turkeypants

What? It’s totally almost 2009 still.

2010-01-10T21:56:00.004-07:00

http://www.brentbarson.com/2009_in_review

Trickcomp is live and awaiting your videos

2009-12-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

OK, everybody. Time to tell all your skiing, snowboarding, BMXing, and skateboarding friends to go to http://trickcomp.com . It's a site I designed, and it's cosmically tubular. Upload your video of you performing your best trick, and compete with peeps from around the world! We need more people! Thanks.

Punkin' carving 2009

2009-11-03T19:56:00.002-07:00

Yes, I am aware that it's November now. But look how fast we carved our pumpkins! The key to enjoying this to the fullest degree is watching one person at a time. Especially Sam.

Look here.

The Telephone, Part 2

2009-04-26T21:28:00.002-06:00

We already established last year that the telephone is a ridiculously outdated and annoying piece of technology that is to be avoided at all costs. We, as sentient, non-cave-dwelling beings, realize that asynchronous electronic communications are far superior.

But we have come to the sad conclusion that some people don't respond to emails. Sometimes we can't afford to wait. As much as it pains me to say it, the fact that some people do not regard email as a legitimate form of communication forces an otherwise rational person to call someone on the phone. After the sixth email of asking someone to do something with no response, one must consider imposing on the peace of someone's day. And even more horrifically, sometimes that recipient of the call will not answer, and after you leave a message on voicemail, you have to wait in fear by your phone for that person to call back, which will come at the scientifically-calibrated-to-be-the-worst possible time. What is a user of modern communications technology to do?

I don't know. That is why I am depending on you for answers.

2008 In Review

2009-01-19T13:49:00.002-07:00

Just in case you haven’t heard through one of the many other avenues through which I have been relentlessly promoting it, here is the link to the Barson Family “2008 in Review” website.

http://www.brentbarson.com/2008_in_review/

Yay!

Hyperbolic Rant Series: Simple is overrated

2008-10-23T10:09:00.012-06:00

Everybody just wants to “keep it simple.” Everyone says “Let's just do a simple design.” All designers think “simple” is always the best answer. It is usually assumed that among all solutions, the “simple” and “minimal” one is the best. Simple is a buzzword. Simple is a trend. Simple is a pretentious, elitist clique.

I am coming out and saying it right now—I hate simple. Simple is boring. Simple is a default. Simple kills ideas. If the simplicity bandwagon continues to pick up followers, every publication, website, graphic, product, piece of furniture, and article of clothing in the world will look exactly the same. Have you noticed that most graphic designers all like the same stuff? Ever noticed how the majority of creative types use and espouse the same brands of fashion, furniture, products, cars, music and clothing? Chances are all those German brands and designer items were designed by the same small group, which, coincidentally, espouses absolute simplicity for everything. It’s especially apparent at large conventions for designers, like AIGA events. I never feel so homogeneous as I do at a large gathering of graphic designers. Ever seen “THX 1138”? That's where we’re headed. Most of us already have the hair.

I knew we were pointed down a dead end when I saw the horrendous failure of industrial design and technology that was the Porche-designed LaCie Hard Drive (not to mention the Neil Poulton hard drive) There are only so many ways you can design a rectangle. Reductionist thinking is a finite path. When will the path come to a dead end?

Now, I’m not saying that “simple” is never the answer. It just might be the answer. But put a little thought into it! Consider all the options! Simplicity is not the only beauty. Let the revolution start today!

I'll stop now before they come barging through the door and take away my designer’s membership card (which has a very simple design, BTW.)

Oh, what's that?

Why yes, I am writing this post on my minimalistic MacBookPro, with an attached simple aluminum-case Apple Cinema Display, on top of a simple plywood-slab table with simple straight cylinder unfinished metal legs, which stands on the simple concrete floor, in my office with minimal white walls, while listening to minimalistic electronic ambient music. Just a disclaimer.

