Boulder

My dekeEnstien monsters! We have survived (sort of, if you count being undead as a form of survival) ADIM 13, the incomparable design masterclass brought back to life last by the equally incomparable Russell Brown. Call this an early call to action to consider going to ADIM 14. There really is nothing like it. 

Russell provides macs, special output devices (this year wood engraving, beer glass etching, and metallic printing), and advice from a line up of Creative Cloud experts. This year, he also brought out the festive theme of Monsters and Microbrews. Participants were challenged to create a beer bottle label, a wood beer carrier, and an etched glass as part of the three-day project. 

The vibe was so undead cool at the St. Julien Hotel that Deke and I abandoned his south Boulder condo in order to move in for the conference. It was terrific to hang out with enthusiastic designers and familiar friends. Of course, you can't attend such an event without being infected, by both the creative spirit, and perhaps, something more sinister... Let me tell you the tale in pictures. 

At the opening cocktail party, Deke and our host, Zombie Lincoln, get in a battle over the last Kobe beef slider.

Would there be ramifications for this encounter? Read on to find out:  Read more » 

What do monsters, microbrews, and Deke have in common? They'll all be benevolently haunting the ADIM conference in Boulder April 7–10. ADIM is the brainchild (braaaains) of Adobe Senior Creative Director Russell Brown, in which he brings together:

1. Some of the most trusted names in photography and graphic design instruction (which of course is why Deke will be there, not just because Deke's Techniques 075 was about zombies), and

2. A roomful of computers, with Adobe Creative Cloud installed, manned by designer attendees (the goody bag for the conference includes a year subscription to CC), and

3. Usually some kind of wacky output device (I believe this year it's a machine that etches beer bottles), and

4. Inevitably, costumes, creativity, and chaos. 

Seriously, just look at this awesome logo. You can read the details of the top-notch (in addition to Deke) instructors, luscious goodie bags, and potentially outrageous, instructive fun here at the ADIM13 site. Did I mention zombies are involved? 

And seriously, wasn't this zombie project of Deke's born to be etched onto a beer bottle? That's what too much delicious Boulder brew will do to you people. (Hmm, I'm thirsty.) Don't be scared; come to Boulder. 

  Read more » 

I arrived home yesterday. Am flying out again tomorrow.

But the big and the small of it is: The fire seems to be gone. You can't see it, there is no smoke, and all seems to be well. I'm just 2 miles from where it started. And when I look out, from my home at the base of The Flatirons, all is well. It even rained for a few minutes. Tonight it's a mere 70 degrees F. Read more » 

You have a mother, right? I have a mother. I guess we all have mothers. They're so awesome.

Mine called me yesterday to protect me. It might have gone something like this:

My mom: "Hello, Deke?" Me (you'll get the rhythm of the thing in a moment): "Hi, Mom, what's up?" "Deke, dear, your house is on fire." "Sorry, Mom, I was working on something . . . what?" "Deke, sweet boy, your house is on fire. It's on the news. And it looks like you might have to evacuate soon." "Mom, I'm not at home. I'm in California." "Oh, oh, wait a moment. Yes, now they're asking you to please evacuate your house. Because it's on fire."

Or it might have gone this way: Read more » 

If you're familiar with Colorado, you probably know it for its world-class skiing. Aspen, Vail, Telluride (or if you're a local, Copper Mountain, Winter Park, and the struggling parent's favorite, Eldora). Which naturally leads people to think of Colorado as two things: mountains and snow.

Truth be told, nearly a third of the state is mountainous and the mountains have snow. (Which is good news for the rest of the country, because otherwise you wouldn't have potable water, babies!)  But the areas where the actual day-to-day people live--Denver, Colorado Springs, all the way northwest to my home town, Boulder--most commonly experience little more than occasional dustings. What we get is sun, 300+ days a year of brilliantly clear skies that make Waikiki look positively gloomy by comparison. As evidence, I submit this image that I shot a few feet beyond my backyard just a few days ago.

So when you hear tales of Colorado's highways and airports shutting down on account of snow, you're witnessing a rare occurrence: a deluge of snow hitting the Front Range. So rare that out of the handful of big Front Range snowstorms since the year 2000, I (a full-time resident of my beloved state) have experienced exactly zero of them. For whatever reason, I've always been on the road.

Today was the first exception. Read more »