there is this island

and on this island exists:
















and times like these are had:















to see the whole collection: click here

the sexiness of lettering

example 1:
before:

now:


example 2:
before:

now:


both of these new logos made me realize how sexy some letters can be. so if a book is ever made called The Sexiness of Lettering and it is by me, you will know what started it.

from hawaiian shirts to cacti

i was thinking about getting some plants for out place. i first thought about flowers and then i decided against them because of their lacking in the timeline. then i thought about plants that would last. cactus. but then i realized that you dont need to water them. so in reality you buy them and you do nothing with them except enjoy their prescence as they sit and dont do anything except cause spiderwebs and pricks to the finger. i began to associate owning cacti with being lazy. 2 childhood friends had cacti in their homes. both homes were dark/dreary/unloved (its very extreme that i say that)/unkept/.......lazy.


in other news

trentemoller


why is stuff like this so good?

fred eerdekens

movie tone

in a response to this, i think i might have to face the same thing as before. o well.

in other news i am happy for the sharks. i am sure they are happy too. i think us sharks bloggers: rob, shannon, tim, morgan and i should go to a game and we will live blog about each play. ill take care of the left wing that is on the ice, morgan takes defense, shannon takes goalie, tim takes right wing, and rob takes center. ok?

estimations

5 years
multiplied by 25 hours a week (assumed)
is 6500 hours that i have given to starbucks.

in that time i have:
seen one customer get married and divorced
seen one customer give birth to three kids
seen many customers get married
seen many customers date eachother
seen many customers date employees
worked under 5 district managers
worked under 4 store managers
had over 25 assistant managers
called the police about 20 times
kicked out about 6 people
kicked out one guy twice
gotten time off to go to china, europe (twice), hawaii, mexico, and many smaller trips
worked with over 100 people
seen about 6 employees come back to the store after a long absence
changed churches
changed housing
changed schools
gotten about 8 haircuts
gotten a new car
(and put 52000 miles on it)
stayed in the same building.
behind the same counter.
looking at the same cracks in the wall.
seeing the same faces.
but there is still this degree of "fake".
like.
i know you so well because i can make your latte.
and.
you know me so well because i can make your latte.
but.
we've done this for so long.
and.
i made a mild attempt by asking your name.
but.
that was the end, 1 year ago.
or.
that was the end, 2 years ago.
or.
that was the end, 3 years ago.
or.
that was the end, 4 years ago.
or.
that was the end, 5 years ago.
but.
i feel that giving my name out is a sign of trust.
or a sign of truth.
like.
the fact that you care about my name shows me that you care.
and.
the fact that i know your name, shows you that i care.
but.
you assume i "have" to know your name.
so.
things will be fake. stupid fake conversation.
now i dont even laugh at their "fake" jokes.

(sorry if that was weird)

estimations

5 years
multiplied by 25 hours a week (assumed)
is 6500 hours that i have given to starbucks.

in that time i have:
seen one customer get married and divorced
seen one customer give birth to three kids
seen many customers get married
seen many customers date eachother
seen many customers date employees
worked under 5 district managers
worked under 4 store managers
had over 25 assistant managers
called the police about 20 times
kicked out about 6 people
kicked out one guy twice
gotten time off to go to china, europe (twice), hawaii, mexico, and many smaller trips
worked with over 100 people
seen about 6 employees come back to the store after a long absence
changed churches
changed housing
changed schools
gotten about 8 haircuts
gotten a new car
(and put 52000 miles on it)
stayed in the same building.
behind the same counter.
looking at the same cracks in the wall.
seeing the same faces.
but there is still this degree of "fake".
like.
i know you so well because i can make your latte.
and.
you know me so well because i can make your latte.
but.
we've done this for so long.
and.
i made a mild attempt by asking your name.
but.
that was the end, 1 year ago.
or.
that was the end, 2 years ago.
or.
that was the end, 3 years ago.
or.
that was the end, 4 years ago.
or.
that was the end, 5 years ago.
but.
i feel that giving my name out is a sign of trust.
or a sign of truth.
like.
the fact that you care about my name shows me that you care.
and.
the fact that i know your name, shows you that i care.
but.
you assume i "have" to know your name.
so.
things will be fake. stupid fake conversation.
now i dont even laugh at their "fake" jokes.