For Shame

2008-10-05T19:09:00.002-06:00

I was just reading that blog post I made four months ago wherein I resolved to start writing more often.
I should have known at the time that that would guarantee that the postings would come to a screeching halt. Actually, there were quite a few after that fateful “Piglet Boots” post, but then...
I have no excuses. But I've heard that a lot of people are starting to have blogs these days, and I figured I'd better be on the cutting edge of technology and keep this thing up, so I can be known as one of the first to have a blog.

Who needs the apocalypse when you've got football?

2008-10-05T19:00:00.003-06:00

Last Monday, when the stock market had its near 800 point drop, and my bank, Washington Mutual, failed (the largest bank failure in the history of the USA—Woo Hoo™indeed!), I was pretty sure the world was coming to an end in the next two weeks. My brother came over to our house on Monday night to talk to us about preparing for a major possible future event, and getting our food storage stocked up. I thought briefly about buying a gun to fend off the starving , rabid hoodlums that would inevitably come to my window and try to steal my dry-pack oats. People are losing their retirements. It's bedlam!

That is why I get so wrapped up in college football. It's just fun! Mascots, national rankings, going to the stadium every other Saturday, screaming until you can't talk anymore; I much prefer all of these things to listening to the economic news and watching Sarah Palin call Barack Obama a terrorist's best friend. There are some things that you just shouldn't try to deal with or solve. It is much better to go to a large sporting event, surrounded by 64,000 people and listen to BYU's marching band play "Fire" by Jimmy Hendrix. (What the? Hendrix?)

Anyway, there is a simple answer. Don't buy a 7,500 sq foot home when you make $30,000 a year. You are going to be part of the problem when you forclose and the national economy fails. And to the banks, don't wonder what went wrong when all those thousands of unqualified people you gave loans to can't pay you back. Its YOUR fault! Woo Hoo!

Harry Potter: How Old is Too Old?

2008-07-11T23:04:00.007-06:00

So, just a question... at what age is it inappropriate to love the Harry Potter Series? Is it age 30?
Or if you are in the act of reading "The Half-Blood Prince" when you turn 35, do you instantly become a creep? Are kids and teenagers the only ones allowed to love the Harry Potter books?
I'm just asking; it’s not that I love Harry Potter or anything. I mean, the books are fun to read, and I'm totally looking forward to the next movie and everything, and I think Severus Snape is the coolest character in any non-kids’ story I've read in the last 10 years (number of non-kids’ stories I've read besides Harry Potter in the last 10 years = possible to count on one hand), but I'm totally NOT a Potter Freak™ or anything.
Does it mean you're a Potter Freak if you have watched all the movies at least once in the last 3 months? What if you like watching the movies at night, listening to the books on your iPod during your commute, and reading the books in any spare minute you have? I would imagine that someone who did all those things, AND was also over age 30 could be considered a freak; glad I've never done that.

Turkeypants Rant Series: Scatting = Verbal Littering

2008-06-25T21:10:00.010-06:00

Have you ever found yourself listening to the radio at night (in Salt Lake City), flipping through the radio stations while driving home, when you hear some cool jazz music? So you leave it playing, because it's not commercials, and besides, you feel obligated to listen to jazz because you think it might be sophisticated? After a few songs, and a little education on what Miles Davis sounds like, all of a sudden your ears are accosted with the ridiculous sound of nonsensical shrill babbling.

Oh, that has happened to you, too?

It's called "scatting," and it is an integral part of jazz music. Well, jazz enthusiasts, I'll go with you through Jazzland with Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald, and even Billie Holliday, but as soon as they start with the "ba doo bee bop bwah bop de dop," in unison with the improvising brass instruments, I am stabbing myself in the eardrums in a desperate attempt to make it stop. Or simply changing the station, on the off chance that I don't have ice picks with me.

It's hard to put the ridiculousness of this type of "singing" into words; so let me just say that hearing scatting is the audio equivalent of walking along a city street and seeing litter on the sidewalk. It shouldn't be there, it's ugly, annoying, and you wish the person who put it there had a few manners, or common courtesy. The world is ugly enough (and loud enough) without us adding additional pollution to our MUSIC, for the love.

