Bucket List My Ass

Robo, my boy.

Here's a guy whose done the "Bucket List." Twice. Then turned around and did it backwards.

And is now healthier than he's ever been.

The fuck.

Rick has a "Fuckit List" as would anyone who is Chuck Norris' twin.

To wit (a la Mr. Norris):

If you have five dollars and Rick has five dollars, Rick has more money than you.

There is no 'ctrl' button on Rick's computer. Rick is always in control.

Apple pays Rick 99 cents every time he listens to a song.

Rick can sneeze with his eyes open.

Rick can eat just one Lay's potato chip.

Rick is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.

Rick destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

Rick can kill two stones with one bird.

Rick counted to infinity. Twice.

Rick's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

When I grow up I want to be Rick.

Cheers.

Absolut - ly

Congratulations to Absolut Vodka. They have received the billboard industry's prestigious Hall Of Fame award.

From the Outdoor Advertising Association of America:

As the 2009 OBIE Hall of Fame award recipient, Absolut will join the ranks of such esteemed brands as Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Apple for its outstanding work over the last three decades.

When Absolut first approached creative agency TBWA\Chait\Day in 1980 with the task of introducing the vodka to an American audience, the company had very specific instructions: give the campaign a timeless yet contemporary feel with the bottle as the main focus. The campaign’s very first execution, “Absolut Perfection,” set the standard for what would become one of advertising’s most recognizable campaigns.

“Absolut was one of the breakthrough campaigns that really opened the eyes of the industry to the potential and the power of outdoor as a medium,” said Mark Tutssel, 2009 OBIE chief judge and Leo Burnett Worldwide chief creative officer. “Simplicity in its purest form, laser-sharp focus on the brand in a way that you’d never seen before, and it showed the power of a big idea that had the ability to amplify itself in so many formats for so many years.” Absolut spun that single idea into thousands of iterations, bridging the gap between “ad” and “art” with themes ranging from “Cities of the World” to “Artists of the ‘90s.”

The advertisements became a cultural phenomenon, with consumers actually collecting the ads themselves. In 2007, the brand launched a new global campaign carrying the tagline “In AnAbsolut World.” The ads focused ontongue-in-cheek depictions of what life would be like in an ideal, or “Absolut,” reality.

“What I love about Absolut is that it comes back to the product,” said Jonah Bloom, editor of Advertising Age and 2009 OBIE judge. “That, for me, was what really made the Absolut campaign brilliant throughout…It all came back to that bottle design.”TBWA\Chait\Day took advantage of this billboard’s location when coming up with the latest iteration in Absolut Vodka’s “In An Absolut World” campaign. For legal reasons, the creative team had to make it clear the numbers were not actual lottery predictions without losing impact. A seasoned lotto player would know the prediction was false; the highest possible lottery number is 59.

Raise an Absolut. Or 59.

Cheers.

Salute on the Bay

Had a great bottle of vino last night (bonna serra). Dinner at Salute was quite enjoyable. Especially when all restaurants are hurting.

It's good to know that the ones who do it right are still doing it.

I say, "Go out and eat." The economy, employees and everyone else involved will really appreciate it. The deals/specials are a bargain. And you don't have to do dishes.

Eat out more often.

Cheers.

JWT Chicago, Farewell & Adieu

To my friends and colleagues in Chicago, best of luck to you.

The entire agency closed its doors, 50+ hardworking, creative folks out on the street. Times, they do suck.

Friends, head down the Miracle Mile (Michigan Ave), hit the Drake Hotel, and go down...

Down to the bar.

Have a beer and a bump and stay late enough where my boy Robby Celestin used to belt out the favorites at the bar including the 1st ever sing-a-long of "Farewell And Adieu to you Fair Spanish Ladies" from the movie "Jaws."

Have a pack of cigarettes in the same place. The last place I smoked. Dunhill Reds at 4am on a Friday morning. Have not smoked a cigarette since. Don't mean I don't want one, just that I ain't smoked one since then.

And enjoy some fine work from your mates at JWT London for Bishops Finger Strong Ale.Lots of fun...

...with stained glass.
Farewell and Adieu.

Cheers.

Pit Boss Fires Alvarado Gardens

Once the home of down home BBQ, Richmond's "Pit Boss" has taken over the job.

I have not eaten here yet, but the menu looks good and a beer and a bump are only $6...

And Natalia is a sweetheart behind the bar.

Good start.

I'll come back and pair the next beer with food.

And another shot.

Cheers.

