This was a really fun project. If you’ve seen any trailer mash ups before, the goal is to take parts of a movie and design a trailer that created a completely different plot than the original. For this project, I watched the whole film, Marley and Me, taking notes of segments I could pick apart to manipulate the story. I put clips into Final Cut Pro and added the theme song from Reqieum for a Dream…creepy song.

MARLEY is the result. Enjoy.

Not that I got there in time to see the opening act, but from what I heard from @therealgirltalk the day of the show, Penguin Prison couldn’t make it to open because of illness. Junk Culture, also on the Illegal Art label, filled in.

Girl Talk started around 9:30 and the first thing Greg Gillis did was invite people on stage. This essentially created an iPod ad on steroids as the dancing people were silhouettes against the bright neon flashing lights. Memphis definitely showed up at Minglewood to see Girl Talk; it was a sold-out show and everyone was decked out in standard show gear — funky, weird, neon, 80s club style.

The layered party mix that is Girl Talk totally revved up the crowd — the energy was like nothing you would see outside of this kind of show. He played from the newest album, All Day, which was made with the intent to be played continuously, as if the whole album were one track. Gillis switched it up on the fans, playing the songs out of order, which was pretty genius in my opinion. It was amusing to me how everyone can sing the words out loud, admitting that yes, we may not be proud of it, but we all know the lyrics to that Kelly Clarkson song. Looking around, all types of people in attendance meshed together just like the different song genres mashed up. Everyone united for a great show, glowsticks and giant confetti filled blow-up balls. The only unfortunate element of the whole show was the long line to get drinks.

Bottom line, it’s hard not to just let loose and have fun at a show like this. Although you may lose something, sweat like crazy, get bumped into and tossed around, it’s definitely an adventure I would recommend. Basically, if you don’t have a good time at a Girl Talk show, it’s your fault.

You can still download the album All Day for free at illegal-art.net/allday.

If you really like mash-ups, try camelbackmusic.com.

I knew I wanted my logo to resemble an icon, like most successful logos do. Something that looks like I could easily make a stamp out of, and works well in color as well as black and white.

I found a font called Cyclo and saw some potential. I downloaded it and created outlines from it in Illustrator. From there I squared off the rounded edges and started playing around with my initials. I came out with the first stage of my design that like my goal, was iconic but looked almost a little too much like the Chanel logo or something that had already been done before. What I did like about it was that I could have played around with the diamond symbol that it made when the letters overlapped.

My final design is similar, but with the letters just backed up touching. I like this one better because it is simple and to me, looks like a designer logo.

Miles 1-3
Adrenaline pumping like crazy, I soared through the first miles. Crowds on the sides of the road cheered so loudly and the energy was so positive, I think I even smiled as I ran. On a cold December morning running down Beale Street, I cracked up when I saw runners shed their outer garments as they warmed up — throwing jackets, scarves and gloves into the air and flying onto trees and sidewalks.

Miles 4-9
During training, the first three miles challenge me the most, then I’m good to go. I ran miles four through nine with confidence and ease, with of a pace of about 8:50 according to my Nike sport band. I wore a long sleeve Nike dri-fit top and a light fleece pullover with Nike running gloves and, unlike other runners, I didn’t feel the need to shed any clothing.

Miles 10-16
Around the tenth mile, I hit my first hurdle. The smell of McDonald’s had me nauseated within seconds. Ew. I tried only breathing through my mouth, not the correct technique that I normally practiced. I knew if I let myself take in that overpowering smell or thought about it too much it was likely that I would vomit.

Miles 17- 23
Disaster strikes. At every mile, volunteers pass out water or Gatorade and runners gulp it down as they continue, throwing the paper cups aside. On the 17th mile aid station, there was water everywhere, and I slipped on a sewage gate in the road and twisted my ankle. My legs tight and ankle screaming, I made the decision to walk for about a mile, a brisk walk of about 12:00/mi.  After walking, I couldn’t stand it anymore and, out of sheer determination, resolved to suck it up and keep running to finish.

Miles 24-26
After my injury and slowing my pace, I managed to block out the pain. The last couple miles I felt numb and almost delirious with willpower. Then like I was dreaming I saw the sign that read Mile 26. Thank God.

At Mile 26 with only .2 miles left, I had one last incline into Autozone Park for the big finish. Really? Incline to finish? That’s just mean. Excited, relieved, happy, accomplished — all understatements. Running a marathon was so much more than I expected it to be. Even though my legs felt like stacks of bricks the rest of the day, I knew it wouldn’t be the last time I ran 26.2.