Happy Halloween!

Today is one of the best days of the year, and this year it actually feels like a real Halloween, despite being in Europe — we had a party on Friday, I’m setting a Halloween Hash run tonight, and we’re even having a Halloween-themed office party.

Unfortunately, I’ll still be missing out on one of my favorite aspects of the holiday: Chipotle’s Boo-rito. I hope you all remember to deck yourselves out in foil and head to your local Chipotle to get an absolutely free burrito (or tacos, bol, etc.)

Enjoy, and Happy Halloween. (Pictures to come soon...)

A New Set of Interns, A New Swiss Adventure

One of the remarkable things about Geneva is what a transient community it is. With so many students and interns passing through for 3 and 6-month study abroads and work experiences, people who’ve been here a year are considered quite established. And so, with everyone else from my ‘intern class’ having returned home (save for Sasha who will only be here through December), it’s time to make new friends with a bunch of new people.
I should step back for a brief moment to clarify that I do have plenty of friends who are here long-term, so it’s really just the intern crowd that’s completely changed.

A couple weekends ago I joined Steph (new multimedia intern here at FI), Harold (the new Dave at ACT), Dana (the new Mike at EAA), and Melissa (the replacement Sasha at ICMC) for a day trip to Lucerne. It was nice to finally see a place that I’d heard a lot about (especially that lion statue), although it was pretty overcast so the mountains weren’t quite as dramatic as they could’ve been. Even so, it was a fun trip and a good chance to get to know some of the new folks better.

Here are some pictures:


An interesting stained glass World Clock at the Lucerne train station


That poor dying lion everyone’s always talking about


The monument is a tribute to fallen Swiss mercenaries in the French Revolution


The Hof Church, where we inadverantly sort of crashed a wedding






Harold surveys the landscape


Sagmeister-esque poster


Yakkity yak


Part of the city (which probably would have been more impressive without the cloudy sky)


A shot by Harold on the wall overlooking the city


The Picasso museum, which is actually more interesting due to the immense number of candid photos from his home life in his later year rather than his work (they mainly just have drawings and studies)


For dinner we decided to eat at a Tex-Mex place we’d read about. While El Divino was good, I don’t know if I’d necessarily call it the “King of Fajitas” as their advertising suggested. Here we are, out front (l to r: Dana, Harold, Melissa, me, and Steph)


There was some sort of carnival happening in front of the train station. Here’s a shot of the swing ride in front a big arch at the station.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Part 5: Ohio

Following my week in Florida, it was time to head back home for another eleven days or so. Fortunately, the weather was pretty much stuck on summer with highs in the 90s, even though the season officially changed to fall.

My cousin Chris got married on September 15th at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in downtown Columbus. The ceremony was beautiful and interesting because it was very very traditional (wearing and exchanging of crowns, walking around the altar, etc.). My brother and I managed to entertain ourselves at the reception (open bar) even though he didn’t catch the garter this time around (as he had at my cousin Emily’s).


The Maurer Men... thanks for the ears, genes!


The interior of the beautiful Greek Orthodox Cathedral


The dome at the church


Andrew and I feign enthusiasm for our flat champagne

Fortunately, the wedding was also close to the Short North which meant an opportunity to meet up with friends after. Trent was down from Cleveland for the weekend so I got to see him in addition to Greg and some of his work friends. The next day I met up with Jen at Planet Coffee which I don’t think I’d been to since high school. It was nice to catch up with everyone.


Greg, Trent, and I enjoy a pint at Bodega

I also took a couple trips down to Cincinnati to visit friends there and embrace my alumnicity. I caught a small but nice retrospective on illustrator Charlie Harper and his wife Edie’s work at the Cincinnati Art Museum (which also had a really well-done Saul Steinberg special exhibit). I also attended Bearcat Live! which I helped design the materials for again this year. Though they decided to do a country concert this year (not my cup of tea), I enjoyed seeing some familiar faces as well as free LaRosas pizza and OTR beer for my design efforts.


The Bearcat Live! stage (featuring a banner designed by yours truly)


Nice looking logo...


The BCL headliner, Carolina Rain, from backstage

On Saturday the 22nd I attended the UC-Marshall football game which was great. I tailgated with Dom and a group of young alumni beforehand and then joined the crowd flooding into the stadium. The attendance at Nippert set a record with an absolutely packed student section as UC dominated and brought our record to 4-0 (at that point). The game’s outcome ended up launching UC into the top 25 for the first time in thirty years and it was great to be able to get to see the team in action.


The Cincinnati Bearcats trounce Marshall at Nippert Stadium

I drove home early Sunday morning in order to meet more of the old Pickerington crew for lunch. Jameson was in town for that weekend’s OSU game and so he, Jen, Matt, Greg and I ate at Steak’n’Shake. It was a really nice way to say another temporary goodbye to everyone. I know I’ve said it before on multiple occasions, as have all these folks, but we have an amazing group that can pick up with each other like nothing has changed and there’s something really refreshing about that.

