Bopril

Happy Wednesday: Marcel the Shell

I am going to go out on a limb and assume this is the most adorable thing you'll watch all week. This video has been making the rounds, and I can't stop watching it.

"Treats and snoozin', snoozin' and treats, that's it."

"Wanna know why I smile so much? Uh, cuz it's worth it!"

Hope you enjoy, friends.

iSad

We knew it was coming. But it doesn’t make it any easier to accept, or any less sad or jolting to go --- in just a moment’s time --- from a world with such a legendary artist to one without.

I’ve been watching the outpouring of sadness and remembrance and tributes and expressions of gratitude on a semi-constant loop, and I’m just…sad. Time is particularly cruel in this way, I think. It sneaks up on you and shows you in Technicolor how much a stranger meant to your daily life, how impactful his gifts were on your interactions, your connections, your work.

There isn’t much I can say, really --- and so many are saying it better than I ever could, but apart from the obvious fact that he will remain a legend, that he was creative brilliance personified, that he changed the world indelibly, more than once, I think the thing I’ll take away the most from this is what death always reminds us of: that none of it is certain. We can’t see to the end, no matter how much we might like to. There isn’t enough time to waste a moment, not enough days or hours or minutes to push to tomorrow what we could do today.

I hope that his innovation, determination and spirit will remain and will continue to inspire brilliance and out-of-the-box thinking, both within Apple’s walls and in schools and households and companies around the world. I hope we’ll learn something from his much too early passing, and that we’ll apply it to our own lives and construct our days in such a way as to live every last drop out of them.

I will continue to play in the immense playground that he built and left for us, and use his “toys” to create work that matters to me, and hopefully also to you. I will be grateful for his commitment to taking chances and pushing forward, always. I will remember him from time to time in the coming weeks and months and years when I swipe my finger across a shiny screen, and open up a whole world of engagement and creation and innovation, quite literally at my fingertips.

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. -Steve Jobs. 

 

RIP, Steve. And thank you, as much for the lessons on how to live my days as for the brilliant technology that helps me do it better.

I'm Back! And With Random Updates for You!

Apologies for the extended absence. I've been in a strange mood these last few weeks---one of those times when life seems insanely busy, but with no discernible Very Big Thing to point to. More just an experience of smaller things that build into what feels like larger things. Minutes that morph into days and then weeks, and then you're struck by the (not so) sudden realization that, "damn, I haven't blogged in more than two weeks." And then you try hard to spark inspiration, fail miserably, get annoyed with yourself for this constant cycle, become bored with yourself AND your internal dialogue, and then open up with the window and just type something already. So yeah, this will be a bit random. And likely also disparate with All The Things currently spinning about in my busy brain. 

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Thing # 1: Steve Jobs. Damn. My heart is heavy tonight knowing what it must have taken for him to arrive at this decision. What the announcement hints at with regard to his health. My thoughts are with him and his family, and I hope that the fight is far from over, and that he'll live to see many more brilliant days. My Twitter feed and Facebook wall and Google+ circles and feed reader are exploding in tributes and ruminations and an outpouring of hope and support and good energy (and a healthy amount of snark which I think he must love just the same) channeled his way. I am sure it is merely the tip of the iceberg, and we'll see much more of this in the coming days. For me, it is pretty simple. Clearly the man is a genius and he understands consumers and business and marketing and technology and all the ways in which those worlds intersect better than maybe anyone before (or after) him. But when I am confronted with genius like his, and when I take part every day in the gifts he has shepherded into our lives and our daily habits, my one consistent thought---above admiration or amazement or awe---is gratitude. I am so grateful that people like him exist. That their brains have the capacity to create such life changing, amazing, culture shifting things. That they keep going when so many would have given up. That they set a bar---set it way up there---and show anyone who is paying attention that it is possible. Whatever "it" means for you. It makes me want to reach a little higher, dream a little bigger, work a little harder, think a little broader. And that, my friends? Is worth more than any device or system or evolving technology. That is the legacy of a life lived to its fullest potential. Not a single moment wasted, no risk avoided, no fear accommodated. Cheers to you, Mr. Jobs. The bar you set just might be insurmountable. I like to think that you'll love watching the next generations try.

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Thing # 2: Mom was in town last weekend (Hi, Mom!), and it was amazing. I'll go as far as calling it one of the best weekends I have had in a very long time, and I will also say that it rolled around right when I really needed it. Do you know that feeling?  Moms are awesome at bringing that feeling directly to your front door. They know just when to up the ante, just when to show up carrying everything you didn't even know you needed. More to come on the weekend, and pictures too! I finally broke my camera rut and have a gazillion to upload and share.

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Thing # 3: I am currently finishing day three of a ten day cleanse. I have avoided cleanses my entire life because I know that my willpower is such that I am very likely to abandon ship. Tonight, the temptation was huge, but I was bolstered by friends on Twitter when they hurled four magical words in my virtual direction---"you can do it!" On those fumes, I'm coasting another day. And from there? We'll see.

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Thing # 4: Changes are afoot at work. It's all great, and after tomorrow, it will be out in the open, which will be a huge relief after a lot of weeks of secretive discussions. I'm incredibly excited for the new opportunities to come, bittersweet at the prospect of change (always) and to leave behind a mind-bogglingly amazing team, and beginning to get those first-day-of-school jitters. I haven't had those in years. And I think it's a good thing to embrace that feeling again, yes? That slight feeling of discomfort that pushes us from good to amazing. I am ready to embrace that, fully. Cheers to what's ahead, and to the fun of discovering it one step at a time.

Must Watch

Do yourself a favor, and invest five minutes to watch this:

Not many people will get the chance to "see the future, and come back and live again---live better." So when we are graced with someone that does, I think we should listen. And learn. And act accordingly.

What an amazing way to spend a second chance.

Technostress! (The One About the Disappearing Blog)

It appears that a mix-up with the auto-renewal of this site's URL resulted in a period of time when ye old blog disappeared entirely.

Thanks, Mom, for alerting me right away (and to everyone else who emailed or tweeted)!

After a few hours of head scratching and consulting with the folks at Go Daddy, we appear to be back in business. And that makes us happy around here.

So, if you attempted to visit and got a rude error message, humblest apologies. And here are a few cute fur babe pictures, just because you're awesome, and just because they're also thrilled that Bopril didn't disappear into the cyber ether permanently.

Instagram

Have you heard of Instagram? It's all the rage among photography and interweb loving types, and I am having such fun with it since I discovered it just prior to the holidays. It's an app, but also a community where you "follow" people and share images that you've taken with your phone and applied interesting filters to. I love seeing the interesting and creative images that people take; it is always fascinating to see what catches the eye, you know? As with any community like this, there is a lot of hidden talent, and I literally find new people to add to my queue each day. Are you on Instagram? If so, follow me (I'm Bopril on there, which I know is terribly original, but also? consistent). And if not? Join, and follow along. It's fun, I promise.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend, and as one last plug to convince you to join me in my latest hobby/obsession, here are a few photos I've taken with the app over the last few weeks:

 

 

 
 
 
 

See? SO FUN!