My Blog | jaythornton.net

Day 5 – Life after iPhone

Posted by admin on May 6th, 2010

So it’s been almost a full work week since I lost my phone and so far, I haven’t broken into tears. I did go through a few hours of detox symptoms and admittedly, I have missed being able to call friends and family at will but all told, I think I’m doing alright. I’m learning to unplug at night, albeit by force, but sometimes that’s exactly what breaking an addiction takes. The day before yesterday I actually sat out on my deck and enjoyed the weather and canine company for about 20 minutes before guests arrived. Any normal day I would have been Tweeting, Facebooking, and Whrrling until I had to scramble to get the grill fired up and cooking. I actually relaxed for a minute.

What’s the hardest part? My personal challenge has been the weather. With a soft top jeep in top-down mode, its typically a good idea to stay abreast of the weather from day to day. With my phone, this wasn’t a problem. Pop up Weather Underground on the way through the garage and bam – the top stays down today but I will have to have it up before tomorrow morning. Plans made. Now, I guess I’m just lucky the weather has been nice. The windows have been out for a week and so far, no rain. I do however keep them in the back just in case.

In writing this I just checked my beloved Weather Underground and it looks like we’re top-down until Sunday morning. It’s going to be a good weekend.

What’s the plan now? Since I’m up for upgrade in August, I’m not going to drop a pile of cash on a new iPhone. with any luck the new one will be available then and it will definitely be back on. Until then, sadly I do need a phone so I think I’ll go old school. @TheMrsThornton and I have a pile of old phones in a drawer in the kitchen… hmmm, I wonder if my old clam shell is still in there. That would be the throw-back of the decade.

Have any pointers on breaking the digital addiction? I’d love to hear them. Cold turkey seems to be working but it’s by no means ideal.

Life after iPhone

Posted by admin on May 3rd, 2010

So it’s been quite a while on update posts but I think I’ve got a good one for you. Welcome to life, after iPhone, lifeline 0.

We spent the weekend in Dallas in celebration of my beautiful wife and her friends’ birthday. Seemed like a great idea, lots of fun, and not even a bad drive in. We shoved off from Northwest Arkansas, mid-afternoon on Friday and set out on the 6 hour trek to the Fairmount Hotel in Dallas. Great place, friendly staff, nice rooms. The first downer came with arrival. It seems we were sharing a venue with Sarah Palin… and every republican, young and old, for three states. Somehow we managed to get checked in, cleaned up and in the same room with the 8 or 10 people we were meeting, and headed to Hotel ZaZa for cocktails by the pool. From there we landed at Lotus, all in the beautiful and upscale “Uptown” area of Dallas. We had a great time and I managed to make it home with everyone and everything I left the hotel with. Day one, so far so good.

Day two opened with Bloody Mary’s courtesy of Chili’s on our ill fated attempt at going to the Fort Worth zoo. After lunch we decided our time was better suited shopping and day-drinking until our dinner reservation at Dragonfly, again at Hotel ZaZa. We ran back to the hotel to clean up, then off to a great dinner. Service was less than desirable (and costly subsequently) but we managed to make it out of the restaurant only about an hour behind schedule. The next stop was Lotus, where Will, a good friend took great care of us all night. We departed Lotus to get our karaoke on at the Uptown Bar & Grill, a great time by the way and hopped a cab back to the hotel at closing time… which is where I cut myself off from the digital world.

Immediately after the cab drove away I realized I didn’t have my phone. The cab company was unresponsive at best on calling them to track down my lost iPhone and oddly enough, the phone was going straight to voicemail even though it had charge the last time I had checked in. three hours of calling everywhere just in case and I retired to get some sleep before the 6 hour drive home on Sunday.

So here I am, taking a break from my constant connectivity and trying to figure out what my next step is going to be. One friend, @traviswilliams suggests that now I’ve got a great excuse to get the next generation… when it comes out. One one hand, I need to feed the addiction, bite the bullet & get another iPhone. On the other hand, maybe I should just disconnect for a bit. Who knows how life might change at a disconnect. Given my career lives at the intersection of always-on and posting-constantly, a full un-plug is probably a bad career move. My gadget obsession also wouldn’t allow me to go back to 10-key. I’m just at a loss right now.

