So Twitter is a neat idea, but I can’t seem to remember to tweet. I do much better posting updates on Facebook. Maybe it’s because I’m on it all the time talking to friends. On Twitter, I get notices that people or companies I don’t even know are following me. It’s a little weird. It feels a little bit like being stalked. At least on Facebook I can see who’s following me. I might like Twitter better if I could get it on my Blackberry. But there seems to be technical difficulties with T-Mobile. Maybe I should enjoy my good fortune.

I once worked for a $100 million Arizona-based company that wouldn’t donate a nickel in support of any Arizona charity. The owners were greedy, nouveau rich people who only cared about building their personal luxury real estate portfolio. So when I heard about AIG giving its executives bonuses after a government bailout, it reminded me of them. And I got really pissed off. Who the hell do these people think they are? Entitled? Yep. Above moral reproach? You bet. On another planet? I wish that were true. Basically, they’re pampered, overindulged fat cats. I thought capitalism was supposed to reward success and punish failure. But that’s not what our government or AIG is doing. They’re rewarding failure. We shouldn’t bail them out. We should let them fail. And have the fat cats see what it’s like to go hungry, for a change.

Why does every job seem to be a fight to establish the value of copy? I have more and more people telling me what they’re going to pay me these days vs. letting me estimate the job. And please, no more unlimited revisions included in the fee. I’ll give you one round of revisions. Any more than that and the client is changing direction. Which warrants an entirely new estimate. Or how about those “quick turns” that turn into “slow pays?” I have to get it to them fast, but they don’t feel the same sense of urgency in cutting the check. Anybody else facing this (besides Gary Jensen, who is the GOD of copywriting boundaries)?!!!

Yeah, Facebook is cool and fun, but gosh darn it, it’s a real time suck. I have so many “requests” everyday I can’t keep up. No, I don’t want to know my IQ. No, I don’t want to know what 80′s song I am. And no, I don’t want to join your cause. People, I love your updates, your comments and your photos, but all the other stuff is driving me crazy. So don’t vote me the nicest person you ever met…because when it comes to wasting my time…I’m really not!

In January, I flew to Waterloo, Iowa to judge the AAF – Cedar Valley ADDY’s. It was definitely a career highlight, despite the fact that I had to take two flights – the first long, the second shorter, but on a prop jet that had to land on a snowy runway. Yikes.

Fortunately, my hosts in Waterloo were as warm as the temperature was cold. My hosts chauffeured me to a local business for the judging. The building had an auditorium where all of the entries were neatly and systematically displayed. Myself and two other judges – one a group creative director from a large agency in Minneapolis, the other a senior executive producer from a firm in Springfield, Illinois– were handed our own thick stacks of judging forms, organized by category to match the 300+ displayed entries.

After a briefing on how to score the entries and what point values constituted Silver and Gold awards, we were off and running. It was a blast. And it was the first time in my career I’ve gotten to judge work besides my own. I took the responsibility to heart and tried to be as fair as possible. Hey, these were people’s careers and egos I was messing with.

Like most creative work, some was mediocre. Some was respectable. And some was great. After looking at the print, we watched the TV and videos, and listened to the radio spots. The varying points of view from the judges made for lively discussion, but it was amazing to me just how often we were all on the same page in our opinions. We collaborated in choosing awards for “Best of Show” and best art direction and copywriting.

Finally, we were asked to participate in a video for the awards gala, sharing our thoughts on the work in the various categories. I told viewers they all got high marks just for living there in the wintertime! I learned that no matter where you go, those of us in this crazy business share the same commitment to do good work, meet good people, and enjoy good times. And if I’m ever asked to do it again, I’ll definitely be good to go.