What child is this?

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It always feels like somebody's watching me (and I got no privacy)

Well, it finally happened--I've become a victim of identity theft. I've spent the last week filing the necessary reports and replacing everything that needs to be replaced. But I didn't lose my wallet--I want you all to know that this happened somewhere near or around my own home. So this week I wanted to focus on home security. All the pretty and well-designed things you bring into your home don't mean a thing if they're compromised or stolen (and that includes your identity and personal information.)

We naturally think of alarm systems for our homes when it comes to protecting material possessions. But I met an interesting woman last week who lived for several years in Cape Town, South Africa. Her home had been burgled and she said it's a common occurrance over there. She mentioned that no matter how many alarms and locks you place on your home, at some point you'll trust someone with that code (a cleaner, a security guard, etc.) and eventually that person can betray you. Even the police were too overwhelmed to deal with residential break-ins. So what was her solution? Her neighbors. She said that the closest relationships she had were with her neighbors--she could call any of them in the middle of the night, knowing they had her back. And she would come running if they ever called her. The lesson here is to really know the people living around you. Even though a Neighborhood Watch can be hard to organize in a city, your neighbors can still be the best security system for you home.

I don't know if my thief did it all electronically or by stealing my mail, but I'm getting a locked mailbox just in case. So far I've seen these rather stylish options at Home Depot:

This wall-mounted model comes in a variety of finishes and is pretty understated.

And I like the simple curve of this mailbox, too:

When I told a friend a colleague of mine what had happened with my ID theft, she recommended cancelling my seldom-used credit cards. "But wouldn't that hurt my credit?" I asked.

"Well...yes and no. In the end, having all these store cards and lines of unused credit can look just as bad because to some creditors it's like you have more ways of debts to fall into," she responded. I trust her--she used to work in finance--so goodbye to my department store cards.

Next, I needed to beef up security on my home internet service, and as I did this I kept hitting myself, asking why we didn't do this three weeks ago. Or last spring. Or even last year! All my tech friends are probably shaking their heads at me in shame, but I didn't realize you could stop broadcasting the SSID of your network to others, or that keeping the factory default name could let hackers figure out which model router you're using. And I was a fool to keep the default encryption code as a password instead of using something personal. These are all small steps--and possibly not enough to prevent the most determined hackers--but at least it's something you can do.

My former finance friend and colleague also recommended an ID/credit monitoring service. There are a lot out there (like Life Lock) that provide similar services. They will alert you if new lines of credit have been opened or if applications have been submitted in your name. For $10-20 a month, they're worth it for some piece of mind.

Even if you can't afford or justify paying for that service, at the very least you've got to run a periodic credit report on yourself. Free Credit Reports really is free and lets you know what lines of credit you currently have open. Forgot you still had that credit card from The Limited back in the '90s? Well, it'll show up on your credit report.

I just hope my nightmare will end someday. I always think about this article I read a couple of years ago that shows how long it can last. (If the "other" Jason is out there reading this, please give me a break--I took a 60% pay cut when I switched careers, and I'm just trying to get by and save a little for retirement.)

For the rest of you reading this, please learn from my mistakes.

Eyes without a face...

Hey readers, I know not everyone out there is on Facebook, but you don't have to be an FB'er to be able to click on the Facebook links to the right ----->

Anyone can do it, even my luddite partner ;)

I like to post supplemental links, photos, or videos to go along with my weekly posts, in case you didn't already know. So please, check out some of the other artists and resources listed on my Facebook page.

Honey Honey, how you thrill me (uh-huh, uh-huh)

Okay, I was out of commission last week 'cause, well, I just didn't have anything to write about. But over the course of the week, I found new inspiration:

I've been walking by these exquisite leather sling dining chairs (and their matching lounge chair counterparts) at Farnsworth for weeks now, every day to and from the gym. They're reminiscent of the iconic butterfly chair of the '60s, but with more panache and style, and I always stop for a moment to admire them and wonder if there's anything else like them.

Then about a week ago I looked through the new CB2 catalog and saw these:

It's an all-leather version of the butterfly chair in my favorite shade of leather--honey or caramel. At $399, it's a steal and I plan on using it for a Retrograde project soon. Over time the leather will wear nicely and develop a rich patina and loads of character. Heck, I'd use it in my own home if I weren't turning my living room into a study/library (more on that personal project soon!)

The reason why I love this particular color for leather is that it feels like the furniture equivalent of camel hair. In fashion, I'm always drawn to camel-colored sweaters and camel hair coats (especially as we move into fall and winter.) It just completes one's wardrobe and suits so many different people. Both my camel hair coat and my tan/honey/caramel leather jacket look great with any combo of shirts/sweaters/pants or with t-shirts and jeans. In your home, these tan/honey/caramel leather accents often have a rustic charm and can work with so many other styles and furniture pieces to provide a warm, rich neutral hue to any interior.

Here's another great leather chair from Restoration Hardware. Meant to be a dining chair, I think a grouping of them would look just great in any living room or den, too.

I'm a soul man...