For the time being, I’ll be unplugged. Email me if you need me. Thoughts? Suggestions?

A rough week for the Samurai

Posted by admin on February 19th, 2010

You know those weeks you wish you could have stayed in bed? My dog Sam is having one of them. Some of you have kept up with the progress, turned digression, turned progress since last Thursday but for those who have missed it, here we go. I’ll try to keep it succinct.

Thursday, February 11th:
Started like any other day but with one little twist. Sam was being picked up by the great people at Dog Party USA (seriously… love those guys) for a trip to the vet to take care of his, ahem… boy bits. When I got him (rescue) I checked and it seemed as though they’d been taken care of by a previous owner. Turns out they were laying in wait, waaay up inside. One finally emerged and it was now time to get fixed. Chaddie picked him up and took him to the animal hospital for a quick snip on one and a search and rescue on the other.

It turned out that the second one was hiding a little better than they originally assumed and after two more incisions, the job was done… or so we thought.

Fat Tuesday, February 16th:
For the first time since his surgery, I noticed some swelling and he was a little more interested in the general region than in previous days. I gave him is antibiotic and a pain killer, wrapped him up in his comfy cone and headed to dinner, coincidentally, with Chaddie from Dog Party and her husband Charlie; good friends of ours. Chaddie suggested that it might be getting infected and I should put a hot compress on it when we got home. If it was still swollen in the morning we’d have to go back to the vet.

I stayed up with Sam, hot compress in hand until after 3am tuesday and woke up to the grim discovery that the swelling was worse and Sam had gotten around the comfy cone to do a little exploratory surgery of his own. Stitches were missing and the usually chipper furball was a wreck. Obviously in pain, I called Chaddie and headed for the vet.

Wednesday, February 17th:
Turns out he had a ceroma at the site of the largest incision. Click here for a quick definition on that one. basically, he was a little overweight and in the search for the missing boy bit, they got into a fatty deposit which subsequently started breaking down all translating into one miserable golden retriever.

Surgery followed to take care of the ceroma and restitch Sam’s own undoing. That was followed by the fitting of the “not-so-comfy” cone seen in the picture above. The poor guy is so pathetic and its hard to keep him in the cone but we’ll err on the side of not going back onto the operating table again this week. He’s pretty well medicated and we go back in 10 days to get the stitches removed given there’s no more drama.

One positive side note. While he was under on Wednesday, the good doctor gave him some liposuction to bring back his boyish figure so he’ll be all the rage with the lady retrievers… and he won’t care… Sorry buddy, you can’t win ‘em all.

Greetings from Southfield, MI

Posted by admin on January 22nd, 2010

I wrote this yesterday before returning home from our Creative Summit at Mars Advertising headquarters in Southfield, MI. It was a great week of working with creatives from all over the country. Such an impressive organization!

It’s been a week people. For those who don’t know, I’ve been at our parent company, Mars Advertising’s corporate headquarters since Monday night for a creative summit. As the company grows and expands, they’ve started an initiative to rework culture and process to better serve our clients and produce the best possible products throughout the organization. That said, there is a need for creative staff to be on the same page. Unfortunately, that page exists in Eastern Michigan in the middle of January.

Truth be told, I haven’t spent more than a few minutes at a time outside since I’ve been here so really, the weather doesn’t matter. The meetings, however, have been awesome. Tuesday and Wednesday I was surrounded by a group of the most professional and talented creatives I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a room with. We even stuck to the agenda for the most part, atypical for creative types.

I’ve made some new friends, put a lot of faces on names I’ve phoned and I’m walking away today, inspired and ready to change the world. I’m most impressed with the capabilities we have as a functional whole. If the client wants it, we can do it… In House!

Now it’s time to get back and start putting this new found networking to work!

Wordless Wednesday – Don’t make me do this.

