Life on Florida’s West Coast

A Tiger to love…

I love a good mascot. A really good mascot. The kind of mascot you remember long after you first set eyes on the character; a persona that not only draws an association for you, but also triggers nostalgia and good humor.

Backgammon Masters has introduced their own backgammon playing mascot to promote and establish their skill game software in the online game market. So, say hello to Jean-Claude the animated tiger. They’ve brought him to life in a five-part animation series called ‘Life According to Jean-Claude’. He’s suave, he’s clever and he is has a very cute French accent. Plus, he’s a whiz at backgammon and has a keen fashion sense (even though that fashion sense is stuck solidly in the 1970s).

The idea is generate a lot of buzz about Jean-Claude, and in turn generate buzz for BackgammonMasters. Jean-Claude is a viral internet phenomenon. His clips can be forwarded in e-mails and marketing buzz that only characters like Jean-Claude is capable of generating. There’s just something infectious about the combination of traits assigned to Jean-Claude. The bell bottoms, the accent, the flippant self esteem, the street smart grin and his big gold chains. He’s like the Energizer Bunny or the Snuggle Bear. You just take to Jean-Claude.

If you want to check out the first in the video series, take a look at the BackgammonMasters website.

Posted in Entertainment April 18th, 2007 by astrother | No comments

A note about my sense of timing

I had to paint my front steps. This was mandated by my HOA. I finished most of the job Tuesday afternoon when the weather was sunny and cool, without a wind to blow bits of leaves into my handiwork. I left a narrow strip down the right-hand side of the steps so I could leave for class that evening and I left them to dry. Today I finally found some time to paint the remaining strip. The weather was cool, the almost-evening light bright yet not hot, and again the breeze had died down.

I painted the strip, put away all of my brushes and paint and went inside. I suppose the stairs would need an hour to dry nicely. At least. Not 10 minutes later I heard the telltale sound of an absolutely unforcasted downpour of rain. Rain!

That’s me and my timing.

Posted in Home & Garden April 18th, 2007 by astrother | 1 comment