Random Updates

•I’ve still been running with the Hash group and it’s a lot of fun. Last week was themed around back to school so most everyone wore an approximation of a British school uniform (I did not). The course involved running through the grounds of about 4 or 5 different schools and was quite fun. This week I was out in another part of France and we had dinner afterwards at a couple’s house. A very nice social time.

•Went to IKEA last Thursday—my first IKEA trip ever. I liked it. I’m not sure if the restaurant is a feature of all of their stores or not, but this one had it and the meatballs were wonderful. They also had fountain pop (the first I’ve seen here) so I made sure to drink several glasses of generic cola to get my money’s worth. Farhad and I bought a bunch of random kitchen stuff (pizza cutter, ice cream scoop, reamer, wine rack, etc.) And though I didn’t buy anything major, it is amazing how just a plant and a mirror can make a room seem a little more homey and inviting.

•The excitement of the arrival of my Arrested Development, The Simpsons, The Office, and Lost DVDs was tempered by an additional 22 franc customs fee I was not expecting. However, it’s nice to have some new(ish) entertainment to watch at the end of the day or to have on in the background while doing freelance.

•With the help of our Ontario-based web designer Albert (who was here a couple weeks ago) and Farhad, I’ve been introduced to torrenting. Thanks to lots of geeks in America and the newly increased speed of our internet, it looks like I’ll be able to keep up with the new episodes of “my shows” while here. I’ve already been able to catch the new Simpsons, Amazing Race, and some fresh Office hilarity.

•Ran a 10k race on Sunday. I was happy with my time of 41:12, though it’s nothing incredible. The event was in a village called Jussy to the east of Geneva and also had a half (demi) marathon going on. I opted for the 10k since I think I'm gonna try the full Geneva Marathon in May, so there’s no need to overexert myself now. It was strange to run a race based with only kilometer markers (since I’m so used to pacing myself for miles), but a couple other people from the Hash were there and despite a bit of rain, it was an enjoyable morning.

•Every Wednesday in the office we have a staff “prayer” where we all get together for some time of reflection. The planning goes to a different person each week and this week I was responsible. I focused on the story of the Rich Young Ruler and shared some music by Derek Webb and Mute Math. I think it was fairly well-received. BTW, you can download Derek’s album Mockingbird legally for free here.

•Tonight is Bearcat Live! at UC, a yearly beginning-of-the-quarter rock concert. I designed all the promo materials again this year and am pretty happy with how they turned out (although I have yet to see the actual printed material because that’s in Cincinnati and I am not). Anyway, here’s the poster:


•Another late Lollapalooza note: Mute Math, one of my favorite groups of the last few years, are finally getting some mainstream notice. You can check out some video over at MTV.com’s Overdrive. They shot all that at Lollapalooza and I was pretty close to the stage. Therefore, I am in the video for some split seconds. Here’s a screenshot from the video. Fun!


•We had personality testing in the office this week. We did 3 different tests, one of which being the Myers-Briggs indicator. I consider myself pretty self-aware, so I wasn’t really surprised by anything. I am currently an ENFP (I think I used to be an ENFJ when I entered college), which is called “The Entrepeneur” by some people. You can do a Wikipedia search to read more about me, but then again, you probably already know it. I also have a “relaxed CEO” leadership style. Interesting…

•The International Board of Directors of the organization have been in the office for the past few days and this weekend. As interns, we’re all responsible for helping with meals and such. Therefore, I will be cooking all day tomorrow (Saturday). But I also get to eat and socialize with people from all over the world who are very inspiring.
The communications team also had a meeting this week that revealed a very exciting prospect for my job. I can’t disclose anything at this point, but the minute I have more details I will definitely share.

Montreux and all that Jazz

This entry is actually about what I did Saturday a week ago (rather than yesterday). I was waiting to get some images from the other interns, but they have yet to materialize, so whatever.

Anyway, to make up for the Milan misadventure of the long weekend, Farhad, Caroline, Melissa and I took a day trip to Montreux on Saturday the 9th. Montreux is the next sort-of-major town over from Lausanne and is famous for its annual Jazz Festival which has featured luminaries from all walks of music through the years. They also have a castle called Chateau de Chillon which was our main impetus to go.