Posted by admin on January 20th, 2010

5 apps I lost my wife to in 2009

Posted by admin on January 6th, 2010

This post comes at the inspiration of good friend and fellow tweeter @jeweler54. Our wives have ventured into yet another iPhone app that keeps them head-down and chuckling at all hours of the day and night. His exact post can be found here which brings me to the task at hand. The top 5 iPhone apps I’ve lost my wife to in the past few months… in no particular order.

1. Facebook – Truly, this one is a no-brainer. One of @TheMrsThornton’s earliest downloads and still probably the most used, I’ve actually got pictures of her asleep with the app open, fingers still on the screen.

2. TweetDeck – Along the same lines as Facebook, this was an early download that she still checks constantly. Bare in mind, I do the same and even have the desktop version installed on my work machine, but hey! Its my job. She’s tried a few other twitter apps but keeps coming back to the good stuff… and have i mentioned she’s topped 550 followers? Not bad for someone who thought twitter was dumb, not six months ago.

3. Traffic Rush – While I haven’t delved into this one quite yet, it seems to be my better half’s fall back when she’s exhausted all other options. Apparently you’ve got to stall or slow down cars as they come into intersections before they crash. I think I’m more of a “watch ‘em crash” kind of guy.

4. Whrrl – This one is my fault. Business partner and location based media monster, Whrrl has a handy app that some in high places say is the next twitter. Imagine tweeting with pictures all the while being associated to a location. Now that they’ve added societies and fun facts, Whrrl is more engaging than ever. I really can’t speak much on this considering I’m checked in at home right now for my 33rd time and I’m in the founders society.

5. Words with Friends – The subject of Ben’s tweet and the most recent of offenders, this handy app seems to eat away at the attention spans of all who play it. Yes, I’ve got the app and yes I play it but nothing to the level of the ladies. Ben and I have played a few games against each other for lack of things to do while the wives were buried.

There you have it. 5 ways to lose your wife via iPhone app. Newlyweds, dodge these apps on both sides, long-timers looking for a break, I hope you took notes. Either way, these apps are functional and very entertaining. Check them out via the links provided.

oh, and all links are to facebook pages to keep from popping your iTunes with each link. You’re welcome!

A year’s intentions

Posted by admin on January 4th, 2010

As we wander into this snow-covered new year I borrow and line from one of my favorite bloggers and state my intentions for the new year. These aren’t resolutions as that is generally paired with dismissive failure. Intentions are those behaviors you intend to practice throughout the year. Without further ado, my list:

Put my family first – As much as I get wrapped up in life, work, social functions, and hobbies, I need to remember those who depend on me and make me who I am.
Slow down a little – I know, we’ve been saying this for a year but seriously, how much longer can we keep up this “gone every weekend” thing? It’s time to slow down a little, get organized, and find a little focus.
Get healty (again) – This holiday season has been a time of back-peddling. Its time to relocate the gym, cut the crap food, and start riding bikes again.
Get better at what I do – believe it or not, I’m not the best at my job yet. I know, it’s tough to get your mind around but I need a little more training. lol. In all seriousness though, it’s time to get focused on being more efficient and versatile. this is going to take a little training and a lot of practice.

So there you have it. I think as long as I remember these intentions, 2010 will be almost as good as 2009 has been. Have a great New Year everyone!

Happy New Year

Posted by admin on January 1st, 2010

Happy 2010! Coming to you live from Memphis, Tennessee, I figured I would post this while its fresh on my mind. To this point the weekend has been outstanding and we’ve only just begun. Yesterday, we shoved off from Northwest Arkansas, heading for a meet-up with friends in the home of the blues. Thanks to my lovely wife, we had tickets to Wild Side at the Peabody.

The show started up with Al Capone and was headlined by Saving Able. DJ Mark Anderson filled in the gaps and worked as a bit of an MC for the night. Needless to say, the show was killer. We arrived as Al Capone was finishing up… backed up by members of Saving Able in an awesome rap/rock mix. Saving Able played a killer set with all your favorites and a good time was had by all. The turnout was good and the best part was having a little shoulder room at the event. Lines were generally short for the bar and restrooms and the drinks didn’t break the bank. I’d definitely suggest this party to anyone next year. We finished the night at Blues City Cafe tamales and chili. Sooooo good.

