August 31, 2009

We All Slip Up At Some Point

And when we do, let's hope we are caught red-handed looking half as good as these chaps. After posting about Early Sydney Mugshots last month, I got a package in the mail from Australia. I had to think if I had made any off-the-cuff, unsavory comments in my post about the continent being founded by criminals, and if I needed to have the package x-rayed before opening it. Once I remembered I had not, in fact, made any derogatory comments about our brethren to the South, I went ahead and tore in. Inside the package was a book from my friend, Dare. He had taken notice that I had developed a kinship to Australia's underbelly of the early 20th century, and bought me a book, Crooks Like Us, that depicts, in depth, this very topic. Filled with even more impressive portraits, the book documents a time in history when breaking the law had everything to do with dressing like you didn't. If somebody had torn some pages out, showed them to me and told me it was the new Thom Browne look-book, I would've believed them. Serious class.




























More of this...

A Day At The Ballet

Nothing like a few million dollars worth of the most beautiful cars on earth flying around a track at top speed in slow motion. I'd pay to go see this in a theater. Well, maybe a matinee price at least. Make sure to check out Speed Hunters and their amazing blog about everything fast and on four wheels.


More of this...

August 28, 2009

Take Me out

I don't know if there are a lot of MLB fields that are open in the middle of the day, and where the worst thing a security guard will do when he sees you is not say "hi," but Dodger stadium is in fact, just that field. A middle of the day, off the cuff turn, yielded a pretty awesome discovery. It was eerie enough seeing all of the empty parking rows as I pulled up the hill toward the entrance, but things got really eerie when all the gates were open and I was able to walk right in. Dodger Stadium is now the third oldest MLB stadium in the country, and it's still as impressive as it was when it was first built in '62. I'm not even a big fan of baseball, but there is something about going to a field that will make you a fan, if only for a few innings. Especially when you're the only one there.

There is a spirit in the park you can't really describe. It's not just the size of the empty structure engulfing you, but even more powerful is the idea that this place has been the source, the creator, of memories for millions of people for nearly 50 years. It's odd to see such an iconic landmark not doing its job, not being, not living. I felt like I had walked in on the park changing, or caught it sleeping at its desk. I wasn't sure if I should say something, or just walk on by and let it have its alone time. But then again, the gate was open. It made me feel larger-than-life, standing above the field and over the thousands of quiet seats, witnessing its vulnerability. Like watching a dragon sleep... at least I guess, I've never seen a dragon sleep... or a dragon for that matter. Whatever, it was fun. Go check it out.








































More of this...

August 27, 2009

1:32

There was a time when kids played with innocent, simple toys. They didn't make noise, you couldn't plug them in, and you didn't worry about purchasing a warranty with it in case the fuse blew. No, times were less complicated at one point, and the toys were no different. Below is evidence of such a moment when all it took for a few hours of entertainment was a semi-clean floor and the ability to make an engine sound with pursed lips.

Makes you want to have Rick Moranis as a dad, doesn't it? The first film, of course. The sequel would render these small Porsches useless as you stomped around the city looking for a 32:1 scale model instead.


























More of this...

August 26, 2009

Ye Olde Goode Things

OGT opened their new(er) location on Olympic a couple months ago, and as usual, they have goode things. I walked through the shop, drooled a bit, and left thinking the only items I felt as if I couldn't live without were a pair of curling stones. That's why I love places like Olde Good Things, I never even knew I NEEDED a pair of curling stones. You're not going to find a steal, in fact, you'll probably pay more than most places. But, can you put a price on discovery? Why would someone actually NEED a pair of curling stones, you ask? That's irrelevant. Go back to work.






































More of this...