not going to give away my source, but i found this amazing faux burberry military style jacket today for under $40. the plaid is super detailed with small patches of houndstooth where the lines cross over each other. added a pin from ralph lauren rugby just for a bit more detail.
found this on the corner of haight and masonic. go obama!
went to my very first fight last night in san jose, was really expecting it to be kind of douchey but was pleasantly surprised. it wasn't a huge card, some guys were fighting for the first time professionally and the crowd was primarily made up of fighters from various gyms and their family and friends, to be honest it had more of the feel of a college wrestling match. three of the guys that were with our group were fighting and two of them won, darren actually won his fight by submission in 58 seconds into the first round. frank shamrock and cung le were there promoting their upcoming match as well. it was probably the most fun i've had in a long time.
after we headed back up to the city and headed to the tenderloin and spent the remainder of the night at whiskey thieves drinking. most of the crew stuck around including the owner of my trainer's gym and his trainer bunkerd faphimai a former thai national champion. after last call we all staggered over to a japanese restaurant owned by one of the guys and drank until around 4:30am, at that point i realized i couldn't hang with these guys and stumbled home.
i was killing time in georgetown before hopping on my flight home from the holidays and came across a store i had never seen before. it was ralph lauren rugby. it's basically punk rock preppy complete with patches, pins and there was even an exploited poster on the wall. you can customize rugby shirts with patches that they will stitch on or even buy the patches individually (which i did.)
i'm not vain by any means but it's taken me a good five years to get a decent picture of myself, plus i bought myself a pretty kick ass scarf for my birthday.
i have several months worth of posts building up that i've neglected due to my lameness with this template, so if you're on a feed to this blog for some reason you're about to get a ton of posts... sorry.
a long day at the office called for a long run at the gym. by the time i got home and made dinner it was pouring rain for the first time this year which made for a good reason to get some work done. worked on some side project stuff and finally set up a bike only blog for myself so no more random bicycle posts here. it'll be a nice place for the people who i'm building for to check in and see the progress of their bikes and i can also put up cool bike stuff i find via the internet or the outside world. it's all here... geektastic!
skipped the gym today to run home and open my box of goodies. met up with a german couple who want bikes built, they were super nice, i hope i can make them something that they love. john called to tell me he had an extra ticket to turbonegro at slim's so i said i was down. gay, norwegian punk/metal, of course. the show was insane, people were getting thrown out left and right one guy as being shove out and fell down the stairs so the bouncers grabbed him by his feet and drug him the rest of the way. given the crowd issues the band actually walked off stage for a bit so they could get it under control but that was short lived and they eventually came back and finished up. for the encore jello biafra and blag dahlia came out on stage for one song. i think it was a weirdo's cover. jello's looking his age a bit and blag was looking a little drunk, he jumped out into the crowd at one point and ended things by jumping onto the drum kit. he also was ushered out by security. one of those nights. ran into an old friend pete on my way out, then hopped on my bike and pedaled home. had some funny dreams but luckily none of them involved turbonegro...
i remember as a kid i was allowed to occasionally place an order through mail order catalogs for a variety of items usually something that either transformed or came with kung fu grip. i also remember the excitement that i had when i new their arrival was imminent, i'd jump off the bus, run up the driveway as fast as i could, turn the corner at the porch and hope to the heavens that when i entered the kitchen that little brown box would be sitting on the table.
many years later (ie: today) the boxes (and the toys) are bigger but i had that same feeling, knowing that my recent spree on ebay had come to fruition i headed out of the office in hopes of seeing a large box waiting for me in front of my apartment door and no doubt about it, it was there.
this is the beginning of a my first true build for myself, by myself and i can't help feeling like a kid...
i've posted about this before but it was just repbulished with the help of a copy editor on the DWR blog.
In a recent Design Notes newsletter, Ray Brunner discussed various forms of alternative, environmentally sound transportation. We’ve been asked: “So, where is that white bicycle in the picture from?” In response, I was asked to provide a little background about it.
Several years ago I asked one of my bicycle geek friends to build me a bike. What resulted was my pride and joy – an all black hybrid of old-school track bike and new-school fixed gear. Since then I have been very content with it. Given my love for my bicycle and all things cycling related, about a year ago a friend asked if it was possible for me to build her a bicycle. I had already been tinkering with the idea of taking up bicycle building as a hobby to get myself out from behind the computer, and I had experience in restoring vintage motorcycles so I thought, “How difficult could it be?”
