I'm back from vacation and feeling rejuvenated! Before I hit the Costa Rican coast, I put the finishing touches on the Office of Technology Services Strategic Plan Update.  In addition to layout on this project, I also did a bit of copy editing. This is an activity that's a bit out of my comfort zone, but necessary to keep the page numbers down! T'was fun. Here's what we got back from the printer:

In going through my first TB drive and cleaning up files, I came across a fun project assigned by Max Boam. I loved this typography poster project: select type designer and interpret one of their typefaces in a calendar. I chose Herb Lubalin's Avant Garde.

This was my first go round . . . I think I'mma plop this guy into my portfolio for nostalgias sake:

{I'll be sure to make a more realistic mock-up if I do.}

I was about to post this article when I came across the Herb Lubalin Poster that I did in my UNDERGRAD poster design class.  Barring the color palette, two years didn't change my grid much. I think that I approached the projects with such a reverence for Mr. Lubalin that I was scared to take many chances with the design . . . it's kinda cute  if you think about it:

Yes, I read an article last year in an old NYer mag that went over the finer points of getting freebies and upgrades.

Miercoles / Wednesday:

Stayed up late into the morning contemplating the water cycle. Here in Pto. Viejo it functions practically like clockwork.

• The constant beating of the waters on the sand and the high daytime heat creates a steady stream of moisture raising up into the air. This eventually forms clouds.
• The clouds coagulate and obscure the early evening sun, always around 4pm, making a less-than-spectacular sunset. I’d wager that the residents of this Caribbean pueblo have never seen the orange fingers of night drag across the vast sky as it deepens from blue to purple to black.
• Then at 10pm the rains start. Fat drops of water speed toward the coast. It rains for 1-4 hours—depending on the previous day’s temperature—then it stops and the sun rises on a cool, moist land. The sunrise always begins with enough cloud cover to show off it’s evaporative powers. As Sol raises over the sea the clouds thin to wisps within 30 minutes. 

ON SHARKS: I have a lot of nerve believing that of all the hundreds of people bathing in the waters along the coast I am just important enough to warrant a shark attack. I mean, really.

Ticos and Dogs

Tico taking his dog for a swim

The people of Costa Rica love their dogs...this is in stark contrast to the way we treat dogs back in my neck of the Caribbean. Here they dote on, play with, cherish and respect their canines. As a result the dogs are all friendly and bite only when being playful.

At home, dogs are generally chained to a stake and left to protect the home. They are often dehydrated, underfed and beaten regularly—as far as I’m concerned, it’s our national shame. Antiguan dogs bark incessantly and can be quite unpredictable because of the persistent fear in which they live. They don’t bond with their masters. So, at night, Antiguan dogs revert to a quasi-feral state and form packs. These large dog packs roam the city streets fighting, or hunting, or just striking fear into humans that they reluctantly protect by day.

 At night the Pto. Viejo dogs sleep in a quiet corner until the morning, content that each human that they encounter will be a friend. There are no territorial displays when dogs encounter strangers—canine or human—when they meet during the day. It’s a bit different if a stranger enters the yard at night, of course.

This little doggie found Rob irresistible. She refused to listen to her owner and instead came over to kiss and love on this vacationing tourist!!!

Best vacation reading, indeed the best book I’ve read all year: Empress of Ireland, by Christopher Robbins