The Tree House Falls

Goodbye dear tree house. Thanks for hanging on for so long, through lightning and hail, wind and rain -- and even Iowa's deadly tornados.

My bros and I will miss you, but mom assures us that you'll be memorialized and then reincarnated into a bigger, more youthful tree house when there are grand kids around to enjoy it...Until then, thanks for the memories!

Art or Vandalism: The Graffiti Scene Steps it Up a Notch with Acid

Yesterday's article in the NYTimes about a new type of graffiti cropping up on the subways. Bloomberg recently passed a strict new law making it illegal for anyone under 21 to carry graffiti writing instruments. Opponents the citywide ban on the possession of "graffiti instruments," including etching acid, call it an infringement on freedom of speech.

Read the NYTimes article below and you decide: Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism:

Of all the images from the 1970's and 1980's of a city out of control, perhaps none is etched more deeply into the public consciousness than that of the graffiti-covered subway train screeching into a station, every inch of its surface covered with a rich patina of spray-painted slashes and scrawls.

It took decades of work and millions of dollars to clean up the trains. But now officials are seeing a fresh surge of subway graffiti, in which windows are irreparably damaged with acid. Raising the specter of the bad old days, transit officials are vowing to fight a problem they say is even more menacing than the graffiti of decades past.

Click here for the full article.

See if your web site is Web 2.0 compliant: Certifyr.com

In case you're wondering what Web 2.0 means, you can test your own Web site to see if it is "Web 2.0" compliant at this witty new site: www.certifyr.com.

Chances are if your site has these features it is:

Big fonts
Oversized input fields
Silly or misspelled name
"Beta"
AJAX
Community content
"Something"-sharing
Bright colors and/or pink
Rounded corners
Use of Google maps
Founder has a blog
RSS
Tagging
Creative commons
Wiki
Podcast/video/mobile content

First We Take Manhattan! Then We Take....

It's Official...We own a little piece of New York City. Wish this day happened 2 years ago, or better yet 8. Regardless, a little piece of Manhattan is now ours!

Pictures to come soon. After the move. Ugh!

Trouble picking color combos?

Try this nifty web tool that selects color combinations for you.

Spin the Color Wheel here: http://www.webwhirlers.com/colors/spinwheel.asp

Tornado Hits University of Iowa, Kills 1

My folks are fine, but that is more than can be said for many homes and buildings on the University of Iowa campus. Check out the www.presscitizen.com for pictures of the storm.

Skipping Paper and Clocks

Do you ever stop and reminisce about what you were doing exactly one year ago?

It's fun to do. I like to do this because it seems like every time I stop to take a deep breath, another week has past. With time flying by so quickly it is easy to forget all of the great accomplishments and progress that one makes over the course of an entire year.

This month is particularly important to me. That's because one year ago this month I was getting married in Brazil. On one hand the year flew right by, but when I stop to reflect it also is great to realize how many amazing things my wife Flavia and I have accomplished in just 365 days.

We accomplished our goal of buying our first home in NYC. (This alone is a Herculean feat as far as I'm concerned). We launched Flavia's booming language services company called Be Bilingual. We were fortunate enough to take amazing trips to Brazil, Aruba, the Caribbean, Iowa, and even Augusta for the Masters! I helped launch two more #1 national best selling books and create The Great American Homeowner Challenge with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. And two of my art projects, The Bathroom Graffiti Project and NO COAST have been really picking up steam.

According to tradition it's our anniversary year to gift paper and clocks. But I'd much rather enjoy all of the experience, progress, and time we were able to share.

Happy First Year!

APPROVED!

Just found out that we were approved by the CO-OP Board for our new place -- only a few days away from homeownership in Manhattan...Yehaw!

Peter Feldstein in the New York Times

Read about Peter Feldstein's Oxford Iowa art project in today's New York Times here. My brothers and I were photographed for this project and you can see my brothers 1984 Mohawk portrait here.

Congratulations Peter and we look forward to seeing the feature in the Smithsonian Magazine in June.

The First Really Spring Day in New York City

You can't beat the first warm sunny day of spring in New York City: People's spirits high, doors and windows open, fresh air breezing through the streets and cafes everywhere.

Some notes on my perfect day walking tour in Manhattan.

1) Walk to pick up a pastry and fresh smoothy from Jamba Juice.
2) No subways. Too nice. It's a walking day all the way.
3) Walk through Tribeca, China Town, SOHO, Little Italy, NOLITA...
4) Lunch at Cafe Gitane
5) WIndow gazing and stop-ins at the boutiques and SOHO shops looking for winter close-out sales.
6) No sales going: ALL SHELF SPACE GLOATING "Spring is finally here!"
7) A few hours in Washington Square park people watching, resting on benches, listening to original hippies strum guitars, writing, reading paper. Sun bathing.
8) More walking...finally to Union Square.
9) Farmer's Market in Union Square
10) Gazing at new books at the best Barnes and Noble in the city: Union Square
11) Stop in at Virgin to listen to music
12) Check out the new Trader Joe's...quickly leave because insane customers are fighting over food and standing in a 90 minute checkout line.
13) Hang out in Union Square park to watch breakdancers
14) Visit The Strand Bookstore
15) Walk to Astor Place
16) Check out St. Marks' Place
17) Great dinner at Bistro in Alphabet City
18) More book shopping at St. Marks Bookstore
19) Chilly air sets in again
20) Subway home...