Lost in America: Beautiful babies and old friends

So ever since we were skiing in St. Anton I've been waiting for the chance to meet my lovely friend Claire's newest addition to her family, Baby Jack. And now that I'm home I finally had the chance. He is beautiful! And so is Claire's new house.

I think it's kind of like seeing your friends play dress-up when they move into their first "real" house. I mean like a house in the suburbs like what our parents raised us in. It's a sign that we're all getting older, growing up, starting our own families. You know, turning into real adults.

Not that we haven't been adults before this, but the babies and the houses somehow make it that much more tangible. Anyhow, Claire and Jack look amazing. He is a beautiful, beautiful baby. And I can't believe that it's only been a month since Claire had him. She looks incredible!

Can't wait to see both of them again. Hope it isn't another year until I do.

Lost in America: Gorgeous Philly Gelato

Okay, I admit I'm a sucker for any kind of ice cream. Even in the deepest depths of winter you can usually get me to get at least a scoop. So when I arrived in Philly to hang out with my brother and Denis mentioned that there was supposed to be this amazing gelato store in the city, you know I was completely game.

So after dinner off we went to Capogiro Karl, Jack, Denis, Lisa, Marc, Blair and myself. In the years since college, Denis has somehow turned into a bit of a gelato fanatic. And he wasn't wrong about this place, it was as good as some of the gelaterias I've been to in Italy.

On Saturday night I had this amazing Burnt Sugar Gelato, an scoop of deep, black Chocolate with a little Italian Blood Orange gelato to finish off the trio. Let me tell you. It was worth every calorie.

In fact it was so incredible, we went back the very next day to have a second round. Delicious! Not so good for my upcoming surf trip though. . . .

Lost in America: Mosaic Madness and Other Philly Moments

So we've spent the day wandering around Philly, Marc, Blair and I. I'm kind of sorry I hadn't had a chance to visit before. There are some very cool neighborhoods around here plus the history is pretty thick which is a nice change from some other U.S. cities. I saw Benjamin Franklin's grave and the foundations of the original Presidential house that they just dug up which is near the Liberty Bell. It reminds me a little of Europe in some ways.

We met up with Jack this afternoon and he brought us to this crazy Mosaic maze on Philly's South corridor called the Magic Garden. Apparently this artist, Isaiah Zagar, had returned to Philly in the 60s after a stint in the Peace Corp and opened a gallery. Over time he began to mosaic the interior and then the exterior of the building. He stretched into the empty lot next door (illegally I might add) and expanded his creation. You can walk through the entire space and he's still working. He had this great quote about the garden, when asked if he would ever be finished the artist said: Only I will know when it is complete, but to you who are seeing it right now, it is complete.

Very cool.

Anyway, we're off to dinner with Jack, Karl, Denis and Lisa soon. Should be a fun evening. I miss these guys. It's good to have a chance to catch up with them for a little while.

Election 2008: Yes We Can

So today I stumbled across this video while reading Ad Age and a poll they were taking on whether professional advertising type people should be volunteering their services to political campaigns. An interesting question given that I know back in the day the founder of my agency, Leo Burnett, himself contributed to the Goldwater campaign back in the early 60s (granted I believe we were paid for that, but nonetheless a professional adman was involved).

What fascinates me more though is how whether you are a believer in Barack Obama or not, the use of media and celebrity endorsement in this campaign cycle has been fascinating to watch as a marketer. What started as a use of new media during the 2004 election has become a full-blown paradigm shift in how information is conveyed to people during the campaign period and perhaps more importantly how individuals are getting involved in the campaign process. This video is simply one more (admittedly quite slick) example of individual involvement, and despite the fact that it is chock full of celebrities (which certainly helps it gain greater attention), at the end of the day it is an individual taking part in the process, trying to drum up support for a candidate that they believe in. And though it's cliche I'll say it anyway, the power of the internet and platforms like YouTube, Facebook, blogging, whatever is incredible.

Most of all I love the fact that in the short time I have been a conscious participant in the American electoral system (and yes, that has only been taking place for a good decade now), the internet has given people a platform for engagement. Truly this is the first campaign season I can remember that has actually sparked debate and involvement beyond the extreme right, the extreme left and the intellectuals. The first campaign that has captivated generations young and old in a way that possibly hasn't been seen since Kennedy was in office.

As we continue to progress through the nomination process and ultimately the election itself I have no doubt we will continue to see history made in America regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican ends up in office.

Who says there's no surfing in Chicago?

Open and Closed: American Borders vs. the EU

Today I made my first visit to the American Consulate in Frankfurt. Almost a year of living abroad has finally nearly filled my passport with various visas and stamps and seeing as I need to renew my residence and work visa for Germany shortly I figured that now was as good a time as any to get some extra pages in my little passport.

