Friday, August 28, 2009

Third time is the charm

A few weeks ago I asked a frame shop how much it would cost for them to make a custom photo mat for an 11x14 print in a 20x20 frame. the answer: 30 bucks with a 3 week turn around. Damn - I needed to get 4 of them made.

Of course, he wasn't just quoting me a price. He was squaring off with fists up. He wanted to fight. He just may not know it, but he definitely was picking a fight with me. I say: Bring it on.

Here's the project by the numbers:

(1) trip to Pearl Paint
(124) Chinese grandmas and tourists who almost crushed my 6ft x 4ft mat board on my way home.
(10) min racking my brain trying to remember how to add and divide fractions
(2) failed attempts at cutting the right mat size: One time I misread my own handwriting and thought 9 inches was 7 inches. The other time I cut my edge on a 75 degree angle by accident.
(4) times I cut the stupid bevel angle the WRONG way. Apparently, I am a bit slow at the whole learning thing.

But i finally did it....correctly. Here is the final board below framing a picture snapped in Dubrovnik. Booyeah!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Delayed definition of a Perfect Day

Sometimes perfect days sneak up on you. I often find that I discover that I had a perfect day....several days after that day has passed. I know it sounds strange, but it happens. The chances of a delayed definition of a Perfect Day goes up exponentially if you managed to snap a lot of good pics to help you remember.

I just spent the weekend out in Montauk with a good friend attempting to surf Hurricane Billy's waves. We got crashed on by 12 foot waves. Swept downshore by a current you would expect when a hurricane passes through. I was scared out of my mind on at least two separate occasions when I thought there was no way I would survive - did I mention that I'm scared of waves?

Note to all: I never got up on those 12 footers although my friend did. Kudos Andrew. Sorry I missed the photo opp. Here's your post-surf money shot.


Below are the waves out by the lighthouse in Montauk which is on the very very very tip of Long Island. It is pure unadulterated ocean. Perfect for surfing Billy's waves.

Here's a close up of that same wave. Check out that surfer who is about to get POUNDED by this 17 footer. Imagine you are him. Now you have an inkling of how scared I was out there. Disclosure: I did not and will never attempt to surf 17 foot waves.

We left after we saw too many bloody surfers leave the water.

Next stop: out to Ditch Plains.

-------Time Lapse ------- Getting demolished by the waves (no pics of this, sorry)

Bored with battling waves, I grabbed my camera and started to see what other people on the beach were doing....




Upon leaving, I turned around one last time to soak in the beautiful beach and captured this shot.


By the end of the day after being banged up, washed up, bruised and tired, we felt like a million bucks. I was too tired then to appreciate it. But as I'm downloading all my pics, I sure am appreciating it now.

It was indeed a Perfect Day.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Hello kitty sparkling rose must be a sign

Hello Kitty-branded bubbly?? This must be a sign of...SOMETHING. Some hypotheses below:

1. That our society is truly disintegrating into 100% pure crap.

2. That we are definitely pulling out of these hard economic times
(this poor excuse for marketing costs 30 bucks)

3. That this is really a joke and someone at Sanrio is snickering in
his cube watching to see if anyone is lame enough to actually purchase
this.

4. That the Asians are taking over the world and will appoint Ms Kitty
as their figurehead.

5. That sparkling rose is best left for amateurs.

My best guess is that it is all of the above. Someone get me out of
here.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Indulgences allowed during a sabbatical

Waking up at noon and partaking in the NYC brunch scene any damn day I
please. No line. No wait. Only need to fight all the Euro-tourists.
But that's easy. I just send them over to Cafe Habana.

Habana btw reigns as the downtown brunch scene that has the worst line
to good food ratio.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

NYC yard sale

Steven Alan dress. Chloe shoes. Dirty Hanes underwear. Hoboken hat.
Old Chinese take out container. All happening on Mott and prince.

Take what you need. But don't be greedy.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Quit Your Job T-Shirt Explained

I've fielded a couple of inquiries about the Quit Your Job T-shirt. So, I thought I would share the inspiration behind the message here - straight from the t-shirt designer himself. Enjoy.

