Wow. A lot has happened in the past few weeks. So much so, I don't even know where to start. I think what I'll do is jot down a quick list of some important events and then I'll follow up with a story about what happened today. So, here's the latest on the past few months, in no particular order:

• R.E.M.'s newest album in 4 years is great and I've listened to it way too many times
• Our creative team at work has been working on the May issue of ROUGH magazine for the Dallas Society of Visual Communications (DSVC). We've got a great concept, had some exciting photo shoots, and it should go to print next week
• One of my concepts was chosen for a website design for a Dallas law firm...woo hoo!
• 2 MasonBaronet promotional projects I designed were accepted into the DSVC Professional Show. These are my first two design awards, rock on!
  
• My buddy, Ryan, from A&M got married in Galveston last weekend to his longtime girlfriend, Kristie..Congratulations!
• My brother and his wife had a beautiful baby girl 3 weeks ago, the first girl in our family.
• MasonBaronet has a 6-page feature in the June issue of HOW magazine, so go check it out. You might even see my name a few times, and my Simpsons Avatar, which I highlighted on this blog many months ago.
  
• Ian is starting his potty training, and tonight he went poo poo in his potty while watching Deal or No Deal, all by himself.

That's about it. No big deal, right? Just the weeks in the life of everydaypuck.

I never thought this day would come. It's been a long journey for Ian and our family as we've experienced the ins and outs of a dairy allergy. Then last week, at the doctor's office for our follow-up visit, we heard the news that would bring our lives back to a normal state.

Food allergies: negative.

Yep. Can you believe it? Ian has outgrown his dairy allergy. Now he can enjoy Pepperidge Farm goldfish with his classmates at church, garlic breadsticks from Olive Garden, and of course, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I'm telling you the kid has never been happier, and his weight is back up. In fact, today with dinner, part of his divided plate contained cottage cheese. That's one food I'm happy to take off my plate and put on his.

R.E.M. are B.A.C.K.

It's hard to believe that on April 1st, they will release their 14th studio album; and from what I've heard, this thing is gonna rock!

Of course, I may be a little biased as they are my favorite band and I haven't been nearly as offended by their last few albums as most folks. As a designer, I'd like to add that their quad-year updates to their website are always something great to look forward to. Michael Stipe has always been a part of the design & production of their album art, t-shirts, and fan club packaging, and they always have fun with type. Check out the latest news and album art for "Accelerate", R.E.M.'s new album at remhq.com, and click in the top right corner to listen to the first new track called "Supernatural, Superserious."

Monkey Business.

Last week, Ian was in the hospital.

Most of you may not know that Ian has a dairy allergy. This means no pizza, no cheese, no ice cream, not certain types of bread, no butter, and of course, not milk. Well, this has put quite a damper on his meals and brought quite the challenge to our grocery shopping. Well, for the past few months he has not gained much weight, has been throwing up once or twice every other week and just not wanting to eat (except breakfast). So we set up an appointment to find out what was up with his digestive system.

He had an Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, (I know, the nurse was impressed I pronounced it correctly too) where a tube with a light & camera were sent down his esophagus and just into his small intestine in search of trouble. They did a biopsy and took some pictures. Additionally, they inserted a ph test tube through his nose and down his throat that was connected to a monitor for him to carry around for 24 hours. Oh, how wonderful.

What you don't see in this picture, are the white foam arm wraps, dubbed "No No's", that were velcro'd around his elbows keeping him from bending his arms and pulling the tube out of his throat. It took a little while to get used to, but he figured out how to play and have fun around the house with them on. He didn't like them on when it was time to eat. Like most hospital procedures, he wasn't able to eat for 12 hours before, and was starving by the time we got home. So we took them off to let him eat and made sure he didn't pull the tube out. As you can see, he was very thankful.

We pulled out one of his old Monkey backpacks and tore the back pouch open a little wider to hold the monitor. It was an easy fit and a more relaxing unit to carry around than a black plastic choke-machine.

Big thanks to Lyndsey for volunteering to take the tape off his face and pull the tube out of his nose. There was just no way I could do it without Ian ending up back at the hospital.

Super Marketing.

Besides talking about the 17-14 upset by the New York Giants, I'll be asking people if they've seen the new FOX show based on James Cameron's TERMINATOR films, "The Sarah Conner Chronciles." The most clever bit of marketing throughout the Super Bowl was FOX's CG animation of the Terminator robot against that ridiculous football transformer. It was hilarious, a brilliant idea, and well played during the programming interstitials.

And how about those updated clips of Will Ferrel's "Semi-Pro" and "Iron Man!" I was hoping for some preview of the new Indiana Jones film, but I guess everyone else would have been talking about it before it happened.

Congrats, Giants.

Online & In Bed.

2 posts in one night has been quite the impossible since moving into the new house. Alas, I am finally back online. A couple weeks ago we finally got our DSL hooked up and ready to roll. The only problem now is that Lyndsey and I fight over who gets to use the iBook. The second problem is that my battery is finally useless, so it always has to be plugged in. Across the bed, over the couch, or sometimes actually in the study, the iBook and the cord get driven around the house more than Ian's Lego Wagon. So, I'm back and ready to talk...er, write.

R.I.P. Heath Ledger.

I was going over the schedule on a few of my projects at work when someone told me the news about Heath Ledger. It didn't make sense. This guy had a huge career growing and amazing performances coming out each year. His performance as The Joker in this summer's "The Dark Knight" looks powerful and memorable. And I just posted a teaser poster on Monday?! Just crazy news to hear yesterday. Take care of yourselves, everyone.

Posters, suite.

I haven't seen 27 movies this year, but I did see a woman try on "27 Dresses" in one night, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe it was the pitcher of Shiner I shared with my brother (our wives sitting between us), or maybe it was the subtle cliche twists sprinkled throughout the film that made me enjoy it. Actually, it was the end credit sequence that really kept me thinking about the film after I left the theater. Fun, well written newspaper headlines & photos act as an epilogue to the film in a well designed manner. Then I saw the handwritten movie poster in the hallway gallery and a slight nod of appreciation glimmered across my face. Ahh, the movie poster. I remember I used to hit the theaters early in high school to take a walk around the place and check out the latest slew of movie art. From the Saul Bass days of old, to the Chip Kidd artwork for "Jurassic Park", to the heavily produced, double-sided, backlit, 4-color glossies of today, movie posters still have a lot to say about what they're selling. Even the Apple Quicktime movie trailer site has stuck to a poster gallery format for their movie trailer display. It's where I go to catch up on my trailers, since I only hit the theater 4 times a year now. Here are a few that caught my eye. And although the poster for Disney/Pixar's WALL•E is simply a character portrait, you can see the joy, naivete, and curiosity that is contained in what will be 2008's most beloved character; not unlike the successful portrait of Steve Carell in "The 40-Year Old Virgin."