What says me

Hot potato, this is one heck of a pizza:

Nestled near Miami Ad School in downtown Minneapolis is a pizza place of perfection, for there you will find what my great second-state of Idaho should have done long ago – mashed potato pizza. Pizza Lucé’s website says their Baked Potato pizza is:

“Pizza crust smothered in buttery-garlic baby red mashed potatoes and topped with broccoli, fresh diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of smoked apple hickory bacon. Served with a side of sour cream.”

Good grief does it hit the spot. It’s nearly enough to make a man want to live in Minneapolis forever…

It was a glorious battle producing this campaign for the D&AD’s open HP brief.

First off I have to give a huge thanks to the excellent gentleman James Hatch for spending a silly amount of time perfecting the CAD masterpiece that connects it all together in the middle.

The art was a fun challenge to put together, as it was the first time I actually felt there was a real need to fuse Illustrator with Photoshop… but I think I most enjoyed the writing; wallowing in the confusing cracks of reality where what is real turns into what is merely perceived. In the end, though, it’s just some flashy pants on a simple connection; you can make anything on a Workstation.

…which is the real reason Pepsi killed their PJ’s Smoothies brand.

No, no… Alas… I’m embarrassed by this idea (it fills you up so easy it’s like your belly grows lips!) but I spent too long photoshopping to be ashamed.

The time has come to unveil what I’ve been busy working on for the last 6 months…

SpecialtyTiresUSA.com is the sleekest tire store online, selling all sorts of tires, wheels, and accessories for specialty vehicles; there’s ATV tires, golf cart tires, lawnmower tires, wheelbarrow tires… lots and lots and lots of tires. The website is built on the open source Magento Commerce framework, which gave us an awesome foundation that allowed us to simplify the typically complicated process of finding the right kind of tire.

There is still lots of refining and polishing to do as we learn more and more about visitor’s experiences, but overall the webstore presents a lot of character compared to the rest of the market, which hopefully will help us float to top!

I’ve got to give a huge thanks to my beloved code-warrior Jonas Franke, the Hamburger that made this wonderous magic happen! Also, a mighty thanks to Anthony Mineo for the naming & SEO help, and to Devon Hong for his graphic design help! However, the biggest thanks of all has to go to my girlfriend Kelley, for not getting too mad at me for all the long & late hours.

Now, I know what you’re all thinking… “Now he’s just going to try to get us to buy some tires.” And I can’t believe that you would think such a thing, because you’re absolutely right! There is no better time than Christmas to shower your loved ones with all the specialty tires they need! Turf tires, ribbed tires, knobby tires, sawtooth tires, all kinds of tires! Jack up your golf cart with a lift kit and slap some big custom assembled wheels on there so your sweetie can roll right through those snow drifts! And don’t forget those chrome lug nuts – they’re a great stocking stuffer!

Last night it snowed half a foot or so, and this afternoon I finally got to go play in it… It sorta makes me wish I was hanging around here this winter for snowboarding at the world’s best kept secret, Grand Targhee! Er… I mean, the world’s worst ski resort, in the worst state in the union. Stay far, far away!

Good night and good luck.

Mit h4ck3r spr3ch3n plus Deutsch und scheisse.

Schoen und sehr guile! Meine freundin ist wunderbar!

Shleek – www.k3ll3y.com

In rewind, from Akwissasne to home, Kelley and I decided to bypass those crazy Canadians, although we did revisit those wacky Minnesotans for a short crash landing at Minniami Ad School. Eventually, after stopping at Mount Rushmore and rekindling our patriotic ferver (WOOO!) we found ourselves back in our hideous birthright, which you should never visit – Wyoming.

Going through the mess that this summer made on my desktop, several photos floated through from our various travels…

Gloucester, Massachusetts is a strikingly beautiful seaside… deeply affected by humanity’s incredible ability to shit where it eats. When I was a kid I would spend hours playing in the tide pools here, poking star fish and sea annenamies, digging wherever the sand bubbled for clams, and chasing crabs as they scuttled about. Now it’s 15 years later, and everywhere is completely lifeless. Oh, except for brown, goopy algae, and a proliferation of humans in motorboats. But, hey; look! It’s still beautiful… right?