This was my first European castle experience and it was a bit different than I expected. Unlike the majority of historical sites in the States which feature guided tours, velvet ropes, and plenty of guards around monitering everything, the castle was practically completely accessible. Tours are self-guided and nothing is blocked off. Because of this, some things are a little run-down and many rooms featured copious amounts of graffiti (nothing says “I visited Chillon” like scrawling “I visited Chillon” into the wall). Even so, it was a neat place. The catacombs were like something out of Lord of the Rings and even Lord Byron felt compelled to etch his name into one of the prison’s pillars. The courtyards were beautiful and the living quarters provided breathtaking views of the lake and city beyond. The view from the keep was especially good, and I was reminded of all the castle LEGO sets I used to collect with their various towers. I was glad to have a numbered map with descriptions to guide me, but I couldn't help but wonder how on earth people back in the middle ages were able to get their bearings, especially if they were running around preparing for battle or something. Even so, it was worth the trip.

{The catacombs, minus trolls, orcs, and the fellowship}


{Lots and lots of spears}


{One of many painted crests on the wall of one of the rooms. I’m sure you remember the story of Santa Claus battling the black lion. No? Yeah, me neither}


{A view towards the interior of the castle from one of the rooms}


{Straight below the window of the keep. Reminded me of something from Cast Away}


{View from the keep of the castle—quite picturesque}


After that experience, we went down by the lake for awhile, site of a statue of Queen’s Freddie Mercury (he apparently lived there at the end of his life). The previous weekend would have been his 60th birthday so they had just had a lot of festivities in his honor. Very interesting... (BTW, I’ll get a picture from Farhad or something at some point. I had left my camera in the car...)

While we were waiting for Nicki to join us so we could head to dinner, Farhad said, “Hey, there’s your name.” Sure enough, an awning of a completely empty storefront bore the family name. Wonder what the boutique sold and why it went under.


Anyway, Nicki made it there and we all piled into the car and over the mountains into Italy to get dinner. That’s right; I’ve had my first authentic Italian meal and it was wonderful. To start off we all got different antipasti to share, then I had really good homemade gnochi, and Farhad and I split a mixed grill which was basically piles of different types of meat. Everything was delicious and the house wine was excellent as well. We all left a few pounds heavier and very much fulfilled.

On Sunday I pretty much stayed in to do some design stuff and laundry, but that night I got to check out Shema, a nondenominational community which is starting up meetings again. It seems a little like Status, my church home in Florida, although with considerably less people. This Sunday’s get-together was more of a hangout, with services actually beginning in a couple weeks. The people I met and talked to seemed really nice and I’m looking forward to getting involved. I also went to the Lutheran church in the morning and talked to a couple American members as well as a graphic designer originally from Holland.

All in all, things are going well here, and I had an enjoyable end to my long weekend.
Hard to believe it’s already almost the coming weekend.

Find Some Inspiration

Friday was a good day. I went to Lausanne, the next “major city” over from Geneva. Apparently one of Nicki’s travel guides called it the San Francisco of Europe—or maybe just Switzerland; I don’t recall—mainly because of its abundance of hills. I must say, it did remind me a bit of my home last summer and made me slightly wistful for San Fran. The weather was perfect: sunny and warm, yet not overbearingly humid. I liked the city a lot. It is very pretty, seems to have a lot of culture, and was overall a great place to spend the day. I went with a plan: visit four museums and one restaurant recommended by Farhad. I left having fulfilled those goals and with a wealth of inspiration. I present, then, a (hopefully) brief tour of my journey.

•Musée Olympique
I love the Olympics. Seriously. I know the trendy thing now is to joke about how no one cares anymore, but the Olympics are great. Think about it: they celebrate excellence, they promote world peace, and they give us inspiration for doing things we never thought possible. The Olympic ideal of unity and respect among nations is admirable and a prime example of how I think the world should behave all the time. One of the plaques I read today mentioned that when the US Hockey Team beat Russia in 1980, the Soviets should have shunned them (in accordance with the animosity between the countries); instead, the Russian goalkeeper praised the US team in a show of good sportsmanship. In sport, things like nationality fall away. You are pitted against others, but really, you’re pitted against yourself and the competition becomes a positive—bringing out the best performance you can give. If you give it your all and someone beats you, you can only appreciate their accomplishment. That is why I love the Olympic Games.



When I did my “calendar” project for Gordon’s class two years ago (God, I can’t believe that’s already been two years) I remember getting a lot of information from the Olympic website and thinking about how neat the Olympic Museum must be. I never in a million years thought I’d end up getting to visit Switzerland, let alone live about 45 minutes away from Lausanne. Yet here I am. Funny how life works.



