"Breakin' Is A Memory."

Before he was No Country For Old Men, Josh Brolin was Thrashin'. Who doesn't love a little West Side Story gone gnar? If it's been a while, or never, I threw some scenes below to get you caught up on the styles in the time of skate-gangs and sweatpants. I don't remember the Daggers being that awesome - Brando and the BRMC meets Cobra-Kai shredding and getting rad. Where do I sign up? Check out more Thrashin' style after the jump.















Just when you thought it was all dead... a couple pieces from Warriors Of Radness...

DAGGER STYLE

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In Stere-ere-o

One thing's for damn sure - they just don't make 'em like they used to. I like great sound, loud movies and "thumpin' bass" just as much as the next guy, but if my system looked half as good as the components below, I would just sit and watch these instead of TV. My very talented friend, Rob, sent this great site over a while ago and I've been stopping in regularly just to get my fix ever since. Whatever the hell those meters mean, makes you want to plug this guitar in and turn it up to the red part.

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If You Believe...

They put a man on the move -- Man on the moooove. Sorry, couldn't help that. One of my favorite auto-spotting blogs, Man On The Move, has asked me to join their team and be their Los Angeles contributor. Basically do what I do anyway - take photos of interesting cars, bikes and, when possible, the owners. Sounds good to me. I don't know what engine came in what and how many ponies it put out when stock, but I do know when a car or bike deserves to have its picture taken. Add it to your daily reads and think of it as The Sartorialist, but for cars.



While on topic - if any of you live in LA, drive a cool car (even if it's just cool to you) and have a style you think should be shared, hit me up and let me come shoot you and your whip.















And yes... I do submit shots where you can actually SEE the car. Every now and again function follows form. These were just a few of my favorites.

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I'm Sorry, What?

I said, this post is about pencil collections. Yea, uh-huh, there are people out there that devote large portions of their lives to the collecting, documenting and bartering of lead holders and pencils. Now, one might look down, even knock this hobby, lord knows thoughts of straight-jackets and pocket protectors fluttered through my head at first, but one must also take their hat off to anyone as passionate about something as these people are.

Words such as "fantastical," "enigmatic" and "breathtaking," often accompany detailed shots of their coveted writing utensils, thus painting a portrait of these collector's world. A world where lead is as important a commodity as oil, kings are appointed not by bravery or bloodline but by the shear number of "specimens" in their collections, and women speak openly about thickness and hardness - but still giggle. Hell, who's to judge? I have a website devoted to weird things I like too.



My discovery of said hobby came late at night when, guilty enough, I was online looking for a particular pencil my father used to use when I was a kid (7th down). I know this pencil intimately because I would always steal them out of my dad's briefcase and subsequently receive a lecture about how when I do that he has to get more from the supply closet and that costs the company money. I find it hard to believe Texaco stocks were ever seriously effected by the pencil purchase orders coming out of my dad's office... but then again. (Texaco RIP) Uh-Oh. Sorry, dad.

Below is more evidence that pencil collectors from around the globe are not only among some of the most passionate and thorough of people, but most exhibit fantastic photo skills in the documentation of their prized possessions. You want some of these? You want to start a collection of your own? Jump on eBay and start bidding. $165.00? Seriously?

Fear of commitment? A fascination stemming from my obsession and anger over not being able to easily change my elementary school report cards? Whatever it is, I have always been more attracted to the less permanent of writing instruments over their pocket-staining counterparts. All these people online doing their "looks" and including cameras and notepads, maybe it's time we all pay more attention to the pencils we carry too. Because hey, the pen may be mightier than the sword, but can either erase? Write that down.

























Yea, that's a pencil writing example of ALL this guy's pencils. They're more where this one came from.

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Uniform Choice

The illustrated history of the American Football uniform, by way of "The Fist 50 Years," seventh printing, 1974.

"I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes till the biggest battle of our professional lives all comes down to today. Now either we heal as a team or we’re gonna crumble, inch by inch, play by play, 'til we’re finished.

We’re in hell right now, gentlemen, believe me. And, we can stay here -- get the shit kicked out of us -- or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell one inch at a time.

DECATUR ST ALEYS, 1922
GREEN BAY PACKERS, 1921

DULUTH ESKIMOS, 1926

NEW YORK GIANTS, 1934

CHICAGO BEARS, 1936

DETROIT LIONS, 1940

LOS ANGELES RAMS, 1948

CLEVELAND BROWNS, 1950

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS, 1954

BALTIMORE COLTS, 1957

GREEN BAY PACKERS, 1961

Now, I can’t do it for you. I’m too old. I look around. I see these young faces, and I think -- I mean -- I made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who’s ever loved me. And lately, I can’t even stand the face I see in the mirror.

You know, when you get old in life things get taken from you. I mean that's...part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losing stuff. You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small -- I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.

The inches we need are everywhere around us.

They’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.

On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch, because we know when we add up all those inches that’s gonna make the fuckin' difference between winning and losing! Between livin' and dyin'!

I’ll tell you this: In any fight, it’s the guy who’s willing to die who’s gonna win that inch. And I know if I’m gonna have any life anymore, it’s because I’m still willin' to fight and die for that inch. Because that’s what livin' is! The six inches in front of your face!!

Now I can’t make you do it. You got to look at the guy next to you. Look into his eyes! Now I think you’re gonna see a guy who will go that inch with you. You're gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team because he knows, when it comes down to it, you’re gonna do the same for him!

That’s a team, gentleman!

And, either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals.

That’s football guys.

That's all it is.

Now, what are you gonna do?

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