It's no coincidence that "scat" is also a word for animal feces. When they chose the word to describe this type of "singing," they knew what they were doing. Can’t we all come together to ensure that the vocals in our music are real words, and not just noise? That is a cause I believe everyone can get behind.

Let's all resolve to rid the world of all pollution, both in the form of littering, and scatting.

If You Write it, They Will Comment

2008-06-18T13:04:00.003-06:00

Changes are afoot on this blog. Namely, there are a lot of comments on some of the entries! I have discovered through extensive, scientific, empirical data crunching that this is directly proportional to the frequency and content of the blog entries I write. Therefore, I am resolving to keep it up. I am cleaning up the place, trying to make it a little less default, and I will try to keep the graphical headers rotating. I'm sure you will remind me if they don’t; and I thank you for your reminders.

Telephone = Nineteenth Century

2008-06-02T14:58:00.011-06:00

I hate to talk to people on phones. I try to avoid ever having to call anyone on the phone, unless they are my wife or a friend. Talking to people on the phone is a blind, awkward, time-wasting experience that must be avoided at all costs.

I felt this way even before electronic communications such as email, instant messaging, and texting existed. Now that those technologies do exist, which allow you to contact people at your own leisure, and allow the recipients to respond at their leisure, the telephone has become an even more loathsome, antiquated means of communication. It's like a salesman character from the era of Perry Mason, barging in on your peaceful workday or weekend, demanding your instant attention, practically yelling, with a tinny, blaring voice. All in black and white— and not the good kind of black and white, either.

If you would like to get a hold of me, the best way is email. I might have said instant messaging 9 months ago, but I have since resorted to only logging in every few hours, to increase my productivity. If you do happen to catch me on iChat, chat away. You could even video chat with me. If I am online, then it must mean I'm not too busy. Or I just forgot to log off. The second best way to contact me is to text me.

The absolute worst thing a potential contact could do is to cold call me, ask me for something, and then brazenly suggest that I need to call them back. You might as well threaten my wife and family if you're going to call me when I have no idea who you are, and don't have time to talk. You actually asked me to return your call? Seriously? That is the fastest way to turn me against you and everything you stand for. I will most likely fight night and day to destroy your existence and all the enterprises in which you are involved. I know a cop, and you might just find yourself slammed up against the hood of his cop car if you try something as foolish as calling me, unprovoked and out of the blue, and saying, "Do you know any students who are interested in designing a website for free? Because it would be a good portfolio piece. Call me back as soon as you can." I can think of friends I have had killed for something FAR less offensive.

In summary, I hate telephones, I don't have any time, and no, I don't know any students that want to design a website for your startup business.

* this post may or may not contain high levels of exaggeration and/sarcasm. And if it does, I will never say how much.

UC Dwellers

2008-04-14T15:19:00.002-06:00

Welp, it's official. We live in Utah County. Or, as it is properly called, “The UC.” We moved to Springville, because we just grew tired of convenience, abundant retail outlets and delicious dining options. The big-city life of Salt Lake County was too chaotic and metropolitan for us, so we moved to a place that has NONE of the aforementioned annoyances. Beautiful Springville, Utah.

It's actually pretty SWEET to be 10 minutes from campus, though. Having Gramby and Grampa live 2 streets away? Dudical.

I'm going to get a scooter. Don't tell Jill.

1984

2008-02-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Soon after the movie came out, but before parachutes pants were no longer cool, I drew this. I remember when the huge ghetto blasters were all that, but not the dozens of antennae.

Who should be president based on looks alone (from CNN)

2008-01-06T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jill’s List:
1. John Edwards
2. Barack Obama
3. Mitt Romney
4. Hillary Clinton

Brent’s List
1. Barack Obama
2. Mitt Romney
3. John Edwards
4. Hillary Clinton

(the dregs / runners up)
5. Mike Huckabee
6. John McCain
7. Ron Paul
8. Fred Thompson
9. Rudy Giuliani

BYU 17 - Utah 10

2007-11-27T10:32:00.001-07:00

For some free pass along cards for your U of U friends, click here. (They're double sided!)

