#2. Second. Twice. II. Two.

We're about to find out the gender of baby #2, currently known as Pumpkin Puckett. He/she is expected to arrive at the end of October, and ever since learning that a second child was on the way, we've started to evaluate how our lives will be twice as busy/full/excited. 2x kids laundry. 2x kids clothes. 2x food. 2x the attention. And yet, twice the love. Twice the joy. Twice the fun. Having 2 will also mean a second child to have a conversation with. To teach. To read to. To sing with. To watch movies with. On paper, it's hard to compare I.) the financial responsibility of 2 children with II.) the personal development & nurturing of such a pair. Lyndsey and I were both second borns and we've had pretty exciting & loving lives. That's pretty much the best we can offer to our two children. Hopefully their lives will be twice as blessed as ours.

Summer Movie Preview

One of my favorite issues of Entertainment Weekly is the Summer Movie Preview. I get quick & in-depth looks at all the big films, small films, and films I didn't even know were being made.

But this is a special year. It appears, more than ever, that I will most likely get an even less chance at seeing anything. I can forsee a busy summer, at work, at home, and with Ian. So instead I offer my Top 5 most anticipated films of the summer; and I'll be ecstatic if I'll be able to get to 2.

#5. Public Enemies (Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, dir: Michael Mann)
In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Michael Mann film. Plus Johnny Depp at the top of his game, and playing a character like John Dillinger is grounds for excitement.

#4. Inglorious Basterds (Brad Pitt, dir: Quentin Tarantino)
You also can't go wrong with a film by QT, although I'm not too excited about the level of violence that will be filling this film, I am excited to see how he gets it done. And with this being Brad's first time working with QT, he'll be putting on quite a show. Expect something shocking with this one.

#3. Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (Megan Fox, some guy, dir: Michael Bay)
You have to admit the first one was insanely cool. Seeing one of my favorite toys & animated films come to life in a live-action way could only be exciting in the hands of Michael Bay. And this new T2 aims to please in a big way. Although I wonder how formulaic it will compare to another big 'revenge' film....watch out for elements that may remind you of when the empire struck back.

#2. Up (voices by Ed Asner, Delroy Lindo, dir: Pete Docter)
Not to sound like a broken record, but my anticipation level goes berzerko with each new Pixar film because you can't bet against them. Just when you thought they couldn't challenge us anymore after the magnificent 'Wall•E', they attempt to show us heaven with a story of a widowed old-man?! Get ready for an adventure that will grab you by the heart.

#1. Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince (Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, dir: David Yates)
Of course it will not be as good as the book, but it has every chance of being better than 'Prisoner of Azkaban' (the best film in the series), with a killer ending that will pave the way to the final chapters. More Voldemort. More magic from the students. And more is at stake. I would suggest, that if you haven't read this book yet, DON'T! See the movie first and be enthralled by it, then fill in the gaps with the exciting paperback.

Design Ranch No. 8

I attended the 8th Design Ranch this April in Hunt, Texas and there are simply no words to describe this amazing experience. So I made this video instead. Enjoy.

Design Ranch 2009

For the past 4 days I've been in Hunt, Texas attending the 2009 Design Ranch, hosted by AIGA Austin. I gotta tell you, this event rocked my socks off! Lots of great people, great workshops, no critiques, and plenty of fun to be had. Everyone should try to go to the next one in 2011. I've got about 2 GB of video to sort through before editing my Ranch film. I'll post it here when it's ready so stay tuned.

The above photo was an experiment in light painting photographed by Mathew Sturtevant, concept & design by yours truly. No photoshop was used in the creation/production of this image.

New Year. New Blog.

Well, at least a new look. Updating has been kind of a drag since I started up on Facebook. It's easier to post photos and videos and keep daily updates without showering my opinions on the world or telling you about my excitement over Blu Ray. Does it even matter to you? I hardly even know if anyone reads anymore.

Maybe if I had more of a hook, like Willie and his illustration Fridays. How about 'Moody Monday Picture'? You know, really, the most exciting and interesting subject I could routinely blog about is Ian. He's 2 and a half now, and everyday or so says or does the most incredible thing. His wit, sensibility, memory, or sheer humor always makes us laugh. And why not start today.

We went to dinner at Sweet Tomatoes off 635 @ MacArthur and passed The Home Depot on the way. Ian happily pointed it out, "there it is, there it is, Home Depot." On our table at the restaurant are some words printed out in stencil lettering: Homemade Soup, Fresh Salad and Focaccia Bread. Ian asked what the letters said, and Lyndsey promptly read them aloud guiding across each word with her finger. Staring intently, Ian said, "no mommy, it says 'Home Depot."

He recognized the stencil letterforms of the Home Depot logo as the stencil letterforms of the words on the table. Instant connection. Reading, without reading. He's a smart kid.

Out-Of-This-World Potential.

You can always count on Pixar (now Disney/Pixar) for exciting animation, but more importantly, brilliant stories with characters we love. I imagine Carl (voiced by Ed Asner), from the new Pixar film "Up", will turn out the same way.

R.E.M. & ME.

REM Box Set
Originally uploaded by jtpuck

Two years ago I was finishing my book at Portfolio Center. My favorite project was a dream packaging assignment I added during my 8th quarter; a 5-disc R.E.M. box set. It turned out really great, especially with some hand screenprinting action from Lonny & Larry. I always meant to send a copy to the band; but for some reason never did.

Cut to October 2008. I used some design award cash to purchase tickets to the R.E.M. show at Nokia Theatre in Dallas. My first concert in 5 years, which also was an R.E.M. show in The Woodlands, so I figured now was as good a time as any. So last week, I popped a set in the mail, 2-day delivery to the band; actually the Fan Club address was the only option I had. Of course, I had all kinds of fantasies in my head. Maybe I'd get a phone call from the band? Maybe a set of backstage passes would be waiting for me at will call, although my tickets were under my co-worker's name & we printed them out at the office? Who knows, maybe Michael Stipe would have brought the package on set and said how cool he thought it was and maybe asked me to request a song for them to perform.

Well, the show was last night, and we had great seats. First row, just left-of-center, mezzanine, the Southwest Airlines Flight deck. If you ever go to Nokia, these are the seats you want, especially if you can only afford the lowest ticket price point. No, my CD package design did not make an appearance, but the show was still great.

The guys still know how to rock and Stipe seems to be having as much fun as ever these days. He wasn't hiding behind sunglasses or heavy eye make-up and had chatted more with the audience than I've ever seen from one of their LIVE performances. He even threw back a few quips to hecklers & adoring fans in the lower sections. They had an excellent setlist that touched all but 2 studio albums and was pretty heavy in protest songs, which he mentioned had been compiled by lead guitarist, Peter Buck.

Great surprises included "These Days", "Exhuming McCarthy" complete with tape recorded McCarthy speech, "7 Chinese Bros.", and an acoustic performance of "Let Me In", a song originally recorded as an electric-shredding guitar homage to Kurt Cobain. Absolutely amazing, and must be released somewhere, sometime soon. Check out some audience recordings on YouTube.

I do want to thank the band for adding Dallas to this last leg of the tour, and I hope they get to see the box set; my confirmation said it was delivered. |#remdallas|