Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Missed Connections on the Subway

Sofia, for god's sake, CALL JOE!!!
 

Monday, August 27, 2012

Me and Bruce


I'm not saying I look like Bruce Springsteen but I think these photos have a similar feel to them.  The overall look and composition maybe.  Or perhaps it's just wishful thinking.  At any rate it was unintentional.  I actually started to cut the "spine" of all my v-neck undershirts because of this album cover (you can barely see it beneath my white-collar shirt).

The photos of me were taken on a late Saturday night after my best friend's wedding of which I was the (un-official) best man.  I was standing in front of the closet getting undressed when the friend I was crashing with took these pictures.  It was a good night well spent and we were feeling quite relaxed and satisfied.

This is a great Springsteen album by the way.  I think my favorite, next to Nebraska.  Racing in the Street floors me.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Classic Candies

I love the classic candies.  Bit-O-Honey, Mary Janes, Toffees, Malt Balls, Licorice, etc.  Every Christmas I buy a tin and fill it with them to snack on while hanging with the family.  Sticks to your teeth, but I love it.  When I went to my friend's wedding in Waynesville, NC I came upon a general store whose entire basement was filled with barrels of candy.  A dream come true.  I stocked up for sure and bought smarties for all the groomsmen (but in the wedding-jitters-madness forgot to hand them out!).  It's a good thing I don't live anywhere near this store otherwise all my teeth would fall out!
I never had much of a sweet-tooth growing up and didn't start getting into sugary things until my 30's.  I'm picky for sure, so I don't eat too much, and I temper it with the healthy stuff of course.  But candy is a fun diversion from my usual constitution. 

Monday, August 13, 2012

So Destroyed




It is not my intention to use this blog as a promotional platform for local or contemporary musical artists, but I have to share this song because it is simply killing me with pleasure.  Prince Rama's track, So Destroyed (as told through the fictional band, Rage Peace), is such a ground-breaking step forward for them, it really excites me.  I first saw them last year open up for Indian Jewelry, and have been charting their course since.  A fan of their live performances, I've never really gotten into their studio recordings....until this.  So Destroyed transcends beyond their eastern-influenced mysticism into a wholly unique and uplifting adjudication.
My favorite part of the song is about 1:35 into the track when the break down switches from C major into a G major chord....a simple change that gives me goosebumps.  I can't wait to see where this band takes us next.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Black & White China

Here's a collection of the black & white photos I took in China.  Most of them are from my trip to Hangzhou, which is famous for its lake and surrounding woods.  It's a few hours from Shanghai and I took the train there by myself.    It was crazy getting there and back.  Imagine the chaos of Penn Station except all the signs are in Chinese.  I would stare at the characters of the alphabet on my ticket and then check the board until I found a match.  It worked!

The West Lake at Hangzhou is beautiful and when I went it was raining.  Fog covered everything, adding a hint of mystery to my experience.  I then took a taxi up the mountain to Lingyin Temple, which is surrounded by beautiful grottos and religious rock carvings of the Buddha and his followers.  I meditated in a nice spot by a stream and when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by Chinese tourists taking pictures of the meditating westerner.
It was also in Hangzhou where I got a taste of what it's really like to live under the thumb of the Chinese government.  After dinner I came back to my room to check my facebook account.  Blocked!  Hmmmm....let me check what's on youtube.  Blocked again!!!  I learned that, although you can access them just fine in Beijing and Shanghai, they're banned everywhere else.  So I just turned on the tv and watched The Green Hornet (there wasn't any nightlife in Hangzhou).