QUIT YOUR JOB: It isn't exactly about just quitting your job. It’s about getting unstuck. If you’re not happy, what are you waiting for? Quit following the path that is unfulfilled and consider doing something else. The time is Now. For most of us, this is the hardest part of changing your life. Making that first step. You have two choices in life: the path of least resistance, or the path you can’t resist. I say, “why resist?”. Quit. Go. Now.

BUY A TICKET: the world is a big place and there’s a million dreams we’ve all had, most of which will go unrealized unfortunately. Buying a ticket means finding a destination where you think improvement can be made and pointing yourself in that direction. The great thing about travel is when we get somewhere new our lives usually appear different to us when we look back into them from the outside. I’ve always thought that as a society we don’t spend enough time vacationing. We spend 50 weeks a year working for the goal of taking 2 weeks off. There’s an obvious problem with this equation. But even one day off, if lived correctly, can be a major return on a small investment. The ticket doesn’t cost that much in the scope of life.

GET A TAN: It’s not about the tan. It’s really about letting yourself go, to really learn to relax and become a “local” in your new environment. I’ve found through extensive island travels that its takes a considerable amount of time to become “unstuck” and become a local. Our day-to-day jobs, efforts, trials and tribulations build up a lot of scar tissue and we put up a lot of barriers in dealing with them. This makes seeing the good things hard sometimes. It takes nearly a month to truly decompress. Another month to become yourself again (and by yourself I mean that person who was once full of ideals and dreams that has been slowly silenced by the day to day monotony that seems to change us and put us off course). And again it takes another month just to become indoctrinated in becoming a “local” in whatever new environment you are in. The locals know the roads, the hideaways, the places that make you smile. They are freer than us. So yeah, I guess I’m saying that to truly “get a tan”, and not just a “tourist tan”, you need to be somewhere 3 months. We’ve seen them on vacation – those dark-skinned, ex-patriated locals that make us jealous. Their tans are different than ours. Well so are their minds too.

FALL IN LOVE. I think this is a testament to becoming yourself again. It doesn’t necessarily mean “finally finding that perfect person that only exists in faraway fantasy locales”, but by returning to the state of mind that allows you to be open to falling in love. In love with where you are, who you are, and in love with the potential of your future. This love is what allows great things to happen again. And it usually isn’t dependent on anyone other than ourselves to achieve.

NEVER RETURN. Well it’s the best ending to being reborn. Don’t go back to the past, keep moving forward, life can be as great as we want to make it, so never move backward. The past makes up who we are. No matter how great, or how bad some events have shaped us, it’s what we’re left with today that we have to work with. This is where true growth happens in our life. By moving forward, building upon the past, seeking greatness in the future. Never returning.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Lobster Roll Project

Lobster Roll Project - The Inspiration

I grew up in New England...but I've never had a lobster roll. How is this possible?

These peeps look soooo excited to be making LRs ALL DAY EVERY DAY for people's picnics. I would really hate to disappoint.


Lobster Roll Project - The Resources

Wow. Talk about supply and demand....a lobster here is cheaper than the Corona I had last night. It is fate. LR Project here I come!

btw - can we talk about the margins those two happy peeps in the previous post are making on their LRs? Jeez. I'm in the wrong business. Wait - I'm technically not in any business right now. I am unemployed.

Oh well. Details.


Lobster Roll Project - The Execution

Well, not really. I got distracted and got a vanilla soft serve instead.

Anyone wanna go ride bikes?

Suburbia offers perspective

I think I'd rather be stuck on a packed 4/5 train during rush
hour...in august...in one of those cars where the air conditioning is
busted...then be stuck right here right now in rush hour traffic.

No- wait a minute. That's a bold faced lie. Strike that.

note to readers: I almost just crashed my car taking this picture. I have fabulous judgment.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

The birth of a startup

Here it is. The birth of a new venture. All on the back of a torn up yet still fabulous
wine menu (thank you Peasant - much obliged) and complete with aimless
doodles that helped get the creative juices going.

Will this brainstorm come to fruition? Who knows? Actually, who cares? It was fun
to let the imagination run free for awhile.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009