Dave Ford Does Earth

Posted by Dave Ford

Well, today was just as crazy as any. It all started with my triumphant return to NYC after a brief, but action packed trip to Baltimore that involved weddings, anniversaries, and my parents. Upon my return to the East Village I realized very quickly that my neighbors did not murder one another–although the yelling was kept to a minimum today. I think I might have heard some sobbing at some point–which is almost worse than the yelling.  I really need to figure out how to get Dr.Phil over there. Does anyone know Dr. Phil? This would make a hell of a show. Actually, the sobbing just started again this second. Unbelievable! I am going to need to put on headphones. 

Anyway,  I got back into NYC at right around 1pm–which sort of threw my day into a frenzy. I literally have so much to do right now that I cannot see straight and missing the morning did not help the head spinning. I love the adrenaline rush when things are busy–but I can be easily distracted. 

So in the spirit of “attempting to get stuff done”, I made the spur of the moment  decision to leave the office on a quest for a quiet place to work. I was not sure to what coffee shop I was headed–but found myself walking west.

When, out of nowhere, something large fell upon my left arm. The sound was much more of a “thud” than a “plop”–it also kind of hurt. It was at about this point that I realized that I had been shat upon by something very large and very high in the sky. I have no idea what sort of flying beast assaulted me–but I am not ruling out the possibility that it was a dragon–or maybe even a pterodactyl.  There is no chance it was a pigeon. That would be simply be impossible. A pigeon could not physically accomplish this feat. I had no choice but to immediately retreat to the closest shower I could find. 

Are there falcons in New York City? Maybe it was a falcon.. Or maybe a pelican ruined my quest for productivity?  But, there are definitely no pelicans in New York. 

If it is true that being shat upon by a bird brings good luck, then oh boy!,  I am in for a hell of a fantastic ride. 

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Posted by Dave Ford

Well, given the three dirty vodka martinis and 7 Amstel Lights I have consumed in the last five hours, this could prove to be a more difficult post to articulate than the average. Yet, in the same respect, I am excited for the challenge. I have committed to 31 posts in 31 days–and damn it I am going to do it. Boozing at weddings will not get in my way.

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Today one of of my oldest friends in the world was married. And, he was married in a most swanky way.

Marble. That is the key word. The Tremont Grand–where Justin Curtis and Suzanne Cohen tied the knot today was covered in ornate Marble. It was an elaborate affair–full of cocktail hours, tuxedos, grand ballrooms, and a 10 piece band with a full horn section. The Tremont Hotel was formally the Grand Masonic Lodge in Baltimore. And, apparently the Mason’s did not spare any expense.

My biggest takeaway from the affair was as follows: When at an extremely swanky wedding, stand as close to the kitchen door during the cocktail hour as humanely possible. The beef wellington, rock shrimp, roasted lamb, duck confit, and numerous other horderves will  find their way to you effortlessly. Trust me on this…

My parents are friends with Justin and were also henceforth also invited to the soirée. And, as I had predicted, they owned the dance floor. I think it is safe to say that Lenny and Karen fox trot their way to dominance at any dance floor they encounter. But, weddings seem to be their specialty. The band–a quintessential multi-cultural, multi singer ensemble that apparently played one of Obama’s inauguration balls–were pretty damn spectacular. And my Mom and Dad, made their appreciate known by spinning each other in circles the entire night. Apparently my Mom bought special ballroom dancing shoes recently to insure her long lastingness for these types of occasions.

On a side note, I learned tonight that although Mom has a rough idea about Bon Jovi–she neither knows of, or cares for ACDC.

All in all, the night was a smash hit. I got to hang out with friends from high school that I have not seen in years and years. It was also really fantastic to hang with Lenny and Karen (my parents). They are so much fun–and one day I hope to have even a semblance of their dance moves. I would think the genetics would come into to play here–but at this point I can say that I am nowhere close. Maybe lessons are they key…

Ok, gotta Bolt back to NYC in 8 hours time for yet another huge week. I guess I should get some sleep.