So we got back from Chicago last week and had a couple of days to recover from our vacation and catch up on San Francisco home life. What was one of the first things we did (besides to through all our mail)?

We got a new car.

Check out what we've lovingly dubbed The Green Machine:

Now you have to understand--I haven't driven a brand-new car (with the exception of rentals here and there) since I was 17. So...that makes 18 years. We were going to originally buy a used car, but we did that last time and ended up sinking in so much money into regular maintenance and repairs. What's so special about this funny little Kia Soul? Well, for one thing, we're leasing it.

Since a car's value drops the minute you drive it off the lot, we figured leasing might be a way to go. Or at least try. The commitment only lasts three years, and then we can move onto something else. In some ways it suits our lifestyle as renters here in San Francisco, seeing as how we'll never be able to buy a home here. Why not treat our car the same way?

Anyhow, it wasn't funny hamsters on TV or anything like that which made us choose this car. I saw one on the street a little while ago and thought, "That thing is kind of boxy and weird...why am I strangely drawn to it!?" Yes, it is boxy, but it's quirky, which suits us. And it can haul a LOT of stuff, which comes in handy for Ye Olde Dayjobbe as well as Retrograde. My partner is just happy it can make it up our surrounding hills with ease.

So much has changed since our last car: satellite radio, power windows, rear back-up camera...it's like a whole new world. And it's definitely less embarassing now when I drive to different places for Ye Olde Dayjobbe. (It used to really be comical, rolling up to a palatial home or job site in our scratched-up '98 Saturn with the glued-back-on side mirror.) But I'm more careful now, too--I used to face down crazy drivers in our old hoopty knowing I had nothing to lose; I used to park in the tightest spots since I didn't worry about the car getting any more scratched than it already was. All that reckless behavior has changed now...

Like some Retrograde people I meet, I held onto something old for waaaaay too long. Getting a new car helps me understand what it's like for clients who take that big step toward a new sofa or bed. And guess what? After taking that big step to improve your surroundings, you wonder why you didn't do it sooner.

So if you see us tooling around in The Green Machine, wave and say "hey!" And if anyone at Ye Olde Dayjobbe tries to give me hell for driving a weird little green box, all I have to say is I don't get paid enough to drive a luxury car ;)

And all that jazz...

We just got back from a great trip to Chicago--my first time ever! (My partner used to live there back in the mid-90s.) So that kind of explains this week's late post...

I loved this trip. It was such a great city, and seeing how residential towers and skyscrapers had been integrated into the downtown area was really inspiring. It made downtown feel like a real place, not just a space for tourists and businesspeople. We had some good friends (and former San Franciscans) show us around.

Here are some photos I snapped:

One of my friends also turned me on to this amazing outsider artist from Chicago, Vivian Maier. Her story (and work) is just...amazing. Here's one of her photos:

We will definitely be back. Hell, we might just move there--it's a lot more affordable than San Francisco, that's for sure. I'm officially a fan. I heart Chicago!

A pink flamingo double-wide; one-bedroom in a high-rise; a mansion on a hill...

I just read an article in Men's Health last night titled, "Are You Burned Out?" and I was not too shocked to see how many items on the checklist applied to me. The last few months have been really tough at Ye Olde Dayjobbe (YOD), and the past year and a half has been a rollercoaster ride. I've been offered champagne, been yelled at, been graciously thanked, faced multiple obstacles (and installations) at once...you name it, I've seen it. It's been like a fast-track boot camp for interior design.

But I'm going on vacation this week--and even though I know five days won't solve everything, being in Chicago (a place I've never been!) and seeing old friends and family will surely help.

You know what else will help? Retrograde.

At YOD, I'm seen as an associate designer who finds resources, edits them down, orders them, installs them, and coordinates every little detail surrounding said resources. My past life (and career) as a senior graphic designer and production coordinator doesn't matter to most people at YOD, but my 10+ years of organizational skills and project management benefit them, even if they don't realize or appreciate it.

At Retrograde, I feel more like a collaborator, working with you to help you figure out your needs. I feel like some kind of animated Johnny Cash spirit guide (that's a Simpsons reference), here to empower you so you can make choices on your own. It's kind of like eliminating work for myself--which is something I've often done in the past--but it's what I believe in: teaching you (the readers) design skills and tools, and inspiring you to take risks to personalize your spaces. Even though YOD required me to cool things down at Retrograde, I still relish the two side projects I have remaining because I love designing for with everyday people.

Here are three Living Room concepts I developed for a young family this past week. Of course this is the first round, so there will be tweaking and refinement to come. But I'm really looking forward to developing one of these, and helping the client get it all installed in the next few weeks.

Recently I was the Design Center and was chatting with one of the showroom managers. She asked me what I was doing this weekend and I said I was going to help a friend with some home accessories shopping. That's what Retrograde clients (and readers) are to me--friends who need a little help with their homes. Just when I think I'm going crazy and feeling burned out, I remember why I'm doing all this--for you.

When I woke up this morning, it was cloudy and gray and I felt depressed. But now as I finish this post, the sun's come out, I'm fully caffeinated, and feeling so much better about things.

You guys keep me sane.