Not only that but everything was beautiful.

Charming.

Warm.

Pleasant.

Perfect in spite of their seemingly obvious imperfections.

Whoever made these things, whether it was a baseball bat from 1938 or a map of Lemberg from 1886 cared about what they were making. They were creating value and adding to the natural beauty of the world around them. They did this by transforming some piece of that natural world for themselves or to make money for themselves – true artisanship.

Contrast this with the shopping mall I spent an hour in (no purchases made) just before Christmas. Very little aesthetic value (unless you’re in the Apple store and maybe 2-3 clothes stores) anywhere. Brands melded together and there was nothing distinct from one place to the next except for the name out front.

We need to re-imagine the world. Re-imagine the way we make things. Creative class, this means seeking work (as much as possible) that will enhance the world around us and not just become a part of a growing grey mass.

We must rise up and ‘flea’ from all that which is not beautiful, interesting or of value. If we can stop churning out ‘things’ or ads for the sake of doing it, we just might create change and make the world a lot more like the Brooklyn Flea. Trust me, it’s a lovely place.

If 2010 were a fire breathing dragon deep within a dusty, dark and barren cave, – the only thing standing between me and the life I want to live, then I climbed deep within the bowels of the earth and slayed that dragon.

This time last year I was a green university grad, at grad school and working what I thought was my dream job – for a major political party.

Funny how time passes by and former goals seem like relics of an ancient past. My former self is buried deep within the sediments of time and experience.

Now I stand here a year later, having pursued exactly what I wanted, shed the “friends” who weren’t friends, kept the ones that were, are and will always be.

In the last year I’ve been on welfare, ran a half marathon, suffered from Candida because I couldn’t afford to eat anything but eggs, bread and peanut butter, I slept on friend’s couches for 6 months, left a well paying (supposedly) dream job, worked (unpaid) for an ad agency in Toronto, contacted every ad agency in North America, met some of the most interesting people, changed the way I ate, consumed and thought about the world. I’ve volunteered at soup kitchens, started taking photographs, started a career in marketing, advertising, writing, and consulting. I blogged regularly, tweeted more than Tiger sexts, got glasses, and completely transformed spiritually. Oh and I love riding my bike – nothing makes me feel more free.

Now, with but a few hours left in the year, poverty seems to be another relic of the past but poverty’s memory will live forever – you can never forget that much suffering.

But after it all, I stand here stronger than ever with my own company in hand, head held high and would kill an infinite number of dragons to do it all over again.

Of course any dragon slayer needs help and those that did, you know who you are. Thanks.

Looking for my next adventure…

Anyway, today I took some photos “Anne Geddes” style minus the babies and lettuce pods. So really nothing like Anne Geddes at all, but whatever.

Take a look at my most recent foray into photography here. If you don’t like it, well, I am sorry. Just know that I know that I suck still.

In other news, my day by the numbers:

Number of ad agencies contacting me for work 3

Number of new twitter followers (today alone) 86

Number of hits on this blog 112

Photographs taken 87

My name is Liam Mooney, and I wanted to say thanks for giving me the best Christmas present before Christmas, ever!

The stockings were full of free stuff from a Jewish deli in New York named Zabar’s. They miraculously sponsored my 8th annual Christmas party before Christmas, and I want to thank you for this piece of magic xmas joy.

My friends, however, think all the free stuff was the result of a clever social media ploy.

We tweeted and had Zabar’s trending, posted and shared until Zabar’s had 150 new friends and over 100 comments.

Regardless I still think it was you, jolly ol’ St. Nick, that made this happen. Either way, I guess it just goes to show that Santa, just like Facebook, can get you anything you want. Within reason.

Anyway Santa, here is a poem that I wrote just for you.

Love,

Liam

————————-

T’was the Christmas party before Christmas, when all through the cyberhouse,

No creature wasn’t tweeting, not even a mouse.

The postings were hung by the wall with care,

In hopes that St. Zabar’s would soon be there.

——–

The guests were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of Babkas danced in their heads.

