studio J

Years ago there was an epic “Clash of the Titans” defining moment in sports. It was the culmination of careers, a chance to put one’s name in the history books. It was known as the Super Bowl. Once televised, it began to draw viewers in record numbers each year. That sadly is where it took a turn. Advertisers began to realize that they could reach millions of eyeballs by advertising during this event and over the next few decades it became all about commercialism instead of athleticism. Fortunately or unfortunately agencies got good at catching our attention. Really really good.

I truly believe that the apex of advertising during the Super Bowl was the 80′s and 90′s – who could forget the Big Brother Apple ad or the talking Bud frogs? These campaigns were well thought out, creative and memorable for sure but let’s be honest, they just happened. Today, advertisers try much too hard to make their ad the next one that people will talk about for years to come and they’re simply trying too hard. They try to force the funny and it just comes out feeling forced. In the last few years they got worse and worse. 2008 saw one terribly offensive GM ad and last year we got groin kicks and slap-stick comedy at its worst.

This year it seemed as if advertisers were backing off a bit and going for the “oh isn’t that silly” chuckle rather than the epic room-wide gut laugh and cheer. I can live with that while we wait for the next big thing to happen naturally. In the meantime:

• Pantless men in general aren’t funny. To men it’s embarassing and to women it’s just not necessary.
• E*Trade please stop with the talking babies already! (At least none of them threw up this year.)
• Budweiser, we know you love your Clydesdales and yes they’re beautiful but they’re boring.
• Coke, thank you for teaming up with a fellow American icon (The Simpsons) and giving us a smile.
• Intel seems to have gotten themselves a top-notch agency. Keep those coming!
• Denny’s – Hey, if you keep the free food coming, the viewers will forgive you for making them sit through 30 seconds of chicken screams.
• Google is simple and intuitive – as always.

Also, please correct me if I missed something, but did Pepsi not advertise at all this year? Does that say something? And did anyone else notice the blessed, blessed absence of male ED ads? Thank goodness!

Congrats to the Saints on a well-deserved and much-needed win for their city. I have a feeling that Bourbon Street will be partying for DAYS!

PS – I love The Who. I really really do. But please don’t make them risk strokes and heart attacks just to continue entertaining us.

Copyright © 2010 Jeanette DeHoff

Consider this a preview: I officially got my new Eris phone yesterday and already I firmly believe that it will change many things in my life. Once I figured out the quirks of typing I think I heard angels singing. Then I started discovering the apps and I was officially hooked. More to come!!! (And yes I’m using it to write this.)

I had two unrelated notes and didn’t want to make separate posts so take what you can get.

1) I’m back on the warpath for a job! C2C has wrapped things up and my services are no longer needed, so a few weeks ago I started sending out resumes again. If you know of a company looking for a hard working project manager, hit me up!

2) Our Millie Vanillie has once again been adopted out and I feel 1000% better about this one. The wonderful woman who adopted her lives up in Sonoma and the report and picture I received tell me that they are already bonding. Yay! Dave and I both agreed that we need a break for a few months, so for now our canine adventures are on hiatus. In the meantime, how about checking out this amazing dog, her person and her cause. Warning: grab the tissues!!!

Copyright © 2010 Jeanette DeHoff

I thought I would send out a quick update for those of you following our fostering adventures. Cocoa successfully gained weight (I wonder if it was the cheese snacks or the peanut butter in the Kong toy? Maybe all the Beggin’ Strips?) and has returned to the East Bay SPCA shelter. Once he is… *ahem*… altered, he’ll be up for adoption! He needs some obedience training for sure, but he’ll make a family with active young children very happy!

I also received a message from Muttville that Milly had been returned and was in need of a foster home again. We all agreed it would be easiest on her if she went somewhere familiar, so we are both happy and sad to report that she is back with us; sad because it did not work out and happy that we get to care for her again. I don’t think she’ll have to wait long, as there are already families asking about her. She really is the perfect dog. So perfect, in fact, that we are considering adopting her ourselves! Still up in the air about that, but one way or another this sweet Milly Vanilly will find her forever home very soon.

Copyright © 2010 Jeanette DeHoff

I brought home a new furball this afternoon. Other than a few mishaps from excitement, Cocoa seems to be settling in well. He’s taking a little longer than our last foster to understand the boundaries that we’re laying down, but it’s obvious that he will learn pretty quickly. Also, it was both sad and adorably amusing that he did freak out when he saw his reflection in the glass fireplace doors!