Best part of the night? the limo in and out of the event. Since Memphis isn’t known for their cab service, the awesome front desk attendant set us up with a 15 passenger limo at $10/person plus tip. Cabs cost more. We split the ride with a group of Eastern Carolina (spit-spit) fans who are staying across the hall… but they are an entirely different post.

New Years Whrrl Story

Today we slept in (read ‘recovered’) for a bit and headed for Beale Street for lunch and the Liberty Bowl Parade. We had the pleasure of sharing lunch with Collective Bias’s own @BuckDaddy of href=”http://www.buckdaddyblog.com/” target=”_blank”>buckdaddyblog.com at Memphis Institution, B.B. Kings. Ryann had the salmon salad, buck had a burger, and I had my usual, the pork sandwich. Throw in some fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, and a couple of buckets of beer and we were ready for the parade.

B.B. King’s Whrrl Story

The parade was great fun… if you’re completely at ease in freezing weather surrounded by crazed razorback fans. I had a blast, Buck seemed to have a great time and my lovely wife… well, lets just say she’s happy to be curled up under a blanket right now. Since Buck came from Memphis State, I mean, University of Memphis, it didn’t scare him too bad and I actually learned a lot about him as we dodged airborne beads and the random anti-Carolina sentiment.

Liberty Bowl Parade Whrrl Story

Now we’re back in the suite, resting before a night out. The goal for the evening is Rayford’s then grab a couple of hours of sleep and we’re off to the tailgate party. Look out Pirates, we’re coming.

Merry Christmas!

Posted by admin on December 23rd, 2009

Christmas is a time for sharing joy and eating more than your fair share of treats cooked by those who don’t cook the rest of the year. You know who you are rock hard gingerbread man. ‘Tis also that time of year where deadlines loom over ever-shortened weeks the nights fill up with last minute preparation. Throw in a couple of lunch’s spent tracking down this year’s “it” toy and you’ve got the makings of a parking lot massacre. And by the way, does anyone know exactly what a Zhu-Zhu pet does or why in the hell every kid on the planet wants one? I digress…

So with all this “holiday cheer” going around, I find solace in the little things that make me laugh. Sketchy Santas for one, makes me laugh uncontrollably. It’s one of those sites you could kill a couple of hours on in no time. Another thing that I love these days is Super Mario for Wii with the lovely Mrs. Thornton. Playing 2-up requires a level of team work and patience, of which she’s barely capable. We make it work though.

One last thing that makes me laugh this holiday season… The video below. Epic.

Beautiful Day from Derek Doublin on Vimeo.

I need some High Fenders

Posted by admin on December 8th, 2009

highFender As some of you know, i’ve recently acquired a new TJ. Black on black with chrome wheels, I friggin’ love the thing. Now that the sales tax and first payment were paid (on the same day… ouch), I’m looking to the future to rebuild my passion for the vehicle. Oddly enough, my brand new Quadratec catalog showed up today and now my gears are spinning, pun intended.

Flipping through the pages I found a number of various mods, upgrades, and general tom foolery that I’d love to have but they’re all too common. While most of my wild streak is gone, there is still a part of me that requires a unique ride and I think I’ve found just the thing. High fenders, front and rear. They apparently offer the ability to jump up to a 33″ tire without 4″ of lift, meaning larger tires and ground clearance without the raised center of gravity… and if I do say so myself, HotWheels good looks.

All parts available on Quadratec’s website or I’m sure cheaper elsewhere. Let me help. What do you think?

And for those that haven’t seen my jeep…
jeep

I’ve been going back and forth in the general feel of my blog and finally decided that it needed a little of every day life. These days that includeds the family, dogs, woods, quads, jeep, what have you… so here we are. Take a read and let me know what you think.