the things we think but do not say

My apologies to my many tens of loyal readers for not writing much recently. I’m in a work induced flood with project levees breaking all around me, while deadline watching FEMA officials ineffectually flap their arms at the devastation. (That was some weird Katrina inspired imagery there…)

I’m in Palo Alto CA, pumping CAD and rendering my face off, all for the sake of more soft drink consumption. Yeah!

I’ll try to write a little more often and even try to not make each post quite so precious. I might try out posting a few links to things that are funny (mainly to me), and less about making such a big, long winded point. I need to get off my blogging horse sometimes and being such a pretentious twat.

So, thanks for coming and being so patient.

Last week I left Chicago for a project out here in California. I’m working Palo Alto and thankfully staying in San Francisco. Palo Alto still sucks ass. One morning though while standing in Peets Coffee, waiting for my ’small-mocha-no-whip’, I saw the local rag that passes as a newspaper around here, the Palo Alto Daily News. The headlines run like, “Local patron buys more shitty art to hang on wall already used for self conscious party conversation.” or “Sometimes bad things happen to good/rich people”.

But a little gem of an advert for calendars caught my eye, with it’s catchy uplifting tone:

“It’s not too late to start the year off right! Your favourite calendars are here. Step by and pick up a couple.”

Brought to you by your good friends at Roller Hapgood and Tinney, Funeral Directors.

Err.. what? Hold on a sec.

Who in their right mind uses a calendar with a massive endorsement from a funeral home, stuck to their fridge? “Ok, wednesday is dinner with the Nussbaums, thursday is Karen’s recital… oh look, Roller Hapgood and Tinney are having a sale on caskets this Saturday!”

And what’s this in the ad copy about “your favourite calendars are here”? Does that mean that they had a bunch printed last year and they’re back by popular demand? Were “Puppies in a casket 2005″ a huge hit?

It feels like I’m watching Six Feet Under.