The world re-organized as 64 administrative zones (57 states plus 7 special territories), based on population, land area, GDP, and existing borders…with capitals.

The Department Department is my way organizing my life goals, interests, and responsibilities. Each department is subdivided into various committees which oversees specific matters, similar to the departments of the executive branch of government.

All 22 committees have exactly 1 member and chair: myself.

This was a monumental, multi-year project in which I created a home meal-planning system for myself, testing my skills in many different curriculums ranging from color theory to astronomy.

Creating the Five Rings Master Menu, as it’s called, firstly consisted of the highly experimental labor of composing a set of recipes that are not only completely original but that also follow a set of uniquely strict standards regarding: 1) nutrition, 2) culinary quality, 3) environmental ethics, 4) personal stress-reduction, and 5) budget economics.

Beyond creating the meals themselves, I also arranged the meals into a year-long pre-planned calendar based on climate, season, and tradition, with built-in variety and flexibility.

I also endeavored to design a fun set of graphics to, hopefully, communicate the information.

Two graphic design pieces I created in Adobe Illustrator: A logo for a facebook group called The Sushi & Shakesppeare Society, and a poster for one of the groups's events.

This was my proposal for a complete re-design of all 50 US state flags.  I originally got the idea from a designer named Ed Mitchell who did the same thing and well, it seemed like a fun challenge, both coming up with an idea to upgrade and unify all the flags while also figuring out how to present it.

A video I produced (merely for its own sake) which uses the space inside of a Tetris game as an artistic canvas.

This was a Hollywood-themed cooking competition, where the challenge was to create a dish inspired by a classic movie.  I picked The Adventures of Robin Hood, and for that I prepared Venison Carpaccio (seasoned with crushed juniper berries, served on a bed of arugula greens) paired with a Cherry Amaretto Cheesecake.  The concept was to juxtapose the humble and earthy notes of the forest with the decadent tones of regal life.

I also put together a short teaser-trailer to stoke excitement for the meal.  My submission won 1st Place.

My Mother’s Day 2019 project. Step 1 was to create my own conflated birthstone system (there is more than just one), Step 2 was to develop twelve corresponding and color-distinct icings. Step 3 was to bake and decorate the batch of original recipe cookies.

As a free, unsolicited consulting service to the sport of college football, this is my solution to the “conference realignment” conundrum. Conferences are abolished in favor of a coast-to-coast 66-team league (the 2012-2021 64-team P5, including Notre Dame, plus BYU) where every team plays who they are supposed to play according to history, geography, and tradition.

GOALS:

#1 - To preserve the regional matchups. This is a no-brainer. While there are no divisions or pods per se, there are numerous de-facto round-robins of varying size, such as the four PNW teams, who will all play each other. This somewhat ensures that, nationwide, only a small number of teams has the potential to emerge undefeated over the course of the season. Some pairs of teams, such as Mississippi and Mississippi State, play the exact 7 league opponents, plus each other.

#2 - To preserve the prestigious cross-country games, such as Notre Dame vs USC. Notre Dame was the most difficult to accommodate, but I made it work. The goal for every team was to preserve their MOST important opponents, and to fill out their remaining schedule with their most common-sense opponents, based on either proximity or long-standing ties. Some new and potentially awkward matchups may have been needed to help fill in the gaps after the non-negotiable matchups were made assured, but these I tried to keep to a minimum. Kentucky, for instance, now plays Duke. And K-State’s Rivalry Week opponent is TCU. Feedback on this is welcome.

#3 - To accommodate the odd, geographically “in-between” teams with a mixed schedule. For example, Colorado plays the two teams from Arizona as well as the two teams from Kansas. I believe this is what makes my system better than the typical “pod” system. Some teams just need to be their own thing.

#4 - To “league-ify” the out-of-conference, in-state rivalries, such as Iowa vs Iowa State.

This is an infographic that serves to explain MY answer to the Flat Tax question in politics.

The Challenge: Draw a deck of playing cards from scratch. Custom colors, custom suit symbols (pips), custom font for the numbers and letters…everything.

This is the Neapolitan Deck. Instead of the traditional red and black, it is based on pink and brown ice cream.

In 2024 the NHL gave Salt Lake City a professional hockey team. This was my pitch for the new team’s name, colors, and branding.

I thought a strong winter-theme would be more fun than a tie-in to the local ecology.