Stencil :: Street

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Freestyle Flashback

Lady Tigra is back. Welcome back, Lady Tigra.
Personally, I enjoyed 'Supersonic' the most, but here's a tip 'o the hat to your white-hot hit single which established you...as awesome.

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Old ID

Cause Daddy's Tired and This is Funny

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Music

I got bit by the iTunes bug and bought all this new music:

• Metric,
  
• Go! Team
• Shiny Toy Guns

Complete albums. No 99¢ per song bullshit. Look for selected tracks to be served up soon.

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Portland Hometown Heroes :: Swan Island :: Crumble

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Self Discovery :: Redux & Paradox Compel Me

So I was enjoying an old post of mine (a mental masturbation, if you will.. ED: gross) when I had a moment of clarity:
Many of the things that catch my mind/eye are things that are not necessarily primary-source original, but rather re-interpretations of things already popular or 'out there' in culture. Put another way: I don't feel it necessary to try to inject my own idea, opinion, position, or message on the world. I have my own private, internal sphere for that stuff to thrive; I do however, enjoy the re-processing of that which has been accepted by the popular culture (whatever it may be). I believe this is why I appreciate the Japanese (and German) to a certain extent, and also my peculiar position as a facilitator/designer/artist/researcher.

It may also explain why I enjoy the idea of IronMen hugging, or nerds triumphing, and atheists laughing last.

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Hot, If Not Derivative Commercial

So I'm sitting on the couch and this commercial comes on where some hot model type chick standing on a NYC subway platform gets "cut" by a dude exiting the train as he flips open his phone and it grazes model chick's dress. A battle ensues a lá Animatrix but in live action. The accompanying soundtrack is compelling as well. The spot is for a Motorola phone and the track isn't new (Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko) but it's good.

Click here to view the ad. [via Adweek].

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Solitude

I've been on my own for the past 36 hours. That is ending in about 15 minutes.
In that time, I've been productive and contemplative. I've also read a shitload of garbage (Gawker, Jezebel, Reddit, Stumble, etc.).

What was the point of this post? (Solitude allows the mind to wander mad, yo).
Oh yes, this professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University gave his last lecture as he has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer.

It's an interesting read. I can't help but find it somewhat sad.
CMU professor gives his last lesson on life [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

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My Friends Are Throwing Me a Suprise Party

Well, they're calling it an "intervention" but whatever...

-Comedy & Magic Club, Hermosa Beach

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Buffalo Bill - You Got Competition

(Although, this individual strikes me as one who wouldn't want to part with his lotion, unlike Bill.)
Please, please watch this video all the way through. It's...worth it.

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I Couldn't Have Said It Better

alternate title: "WTF?!"

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The WTC Follows Me Wherever I Go It Seems

Yeah, that's "save" that's chalked onto the beam.

Currently, a public installation/memorial is being installed in my town for 9-11. The piece contains 2 large rusted, crunked girders from the World Trade Center in New York. When I first walked by it during the day and slowly realized what I was looking at I got completely freaked out. As I walked away from it, though I started to smile.

"Good to see you again," I thought to myself. "Funny you should retire to this seaside town with a view of the ocean, too."

I used to walk past the exact same structural supports down in Battery Park when I went to visit my friend who lived across the street. She's since died.

There's a scheduled unveiling whatever this Tuesday in the morning. I think I will make a point of walking down and checking it out. Fuck you terrorists and you too Mister President.

###
On a lighter note:

Me: Knock, knock.
You: Who's there?
Me: 9-11.
You: 9-11 who?




Me: YOU SAID YOU'D NEVER FORGET!

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Update :: Kylie Kwong, Fresno Peppers, Baby Bok Choy

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I'm Officially an Art Collector

Yeah, I'm watching gymnastics while I hang my art, so?

The glare makes this photo pretty useless, but the pieces are ink & charcoal on wood veneer.

"Burgeon" & "Periphery" are in the process of being installed over the fireplace.
Artist :: Leslie Yagar.

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Why I Never Get Anything Done

This is totally ganked from the web. I'm sorry I can't cite the source.

Pegasus Fossil

click to view full size

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Strange Sight

This morning while having coffee on my (increasingly dilapidated) balcony, I observed a decent sized crow alight on top of a utility pole with an entire slice of whole wheat bread in its beak.

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She Looks Like a 60's Superhero Who Fights Bummers

I know Vice (magazine) is a total joke for the most part, but for complex, deep-seated reasons beyond the scope of this post, I find the Do/Don't pictures like crack. [NSFW often]

Can't. Stop. Clicking. Next.

The captions are often pretty good too. For example.

Or this one.

But then I started reading the comments below the pictures and it slowly dawned on me that the assholes who write the captions are a) totally gross themselves b) homophobic to a point that's embarrassing and c) perhaps being über-meta-ironic. I started to look at each "Do" as an actual "Don't" (and vice-versa). (Go on, try it.) Now I don't know what to think. Perhaps the lesson is to just drop all the critique and quest for 'cool' and just chill.

Then my brain folded in on itself.

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Euphemisms :: Sometimes They Make One Look Unsmart

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A Dater Miner's Dream :: Damn You, Kylie Kwong

So I caught an episode of some random cooking program with an Australian Chinese woman, Kylie Kwong on HGTV (I think). This led to me foraging the wilds of Amazon drunk ordering 2 of her books (one is on pre-order, thanks). So after receiving the first book, "Simple Chinese Cooking" (about which, NOTHING is simple), I plopped into my scorched car and drove to the deep heart of Torrance to my awesome Chinese SuperMarket, Ranch 99 to purchase things exotic, like Sze Chuan peppercorns, fermented black beans, and Blue Pagoda cooking wine. Tonight I'z attempting shrimp wontons, braised baby bok-choy, and chicken marinated in a whole bunch of stuff.

My initial take on Ms. Kwong:: anal retentive as hell but cuts vegetables on a mean diagonal.
If I get my act together, I may very well post pictures.

Oh and at Ranch99, besides the tanks of fresh living seafood (hello crayfish!) and the aisle of assorted "fermented" (read: rotting) vegetables, the cute infants being carted around by young Chinese couples shopping are ADORABLE.

**Update: The fact that I've envangelized Ms. Kwong to a fellow foodie friend via a blog post proves the post's title was aptly chosen.

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Summer Nostalgic

I can't quite explain it, but looking through this photo set left me feeling incredibly...wistful.

varones flickr photo from Summer of Love (set)

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My New Look

given the recent heatwave that has been scorching southern California lately, is awesome:
socks & sneakers, with underwear. That's it.

Turns heads I tell you.

It was surprisingly difficult to find an illustrative image. This is the closest I came.

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The End of Summer, Don't Think So

Yeah, so Labor Day. I labored quite intensely
-- TO REJOOV MAH TAN. lol

Not but seriously, it is hot and sunny here at the beach. There was not a breath of wind to be felt, which allowed for the rare blanket of humidity to hang. I was sweating like a fat kid at a cannibal camp...just laying there on the sand. The ocean was colder today then yesterday but it was most welcome. I also seem to have perfected the delicate art of the swimming shorts/functional under-support combo.

Now I'm home, freshly showered. At the end of a nice hot sunburnt summer day, when I get home and showered, hair combed wet I always think of the book L’Étranger by Camus. (Before things go to hell, I mean with the headaches and the blinding sun and the knife fight). When Meursalt recounts his day at the beach and the late afternoon back in his room with Marie.

And it's only Sunday.

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