maybe i’m not done with 2008 yet…

here i a sketch i threw together for what i’m working on for the sheetrock.  really preliminary, but you can get an idea.

today is december 30th of the year 2008…

a lot has happened in recent weeks in my life. a lot. i experienced my first real snow in the city. i experienced my first trip to the cleaners in the bk. i experienced my first trip home for the holidays. i experienced my first dinner with some fam in the bk. i experienced my first bike ride over the williamsburg bridge. i bought my first pair of real boots. i experienced my first vandalism in the les.

allow me to elaborate.

my first real snow in new york was stunningly beautiful. i cannot express how beautiful snow in the city is. after the snow stops falling from the sky though, it gets freaking gnarly nasty. melting snow creates huge puddles. maybe puddles is the wrong word. “mini-lakes” might be a far better description. fortunately, i had on the rain boots and was able to trudge along without a hiccup. but, i did feel for those struttin’ around in their chuck taylors. crossing the street for those folk turned into an obstacle course involving jumping, hopping, dodging, and many another a verb to avoid getting soaked. they all still got soaked. here a couple photos from my kitchen window of the epic snow.

new yorks laundry services.  amazing.  drop off your laundry on your way to work, pick it up on the way home.  clean.  folded.  hung.  ten american dollars.  need i elaborate?

as always, i failed to take any photos on my trip home.  so i don’t have any photographic evidence to prove it, but i had an amazing time.  time spent with the family was amazing.  time spent with friends was amazing.  i felt a strange sense of nostalgia.  the trip was kind of my last real hurrah in the lbc.  i don’t think i allowed myself to fully feel “moved to new york” until after this past holiday trip.  i won’t be back until may, so now i will have a solid five months of living life in new york, surviving, striving, and hopefully progressing in every way of life.  back to the subjects of family and friends, i am blessed.  i will, and already do, miss my friends and family profusely.

still on the family tip, my aunt judy and uncle chuck came out to brooklyn for the holidays to spend some time with grady, sam and felix.  aunt judy called my mum up, got my number, and invited me over for a chili dinner that reminded me of many a holiday back home.  growing up, my family would hop in the van, drive over to aunt judy and uncle chuck’s pad, eat chili with tons of old family and friends, and then hoof it around the neighborhood singing christmas carols.  good memories.  and dinner with them was really fun.  i’ve been so busy out here i haven’t had a second to contact grady and sam to try and meet up.  i’m really glad to have some family out here.  they are both amazing people and felix, well felix is probably the most adorable little dude i’ve ever seen.  i have never seen a kid laugh so hysterically at distorted pictures of his parents on their imac.  next time i hang, i will get photographic evidence of this kid.  amazing.

prior to dinner with the fam in bk, i had gone out with tommy and tiffany via bike to grab some dinner and beer at a joint in bk called dumont burger.  delicious.  tommy had a friend in the les that wanted us to meet up, so we decided to go on an adventure and ride our bikes over the williamsburg bridge.  that was beautiful.  only problem is, i left my bike in the les and haven’t had a chance to grab it until tonight.  which leads me to my experience of vandalism.  somebody straight up bent my front rim.  didn’t steal my seat.  didn’t steal my sweet headlight.  just bent my front rim.  its still there.  tomorrow i will figure out how to get it home.  lame.

the good news is, that with all bad things, comes some good.  since i couldn’t ride my bike home tonight, i had to take the subway and then walk.  on my walk home down driggs, i stumbled across a good sized square of sheetrock that i can use to illustrate on.  wouldn’t have been able to grab it if i was on a bike.  maybe my bike got busted for that reason.  (i’m trying very hard to make light of the situation).

i’ve been trying to decide on what kind of boots to get for a while.  i got some money for christmas, we are supposed to get a storm tomorrow, i met a kid that worked at the shop that sold them, he offered to hook me up with a deal, so i bought em.  they are one of two styles i’ve been debating between for over a month.  the other pair, made by quoddy, would take at least two months to receive.  in two months, the winter will be almost over.  these are red wing irish setters that are exclusively sold at j. crew.  they are based off a style made in the 50′s.  the leather is to die for.  honestly, these will probably last me forever.

thats all i got for now.  i have no idea as to what i’m going to do for new years eve in new york.  but, i’m supposed to take a bus to boston on new years day to visit jamie and mike.  along with the visitation comes a tattooing session at jamie’s house.  his buddy is coming up from the south to tattoo out of jamie’s house for a couple days.  i’m stoked.  images will soon follow.

see ya’ll in 2009.

its snowing!!!

a good read…

one of my many favorite things about new york so far is the time allowed for reading on the subway… when living in la, and driving a car from long beach to la everyday, reading whilst driving is simply not an option (or at least not a safe one, though i’ve seen people working on excel spreadsheets as they drive up the 405)… i asked my friend mauri to give me a couple of books to pass the time on the subway, and the first one i talked was Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin…  i had absolutely no idea what i was getting myself into when i started the read, but was quickly enticed by the social commentary that is belched from mr. baldwin’s pen… the book observes many areas of thought that people never let out… while the book discusses david’s (the main character) romantic endeavours with both men and women, it dissects his interpretations, fears and judgements made of the world around him… i would recommend the book to anyone looking for a read that will get the brain a’churnin…

i’m currently working on A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers… so far, so good… i love ipods and books and subways…

ps…

i loaded some more of my old art work up to the gallery.  give it a check out if you get a chance.  just click on gallery up yonder.