Following that, my mom and I drove up to Fremont to visit my Grandma Lotycz and even had success trying to convince her to try Mexican food. It was a good afternoon, but before I knew it, it was already evening and the realization that I would be departing the next day.

Fortunately my flight out wasn’t until 1:00 which afforded the opportunity to have brunch with the family. Even so, I soon found myself back on a plane journeying towards Geneva (with a requisite layover in Newart which, for the record, features the worst Starbucks in the world).

All in all, I had an amazing month back home. I don’t really tend to get homesick, but I can honestly say that upon returning to Geneva I felt ambivalent than any time over the past year. Sure, I’m really happy to be back here, but I do love my family and friends and – to a more limited extent – my country, so it’s bittersweet. At least I have the assurance that though things do change, friendships soldier on and regardless of where life takes me next I’ll have the chance to see everyone again before too long…

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Part 4: Orlando

After leaving SLC, I headed down to Orlando for a relaxing week with friends. It’s hard to believe it’s already been over a year and a half since I lived there, but meeting up with everyone felt just like old times.

I arrived on Thursday night and stayed with Jesse and Dana for the first few days. This was actually the first time I’d seen them since they were married and it was great to have some time to catch up with everything. That first night I also had the chance to catch some of UC’s game against Oregon State that evening before heading to bed. I headed into the Relevant offices on Friday afternoon (which are actually now in a new location from where I worked when I was there) to hang out a bit and work on a few personal projects. The new digs are nice and have a good vibe. The kitchen area is actually done up with Jeremy Cowart’s photos from Hope in the Dark, a book I got to help layout when I was there.



After the work day ended, we did a little acoustic guitar sing-a-long followed by dinner with Adam and Mel (friends I knew from outside of work who have since both spent time at Relevant) and Derek (who worked there after I left but has since departed himself). So, if you’re still following this at all, after a great dinner we watched some 90s video classics on 120 Minutes before heading to a showing of The Brothers Solomon. We were one of the only groups in the theater (and one of the only groups seeing that movie anywhere, for that matter) but we thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as hard as I did just during the opening credits — I was literally crying. Anyway, it was a nice end to a nice day.

We all slept in on Saturday and Jesse and I went for a run (during which we saw an alligator — hooray for Florida) before a few errands in the afternoon. We reteamed with Adam and Mel and a few other friends for dinner, Starbucks, and a subsequent Nintendo and Trivial Pursuit blow-out (during which Dana schooled everyone at Dr. Mario).

Sunday brought church at Summit, lunch at Panera, and my handoff to Jeremy and Jen. Though I’d seen Jeremy’s bachelor pad, this was my first time at their current place (even though they’d had it the last time I was down there). All I can say is the man is an interior decorating whiz. Very cool place. We caught an afternoon movie and hung out the rest of the evening.


Relefriends Adam, Jesse, and Jeremy

On Monday I went into Relevant for the full day and saw a few other staffers who were out on Friday, as well at meeting some of the folks who’ve joined since I left. After work Jeremy and I stopped by to see our former creative director Josh who has been doing quite well since going independent a few years ago. He shared some of his recent work and stories of recent exploits which was quite cool.



On Wednesday I met up with Amy, my friend from UC who’s getting her masters at UCF. We headed over to Tampa to see Dave Matthews Band (which I figured I needed to do for it to feel like a real summer). Despite our failure to find a Mexican restaurant (Applebee’s ended up being a perfect stand-in), we made good time and had no problem getting to the venue. Of course, right about the time we parked the sky turned black and a torrential downpour descended upon us. Unfortunately, we had tickets for the lawn. Fortunately, the rain let up a little bit by the time DMB came on and they allowed umbrellas which meant I didn’t get soaked to the bone (just mildly damp).
The show itself was great. I really liked the setlist and it featured the one song I’ve been waiting almost a decade to finally hear live: “The Dreaming Tree” – and an excellent rendition at that. Perhaps my only caveat would be that they played a single song for the Encore, but really, it was a good time in good company.


Amy and I, having survived 3 hours of drizzle and Dave

Before we knew it, we had made it back to Orlando and after a few short hours of sleep it was off to the airport to head back to Columbus.

I feel incredibly blessed to have the friends I do, and it was really great to see everyone down in O-Town again. I really do feel like I have a family of sorts down there despite the time and distance between us.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Part 3: Grand Canyon and Las Vegas

What could be more stereotypically American than spending Labor Day weekend at the Grand Canyon, complete with camping and bonfire? I celebrated the unofficial end of summer doing just that, thanks to Zach’s comprehensive knowledge of National Parks. I’d never been to the Grand Canyon before and I can honestly say that no photos can do its majesty justice. We headed out on Saturday morning and made it to the North Rim by early afternoon. After finding a campsite, setting up our tent, and purchasing a few amenities, we took a short hike down into the basin. We planned pretty well, and made it back up right around nightfall. The next morning we stopped at a couple other overlooks before hitting the road.