As I strolled up to the consulate, a rather large complex surrounded by fences on the outskirts of Frankfurt I was struck by the number of people waiting for entry visas to the U.S. I'm fascinated by the fact that as American tightens up its borders every day, Europe is experiencing the opposite. With the continued addition of new nations to the EU partnership, established European countries are being challenged to open their borders and relinquish control of how people pass in and out of their nations. From what I've read it has in fact caused quite a few problems, but at the same time it is creating a significantly more fluid workforce which should be a benefit to the overall stability of the European economy.

However even as America becomes increasingly xenophobic, so the European nations are struggling with their own issues. An article in the weekend Financial Times just this past weekend talked about how Germany is struggling with an influx of human trafficking now that the borders have opened up more with Eastern Europe. With every change comes new challenges for sure, and I just cannot help but be fascinated as an American watching Europe struggle with how to manage the flow of people, commerce and goods (legal and illegal) through it's borders and still maintain safety and a certain level of comfort among their citizens. I've already seen much of the resentment in Germany by disenfranchised youth against the Turkish population that they feel is taking up valuable jobs that in their minds should be going to German nationals. I have a feeling that as the population begins to shift around even more that this will only begin to happen with more frequency.

Interesting times to be abroad for sure. The topic of America's protectionist stance is the subject for another day. But in short, I think we're doing ourselves a disservice. I'm looking forward to a new administration come next January.

Acceptably Black

As I skimmed through this week's issue of Ad Age, little did I expect to find a rather controversial article written by ad critic Bob Garfield on Barack Obama's presidential campaign. The article is titled,

"Why Even Hardened Racists Will Vote for Barack Obama: In the Electoral Marketplace, He Had to Pass the Halle Berry Test"

Published just after Obama won the Iowa primary, the article has generated some very interesting responses. In fact, I ended up engaged in this very conversation with two Americans going from the Alps to Geneva just last night. The idea that Americans are voting for Barack Obama based on the fact that his skin color falls into the range of acceptable blackness, almost as if to make some kind of statement that "Hey look at me! I'm not biased by race or gender or pick your favorite cause" is compelling, slightly flawed, but compelling nonetheless. I have no doubt that there are plenty of people out there who are wowed by his incredibly persuasive rhetoric and then neglect to look beyond it see if there is substance to his storytelling. I believe there is and what he lacks in experience he will make up for in choosing intelligent advisers who will help fill in the gaps. Only time will tell, we still have to get through the rest of the primaries to see if he'll make America's cut for president.

Lost in America: Friends on the Fly

I've just arrived back in Frankfurt, what a whirlwind of a trip this has been. It's hard to believe that just 12 hours ago I was sitting in Chicago having lunch with friends. But I'm so glad that I go the chance to see at least a few people.

It was only three brief hours, but somehow I managed to cram in three people that I love. Apologies to all the people that I didn't see or didn't have a chance to call. This weekend really was a blur and it seemed like time flew by even faster than I thought it possibly could. Who knew 72 hours were so short!

On the other hand, somehow it made my coffee with Anne and lunch with Claire and Emily seem like the most normal thing in the world. Almost as if I was still living in Chicago and this was just a normal weekend. Strange how the brief nature of our visit somehow made it easier to get back on the plane to Frankfurt in the afternoon.

But to my girls, it was wonderful to see you. I miss all of you a bunch and I can't wait to see you again, hopefully sooner than 9 months!

And now back to the grind of the office and my battle with jet lag.

Happy early Thanksgiving!

Lost in America: A Wedding Reunion

So, 60 hours after arriving in Chicago I'm already on my way home from Denis and Lisa's wedding. I can't believe how fast this weekend has gone. But what a weekend it has been.

I think it must have been a little more than a year since all four of us were together, but I can't imagine a better reason to get together than to celebrate one of us getting married. So a little back story for those of you who didn't know me in college. Denis, Karl and Eric are three of my closest friends from Hamilton and it all started because of a spider infestation in my dorm sophomore year. Yes, that's right, a spider infestation. Brown recluse spiders to be exact. So when I ran into Karl, he and Eric offered me a spot on their couch while they fumigated the building. Denis was one of their roommates. The other, whom I'll call Eeyore for his inimitable ability to sigh depressingly, shall remain nameless. Well, from there on out we were pretty much inseparable and by the end of the year, Eeyore had moved into his girlfriend's room and I had a permanent place on the couch when I didn't want to talk down the hill to my room late at night. I think one of my favorite moments was the morning that Denis told his then girlfriend that he was going to have brunch with one of his "roommates" and I was the only one in the room.