The story on this little Chihuaha mix isn’t really known other than he is a stray. He comes to the East Bay SPCA by way of Oakland Animal Services and he was terribly skinny when they found him. He’s up to about 9.1 lbs now and our goal in the next few weeks is to pack on another 1 -1.5 lbs. We’re happy to feed him all the leftovers he wants! Shouldn’t be too hard around the holidays!

(*If you’re reading this on FB, be sure to check out the actual blog link for some great pictures!)

Copyright © 2009 Jeanette DeHoff

I just wanted to post a quick update for those of you who have followed Millie’s short story. As of Sunday afternoon, she has officially been adopted! It was a very emotional day for all of us, but seeing the joy in the face of the lovely woman who adopted Millie made it all worth it. Also, once her paperwork goes through, Millie will be considered a service dog; an emotional companion dog, as the adopter is the admirable survivor of a violent crime. It makes me very happy to know that not only will she be helping Millie by giving her a home, but Millie will be able to help in return and neither of them will ever be alone again. It was a match made in heaven. We have decided to take a few days off before taking on another foster, but it is definitely in the cards and I will post pictures of the new furball when he or she arrives!

Good luck to our Millie Vanillie and we will miss you!

Well, we’ve made it almost a week in our new venture. Millie is beginning to make herself right at home here, much to the chagrin of the cat. Dave and I have both said how difficult it will be when we give her up, but we realize now that having a dog full time is stressful! I did get some awesome shots of Dave and Millie chilling on the couch the other day, though.

Copyright © 2009 Jeanette DeHoff

We officially welcomed a new guest in our house this evening. She comes to us from Muttville and is so sweet! She was shy at first, but who can blame her when she was in a home with 12 or so other dogs? Here she has a quiet place to rest her head. Nikki (our resident cat) decided that the stairway was as far as this dog was going to get so for now, the downstairs living room is Millie’s and the upstairs is the domain of Nikki (a.k.a. Lord and Master, a.k.a. King of the Jungle). They seem to be getting along fine for the first day, though!

He thought he was asking me a simple question: “Do we need salt?”

Oh but he was wrong. Dave asked me this the other day when I was cooking dinner, as he could see I had the ‘big box’ of salt out to refill the smaller shaker container. It was an innocent question with helpful intentions that he most likely regretted.

I started in on how yes, we do need salt, but since I needed a new shaker container (the little disposible kind that I refill even though you aren’t supposed to) I needed to buy one of those instead of the big box (which I buy because its cheaper from a per-unit cost perspective). But wait, because I wanted to get one of those wooden salt cellars and had it on my holiday wish list and it would be easier to refill from the box… And it continued from there.

I’m honestly not sure what the final answer was, since as of right now I haven’t bought either the box or the shaker of salt. And since it isn’t the holiday yet, I do not have my salt cellar. I do, however, feel incredibly silly and told Dave so today, trying to explain my logic through the whole thing. I think he’s even more confused than before.

I do try not to be the crazy irrational chick, though I never claimed I was successful. It’s just a classic case of male vs. female brain at its best.

Copyright © 2009 Jeanette DeHoff

I hope you’ll forgive my likely disjointed writing today – my mind is still reeling from its return to reality and civilization. Mind you, I was only gone for about 30 minutes.

I set off from work early today, considering most everyone is out of the office this week and there’s not a whole lot that can’t wait until tomorrow. I had planned on sitting my butt down in a comfy chair at the coffee shop and doing some writing, but sadly my brain had other plans, and I couldn’t concentrate for the life of me. After several minutes of mental wrestle-mania, I decided to do something I’ve been wanting for quite awhile now – absolutely nothing.

I drove up to the national park that is at the top of the Oakland Hills and just kept driving; winding around hairpin turns and up steep mountain-like hills. Eventually I found a small dirt parking lot with no one else there and a walking path that crept up into the woods. I climbed and walked for about 10 minutes until I could barely even hear the odd car passing now and then. I was out of breath and wheezing and my heart felt like it would burst, but I managed to do what I came to do.

I sat down and did absolutely nothing.

I listened to nature, I breathed in the cool air, I ran my hand through the leaves that hung in the trees above me. For the first time in the three years since I’ve come to California I was nearly alone and it felt wonderful. No cars honking, no people yelling, no panhandlers begging, no phones ringing, no whir of computer parts or wail of sirens. Just me and nature back together again.

I really do love the city and there are so many opportunities and wonderful things to see and do and accomplish here. But sometimes you just need peace to soothe your soul. It’s relaxing to the core and energizing like you wouldn’t believe.