{One of the statues on the grounds of the Olympic Park}

The museum itself is quite comprehensive and well-designed. Upon entry there is a display of all the torches used in each games’ torch relay, followed by an exhibition of ancient Greek material on the historical olympics, then a section on Pierre de Coubertin who founded the modern movement (UC people may remember him as the dude with the moustache in the collage on my design), and then a recap of all the games and important historical events surrounding them (with a variety of memorabilia throughout). [Design junkies: the section on the Munich games (aside from mentioning the tragedy of the Israeli hostage situation) spotlighted Otl Aicher’s pictogram system and branding standards for the games. The section on the history of the Olympic Flag and Rings also included pages from the branding guide showing appropriate and inappropriate uses of the rings.]


{The summer games section featuring a really sweet collection of track shoes.}

Upstairs is separated into a summer section and a winter section, focusing a bit more on the atheletes themselves (and containing a variety of sportswear), again broken down by each year. There is also a display of the gold, silver, and bronze medals from each and every edition of the games thus far. The basement level houses the Olympic library and also a video library where you can, on demand, call up just about any footage from any gold medal event in Olympic history (you get 2 free viewings with admission). They also have space for contemporary exhibits, currently occupied by one about Fair Play (i.e. not doping, not fighting, etc.).



I spent almost 3 full hours there and could easily have spent more. Citius Altius Fortius. Faster Higher Stronger. Three words that conjure up amazing feats in my mind and serve as great encouragement when I’m running and need to push myself that extra mile. Glorious.

•Musée de Elysee
A photography museum right next to the Olympic one that is currently featuring an exhibit devoted soley to Charlie Chaplin (who, after basically being kicked out of Hollywood, lived out the rest of his days on Lake Geneva).
Chaplin’s another entity I’ve always had an affinity for. I can remember actually dressing up as the Little Tramp and doing some sort of routine for a school presentation in 5th grade. I think I enjoy him so much because he was able to do so much with so little. Even compared with other silent film stars like Harold Lloyd or the Keystone Cops, for example, his sets and plots are uncomplicated—which isn’t to say no thought was put into them; they are well-designed and well-considered, just simple and direct.



The photography exhibit encompasses three floors and includeds production stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and even some outtakes from Chaplin’s various films. I love good photography and I love movies. This collection marked a confluence. Also displayed were some great lithograph posters from his films, most utilizing gorgeous design and illustration. It was also interesting to see the evolution of his work over time, as the Tramp evolved from a villainous character to one of sympathy. Even more illuminating was seeing the barebones short film origins of the character give way to more socially conscious films that Chaplin made after he took the reigns writing and directing all his films (a category into which, say, Modern Times and The Great Dictator would fall).

I left the museum feeling very fortunate that I had the chance to see the work. Viewing Chaplin in pristine black and white prints made him and the Tramp more real than the scratchy, faded film reels that I’ve been used to seeing. A good thing, indeed.

•mudac (Musée de Design et D’Arts Appliqués Contemporains)
After a long climb up various hills through various parts of town over terrain varying between asphalt and cobblestone, I made my way to the Design and Contemporary Art Museum. They are currently hosting an exhibition called “Le Spectacle Dans La Rue,” a collection of 100 posters from 1958-1968 collected by Olivetti. This international display hosted work by luminaries including Milton Glaser, Armin Hoffman, Emil Ruder, and Josef Müller-Brockmann among many others.



The poster is one of my favorite design formats and it’s a shame that the artform seems to be dying in America (with the exception of screen-printed concert posters, which I must say, I hope to get into some day). In Switzerland (and possibly the rest of Europe) the poster is still all over the place as a means of communication. (I’ve been photographing some of the best around and once I’ve amassed enough for an entry, I’ll share.) The thing that struck me about the exhibit—even though I’ve seen the majority of these posters before—was how simple they all were, yet how much more impactful than anything today. In some of the designs a single image and two words were the only prominent thing, yet they communicate incredibly effectively even today. There’s so much information and clutter in today’s advertising that I doubt half of these could make it past an initial client presentation now, but they are gorgeous. Here are some favorites:


{Glaser’s famous Dylan poster.}


{A couple of great posters from the Swiss section. So incredibly simple, yet so impactful.}


{Hooray for Basel. Robert and Heinz would be proud.}

The rest of the museum was a bit uneven. One temporary exhibit hosted contemporary art by Florence Doléac which was mostly displayed via a computer slideshow and not actually on display. Another showed vintage pinball machine graphics from the 50s-70s which is a charming idea, but they were all just as gaudy and over-illustrated as you would expect. Finally, the top floor exhibited a beautiful permanent collection of contemporary glasswork. While the quality of the exhibitions on the whole is dubious, it was nice to visit a museum with a devotion to design and the poster exhibit was well-worth my trip.