The Ol' Pigskin

2007-11-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

This year I have observed myself becoming a rabid BYU football fan. It's kind of weird, like the designer me is observing myself from the outside becoming this major football-crazed face painter. It's not THAT shocking, since I have been going to BYU football games with my Dad since I was 8. I was at the "Miracle Bowl" in 1980. But there was a definite drought of BYU fandom between about 1997 and 2005.

I find that I haven't gotten this excited about anything for years. I need something to get worked up about. And if it's BYU football, so be it. And if our team is good, all the better. I find myself buying season tickets (with my faculty status, you know.) I find myself yelling at the top of my lungs for three and a half hours every other Saturday. I find myself worrying about the status of the BYU-Utah game, and how it will affect my life for the next year (we live in a Ute-friendly, red-flag-flying neighborhood here in Sandy.)

I got a free "Fully Invested" t-shirt from the Bookstore. It's ugly—it's got this faux grunged-up/ distressed-looking "Y" on it. Perhaps you've seen people wearing them around BYU campus, on non-game days (please.) But I'm wearing it this Saturday to the stadium, and I won't stop yelling until the vocal cords are bleeding and/or silent. I'll probably stop yelling if they bleed, because blood is red.

Programmers rule the world

2007-11-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

I just came to a stunning realization: programmers and developers rule the world.

Those who possess the knowledge to create software and databases with scripting languages have a certain power. Those who support the entire infrastructure of an economy, by setting up hardware and software platforms with passwords and 128 bit encryption, which hold all our data, have all the power.

CEOs, managers, and creative directors have always regarded programmers as hired hands. Second-class citizens, perhaps; nerds with few to no social skills. "Oh, we'll just hire a programmer to do that," they say. And it's true, there are millions of programmers in the world, ready to develop your company's webpage, or build a database holding what you deem to be important information. But you must accept that there is a big difference between managing someone while they do the heavy lifting and code writing on a project and doing it yourself.

Have you ever stopped to think of what would happen if all developers, of every computer language, suddenly refused to do the bidding of their uninformed supervisors? The modern world as we know it would grind to a sudden, catastrophic halt.

What if all your company's IT staff, and maybe all the programmers at Citibank and Microsoft and Adobe one day woke up and said, "I don't feel like making you rich anymore, bosses"? Where would we all be? Picking up the nearest O'Reilly book on PHP, that's where. And we wouldn't be ordering on Amazon, if you know what I mean.

It wasn't always this way. There was a time when all the important information in the world wasn't digitized and located on a server somewhere. There was a time when all the financial data for corporations, governments, and individuals wasn't online or on a hard disk.

But that time is over.

There is too much distance (literal and figurative) between those who make all the important decisions and those who enable them (to make millions.) Why are programmers always low-level employees? Do they not realize the power they have? Their boss has no idea how to make their website launch on time. They do. If they decided to hold all the company's information hostage, and turn suddenly evil, they could. They are smart. They know how to do stuff. You don't.

Everyone should know at least a little bit about scripting languages. They are what power our world. Learn how to make computers do cool and exciting things. Learn how to make a web page. Learn how to create a database.

And one day, if you read on nytimes.com that all the developers in the world have formed a union, watch out.

Turkeypants Self Help Tip #1

2007-10-07T14:44:00.000-06:00

9 to 5 is just a song now

2007-08-26T21:47:00.000-06:00

So, Friday was my last day at Vérité, Inc. It was a fun three years, and I’m going to miss all the Dudes™ and ladies there. It’s time to focus on BYU now, and getting back to the pure design of life. I may visit my old turf there occasionally to taunt and annoy.