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Posted by Dave Ford

I am currently sitting in the back of the Bolt Bus listening to “In Rainbows” by Radiohead for the 19,000th time–Bolting my way back to Baltimore to attend my friend Justin Curtis’ wedding tomorrow. Justin and I have known each other since the 1st grade. The wedding is at the Tremont Hotel in downtown Baltimore and will be a swanky good time without a doubt. Since Justin is close friends with my Dad (they probably play 50 rounds of golf a year together), I’ll also get to hang with my parents at the wedding as well which is very cool. My Mom and Dad will own the dance floor–this much I can guarantee.

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Update on my crazy neighbors

I wanted to give a quick update about my crazy hell spawned neighbors. After my face to face encounter two days ago in which I came face to face with misery,  things have become eerily silent next door. It may be as simple as them not being home–but I for one am not ruling out the possibility of foul play. The situation over there is ripe for the potential of domestic violence. Although, I sincerely hope they just moved their 7 hours of daily screaming to the Jersey shore for the weekend.

Burning Man, Money Frogs, and Mad Men

I have decided that with this post I am going to outline three important phenomenon (besides my family and friends) that have contributed to my success in life so far–Burning Man, Money Frogs, and Mad Men. The first thing you might be asking yourself is, “What is your definition of Success”?

Success can be measured in a million different ways but my definition is rather simple. Success for me is following my heart, pursing my dreams, and controlling my own destiny. For the last 3 years since I first started traveling this is exactly what I have been doing– and I have found myself happy, alive, and with more motivation than ever before. There have been many leaps of faith along the way. Building a start up business has been life changing in itself. My business partners and I have all learned how fulfilling and thrilling it can be to take a chance and follow your heart.

Burning Man

Last year, walking through the playa (the desert in Northern Nevada where Burning Man is held every year), Mike Cerrone and I decided to take the leap of faith and start our own business in the online video world. Now, less than 30 days away is the one year anniversary of B.E. I plan to write in detail about the Burn this year. The feeling of aliveness and freedom that we took away from our experience last year has carried us through year one of our business. It was a true awakening for Mike (my business partner and roommate), Dave (my best friend in Los Angeles), and I. This year it is our intention to expand on what we learned, in preparation for B.E rocketing to the next level. We are taking a few more compadres with us this time around, renting an RV, and have joined a camp.

Money Frogs

For the last 5 years or so I have gotten into the ancient Chinese art of Feng Sui. Through this interest I have discovered Money Frogs. These little guys are said to bring good fortune and activate wealth in the household. It all started when I worked in the Radio Biz in DC. I bought a money frog–and soon thereafter started making some serious money. I bought a bunch of frogs for people I worked with back then–and they started feeling the rewards as well. Therefore, it only seemed logical to take this to the next level when we started B.E. In BE headquarters we have 9 of these little guys– and they have been doing a damn good job so far if I say so myself. But its certainly not just about the frogs–its about being open to the possibility of prosperity. It is not about longing or wanting material weath–but a state of being content and open to amazing possibilities. If you think I am crazy–click on this link, buy yourself a frog, and watch what happens.

Mad Men

————————- I love this show and have seen all of seasons 1 and 2 (excited for season three to begin on August 18th). But aside from the sheer excellence of the program. I am so completely inspired by my very good friend Robin Veith who is a writer on the show. Last week she was nominated for her second emmy award for episode 8 of season two (the show got 16 total nominations).

Robin and I met last year and she too hails from the North East side of Baltimore county  (in Episode 1 of season three Don Draper actually travels to Baltimore) and we met through our mutual close friends Jess and Dom. In many ways Robin and I are on very similar paths. We have both taken a series of calculated risks and have put all of our efforts into living the lives of our dreams. Her efforts have taken her to LA in the center of the hottest show of Television–while mine have taken me to New York in the center of an emerging industry–in the middle of a massive shift in the advertising world. Ironically, both of our work centers around the advertising world in NYC–only her world is centered 45 years ago. Her dedication is simply awesome. When they are in production she works harder than anyone I have ever met. And through all of this, her ego is in check. She drives a Honda CRX from the late 1980’s (which to me is simply amazing in itself) and lives in the present as much as anyone I know. On a sidenote, she can also drink me under the table.  It is inspiring to know someone that is a part of something so cool, yet still so down to earth. Robin’s energy and efforts inspire me to keep on keeping on.