{A great piece from the contemporary glass collection.}


•Collection de L’Art Brut
My last museum was devoted to “Outsider Art”—that is, art by people without any formal training. Some of the artists are just regular people who start creating after retirement or on weekends. Others are people with severe mental and psychological limitations who are still able to express themselves through art.
While some of the work was slightly disturbing or naiive because of this, the vast majority of it was remarkable. I found it striking that even in the people that society would most like to cast to the margins, throw in institutions and ignore, God has placed gifts of creativity and expression. It was a nice reminder that every person truly is precious and has unique talents to share. It was also an important reminder that the arts really are essential, as most of these artists would have been isolated forever if not for art programs at their institutions or transfers to centers devoted to these pursuits.

If you ever have the chance to visit, I would recommend heading to this museum. Alongside each person’s works is a photo and biography about them so you are invited to read their story as you view their creativity.

•Brasserie Artisanale Lausannoise
Finally, after a long day of walking, viewing, and reflecting, it was time to relax. Farhad had recommended a place to eat so I headed there. The Brasserie Artisanale is a restaurant/bar that serves really good pizza and microbrews 6 different beers. I grabbed a table and enjoyed a pint each of the Rousse (red) and Ginger (just as potent as you might guess from the name) along with my delicious pizza. A nice way to end the day before heading back home on the train.

Lausanne was just what I needed to clear my head and refresh myself after the frustrations of last week. Sometimes taking a day off for yourself is the best remedy. My wish for anyone reading this is that they find something that inspires them this week. I for one, am happy that I can find it in history and the arts.

The Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men…, or, Lessons in Self-Reliance

I should be in Milan, Italy, right now. But I am not. I am sitting at home in Geneva. And I’m pretty disappointed.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is a national Swiss holiday (a nice make-up for the lack of Labor Day here), so several weeks ago the other interns and I requested Friday off as well to plan a mini-trip. We were originally going to London… then we waited too long until flights got expensive. We then planned on heading to Marseilles in France, which changed to driving along the coast to Nice and some other places when Farhad volunteered his brother’s car. I guess we waited too long for this too because it was “discovered” this week that the drive time was over five hours and the expenses would be prohibitive for some people.

So we decided to go to Milan. A reasonable distance (about 3 hours) and enough things to do for a 3 or 4 day weekend. We decided that we’d spend 2 nights in hostels to minimize costs as much as possible. I assumed this meant we would leave Thursday morning, sight-see, spend the night Thursday and Friday, and have most of Saturday to do more touristing before returning that evening. Yesterday, I was told we were leaving from work today, spending tonight and tomorrow night and returning late Friday (only giving us two days there). Didn’t seem too well-thought to me, but whatever; I’m one of five people.

Then today, workload forced one person to bail. We had planned on leaving right after work (around 6:30). We left after 8:00 because Farhad was finishing stuff up.

And after being on the road for a bit over an hour, he decided he was too tired and couldn’t continue. It being his brother’s car and a manual transmission (which the girls don’t drive and I haven’t done in probably 8 years) and night, we had to turn back.
Now, I am all for safety, but this is a case of poor planning in the extreme.

I have faced many instances where the adage "If you want something done right, do it yourself” has come into play this week (including, but not limited to, projects at work, trying to sign up for French classes, and even planning a movie night), but this is the straw that broke the camel’s back. Not only are we not going to Milan, but we may still have to pay for a hostel there. I missed running with the Hash tonight and wasted about 5 hours of my life. It’s absolutely ridiculous and I am frustrated.

So in an attempt to make some of sort of lemonade from the whole situation I will still take my day off Friday and travel to Lausanne where I will go to 4 museums I want to see and an animation/illustration festival going on there. I will not rely on anyone else to plan the trip and I will do what I want. I love other people, but sometimes you have to fend for yourself. As Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin) so elegantly put it in Home Alone, “A whole cheese pizza, just for me!”

I Know Blogging About SoaP is so 2 months ago…

…but I had to.

Some days, working with really passionate people is great. Everyone is totally into what they’re doing, giving it their all, and on a quest to change the world.
Other days, the same passions cause heads to butt, stress to mount, and fatigue to set in.