So suffice to say, we've been friends a long time now and when I heard Denis was getting married there was absolutely no way that I could miss this wedding, even if it meant that I would only be Stateside for 72 hours. Before I even get to the wedding, a big shout out to my Dad for offering to drive me all the way up to Dearborn, Michigan. I know it was secretly a ploy to spend quality time with me in the car, but nevertheless, it was still a 10 hour round trip and I wasn't exactly available once we arrived. But Dad, thank you! It was fantastic to see you and chat away the hours through my travel induced haze on the way North.

Once we got there, and dinner with Karl and my Dad had been consumed, it was on to the lovely Cuban cigars that Nick donated to the cause (and were smuggled into the country by me) and after many, many hours of conversation and catching up we stumbled to bed. Ok I stumbled to bed because we'd had to finish the night off in Eric and Karl's room since the bar closed at midnight. Saturday, well Saturday was a lazy day before the wedding. Mostly we just watched the U. Michigan/Ohio State game on TV. Man, do I miss college football now that I'm in Germany. Not that I used to watch it every Saturday or anything like that, but I did like watching a few games every year.

And then all of a sudden it was time for the wedding. It was beautiful. Eric stood up as one of the groomsmen and Denis looked wonderful. It's just amazing to see these guys get married. Karl and I were talking and since neither of us wants to be the last man out, we've agreed that we should just marry each other. Seeing as we share the same birthday (I am 20 minutes older, thank you very much), it would make birthdays and anniversaries extraordinarily easy to remember. Of course then we realized that it might be kind of strange seeing as he's kind of like my brother. . . . so we gave up on that plan for now.

The reception was held at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. It was gorgeous. On my drive up to Michigan my dad had been telling me all about this museum, it strikes me as kind of being like some one's attic, a motley collection of all things Americana. As the museum itself describes the place:

"It began as one man’s vision to document the genius of ordinary people by preserving the objects they used in the course of their everyday lives. It grew to become one of the largest collections of its kind ever assembled — a remarkable destination that brings American ideas and innovations to life."

And it was a beautiful place to hold the reception. The entire museum was open to the wedding guests. So I have to admit that Eric, Karl and I (Denis got to do the meet and greet thing as groom) spent most of the wedding wandering through the museum. The collection truly is eclectic. On one side of the museum were enormous steam engine trains, every car imaginable, there was an aviation section detailing the progression of the aviation industry. Everything from the Wright brothers to Amelia Earhart and on the other side of the museum was a series of exhibits detailing different periods in American history, most notably the 50s, 60s, 70s and the newer generations X and Y.

Probably my favorite part of the museum though was the aviation section, they had a hands-on station where you could make paper airplanes and test out how far they would go. Eric's snub-nosed wonder was probably the big winner. Although Karl did have one plane that made it over 20 feet . . . . Plus they had a reproduction of the inside of a Boeing jet from the 50s (much smaller) compared to today's planes (much bigger with much higher ceilings).

And then it was time for a little blast from the past. When we were in college sophomore year "our" suite in South dorm was constantly filled with music. I think that year we had 7 or 8 guitars, a bass guitar, keyboard, trombone (Karl's), mandolin, tambourine (don't ask why, I have no idea) and a few other random instruments that I can't remember right off hand. The room was constantly filled with music. I guess that's just the way it is when three of the people are truly, legitimately musicians. Constant music, almost every hour of the day. I can't actually remember a time when someone wasn't playing some instrument. So when Eric and Denis got up on stage at the reception it felt just like old times. Of course now, we're all grown up and relatively respectable, but still. I didn't have to work hard to pull out the memory of Denis playing Eric Clapton's "Old Love" when they got up on stage.

Around midnight, it was back on the buses to head back to the hotel. Hard to believe that this is over. Denis is officially a husband. Amazing how fast time is flying by now. I guess that's just what happens as you get older.

We made it back to the hotel, after a quick photo op by the "No Hockey Sticks in the Hotel Please" sign. Both Eric and Karl are huge hockey fans and actually used to have a hockey radio show when we were in college with our friend Jack. We went out for an early morning snack at a local joint called the Ram's Horn. Oh the jokes that name spawned the rest of the night.

And now I'm off, back to Chicago again for a few more hours before I head back to Frankfurt. It was such a great time, this little trip down memory lane and the chance to catch up on our lives today. A blink and you might miss it reunion with the boys, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Hopefully it won't be another year before we all manage to get together again.

In Memoriam: 11-September-2001

Another day is passing quickly by in Frankfurt and aside from a few articles that I've read online, there has been no acknowledgment or notice of the day here in my office. How quickly and easily a day like this becomes just another day even as there are bomb plots being thwarted right here in my new city.

So a moment of remembrance in honor of those who died six years ago, in honor of those who are fighting today, and in gratitude for my friends who were safe on that day.