived there for some 40 or 50 years. The garden in the back served as our venue for an extraordinary meal. I met a few new folks and we listed to the music of Urban Djinn for a good 3 hours. Oh - and the fact that it was maybe 75 degrees outside was one of the best details for a Texan used to expecting 100-degree days in mid-June.
Clandestino's next dinner is already sold out (only 24 spaces per event) - but I'm going to try for the end of July.

Bermuda this weekend? Guess again.

Oh - I know. I know what you're thinking. You're probably getting pretty tired of the Chicago-love-fest that I seem to spew on a regular basis.
But take Friday afternoon for example. Granted, I took a work trip to Michigan earlier in the day. But I still had time to get back to Chicago, finish up work, and head home to jump on my bike for a ride up lakeshore drive.
And at the top, Hollywood Beach.
On this day, the beach was beckoning. But alas, I didn't have my suit on.


Chris and I fixed that on Saturday when he suggested a trip back to the beach. So we did! At least - until it started getting cloudy and the heavens opened up.
But still. I was able to hit the beach on a Saturday, by riding my bike from my house.
Not bad, I say.

One of the lucky ones

2001/1938
Originally uploaded by june1777

Tonight, on an otherwise unremarkable bus ride home, I listened to one of my favorite podcasts - "The Moth" out of NYC. (Learn more here) Each week, there's a new story from a writer, artist, actor or generally good storyteller.
But tonight's story is an exceptionally sad one-- the story of a guy who came out to his parents, and never heard from them again.


Hear it for yourself (00:11:07):

Under The Influence [of hope]



But as I head home, I count my many blessings... among them, caring supportive parents who love me regardless of who I love and how I do so. Maybe they're crazy, maybe I'm crazy. But unlike Jeffery Rudell, I'm lucky that I haven't spent the past 5 or 6 years wasting my time 'hoping' that they will love me like crazy. They've been doing it for 32 years now.
Yeah. I'm lucky.

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.

An ACU weekend reunion

The weekend gang
Originally uploaded by j_b_copeland

Heather & Charles flew in from NYC, Kristen flew in from Houston, and we all hung out for a few days!

It's been almost three years since we were all together, and it was even easier now that I live in Chicago. We hit Pizzeria Due (Uno's #2 spot) for some deep dish. Then it was Saturday brunch at my place before we took the train out the to burbs to see Royal and have some Portillo's hot dogs. Good stuff. Too bad RJ was on the upward slope of a cold - but he still had a good attitude about it.

It's great when friends come in to town and visit (hint hint).

Hilarious video just posted by Scot... The "Shapes Song" as interpreted by Tyson

To Spain, and coastal Portugal!

Lagos beach, Portugal
Originally uploaded by science girl

So Althoff & I just found an incredible deal on airfare--- and we pulled the trigger on the trip abroad. We'll fly to Madrid on July 6 where we'll either train/fly/drive to Lagos, Portugal... for 10 days of sun, salt and sea air. Oh - and maybe a quick day trip to Seville. Woo hoo!

Tato Skins Chips Commercial from 1986

And who could forget this one---- I remember when Tato Skins came out, I was amazed at how a chip could actually bake the "potato skin" into one side. Little did I know, that this miracle of science was actually marketing trickery. Oh those crafty Keebler elves... Keep me guessing for another 40 years!!

40 years ago today...

...Leo Burnett and Kellogg's created its relationship for the Keebler line of products. With the help of Ernie the Elf, Leo and Keebler have launched hundreds of ads for many many cookies, crackers and other yummy items. What better way to celebrate the day than with a commercial for one of my favorite Keebler products from back in the day (1985)--- Soft Batch cookies. Cheers.