1983

Currently Listening To :: Living For The City :: Stevie Wonder

So it's 6:15 on a Friday night, I'm drinking a brew, and I should be out and about, but I'm in front of my computer at work. Although I know I should be doing something more then blogging, I figured it'd been a while, plus no one else is here.

Did I mention it's Friday night?!? Fuck! I little slack needs to be cut doesn't it??

While some have said that work has become my life, I see it more like riding a wave. I've worked enough jobs to know that no matter how much you love a job initially, the honeymoon will end eventually, and it's rarely up to you as to when and where the well dries up.

In short, work hard, live harder, sleep when you can, and don't forget to take the "me" time in every day.

A friend who has recently gone to live and work in the UK told me when we said our goodbyes "Struggle for what you want". This last year or so has made me forget what it's been like to struggle. The anguish of missing out of jobs at the last interview have been replaced by the wonders of working in a huge marketing company. The loneliness of singledom are a memory. I suddenly have some money in my pocket, even if I only see less then half of it every month. And that's after tax, what with the albatross that is my mortgage.

The cleaners are the only people here I think; they look at me like I am a stray child, with puzzlement and pity, not sure what to do with me. I just lift my feet as they vacuum around me.

Another good friend and I were wondering exactly how we became so grown up without us even noticing it. Last time I blinked, we were still in high school, wondering what the "real" world would bring us. Fame and fortune? Mortgages and matrimony? Love and languishing? Such concepts were the thing of tomorrow, yet over a few beers we realised that these were the things of now. What was even more scary was how real some of these things were.

So now it's 6:30, and I still have the same amount of work to do. The vacuums have faded down the coridor, my beer is empty, and I feel drunk on fatigue yet high on alcohol. As my fingers tap on, I keep thinking...I really should have taken another beer before they shut the fridge.

The Advertising Standards Bureau

Currently Listening To :: Cold Hard Bitch :: Jet

One of the fun things about working on a brand that generates so much love and loathing are the complaint letters from irate viewers of our ads. A lot of them start with the line: "I'm not being a prude..." but usually end with something along the lines of "...I cringe at the thought of this ad, and wish that it were banned and completely removed from TV immediately." The pot calling the kettle black I hear you say? Well, consumers are know to be a backflipping bunch...

I'm beginning to respect the people who come out and say, "I don't like your ad for these reasons. Can you please do something about it?" To which I'd reply, no.

Dear X,

Re: LYNX Advertising Complaint

In regards to the complaint that you have forwarded to us, we regret that the LYNX Touch TVC has caused any offence, however we do not believe that this offence is justified. Please find below our detailed response.

- One of the main issues of the complaint forwarded to us appears to be the level of sexual innuendo and objectification of women. However, we believe that the level of innuendo is not inappropriate, and the advertisement doesn’t objectify women, all of whom are wearing clothing that could be considered normal, everyday wear.

- Further to this, the main character in the advertisement is oblivious to the effect he is having on the women until the end of the advertisement. The storyline is intended to be playful and tongue-in-cheek and the directors treatment (e.g. sweat droplets, woman biting her lip) is merely meant to convey a level of tension between the characters.

- The main character does not intend to demean or objectify women in any way. His actions are merely a creative device to both entertain and grab the attention of viewers. His actions and the results are clearly not realistic, and it is a tongue-in-cheek humour that the ad is trying to convey, in line with the spirit of the brand itself.

- With regard to Rule 2 of the Code Of Ethics, we believe this advertisement does indeed treat sex, sexuality and nudity with sensitivity to the relevant audience. Having had the advertisement cleared by FACTS (Federation of Commercial Television), we are targeting the relevant audiences by utilising appropriate versions of the advertisement based on program schedules.

- Finally, we have made every effort to be responsible in media placement of this commercial, restricting it to post 8:30pm. In this programming environment particularly, the advertisement shouldn’t been seen as crude or distasteful.

Got knowlegde? Good.

That Fleeting Feeling

Currently Listening To :: 1980 :: Estelle

Whoever stepped out of the shower feeling worse off for the experience is a rare person indeed. While the shampoo and soap may change, the feeling of stepping out in better shape then I went in has never changed.

I seem to do a lot of thinking in the shower. There's something calming about having the water crash down around you, blocking everything else out. No one bothers you, no mobile phone ringing, it's all drowned by the rush downpour of water.

Washing away my worries, anxiety and weariness, both physical and mental; all go down the drain with the suds, while my mind goes blank for a few precious, conscious moments a day.

Sleep comes too fast and leaves too quickly. One minute I set both my alarms and let my eyes rest, my mind slow down...next thing there's music, light is everywhere and my mind starts moving way before my body. Meetings, work to be done, clothes to ware, what could possibly go wrong at work today. Which, of late, is about anything.

I often worry that I sleep too much. I don't dream, and if I do, my brain just isn't equipped to catch them. Which is frustrating; I never used to worry about wasting time. Time always seemed to be something I always had a limitless supply of. Hours. Days. Weeks. Months. Always waiting for my rocket to come.

Time to have a shower. The sun's shining, my hangover is wearing off. Time to ride.