I am once again a freelance design bounty hunter (brentbarson.com is once again a commercial site. Commercial ART, that is! Zing!) Spread the word, if you know people who have cool projects (with budgets, please) needing direction. If there is no budget, it better be a Beck music video.

No, I will not design the logo for “KoverdAnklez," your startup modest clothing company.

Tartan Sauce

2007-07-05T21:59:00.000-06:00

This photo, featuring Tom MacDougall and myself, was taken in 1990, after a "Mangled Baby Ducks" concert at Holiday Park in Carlsbad. There were at least 5 people there that weren't in the other bands we played with.

Tom is wearing a suit made from his family's official Scottish Tartan (is there any other kind of tartan?). I am wearing a plaid suit that has nothing to do with my family. I painted my wingtips red with paint especially made for shoes. Do they still make shoe paint? Why doesn't everyone paint their shoes still? You can make them any color.

It's official

2007-06-03T09:50:00.000-06:00

Remember how I've been teaching at BYU for the last 2.5 years? Well now I am official. They actually hired me as a full-time assistant professor. This means that I have the same schedule, the same responsibilities, the same classes, but now I get to go to New York with the students & rest of the faculty in March.
Cool.

Don't Be a Jerk

2007-05-27T22:22:00.000-06:00

I get to do a lot of commuting from Sandy to Utah County these days, and so I see a wide variety of driving skills. One day, as I was leaving Verite and turning left onto 500 West in Sandy, to get on I-15, I could see a car waaaaaaay down the road coming toward me to the left. I had plenty of time, so I pulled out at normal speed. As I stepped on the gas, I noticed the oncoming car was rapidly picking up speed, and even veering a little bit toward me. I barely got into the lane without him hitting me, and my estimate is that he was going 55-60 MPH as he barely missed my bumper. Soon after I narrowly missed being killed, I reflected on the following points:

1. This guy was trying to teach me a "lesson" for what he considered an egregious offense (pulling out 100 yards in front of him.)

2. He was willing to risk actually killing a complete stranger (me) or seriously injuring me to teach me said "lesson."

Why do people turn into hyper-agressive jerks with no patience and murderous tendencies when they get into their cars? Why is it seen as an affront to your masculinity or pride to let someone turn in front of you, no matter how far away you are from them or how much time you leave them to drive by? Why is it that when you're in the fast (left) lane, and someone tries to pass you on the right, because you didn't obey the law and get over, that you speed up to not let them pass? In the past, I've been cruising along on the freeway at 75 MPH behind a guy in the left lane for 10 minutes, and then when I give up on him getting over (did I mention it's the law to keep right except to pass?) and get over to the right to pass him, he speeds up to 90 MPH? (this actually happened— I wanted to see how fast I would have to go to pass him)

I am open to suggestions. I am in no way suggesting that I never do jerky things. I like to go fast. I hate it when people slow me down. That is all. Don't be a jerk.

The Miniature Anarchy Circus™

2007-03-18T21:45:00.000-06:00

A post over at my sister Ood's blog a while ago reminded me that I never really write about our kids. I'm not sure why, since there are three of them, and they don't really fade into the background very well. In fact, unless they are sleeping, they never stop, and you can always hear them, very clearly. If they are in the same room as you, you can be assured that things will be broken, shrieking will be heard, and injuries will be sustained. Anything that is done or in order will be undone. Children are only comfortable when there is nothing left in the room to be dragged onto the floor, pushed over, knocked off a table, or destroyed. Picture frame on a table? Floor. Cup full of water? Floor. Toys actually in the toybox? Scattered randomly (yet somehow almost equidistant, so as to cover more square footage) on the floor.

This is why our children are now known as the Miniature Anarchy Circus™. Not that they are so different from other children, but they are indeed a circus, who subscribe to no political system or belief, except anarchy. They are all little (yet not as little as some other kids), and unbelieveably cute. I love the Miniature Anarchy Circus™.

brentbarson.biz/net/info/tv/org/cc/us/la/co.uk/ws

2007-03-18T21:30:00.000-06:00

Those are all the domain variations of brentbarson.com that HAVEN'T been updated yet.

