Hurricanes derailed our Florida vacation plans twice back in November, but we still managed to swing something. Ended up heading to Key West for Halloween with friends, and spent a few days after in South Florida with family.
Key West was for bars, boats, pools, sunsets, seafood, ghost tours, and countless wild chickens. In essence, the parrot head life.
South Florida was for getting time in with the ones I love most, but see the least. Getting to watching my nephew’s personality take shape. Seeing Mom and Dad the happiest I’d ever known them now that they’re grandparents. Attempting to teach my brother how to properly make a drink, but absolutely failing to reach him. Getting to know his partner Olga, and sharing a few late night laughs. Thankful to be able to do these things, faintly stung that I don’t do them enough.
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes by Jimmy Buffett
Odd fact, I know more words to Jimmy Buffett’s songs than I can even believe. Obscure songs even. Before my family lived in Florida, we’d vacation there, nearly every single year. This meant Dad driving the approximate 1,300 miles from Illinoise to Estero Island, listening to Jimmy Buffet cassettes, non-stop. One man’s hell is another’s paradise I suppose. Gotta say though, it puts a smile on my face imagining my Dad’s state of mind brightening one mile at a time, as the Illinoise winter receded further and further into his rearview mirror, and wearing out those songs about boats, beaches, and bars.
Bearing witness as my youngest friend exits her 20s. Losing our minds experiencing The Sphere in Vegas with two brothers who adopted me. Pumpkin patches with the kiddos. Reviving our Annual Haunted Tiki Party from the dead. Baking turkeys upside down and welcoming Theo to the clan on Thanksgiving. FaceTime’s featuring colossal age differences, and occasional language barriers. Hearing one of my favorite albums played live from start to finish. Seeing myself credited next to one of my oldest friends. This was some of fall.
I Wish I Felt Nothing by the Wallflowers
Showering the old friends but new parents. Weekend getaways in Palm Springs. Mick Jagger inspiring me to work on my cardio. The men being boys in Denver. Vampire Weekend at Red Rocks. Time with the kiddos by day in Seattle, and head banging to Metallica by night. Hot chicken and endless drinks in name of love in Nashville. Dancing with Future Islands downtown. This was summer.
King of Sweden by Future Islands.
A momentary break from game development to explore a creative and technical curiosity. Art is the only place where getting lost feels comfortable.
Jacarandas painting our street purple. A first Easter with my Nephew. Yachting on the Intracoastal. Catching the solar eclipse fever. Hikes and bike rides. Cocktails in San Diego. Music in Pasadena. Collecting miles at Disney and Universal. Poolside birthday donuts. This was Spring.
World Sick by The Broken Social Scene.
I’ve worked entirely from home for the past four years. I love it, and will likely never go back into an office again. That said, it’s not without its flaws.
My role at work is typically a solitary one, without much collaboration. Working in a vacuum, so original ideas have the opportunity to bloom, as opposed to being influenced or echoing what other artists around you are doing. It’s not unusual for me to go a day or two without speaking to anyone at work. Combine one of those days with one of the many late nights my wife has at her office, and I’ll go 14 hours straight without speaking a single word. It’s a weird feeling, and if I’m being honest, a comfortable one, but undoubtedly unhealthy.
I decided I needed community in my life. I don’t practice religion, so I went for the next obvious choice. A run club. I found a group that meets in my neighborhood every week, and met up with them for first time this past summer. It’s funny, but walking up to a huddle of strangers that first night, felt as nerve-racking as the first day of school. Unsure what to expect. But man, I’m so glad I did. It’s been an awesome, lasting experience. People there know my face, my name, and notice if I’ve been gone, and I can say the same about them. I found community.
Since that first run, I’ve met up with them nearly every week since and always look forward to it. Lesson being, get uncomfortable.
Finally got meet my nephew Preston in person, just as he passed his 5 month mark. Of course the first thing I did was look him straight in the eye and deliver this classic line from Uncle Buck. I can say with confidence that pictures and videos of his little arm and thigh rolls are no supplement to actually squeezing said little arm and thigh rolls. He’s a curious, handsome, and charming little man who took no time to steal our hearts. Looking forward to seeing this little guy again in a few months time for his first birthday and getting a good look at the Gulf of Mexico together.
Pumkin cannons. Dace floor destruction with Maya and Arthur. Kiss at The Bowl. FaceTimes with the newest Smith. Izakayas with out of towners. Watching a dog we considered not giving back. Showing LA to New York. Disney days. Donuts with Della. Introductory handshakes with Emmett. Green beers in Long Beach. This was fall and winter, or at least the parts I remembered to take a picture of. Really need to get better at that.
Halah by Mazzy Star.
This is a slide from the pitch deck I created for my game, Greenfield. I share the deck with people trying to understand more about the project and its status. Greenfield has gotten a lot of attention since announcing it, landing somewhere in the mild end of the viral spectrum. It was unexpected, and if I’m being honest, alarming. It brings a layer of expectation that hasn’t been at all part of Greenfield’s development.
These are all good things though. This attention has granted me the opportunity to connect with and learn from other independent game developers, as well as attract meetings with publishers interested in the project. Seeing the caliber of some of the publishers in my inbox transports me to the twilight zone. It’d be like if you were making an independent film, and Netflix or HBO cold reached out to you because they’re interested in it.
Since the New Year I’ve been diverting a lot of my time and energy towards Greenfield. Going as far as limiting paying client work to 2-3 days a week, and once Greenfield is further along, possibly doing away with client work all together so long as it’s viable. All this is to say, posts on Six Foot Giraffe will be even farther and fewer in between than they already were. That feels bitter sweet to me but the reality is, if you’re up to bat, you gotta swing.
Summer’s right around the corner, which means I’ve just barely got around to sorting through photos from winter. Once upon a time I couldn’t imagine neglecting this place as much as I have. Not sure how much that really says though. Lot that goes on that I couldn’t have imagined.
In any case, time brought some sights along with its endless march through winter. A Santa bar crawl. A very good boy who let us adopt him for a few weeks. Fireworks on The Queen Mary. Apocalyptic skylines from the wildfires. Snowball fights with the kiddos in Tahoe. Possibly setting a Guinness World Record for most rides ridden in a single day at Disney. This was Winter.
Knowitall by Phantom Planet