A colleague of ours, Scott Brooks, just completed his animation demo reel. It's well worth checking out! If you know anyone in need of his services, he can be contacted at scott@drawbrooks.com. It's great to see that traditional animation is alive and well!

Amtrak recently unveiled an advertising campaign in the most unlikely of places…O'Hare International Airport. The message? Stop flying. Take the train instead. To be honest, I'm surprised that O'Hare allowed this campaign to run. Maybe they realize that trains can't completely replace air travel and that the ad revenue is a greater reward than the potential lost airline traveler.

It's a fantastic campaign, hitting travelers when they are most likely to be frustrated with the hoops that they need to jump through just to get from Point A to Point B…THE SECURITY CHECK POINT. "Take off your shoes." "Remove your belt." "Take your laptop out of your bag." "That toothpaste is over three ounces. Throw it in the trash." "Are those keys in your pocket?" When you think about it, it really can be a pain. I once got delayed because they found bomb residue on my sandals. So, they swabbed and analyzed the sandals, asked numerous questions, and finally came to the conclusion that I had probably just walked through a freshly-fertilized yard. Off I went, running to the gate in my potentially-explosive Birkenstocks, nearly missing my flight.

I've taken the train and it's a great way to travel if you're not in a hurry. No hassle. Relaxing. Nice scenery. Great food. Really, it's not a bad way to go and these ads may just be the reminder that some travelers need to get them out of the airports and back on the rails.

–Greg

Every year, the city of Harbin in northern China celebrates its annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. In freezing temperatures, artists gather to create unique ice sculptures. Domestically, the city is also known for its beer. This year the artists created a pretty cool sculpture using only beer. Check out the video below.

—Sara

—Tristan

However, over the holiday season, the abundance of grandmother-produced goodies (TEN BOXES OF TREATS! TEN!) negated the need for standard snacking fare. This disruption in the natural order of eating at my house, combined with my habit of cooking for twenty when I am only serving four, resulted in a refrigerator overflowing with plastic containers, cans, jars, and many diverse and foil-covered receptacles.

My husband and I made a heroic attempt to consume what we could last week, but the line must be drawn somewhere, right? Since my mother will tell you that it is a sin to throw away food, as my penance, I will now confess, in excruciating detail, the holiday casualties that were committed to the garbage this weekend. (No, I do not have a compost bin, yet. This summer, I swear.)

One stone-hard hot dog bun, no mold or aroma, two months old

Two cups of ham salad, made from leftovers of in-law’s Christmas dinner, excessively sulfurous smell, 20 days old

One cup of garden salad, rusty, pungent, two weeks old

100 kernels of sweet corn, graying, no smell, 16 days old

Five asparagus spears, starting to dissolve, overwhelming fumes, 11 days old

12 cubes of cucumber, smelled like gin, 12 days old

1/3 can of green beans, uncovered, completely dry, 3 weeks old

1/3 can of mushroom soup, odorless, furry, 16 days old

1/3 can of tomato sauce, odorless, furry, one month old

One tablespoon of cocktail sauce, fine condition (but what would I do with that?)

Five cocktail shrimp, emitting essence of Neptune’s thunderbox, 16 days old

Seven Honey BBQ Boneless Anytizers, one month old (no one in our house likes that flavor)

Three medallions of crab-stuffed, pancetta-wrapped pork tenderloin, appearance and smell ok, but after 16 days, no thanks

Two cups of pork gravy, not unlike a caramel flan in texture, 16 days old

1/2 bowl of Campbells Potato Bacon soup, completely separated, one month old

1/2 a pumkin pie, not malodorous, just weepy, 16 days old

One mixing bowl of frozen whipped cream, sparkly, beautiful, but tasted like the freezer, 16 days old

1/4 glass baking dish of green been casserole, runny, visually reminiscent of the swamps of Mordor, 16 days old

Four stale waffles, two months old

One frozen bowl of gummy first attempt at real mashed potatoes, graying, no smell, 16 days old.

—Lisa