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Nels as a Simpsons character

The resemblance is scary.

I am famous... well sort of

So it has been over two months since I last posted anything here. I have been working at Lambriar for just over a month and really enjoy it. Today when I came back from lunch I noticed a large truck sitting in our parking lot. To my surprise the side of the truck contained my design for Wholesale Kennel Supply that I created two years ago while I was interning here.

Check it out.

South Park Mac vs. PC

Poor Neglected Blog

So I have been a very bad blogger this past month or so. I have one reason for the absence of posts, CAMPAIGNS. Yes, for the last four months, my life has been occupied by one class and one class only. The other three classes I took this semester were utterly neglected. Thank God that the three other classes were very flexible and allowed such neglect. So for that I wish to thank ADVT 498-Interactive Tech, ADVT 498-German Depth Report and GERM 392-Special Topics:Kafka for their relentless understanding of why I did not pay them more attention.

Vitality rocks the house

Above: The redesigned logo for NOHS developed by Vitality
On 23 April at 9:30 a.m., Vitality pitched our campaign to the three officials of the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety. And overall I think that the client was very excited for what we had come up with! This just surprised the snot out of me because as of about three weeks ago we decided that we needed to start from scratch, as our previous attempt at a campaign was utter shite! (Ok slipping into a British tone, I am back now) Even though we started over, through the grace of a few all-nighters and many cans of Red Bull we trudged along and created a campaign that approached the topic of seatbelt use with a fresh and renewed manner.

Graduation...It's finally happening

In one week I will be walking across the stage at the Devaney Center and receive my BJ (that's Bachelor of Journalism, sickos) in Advertising. I managed to get out in four years, a feat that is hard to do anymore. So I will soon be saying "Tschuss" to the Capitol City and Guten Tag again to Fairbury, Nebraska. I know most of you out their in the blogosphere are thinking, "What? Fairbury, isn't that where the make those hot dogs? Why would you want to move back there?!? Are you sick?" Well they don't make those hot dogs there anymore and yes I had my full faculties about me when I accepted a position with Lambriar Vet Supply. All I have to say is that it is relatively cheap to live in Fairbury, I like where I will be working, and I had the job before I even graduated!!! That is more than most of my fellow graduates can say. So I could finish out my last semester of school without the added anxiety of sending out resumes, lining up interviews, wearing a tie, you know the usual stuff associated with the job hunt. I start work on 21 May. I am really ready to be done with school, but I am worried that a couple months into the job I will be ready to go back to being a student! Oh well, what can you do.

Freelance News

In other news, a freelance project I have been working on for many months finally went to press. I produced a one page, front and back map of Fairbury and Jefferson County for the Jefferson County Tourism Committee. So if you are ever wandering through Fairbury, and I know everyone will, this little baby may help you find your way.

I'll Sleep when I'm graduated

The last week and a half have been killer. Last Monday night I was in bed by 3:45, Tuesday by 4:30 and Wednesday I didn't even go to sleep! Over the weekend I crashed and did get some catch up sleep but to no avail.

Most Creative Website Ever

I was browsing through my feed reader during my interactive tech class yesterday when I stumbled across a really creative website. The main tools used: a digital camera, a dry erase marker, a refrigerator or some other white appliance with smooth surfaces.

No One Belongs Here More Than You

Maybe it doesn't take much to impress me or if someone else finds something cool I do too or maybe you won't like it, but whatever it is I think it is interesting and creative.

Via 37 Signals

In other Nels news

Campaigns is still trudging along. We have less than 60 hours to put together a complete creative strategy and camera-ready plansbook!!! That means that the group will spend a lot of time on this. We already put in between 7-12 hours per person last night, finally leaving the union around 3! So it is a good thing I got some sleep this last weekend.

Right now I am covering the front desk of the College of Fine Arts. The regular receptionist is auditing and class and I cover the desk for an hour every Tuesday. Well that is not the case today as she is ill so I am covering it for my full 4 hours of work. On the brightside though I am flexible and willing to cover the desk [even though I was volunteered for it]. Plus right now I am working on the website for Arts Are Basic using freeware software so I don't have to worry about not being absolutely unproductive. As you can tell I am obviously not working on the site right now as I have decided to take a break since I didn't go to lunch.

Nutrigrain Ad

Not exactly sure if this is an agency produced commercial or what. But I do know that it is rather funny. Check it out.

Campaigns is going to kill me. Wish me luck.

So another week has passed. The campaigns countdown is now at 14 days until we present.

Long Time No Blog

So it's been about a week and a half since my last post. I know, what a slacker! It has been a busy week and a half so I can forgive myself and you should too.

Campaigns - The Devil's Class

Well, maybe calling it the devil's class is a little bit extreme. But I would like to think that it is still quite difficult. And to imagine that what we accomplish in 4 1/2 months, many agencies get only 5 weeks to do.

Campaigns is still going strong even with the road bumps that I will not go into. You know the other team may be spying on us. Our client, the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety, is attempting to increase seat belt usage from the current rate of about 70% to around 84%. In the world of advertising if a client already has 70% of the market share that is a freak of nature. Very rarely does that happen.

Die Berliner Schule

The Berliner Schule (or Berlin School) is a film retrospective at The Ross that featured 12 German films from the past 5 years. A rare sight in the United States, let alone the Midwest, the retrospective offered Lincolnites a look into contemporary German film. Even though my schedule has been predominately filled with Campaigns-related meetings, I did find time to partake in some of the films. Of the films in the retrospective, I have so far viewed "Schläfer" (Sleeper) directed by Benjamin Heisenberg and Hotel directed by Jessica Hausner.

I found the topic of Schläfer interesting as it was not from an American perspective. Two university students are working in a chemistry lab, one is Algerian and the other is German. The German is sought by the German Intelligence Service to observe the Algerian, whom they consider to be a sleeper for a terrorist organization. Again the whole movie was interesting because of the German perspective on terrorism.

The second film I viewed was Hotel. Overall it was quite dull. It attempted to be a suspense/horror film but I didn't see it. Granted it was not a cookie cutter Hollywood production (which I like about foreign film) but it still missed the mark.I hope to take in at least three more films before the retrospective ends on Thursday.

Although not part of the retrospective, I also watched, Das Leben Der Anderen (The Lives of Others) at the Ross which won the Academy Award for best foreign picture last February. This film was an amazing and somber look at the dark side of the GDR (East Germany), most prominently the Stasi or East German Secret Police. A top pick that I recommend to put in your NetFlix queue.

My Uncle's Wedding

On 24 March, my Uncle Dennis got married. Dennis, my mom's youngest brother, married Tina in a small ceremony in Glenvil, Nebraska. Below are some pictures from the event. I hope to upload the rest of them to Flickr soon but at the moment am hard pressed for time.

Grandma and Grandpa Fike with their three kids and their spouses.


The sharing of cake as man and wife or the smashing of cake, you be the judge.


Aaron, my brother and his girlfriend Jamie (or is it Jaime?) I am not sure but people spell my name wrong so I can too.


In addition to Dennis and Tina's wedding, my grandparents also celebrated their wedding anniversary.

Campaigns...

Rocks My Socks Off
I am going on 11 hours at Kopeli Coffee working on Campaigns. Not really sure why I am coherent and making sense right now but I am trying damn it.

American Consumption: In Visuals

Running the Numbers An American Self-Portrait "This new series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on."

So looking through my feed reader I stumbled across this post from Kevin Burton's Feed Blog on March 13. Since I have been studying and researching the role of Germany on the environment, this is an interesting visual way to see just how much we consume in America.

Via

Nels has a job

So the biggest news I have received in the last week finally just hit me. And I thought I should share it with the blogosphere. I will be employed FULL TIME starting May 21. Last Thursday, I accepted a job with Lambriar Vet Supply in their marketing department.

Click here to go to their site.

So now all I have left to do is pass my last four classes and walk across the stage and receive my diploma. Sounds easy, huh? Yeah, not so much. One of those classes happens to be Campaigns, my capstone advertising class. We are tasked with creating an integrated marketing plan complete with all ads produced. As co-creative director, my counterpart and I have about three weeks to complete this daunting task!!!

And it is not like I am freaking out or anything!?!

Summer Germany Photos

Photos from my first Germany trip

Here are some photos from the trip to Germany this summer. We were in Germany from June 22 to July 2. We visited both Berlin and Dresden in eastern Germany and were fortunate to be over there while Germany was hosting the FIFA World Cup. We saw many historical landmarks including museums, castles, the Berlin Wall, the Stasi (East Germany's secret police) museum and ingested many sausages, doeners kebaps, pretzels and of course good German wheat beer.

The group's first night in Berlin. We had dinner at 12 Apostels, an Italian place with pizzas the size of my head for about $9. We got to meet Frauke's (our professor) mom, sister and nephew and also sampled our first German beer.

A large football (soccer ball for you Americans :-)), that housed the World Cup trophy, was built in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Paris Square near Untern Den Linden in Berlin.

The German flag flying over the Reichstag, the German parliament building. The building was almost completely destroyed during the war but has been rebuilt as the center of government since reunification in 1990. On top of the building, where this picture was taken, is an observation deck and large dome. The entire building is powered by solar energy captured by the dome.

Nels and Kate during our second to last night in Berlin. We gave Frauke a fond farewell as she left for Hannover by train the following morning and we left the next day after the quarterfinals match between Deutschland and Argentina.

Nels and Jenny at an Imbiss or "snack bar' outside our hotel in Dresden. The owners were an Asian couple that had a little son that kept the girls occupied, he was a little ham.

Me standing besides the Elbe river near the Alt Stadt (Old City) of Dresden. After this picture was taken we witnessed a protest outside the Saxony State Building. Dresden is the capital of the state of Saxony.

Finally...Consistent Internet Access!

Today is Monday and I am back in Lincoln after a week of Spring Break. I spent the break in good ole Fairbury occupying myself with many naps and lounging around. The parents decided last fall that their computer was too old and slow so they decided to save money and stop getting Internet service. So I was away from the blogosphere and the internets for almost 10 WHOLE DAYS. Talk about deprivation.

Also my project for Interactive Technology, creating a blog for PetSupplies4Less, is turning out to require more on site work than I have available. So this blog will be my main project.

So let the posting begin!

Beer Launching Fridge ( Bierkatapult )

This has to be one of the best inventions I have ever seen! And I say that not because I am a big beer drinker, but it is just really freaking cool.

The Oscars

The last time I posted was before I left for Germany. It has now been over a month and a half since then and I think I should post again.

The Oscars

The main reason I watched the full 3 hour broadcast was because Ellen Degeneres was hosting and I wanted to see if Germany's entry, "Das Leben Der Anderen" (The Lives of Others) would win for Best Foreign Film. Ellen was hilarious as usual and Germany did in fact win.

Ever since my summer film class that focused on German film, I have kept my eye on what is being produced in Deutschland. The good thing about living in Lincoln right now (as opposed to Fairbury) is the fact that I have access to The Ross and this film happens to be playing there during the end of March.

Countdown to Germany in t-minus 12 hours...

In the midst of packing and trying to get ready for my trip to Germany, I am also having to think about my last semester of college. Monday is my last first day of school and I won't even be going to class, how sad.