Entrance sign (to prove I’m not lying)


Quite possibly the best warning sign ever


Shot of the Canyon


Not exactly separating church and state, but I still kind of liked seeing this


Zach and I assemble the tent


Et voila!






This is about as close to the edge as I dared get...


...unlike these crazy people...


...and Zach



It turned out that Maggie was going to be in Las Vegas having a reunion with college friends the same weekend, so we planned to meet up. Zach and I drove up on Sunday and also had the opportunity to drive by/over the Hoover Dam. We didn’t actually stop because it was over 100 degrees and, after all, it’s just a dam. We did get to take in a lot of its grandeur, however.







So we arrived in Vegas early Sunday afternoon without any real plan. After seeing an ad for a pretty cheap deal at a Howard Johnson near the strip, we decided to try there first. Fortunately, they had rooms available, it wasn’t bad and fit our budget. We called around and successfully secured tickets to the Cirque du Soliel Beatles show Love, which despite being “limited view” were really pretty good. After grabbing some Chipotle, we went to the show, which was great.





I’ve been to a few other Cirque du Soliel performances before and this was the least circus-y, being more of an art/music/dance showcase, but even so, it was innovative and beautiful. The music, which was remastered specifically for the production, sounded phenomenal and the art direction was very well-considered. We were both very grateful to have had the chance to attend.


The Beatles/Cirque also have an “ultralounge” called Revolution, the entrance to which is this cool typographic light wall


The strip as seen from the Stratosphere

Following that, we met up with Maggie and three of her friends and proceeded to the Statosphere. We decided to go up to the observation platform and each ride one of the three rides they have on the top of the casino. I rode a swingy thing called Insanity which was a bit nerve-wracking at first, and then tired by the end. It’s pretty freaky to be suspended that far above the ground in a metal contraption that doesn’t seem much safer than something at your local county fair.


A look at Insanity



By this time, it was pushing 1 or 1:30am, so we did the logical thing: ihop (or International House of Pancakes for the uninitiated). After a fun later dinner/early breakfast, we parted ways until the next day.
On Labor Day itself we all met for lunch at a Wolfgang Puck Euro-Asian restaurant inside Caesar’s Palace. The food and company were great, but before we knew it, it was time for Maggie and the girls to head to a Russian cat circus and for Zach and I to get back on the road.
As we drove home, we listened to NPR reports about the nation’s Labor Day parades and saw some majestic landscapes and an amazing rainbow out the window. A great finale to a great weekend.

Before I knew it, my time out west was at an end, and I said hasta luego to Zach to fly down to Orlando to visit friends there...

How I Spent My Summer Vacation Part 2: Salt Lake City

On August 30th I flew out to Salt Lake City to visit Zach who’s been out there working for Infinite Scale since last summer. Since I’d never been to Utah and probably wouldn’t go without someone there to visit, I figured it would make sense to do so now.

I planned the trip over Labor Day and Zach took a day off so we actually had a 4-day weekend which allowed us to roadtrip around the region (more on that next post). Thursday after he finished work we hung out, ate some delicious Mexican food and saw the Bourne Ultimatum (one of approximately 8 movies I caught up on while I was back).

On Friday Zach took me around to some of SLC’s tourist/Mormon hotspots (they’re pretty much one and the same there).


Brigham Young statue at Temple Square seeming to say “this is the place.” Or something.


Great Salt Lake meridian


The Mormon Tabernacle...


...and its interior


The LDS Temple


We also headed to SLC’s Public Library which apparently won the national library award in 2006. It was pretty impressive, with much of the design fixtures having been done by prominent design firm Pentagram.


Here’s a clever bike rack out front


And here’s a pretty incredible floating sculpture of butterflies reading books that form a human head


the dead-end of the path up on the building’s roof


The top of the building offers a nice view of the city and the surrounding landscape. Zach often hikes in those hills, but we ran out of time during my visit.


One of the coolest things for me was more Olympic history, SLC having hosted 2002’s winter games. They’ve created a nice little visitor’s center near Utes’ stadium where the torch resides (as well as opening many of the sites in Park City during the day). Infinite Scale was actually founded as a result of two of the principles’ work on the games, and the firm helped put this center together.








Kudos to Zach for suggesting this shot


On one of the days Zach actually did have to work I wandered around the city and visited the contemporary art center where this rocket-powered cow hung out.


During my trip I also got to try a lot of good food and beer (because even though Utah has ridiculous liquor laws there are stilll plenty of breweries around). On one of my last nights there, emo-pop band Mae was playing a show celebrating their new album, so I headed to that. The show was good, still mixing a lot of their previous disc The Everglow in with the new tunes.







All in all, a great trip to a very pretty city. Up next: the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas