Yep, it’s Friday again, and I am here to rock your world. And by “rock your world” obviously I mean providing you with bitter disappointment. I’m setting the bar high this week.

Strategic Vertically Integrated Re-Brand Synergy

After threatening to make some new graphics, I finally got around to it this week. I’m not a graphic designer, but I have been playing at it for a while. I’ve gotten faster at it, if nothing else. I hope they are an improvement. I was aiming for more depth, and texture, while still maintaining my historic multicoloured theme. The palette is deeper this time, and more spread across the spectrum.

While testing out the graphics on various websites, I noticed that my new logo, and banner don’t display on phones. It looks much better on a real computer screen, or an iPad. That’s how you get the full-on hippy experience. Anyway, here’s my new banner, in case you can’t see if by default.

It’s not just here, I updated my graphics on every platform where there is a hippy presence of some sort. I’m glad I finally sat down and did it. It was fun. I like fun.

Another discovery

My giant clear out continues, slowly, and for good reason. I don’t want to toss out anything I’d like to keep. The plan is to be extra careful, and thorough.

For this one, please grab a violin, and a box of tissues. It’s a sad tale, with a happy ending.

I don’t have many photos of myself. It’s a combination of me moving continents, and a dysfunctional family. Hey ho. So imagine my surprise when I discovered a treasure trove of old photos. And by trove, of course I mean around a couple of dozen, and more than half of those snaps are from a 2 week stay in Mogadishu in 1992.

Here’s one of the most sentimental things I found: It’s my baby picture. I thought it was lost a very long time ago. I hadn’t seen it in decades.

I was a miracle baby way back in the olden days of the early 1960’s. They didn’t think I’d survive. Spoiler alert: You already know I did.

And that’s not all…

Here’s the coolest thing I found. And I’d been trying to find it for ages. Yes, I should have definitely taken better care of it. But then, come on, there’s lots of things I should have done, but didn’t.

Check this out:

Someone else got that autographed photo of Springsteen for me, way back in the olden days of 1978 or 1979. I didn’t meet Bruce myself until the summer of 1982.

I mentioned Mogadishu. I was there in December of 1992. I arrived just before the US military did, on what was meant to be a humanitarian mission. It was long before Black Hawk Down.

Here’s a pic of me from over 30 years ago, in Somalia, on a roof, pointing at a satellite telephone. I’m wearing an MTV Crew tee shirt, that I was given when I worked for them.

Sat-phones back then weighed nearly a tonne, and were bulky to carry as well. Also they were worth a small fortune, and the per minute call charges were insane. My new iPhone can connect to a satellite in an emergency, if I don’t have normal mobile service available. I’ve not needed to test it out, which is a good thing, but the fact that it’s possible still blows my mind.

One shitpost

I’m a meme now.

That’s probably more than enough for this week. Perhaps even too much. I’ll try and tone things down for next week. Don’t want anyone to overdose on me, I just want you hooked.