I began pulling the pieces together, both new and vintage, and got the build under way. Having worked as a graphic designer for the last 10 years, I know the value of designing for my client – not for myself – so my goal was to design the prototypical bike for her, both in function and form. The finished product turned out exactly as I imagined it from the start (see the above Design Notes pic) and when I handed it over to her I saw her face light up (this must be why parents give their children bicycles for Christmas). Once everything was tightened down, we took a ride through the park together and her excitement grew the further she rode. She was hooked on riding her new, Jeremy-designed bike and I was hooked on building them.
Since then I’ve had more requests for work and it has actually grown into a fun little side project. While most designers love to see their work preserved for all to see, I much prefer seeing mine locked up to a post and worn from use – that means the owner is out enjoying themselves.
i'm weak for the ol' myspace survey:
1. Where's your number one on your top 8?
there's no hierarchy... they are all equal
2. What is your favorite possession?
bicycle
3. Do you own a gun?
staple gun
4. If you could tell ur ex something what would it be?
congratulations
5. Do you get nervous before doctors appointments?
nope, nerves of steel.
6. What do you think of hot dogs?
ick. help yourself, i'll pass.
7. Favorite Christmas Song?
'christmas sucks' by tom waits and peter murphy
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
coffee, blue bottle, french press
9. Can you do push ups?
you bet.
10. Is your bathroom clean?
immaculate. someone recently described it as being "hotel bathroom" clean, but some days not so much.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
metal watch, has a weight to it that i love.
12. Do you take painkillers?
do martinis count?
13. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
awkwardness.
14. Do you have A.D.D.?
i traded it in for O.C.D. years ago.
15. Still have a birthmark?
yep, or at least a funny scar that's been there as long as i can remember.
16. What are you doing tonight?
gym, meeting peeps for dinner, having a few cocktails and then out to some super late nightclub party that is bound to be pretty douchey but by the time i get there i won't care.
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
1. is this person hovering about to give me more work?
2. i'm hungry
3. i would like to leave work now please.
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought?
1. coffee and a scone
2. a pair of marc jacobs vans
3. a birthday present for a friend
19. Name 3 things you drink regularly:
1. water
2. coffee
3. martinis
20. Are you on a diet?
no way. i eat constantly
21. Who's number one on your top 8?
i love them all equally
22. Current worry:
that i'm not good enough at blocking my face and my kickboxing trainer will hit me so hard that the room changes color again.
23. Current hate:
people that try to put themselves above others.
24. Favorite place to be:
on my bike and in motion
25. How did you bring in the New Year?
at a friend's restaurant having dinner with one of my best friends. civilized.
26. Where would you like to go?
anywhere i haven't been.
27. Why do you wanna go there?
because i haven't been there.
28. What shirt are you wearing?
striped polo shirt. i'm bringing preppy back.
31. Would you be a pirate?
hell yeah.
32. Are you gay?
not remotely, but i get that question a lot...
33. Do you sing in the shower?
no but a little humming with the occasional whistle.
34. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?
the demon dogs from ghostbusters that my uncle convinced me that lived in the woods behind my house.
35. What's in your pockets right now?
nothing, i hate having stuff in my pockets.
36. What are you going to do after this?
eat lunch, friday means sushi boats.
37. Who do you want to be with right now?
me, myself and i
38. Worst injury you've ever had?
broken thumb, bet that sucker around almost 180 degrees.
39. Best feeling in the world?
warm summer nights.
40. Worst feeling in the world?
hangovers.
41. Does someone have a crush on you?
i hope so.
42. Do you wish on shooting stars?
no, i'll wish upon the occasional meteorite though.
43. What is your favorite food?
all of them.
44. What is your favorite candy?
boston baked beans
45. What song do/did you want played at your wedding?
no wedding is complete without the electric slide.
46. What song do you want played at your funeral?
'my way' sid vicious version.
49. What were you doing @ 12 AM last night?
drinking and talking about girls in my friend's kitchen.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
ouch, i don't think i can move my legs.
legendary record label founder, tv host and general purveyor of all things hip in manchester and abroad passed away on august 10th. a really great article on him can be found here.