Check it out—all new work (OK, 98% new work), all new reel, new look (still blue though), same great-tasting usability, fresh links, and crisp shredded pixels. Let me know what you think.

Chekkit

I'm a t0tal n00b

2007-03-18T21:23:00.000-06:00

I don't know how to blog, evidently. It is impossible for me to make regular submissions to this or any other web page, at least more "regular" than every few weeks. For a while there I was on fire, but then, phhhhhllllpt. I think it has something to do with having 47 jobs. I'm trying to cut back, but until I can have 50% fewer jobs, I can't tell you to expect regular blog updates. But if you do choose to come by every few days or weeks to check for new content, be sure to comment! It's like proof that someone actually reads this, and it's not just my journal that happens to be on Blogger/Blogspot.

Who came up with the word "Blog" anyway? Is it too hard to say "web log?" It's just the one extra syllable, "we-". We are SO lazy these days.

N00b out,

Brent

Bar-B-Que

2007-02-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

Why is barbecued meat the greatest food on earth, without question? It's not just grilled meat that is so magical. It has to be covered with the BBQ sauce; it is the combination of the two ingredients that create the sweet, smoky, meat-based ambrosia.

Yes, I realize that there are many different approaches to BBQ sauce. My point is, that they are all delicious. No, let me retract that comment. Arby's Sauce, which I think is supposed to resemble barbecue sauce, is gross. I can think of many different brands of floor cleaning solution that are more delicious than Arby's sauce. Pine-Sol is one of them. Creamy Pine-Sol, not the amber liquid kind. I think the best kind of BBQ sauce is the sweeter kind, but I am not opposed to any variety, whether it be spicy or more tangy. This brings me to the 3 places I enjoy most for barbecued meats. Ironically, 2 of them are in Utah County. Why is that ironic? Because everyone knows that there's nothing good to eat in Utah County. Except for India Garden.

The SmokeHouse, which is located on University Avenue in Provo, just up from Center Street (as well as in that strip Mall in Orem on University Parkway) is one of the places that offers divinely prepared meats. Not only that, though, but they allow you to apply the sauce yourself. As if that weren't enough, they give you 3 different kinds of sauces to pour over your specially chosen meat. Sweet/Honey BBQ sauce, Spicy BBQ sauce, and Honey Mustard. I prefer a 70/30 mix of Sweet/Spicy.

The Brick Oven, which I realize is known for pizza, has one of the greatest Hawaiian BBQ Chicken subs on earth. It has pineapple. Also, it comes in a cardboard box with chips, one tablespoon of pasta salad, and a cookie.

Now, onto Salt Lake County. Zupa's in Draper has a related Hawaiian BBQ chicken sandwich that is prepared on ciabatta bread. It is delicious, but beware of the overly pierced and tattooed youngsters working behind the counter. Also, it takes 47 hours to get through the line. They have one register, which is run by anemic hamsters, not electricity. The hamsters are anemic because it's dark inside the register, and they only feed them iceberg lettuce. I'm getting waaaaay off track from my original thesis, which is that BBQ foods are all delicious. Even BBQ Pringles. Oh, and BBQ chicken pizza is fantastic, except for the fact that cheese makes my sinuses explode. But that is another blog entry for another time.

There are many other places in Utah that serve BBQ meats. Sugarhouse Barbecue is one of them. Famous Daves in Fort Union is another. If any of you (ever read this blog entry, and) know of any additional places I should visit as a connoisseur of BBQ foods, please comment and let me know.

What I am trying to say here is not that it's hard to screw up a BBQ meat sandwich, but that if someone does it right, all other foods in the world slowly fade away until the only thing left is you and your BBQ sandwich. Mmmmmm, Barbecued things.

Read this to find out more about BBQ sauce.

Or this.

Or this.