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Posted by Dave Ford

Currently listening to “Cage the Elephant”.  A new band we are getting into. I highly recommend checking these guys out. Also, I just realized it is 30 days until Burning Man which is extremely exciting. This year I am bookending my Burning Man voyage with some good, old fashioned Los Angeles and San Francisco business meetings. I am loving the consistent West Coast Travel.  Looking forward to the day when I am officially bi-coastal.

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So, today was an incredibly bad day for our next door neighbors. At least I think it was bad–but who really knows. The screaming has reached cataclysmic levels. As I have mentioned before, our neighbors are a middle class couple in their 50’s. Who knows how long they have been married (however long it is its been too long)? These people scream at each other for seven hours a day on average. And by screaming, I mean a ear piecing, violent, screeching, slinging of hate. I can only hope that bad ju ju is not creeping through the walls. Actually, I do not think it is, we’re having the time of our lives over here.

But, it is hard to listen to the constant hate being thrown back and forth just a few feet from us. So today, as they were reaching the climax of hatefest 2009, I authoritative banged on the wall. As if to say, “Shut the **** up you ignorant buffoons!” The screaming came to a halt–for about a 5th of a second. Then, 5 minutes later the doorbell rang.

I found myself face to face with the the female buffoon. The exchange was polite and I agreed not to bang on the walls. She mentioned how late we are up on the weekends–and something about how she hasn’t called security “yet”. At least it was subliminal blackmail–and non threatening.

I really want these people to stop screaming at each other! I need to figure out a way to transmit some of our good juju over there. The problem is that if we were to do anything, they will know it was us. We can’t exactly do anything anonymous after today. Does anyone know a good divorce lawyer?

If anybody has any brilliant ideas, I’d love to hear them? Leave a comment below~

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Posted by Dave Ford

————————-So, in the interest of resurrecting my blogging career, I have decided to actually start writing again.

I am committing to writing 31 posts in the next 31 days for a few different reasons. I would love to get my writing chops back, which I had for a fleeting moment in the summer of 2007 while hiking through the jungles of Colombia .

I am also preparing myself to start blogging for my business, Branded Evolution. The business, which Mike Cerrone and I started 11 months ago is really beginning to take shape. And damn it, we should blog about it. The core audience of Dave Ford Does Earth (my mom, Dave Hill’s Mom, and my college mentor) are probably not going to be as interested in the wide, wide world of social media and online video. But, I think getting back into daily writing mode  will get the juices of my brain flowing again.

Today, walking around New York City I have identified a few things that I can write about on a daily basis (see below). Undoubtedly this will expand as the month goes on.

1. Happenings in Union Square– Union Square is an eight minute walk from my apartment in the East Village. There are highly ridiculous things happening there on a daily basis. Skateboarders, protesters, musicians and Hari Krishnas alike descend upon Union Square everyday to take in the freak show, buy organic vegetables, and breakdance.

2. Trader Joe’s- The Trader Joe’s near my house is insane in many ways. On any given weeknight there is a line around the block to get into this place. The food is uber healthy and cheap, and the people that work there are incredible human beings. I am not sure why this interests me so much but I feel like I can delve deep and find out why this company is so great-and why they run out of food so quickly.

3. My neighbors– The people (male and female married in their mid 50s) that live next door to us scream at each other for 7 hours a day on average. They hate each other and hate life. I have succumbed to the point of banging on the walls in response. I have to let them know that we can hear them SCREAMING! I don’t hate them (well, maybe I hate them a little) but I do feel extremely sorry for them. How can two people allow themselves to live such an existence? We shall explore..

Oh dear, let the blogging begin…

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