new shwag…

it rained all day on thursday.  jake didn’t have footwear to deal.  jake dealt with it today.  no more wet socks.  and i bought glasses just cause i thought i looked reallllll stupid in them.  so there are a few photos on the bottom showing off “the stupid”.

some photos of the creeeeeeb…

i’ve been meaning to put pictures up of where i’m living for a while now, but i have failed… until now.  it was too dark to photograph the exterior, but heres the insides of my stark, bare, empty, weaksauce apartment.  but that will all change in time.  note to all who might one day move yonder… getting furniture to your apartment is not any easy task.  

stanley…

the new bicycle.

i found him on craigslist and that is what he had already been named.  he’s an old royce union japanese cruiser.  i needed a bike to get me to and from the subway every morning, but i also wanted a bike that would be fun to cruise around on in the summertime with friends.  i think i found a winner.  let me know what you think.

a couple of photos…

i’ll be honest, i really have been having so much fun that i have hardly documented any of it. over the next couple days i hope to start taking a lot more photos so that everyone can see what is actually going on over here. i’ll post some detailed pictures of my bike, apt, daily commute, etc. in the meantime, here are a few random photos i’ve captured throughout my new york explorations.

some super epic news, and some news that isn’t even really all that bad at all…

i received my packages from the hometown!  stoked.  computer.  clothes.  shoes.  thats about it.  all i’ve got left to ship are the guitbucket and the fixie-rickshaw.  oh, and don’t forget about the picture wall.

the not so bad news is that i can’t get the wireless on my computer to work properly, so i can’t use this update for a photo sesh.  fortunately, i can buy a wire tomorrow and do it the ole fashion way.  i’m just a smidget bummed that i couldn’t update y’all with a few of the very few photos i have taken.  

let me elaborate… life out here is amazing.  not only have i been having an amazing time, but i’ve been able to sleep at night.  back home in the lbc i had an extremely hard time sleeping because, in all honesty, i really didn’t do all that much so my body didn’t need to sleep all that much.  out here, i’m running around like a chicken with my friggin’ head cut off but i love it.  i hit the pillow and i’m out cold.

 i’ve also become super inspired for a few art pieces.  the first one will be a 4′ by 4′ piece i’m going to do for maurz in the plank style of done some of my more recent stuff on.  i’ve already got a quick sketch done, now i just need to figure out how to get the wood to the crib.  i’m pretty sure it will be my favorite thing i’ve ever done.  clue?  i’m using some paint.

my job is epic in all formations.  i love the people i work with.  i have fun, work hard, and make money.  what else do you want work to be?  i cannot wait until i’m fully settled in and the shop becomes even more epic than now.  watch kids, it’ll happen.

enough of the rambling for now.  tomorrow, after the lakers game, i’ll come home and set my computer up properly so y’all can have some visuals.  

friends and family back home, i miss you a whole ton.  as much as i don’t really want to come home for christmas, i’m really excited to see everybody.   i expect everyone to have a ticket booked for a visit sometime before may by the time i get back.  deal?  deal.

apologies for the lack of updates…

but i am currently computer-less until my computer arrives sometime next week.  life has been amazing.  i love this place.  i love the adventure.  while i definitely dearly miss all my amazing friends back home, i feel like this is the place that i belong.  aside from sleeping, i haven’t done anything other than be constantly active.  whether it be working, exploring, fiesta’ing, high-fiving, subway’ing, walking, drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, having a beer with lunch, eating amazing food, waiting for my bed to arrive, hearing new music, etc, i really haven’t had a second of real downtime in my short three day tenure here.  its much different than the laid back life of miss california.  i realized almost instantaneously how much living in long beach held me back from doing things.  being so far from the heart of los angeles, you really have a hard time convincing yourself that its worth driving an hour or more away to do new things.  in new york, everything is within 30 minutes.  well, 45 right now.  but that is because i don’t have a bike yet.  hopefully that will have changed by tomorrow night.  i’ve got one in my sights that seems to be extraordinary.  i’ll end this post with a pic of the bicicleta.  it might snow tonight!  woot

i have arrived

In brooklyn. Slept like a baby on the plane. I don’t feel awake at all but I’m in the cab cruisin to the crib. I’m going to miss everybody profusely, but this will be one hell of a ride. Can’t wait to see where it takes me. Hit me up whenever, I’ll just be chillin… Not. But still, hit me up. Ps, I’m so out of it right now.

the happy birthday rob and farewell jake event of the millenium…

or just one of the funnest nights of my life.  i can’t remember the last time i had so many of my favorite people together, in the same place, having the most amazing time.  i am super blessed to have so many good friends around.  plus, my friends all pitched in and purchased the jacket i wanted for me as a going away gift.  freaking rad.  here are a few photos from matthew lee crane.  for the rest, click here and you can view his flickr with many many more.