Monday was one of those days. Monday was a day to leave work and go see Des Serpents Dans L’Avion.
By now any of you who cared to see it have seen it. I am not going to write about how good or bad or completely average it is. I am not going to write about how ridiculously entertaining it is at some points.

I just wanted to share the French/Swiss poster (which may also have been used in the States, but I never saw this one) which really shows about everything you’d want to know (in case the title somehow went over your head) and to say sometimes all you need after a long day at the office is a cold draft beer, a bag of gummi strawberries, and Samuel L. Jackson killing snakes (on a plane).

Home Alone

Last weekend Farhad and Nicki were in Paris so I took some time to explore Geneva on my own. I must admit, although I didn’t have any big problems adjusting to life here, I was experiencing quite a bit of culture shock during my first couple weeks (mostly involving currency/prices, food, and the French language). However, upon taking to the streets last Saturday I found myself feeling quite comfortable and even somewhat at home.

On Saturday I wandered around on foot for most of the day doing mostly window shopping. I found a bookstore that had an outdoor discount bin devoted solely to books on art and design which was nice. I bought a small book of vintage Christmas graphics for a reasonable price (possible inspiration for this year’s CD...), and ambled on. I wound my way through Old Town and went down Rivé, one of the main shopping districts. In case you didn’t know, H&M is from Switzerland so those are all over the place. Prices are still good and it’s almost like Old Navy for people here (with more style). I also found a Starbucks and grabbed a Frappacino (nice to know some comforts from home transcend national boundaries), one of a few American chains here. Other place I’ve seen: McDonalds (cannot be escaped), Burger King (a slightly better option), and Domino’s Pizza (Domino’s?! Really? Why them?). Apparently KFC and Pizza Hut failed, so I guess no Taco Bell anytime soon (since they’re all part of the same conglomerate owned by Pepsi).
After crossing the lake and taking some time for reflection in one of the city’s beautiful cathedrals, I took the bus out to Balexart, a mall where we saw the Science of Sleep the other week. After browsing there for awhile I returned home. The main street near my apartment (rue du Carogue) was hosting Feté de Carogue, an outdoor festival of sorts. There was no through traffic and several stages were set up for performances. Many of the restaurants had outdoor seating and menu options (sort of like the various “Taste of…” festivals in major U.S. cities), though it was a bit rainy so the crowds weren’t exactly out.
Even so, it was nice and I took it in before heading back to the apartment to watch a DVD.

As I mentioned before, Geneva was a hotbed of the Protestant Reformation. As such, there is even a (fairly new) museum here dedicated to it. After church on Sunday I decided to check that out. It was pretty interesting, though very Calvin-heavy (which is quite understandable since he was from here. They also had a pretty nice collection of historic bibles.
The museum is right next to the St. Pierre Cathedral in Old Town and they have a deal where you can get 3-in-1 tickets to see the museum, the archeological site under the cathedral, and the towers of the cathedral (which is, incidentally still the tallest point in the city—though it’s also on the top of a hill...). I did this option because it made fiscal sense.

The archeological site was very interesting. Apparently at one point the land the cathedral sits on was home to Roman catacombs, and then about 4 or 5 phases of church/cathedral construction over the years. You can see old baptistry areas and the wells dug to supply them, former living quarters for the monks who resided there, and even some old paved roadways—all excavated underneath this huge cathedral.

The current cathedral was also interesting, but mainly due to its lack of opulence. Apparently, during the Reformation followers of Calvin stripped the church of all of the decor it would have had so it feels very barren inside. Going up into the towers, however, was a real treat. The view of the city is unparalleled from there and I would recommend it for anyone planning on visiting here.

And now, some pictures:


One of Martin Luther’s original German bibles. Hooray for the Printing Press!


A later edition of the Bible with an embossing of Luther’s face, along with a nice etching of him hanging above (curious—he doesn’t look that much like Joseph Finnes…).


The first English translation of the Bible ever printed, translated and printed here in Geneva.

Pointing Contest!!! Who’s better at indicating the Lord?

Martin Luther or


John Calvin?


Hey look: it’s another horrible picture of me. This time, I’m overlooking Lake Geneva from the top of the cathedral. Despite appearances, no, I am not drunk.


This is a panoramic shot I stitched together from the same vantage point. Click on it for an enlargement. To the bottom of the image is Old Town and some of Rivé. Then you have the Lake with the Jet d’Eau and the other side of the city beyond.