Boom: David LaSpina

Wow! I just spotted an old friend featured on art blog BOOOOOOOM! today: David La Spina.
Check it:

David was a senior when I was a high school freshman. He and his close friends were always cool to me, invited me to parties and drove me around. Anyway, his friendship meant a ton to me and helped me through that awkward first year at school. I've mostly lost touch with David, except through facebook, and I sent him a message to congratulate him on his feature... though I'm sure he's received much greater recognition for his work... seeing as he is now a regular contributor to the NYTimes... sweet.

David's website HERE

Foto Friday

New shoes

Clear head

I woke up today and feel okay about paying $5 to skate an indoor mini ramp. It's all good!

Photo Updates

aldy watching the "incredible dog championship"

aldy getting belly rubs

handy

work

set-up the new board

New tradition

I may have alluded to this before, but recently I've been swooning over traditional craftsmanship that is on the come-up.

Leather, waxed cotton, wool, cork... Materials that I am falling in love with. Here are some companies that I keep running into on the internet superhighway who have a pretty strong focus on traditional craftsmanship and traditional materials, beyond just being handmade crafts.

Billykirk - PA (www.billykirk.com) - Leathergoods, est. 1999

Makr Carry Goods (www.makr.com) - Leathergoods, est. 2009?

Field Notes (fieldnotesbrand.com) - old-fashioned memo books

ML Brown & Co. (www.mlbrownandco.com)

Honorable mentions:

Freeman Transport - Montana (www.freemantransport.com) est. 2006

Rapha clothing (rapha.cc) - England

Outlier clothing (outlier.cc)

Howies "Hand-Me-Down" Collection (hmd.howies.co.uk)

Not to mention the randonneuring outfitters that peddle myriad handmade goodies (Rivendell - rivbike.com, Velo-Orange.com, Carradice Bags, Acorn Bags...)--all worth checking out.

Even a mainstream company like J Crew offers some pretty nice handcrafted stuff that fits into their traditional, maritime theme, and fetches a nice price for good reason...

stuff at home

 

sketch

around work i get to do all the art and design stuff, so today i've been working on this drawing for a shirt idea and have been toying around with features in an old version of photoshop... fun stuff...

and yeah, that suspender is janky

updates

my winter refuge set up as of yesterday (plus newly-acquired things like a Surly rack, MKS Sylvan track pedals, Cadence double straps, and Axiom Typhoon panniers...)

get connected

secrets, secrets

did i tell you yet?

due date: April 11

good stuff

from http://theselvedgeyard.files.wordpress.com

weekend

Not much to report: family came down this weekend--always good to hang with family... my brother had his last collegiate football game--unfortunately his team lost, but they out-performed the other guys, no doubt. exciting game for sure.

i've got poison ivy on my face in a couple spots, namely in the area of my beard scruff. sucks a lot.

got some good rest, completed a couple errands, saw J&M's beautiful new house (they close on Tuesday) and it's only 10 minutes away!, C is cooking cookies, experienced a chorizo/egg/bean/potato burrito this morning--not bad, but not great, especially not with coffee...

also, i just successfuly wrapped handlebar tape on the cross check. i'm really pumped about it. i'm hoping it doesn't unravel right away... wooha wooha gotcha all in check

surly sets sail

the surly cross check made its maiden voyage this week, in the condition shown here, without handlebar tape and with poorly adjusted brakes.

Today the tires are significantly dirtier and the brakes (after a lot of agonizing) are perhaps a little better adjusted. On the first trip the handlebars weren't tight enough, and today I found out the right brake lever wasn't tight enough. But I haven't crashed, so that's positive. The bike is rad for sure. With a bunch of upgrades (including Ritchey handlebars, Vittoria tires, Thomson seatpost, Cinelli cork handlebar tape, and FSA crank arms) I've still managed to build up the Cross Check for about $300 less than the MSRP for one that's all stock...

photo update

Vacation: Part II

Bike racks

So recently I've decided to up the utility of my road bike and bought a cargo rack for the rear to hold some stuff, especially some bags that might carry extra groceries in the near future. I was pretty pumped after installing it.

I had been researching racks all over the internet to see what was available and what people were recommending. I wasn't super impressed with selections and it seems like no one really cares to talk about the racks they prefer. So I just bought what the local shop owner suggested--an economical rack without any fluff. $29.

While at the shop I noticed a tiny chrome rack that was apparently for the front of a bike made by Nitto--who makes some notable racks. $49 was written on the bag. The next day I was curious to research the particular rack only to realize that not only was this rack--the Nitto Mark's (mini) rack--out of stock at the few places where it is normally sold, but in one place it was going for $139. Bam! Anyway, I went back to check if it was the same thing and it was, so I bought it. Bam! It's on my bike now.

So, in one week I installed two racks on my bike. Let's haul some stuff.

Imagination

This is probably one of the coolest, inspirational things I've seen recently: Halo by Aissa Logerot
(found @ GetBuck, reblogged from CarLovely)

Just like you would shake a can of paint to keep it flowing, you shake this to recharge the light. I can't hardly contain my fascination with this. Simple things that, once revealed, are so dumb-foundingly brilliant and obvious.

Inspirational.

I've been spray painting a lot in my garage lately, on found canvases and found wood. By "a lot" I mean more than "not" which has been the status over the past three years. Mostly I'm just draining half-empty cans of junk paint, experimenting with any caps I have remaining, trying to regain any can-control I might have ever had (which doesn't say much). I've never enjoyed art so much as when I've had a can of paint in my hand. It's seriously the most satisfying art I've ever made. Unlike a tiny, pencil-like brush that involves slight movement of your wrist, aerosol paint involves full body movements and larger than life painting. Just don't forget your mask...

Longer

Been trying to find something to write about. Today I rushed out of the house in a terribly grumpy mood after finding that two of my tomato plants had fallen over due to pouring rain, worthless metal cages, and the burden of so many large and unripe fruits.

C called me at work to say she had managed to prop the plants up with bricks. It's a temporary fix, but it reminded me that she loves me so much and wants to take care of me, if only to reverse the direction of my shitty moods.

I also found these photos on J&M's photo-blog of C and me. I usually hate pictures of myself but I'm obsessed with Jess's editing talents. She knows how to make it work.
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I'll also mention C's dad has been staying with us since Monday to start finishing our basement. He's banged out so many great projects around our house. This one is more than a bite and I'm excited to get my hands in on it--even if my part is only hanging drywall and slinging mud.
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This week has been a stress: lots of rain that seems to dump only when we are trying to get work done and gray clouds that have lingered all day long; C's work schedule has been a bit off; not been riding my bike much--which tends to be my main form of exercise; and work around the house has kept it a mess and has inhibited much needed down time. None of it is really bad--just minor things that are keeping me feeling a bit exhausted. I'm pining for the weekend.

B-day, Patio, Photos

(I apparently didn't take photos of the most complicated steps: leveling the sand...)
We owe you big, DanS'mores