TRex

Dead, red, cooked over a flame meat in Berkeley? Believe it. Tree huggers and vegans no doubt give the place a wide berth (or natural child birth) but to go get some meat, go here.

Kick ass whisky list, good ribs, pork and brisket and brussel sprouts that I will actually eat!

The happy hour kicks ass, too. PBR on tap at $2 a pint and shot of Old Overholt Rye for $5. That's a mere 7 rib bones for a decent beer and a bump in a fine setting. In Berkeley!

And get the spicy bar riblets. Not a bad serving for $5. Meaty, easy to handle and spicy enough to order another PBR. And, yeah, another shot.

Remember the Berkeley Farms ad "Farms in Berkeley? Mooooo..." Then realize that this meat slinging establishment ain't but a few blocks from the old Lewis & McDermott meat packing plant and slaughterhouse. Built in 1914 as an incinerator for garbage, the structure was taken over by the packing company in 1936 and its windowless structure provided secrecy for our environmentally sound residents from the cows marching in one end and the ribeyes rolling out of the other until 1980.

Trex now uses only antibiotic and hormone free meats. Whatever that means.

And I'm quite sure they serve vegetarians... Just tell them how you like 'em cooked.

Cheers.

Bar Joke

A crusty old man walks into the local Church and says to the secretary, "I would like to join this damn church."

The astonished woman replies, "I beg your pardon, sir. I must have misunderstood you. What did you say?"

"Listen up, damn it. I said I want to join this damn church!"

"I'm very sorry sir, but that kind of language is not tolerated in this church."

The secretary leaves her desk and goes into the pastor's study to inform him of her situation. The pastor agrees that the secretary does not have to listen to that foul language.

They both return to her office and the pastor asks the old geezer, "Sir, what seems to be the problem here?"

"There is no damn problem," the man says. "I just won $200 million bucks in the damn lottery and I want to join this damn church to get rid of some of this damn money."

"I see," said the pastor. "And is this bitch giving you a hard time?"

Cheers.

Ahh, Thank Goodness for Guinness

And the Kensington Circus Pub pours it well.

The place makes me feel like my "Norm." My "Norm" of course is that feeling in a place where they treat ya like Norm from "Cheers" and they start building your beer before you can even grab a stool.

Or in my case two beers.

The Guinness is so good here that the first one goes down so fast I can't wait long for the next. Luckily, Graham and James are well aware of this and we get on swimmingly.

Thank goodness for Guinness. And the pub. We should all have one down the road.

Cheers.

Pacific Dining Car 24/7/365

Every time I'm in LA (which is far too often for my tastes - I just can't get my head around it) I must make a stop at the bar of the Pacific Dining Car in downtown Hell-A. It does not matter what time of day, what day of the week, what day of the year. Its there. Its open. Its pouring. And it serving a kick ass steak.

For a really detailed history Click Here.
Luis the barkeep knows me by now and, after exchanging pleasantries, he braces for my inevitable question, "Is 'The Dog' here?"

James "The Dog" Ellroy, a super-slick, sickly, sultry, seller of salacious stories and screenplays with a horrific, harried, harassed, heavy-handed, hellish history is one of my favorite authors. And while he no longer imbibes, and when he is Hell-A from KC, he does like to sit at the Car with his crew (usually retired cops) and chat crime over chops. Knowing this, I always pack one of his novels in the hopes I will catch him to beg for an autograph, buy him a club soda and say thanks for the work.

The man is a genius of brutality, angst, anger and redemption. His work speaks for itself, often in their titles like "Blood on the Moon" or "Suicide Hill" and his inner demons egg him on.

The brutal murder of his mother at age 9/10 and a gift of a crime novel including the story of the unsolved "Black Dahlia" grisly murder from his father hacked his path to hackdom. Check him out.

And if you see him at the Car, regardless of day, date or time, tell him I said, "Hey, thanks and cheers, Dog."

Cheers.

Pour Me Another

As classic a movie scene as has ever been captured on celluloid.

Sometimes the answer is at the bottom to which some effort must be made. Encouragement and teamwork are always welcome but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

You know, to make it right. At least at the time.

I was lucky enough to get near the bottom at a few places this past Friday. Spun around the City and returned to the East Bay to wrap it up at the Hotsy Totsy. The place was hoppin', full of dogs (I mean actual canines) and Jess and Jaques where pouring their hearts out. Thanks for doin' the work, guys.

A number of issues where solved, others raised and confirmation made that yes, indeed, we should have another.

Back to that pic of Mr. Rick (Bogie) don't think that that is his first bottle...

Cheers.