Surrounded By the Sound

2007-01-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Jill & I watched the 2004 DVD release of "Star Wars: A New Hope." This might seem like a small thing, and rather ordinary. But what you may not know is that we experienced the beloved sci-fi classic with the best possible sound and picture available to the consumer at the present time. How was that accomplished, you might wonder? (Of course you wonder.) Well, I spent a large chunk of the day installing our rear surround sound satellite speakers on the walls in our living room. I took care to hide and route the cables underground, under carpet, behind obstacles and mouldings, and generally make the hideous white (and of sufficient thickness to supply a superior signal) cables invisible to the public eye. By public eye I mean the eye of Jill. The Great Eye of Jill stands, ever vigilant, lidless, wreathed in flame, scanning the landscape for unnecessary clutter. But my wiring job passed the test. The two (rather heavy) black satellite speakers will remain on the two walls, as uneven as they are, producing surround sounds for all who choose to watch a DVD at our house.

Allow me to describe the visual component of this prosumer-level Star Wars viewing experience. First off, the TV. We have a 34 inch Sony 1080i-capable CRT HD TV, which may weigh 200 lbs, but the picture... boy howdy. The blacks, so dark black. The whites, so white (yet not so white that the many subtle levels of whiteness are blown out). Our new DVD player, capable of upscaling standard DVDs into 1080p resolution, performs miracles with this digitally enhanced and restored version of "A New Hope." I've never seen Jawas or Sand People with greater clarity. The HDMI and optical audio outputs of the DVD player, combined with the newly mounted surround sound satellites, made my whole night. Such nerdery.

Marketing Cross-Promotion

2007-01-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

I realize that if you're actually here reading my blog, you've probably already received an email apprising you of the Barson Family 2006 Year-In-Review page. But in the spirit of crass self-promotion, and the desire to see all those hours working on it not spent in vain, I'd like to cast as wide a net as possible. Here it is again:
http://www.brentbarson.com/2006_in_review/

A big BTW to all those who actually click on the link: the little thumbnail pictures you see on the left hand side of the page are actually clickable, and will take you to a larger version of the picture.

Barsons: 1, Year of the Anvil: 0

2007-01-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

We won. It's finally over. We made it through 2006 without dying. We're looking forward to a 2007 where no more giant figurative anvils fall out of the sky and crush our comfortable lives. You know what they say; what doesn't kill you, turns you into an insecure paranoid with a victim complex. You try to do the right thing and let the falling chunks of blacksmith's metal make you stronger, but who really know what will happen next time? Am I really a wuss at heart? I'm going to move forward under the assumption that I'm not, and go to bed earlier. It's a New Year's Resolution. An HD 1080P resolution. I think if everyone went to bed on time every night, there would be no more war.

Here's to a much, much better 2007.

The Octoberists

2006-10-16T22:23:00.000-06:00

Welp, it's that time of year again. The time when it is for some reason customary to carve a cliched cartoon face with triangle eyes into an orange squash and put a candle in it. Why is it so cute when Sophie says "punkin" instead of pumpkin? Where does the word "pumpkin" come from? We all know what the word "pump" means, and what "kin" means, so it would appear to me that pumpkin nomenclature is derived from the ancient Druid ritual of discovering one's ancestors by cranking the pump near the well and drawing up some kin. Sophie and I carved her first pumpkin tonight, and she was riveted by every cut.
I took a time lapse of the event...

http://www.brentbarson.com/blogger/punkin_carvin_2006.mov

New! Updated profile!

2006-10-10T23:02:00.000-06:00

It has been made known to me that I should be updating my blog more than once a quarter. So, I decided to give you, the huge viewing audience of Turkeypants, some choice morsels of bio information. Check out the complete profile.

Until next quarter.

I am a member of the "blogosphere"

2006-07-06T08:57:00.000-06:00

This is my first post ever as a "blogger." This is the greatest day of my life. I have been half a person until this moment. That reminds me of one of my favorite songs by the Smiths. It's called "Half a Person." I am angry because someone else has taken the URL turkeypants.com.