And Santa in his suit, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our brains for long winter’s nap.

———

When out at the border there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the car to see what was the matter.

Away to the UPS counter I flew like a flash,

Tore open the boxes and saw a Zabar’s stash.

——–

The light in the depot that was bright like the snow,

Gave the lustre of mid-day to the treats and eats below.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But rugelach, babka, and Jewish-Christmas Cheer.

———

With savoury meats and tasty chocolate bars,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Zabar’s.

More rapid than eagles the package it came,

We shouted, whistled and chanted Zabar’s by name.
———-

Now Hashtags! Now Shares! Now Retweets! Now Postings! Now @Replys! Now “Likes”!

To the top of the trending to the top of the wall!

Now post away! Post away! Post away all!

—–

The food was put on a tray, and made our taste buds whistle,

It flew off the plates like the down of a thistle.

And you could hear the guests, ‘ere they walked out of sight,

‘Happy Christmas before Christmas, and to all a good-night!”

PS. I have one more Christmas wish: please “like” Zabar’s on Facebook for helping make my wish come true.

PSS. I hope you like Babka and milk.

School board trustee, public speaker, university student president, TV show host, frosh week coordinator, fundraiser etc.

Today, I am 1 and a half months into an internship at an awesome agency. It’s been an adjustment to say the least.

I make zero dollars a day, I am not known by everybody – in fact not known by most. People don’t come to me for advice, in fact I seek it out.

But what I don’t make in dollars I more than make up for in learning about life, myself and the advertising industry.

Anyway, this is all to say that while the internship is tough I am loving it. With a month and a half left, having overcome a cold, I’m psyched.

My abject poverty is relieved by my freelance work which is picking up more and more these days. Up to four clients now. Sweet ass, super sweet.

In the meantime I will keep running (another half marathon next weekend), volunteering with the needy, biking all over the city, singing in a choir and living a life full of passion.

Happy Thanksgiving peeps!

Much love,

Liam

Anyway, I pledge to post more in the coming weeks, and today as a treat I have linked you to a post I just had published at Grip Limited where I am interning.

That’s right, this is SYNDICATED! Haha, I wish. Anyway, Click here now to read it.

Enjoy.

The last couple of days have been totally worthy of Double Rainbow status, just totally awesome. First, my new digs up on the Danforth. Glorious. I have never seen so many Gyros in such a confined area. My hosts are awesome, hopefully I can get out of their hair soon!

Today was my first day at Grip. Was it what I expected? It exceeded my expectations in every conceivable way. I can see why this agency has been so successful. The people there are top notch. I got a tour of the digs, which comes equipped with lots of neat features (I have mentioned them before).

I got my office too! I am sharing an office with two others, one intern and a freelancer. It’s a corner office, I share it, but still, it’s a corner office. I could see OCAD from my desk all day!

There was something awesome about my run this morning: 6am running across the Danforth to my office and back. It felt nice to be back in Toronto.

I got a project today as well. I think I am going to be challenged with staying disciplined and on brand. I have a tendency to want to make everything funny, sometimes it doesn’t work.

So I am essentially drafting as many headlines as I can think of and will try to have two or three decent ones that I am not ashamed to share.

Anyway, the day was just AMAZING. I feel like getting here was tough, but totally worth it. It was funny, almost EVERYONE I met knew me as the dude who commented on the blog. I am pretty sure I should be embarrassed by this fact. haha. I am too pleased to care.

I will share more tomorrow, if I have time.

Oh yea, the Jays lost tonight, too. That pissed me off.

Liam

I got an internship at my favourite ad agency in TO! I start this week, Tuesday at 9:15am to be exact. For some of you this will be a complete surprise because I have kept it relatively quiet (I found out just under a week ago) but that was mainly because it felt like somebody gave me the shocker.

Anyway, I cannot wait to be in Toronto (yes, Ottawa people I will miss you deeply).

I am going to be working at Grip Limited as an Copywriting Intern. I will do anything they need me to do, including bathroom cleaning if necessary. I don’t care. So onward and upward! This is huge, this place is amazing, it’s one of Toronto’s top employers, it has a firepole and slide to get from one floor to another and bud light on tap.

Then there’s the work: some of the top clients you could hope for. Honda, Budweiser, so on and so forth. I will chronicle my journey into the ad world as I continue this insanely awesome journey. The end of poverty is nigh.

Liam

You have no doubt been looking for this time capsule for many years. I left this here many, many years ago. I left it here before I fell in love, before I did anything of any consequence. These were simpler times where my only worries were figuring out how I was going to eat my next meal. Now life has become a mix-up of sorts with more layers than a painted window sill in a one hundred year old home on Main Street. I want to share this with you because I love you.

Storybooks are fun. Mine will introduce you to the friends I had (and still have) from this time, to the places I went to, the food I ate, the drinks I drank, the trials I had, the thrills I sought, the tears I shed, the smiles I smiled and the love that I gave and received. And yes, did I ever receive love, more than I could have ever imagined. When you grow old like I am now many years after having written this you will realize that life is beautiful and so are the people who will weave in and out of it. Your memories will scatter across your soul like the stars in the night sky. Some will shine brighter than others, some will glow warm and some will be cold, even blue. You will have moments of brilliance like a shooting star across the canvass that is galaxy.

The last year of my life, the year this time capsule chronicles, has had moments of brilliance, many memories, moments of consequence and instances of frustration.

This is my goodbye to a city and to the people that added colour to every waking moment:

One midnight greyhound ticket from Peterborough to Ottawa, soon after that a mended heart. A voucher for the Arbuckle inn. Late night Metro receipts, napkins stained with purple with the familiar smell of garlic sauce encrusted with hummus. A roll of quarters and a pick up time at Browns. A pint glass from the Manx a reminder of the jokes and plans that started three pints in. Pictures of the girls I’ve kissed, the ones I didn’t and the ones I liked. A transpo ticket to get to ‘burbs (life really is different there), and movie ticket stubs. Guides to theatres that were more beautiful than the movies themselves, at times. Photos of converted city streets made into walkways at night. A pair of worn out running shoes which ran the half, explored the canal, the ottawa, rideau and whatamacallit rivers, iPhone shots of Pink Lake, Christmas trees, happy times and sad times. Tattered and torn coasters with the stains of despair, hope and mischievousness. Bowls of stale cheetos and the playlists from free jukeboxes. A framed degree and a paystub, and student loan statements. Cards from staffers who were more partisan than their bosses and cards from bosses who were less knowledgable than their staffers. Late night scribbles in a notepad, the thoughts of an insomniac. A headrest slip and broken dreams. Balance statements in the red, in the black and in the red again. IOU’s and thank you’s for friends and family, prayer cards and church bulletins. A soul lost and a soul discovered. A new school pin, an old school pin. Directions to a new friend’s house, blindfolded journeys to the old ones. Boat rides and dingy bells with candle light sandwiches. Ford Escorts made king size sofa and early mornings stretched into afternoons. Love at first sight found on Christmas eve, love that fades and love that was. Turkeys and impromptu parties. Silly sweaters and stories of years gone by. Risk and the Cave, into the woods only we didn’t starve. Bowties and gin, manliness and sushi. Rama Lotus and hyperventilation, Ed Hum and special mind spots. Plastic bags as socks and late night walks. Restaurants without windows and a parliament without a Prime Minister. Homemade meals from friends who cared and lipstick stains from the nights I dared. Cakes baked and cottage mornings by the lake. Crosswords and buzzwords, shawarma and free salsa. A termination and a congratulation(s). Chat logs and early morning skype talks, a change of heart and a brand new start. Festivals, ghost walks, rainy Fridays, Shakespeare in the Park, and spicy eggplant please. Red wine in carpets, two days later PBR in Brooklyn. Broken hearts, smelly farts and even better freshly baked tarts. Nutella and Sriracha sandwiches. Enjoy them said Mr. Zevon, and enjoy them I did.

I love you all, more than you could possibly imagine.

Living a life full of love,

Liam