(sorry if that was weird)

artisan initiatives

on november 4th in sf go to the 111 minna gallery from 4:30-8:00.

why?

also on october 21st in sf go to the fillmore from 8:00-midnight.

why?

hawaiian cynics in london

the hawaiian shirt epidemic
its not that i fear them, its just i dont get them. they are "casual" wear, but they are still button ups. and the shirts are cut straight at the bottom. the patterns are weird. i cant picture any true hawaiian wearing one. they are novelty. it is what makes hawaiians money. but anyway, i feel that if i walk into a place (restaurant, gym, bar, store........and so on) and at least 1/6 of the population is dressed in hawaiian shirts, i lose my comfort. im being honest. i dont know the exact percentage, but there is a point where i can deal with it, and then there is a point where it stresses me out. help me find the line.

the cynicism epidemic
ive always been pretty cynical about lots of stuff. as you can read above. i realized that im at this point where there is no adventure in things. there is no hope really. or it seems much more bleak than i would want it to be. all because i go into everything with the mindset that something must be wrong or i find faults before i find anything else. this may explain why i enjoy movies that others do not and many other things about me.

the britons epidemic
this "summer" was great. i went to europe. but i had an equal amount of fun with the britons that came out here. it was exciting showing them around. it made me look at my surroundings with new eyes again. with non cynical eyes. examples being:
emily smiling about seeing lexington reservoir
simon happy about eating pumpkin products/mountain dew
sammy laughing about us not using the metro
dominic going to an electro-bootie-house show with us
ashley so excited to wear a foam hand at a baseball game

i just feel that everything is so new to them, and we got to show them around for bits and it was the best. it made me appreciate so much more. it made me understand that we do have culture here, and they see it just as we see their culture overseas. im pretty sure i want to spend my days in the bay area showing foreigners around.

im blogging at 545am

first off. the red room in santa cruz is still one of the best places on earth.
secondly. the new album by Brazilian Girls is up there.
Brazilian Girls - All About Us

killing yourself to live

i have been reading 'killing yourself to live' by chuck klosterman and here is an excerpt that i love. it goes along with my non-fascination with celebrities and celebrity status.

This is how popular culture works: you allow yourself to be convinced you're sharing a reality that doesn't exist. Every summer, Hollywood movie studios convince millions of people to see blockbuster movies they know they're going to hate. Every day, shows like Access Hollywood force 2 million housewives to ask themselves, "who really cares who Lindsay Lohan is dating?" And you know what the answer to that question is? Almost no one. There are very few Americans who honestly care who Linsday Lohan is dating. But it's still information they need to have. This is because those people care about something else entirely; they're worried about the possibility of everyone else understanding something that they're missing. This is what they're afraid of, and this is how they deduce societal truth."
-chuck klosterman

banksy again


he went to disneyland, and put a figure of a guantanamo bay detainee with shakles and hood over his face, right next to big thunder mountain railroad.

visual attraction


as days go on, i become more attracted to these:




phil will probably be the only person that reads this that cares.

that's hot

never have i cared for paris hilton. nor did i care for the release of her self-titled album.
but i have cared for banksy. the artist known for works such as these:




his newest work is teaming up with danger mouse (the beats guy for gnarls barkley) and they remixed the paris hilton album and changed the artwork to have song titles such as "Why am i famous?" and liner notes saying "every cd you buy puts me even further out of your league".

i would show images of the cover art and everything but its not totally appropriate.

with the album, he made 500 copies and switched them with the actual albums in HMV stores across UK. keeping the bar codes on them they would still get scanned and rung up. people were buying crap and finding out that it wasnt what they wanted. but imaging having one of 500 pieces of banksys art. which is why it is going for £600 on ebay.

enjoy the song

Paris Hilton/Danger Mouse/Banksy - That's Hot

october 19

i was way off about me turning 5 in starbucks years. its october 19th. and im thinking a big party will follow.

audrey

Audrey - Mecklenburg
Audrey - Views

c/k
yesterday was the day of cats

anniversary

starbucks turns 35 this year. ive worked with the company for 5 years. or 1/7 of their existence. i dont like that. that thought combined with work tonight made me not want to come back. those thoughts plus the thoughts of people in london and the beauty of zurich made me want to take off. so my plans entail much change. i think im ready.

in other news. why is FIT in new york and not in san jose.

i do this a lot


but im so excited about seeing matthew herbert tomorrow night. this is what it will be like. him plus full band.

strangest dialogue

-so when are you guys leaving?
-in a few minutes
-why so soon?
-we have to take my grandma's tights off and let her go to the bathroom and then we have to wash her back?
-is that fun at all?
-no, its not about fun, its about love. i love my grandma. i would do anything for her.
-sorry
-its ok. you're fabulous.
-bye

f o l l o w

i have looked at the word follow for a few days now. it no longer looks like the word i have known. i feel that each time i type it, i am spelling it completely wrong. so im tired of it. here is the fruits of my labor. its supposed to be a logo for the series.

letting yourself create

"how have you been creative recently?"

this question was asked last night. people perked up with response. creativity seems so important. so important to each individual that a perky attitude in response is provoked. this got me excited. excited to do, make, create, be.

Akron/Family - Gone Beyond

t h e n e x t s t a g e

i think i need to go to new york sooner than i had planned. and i need to go to new york when i had planned as well.

this wouldve been in the fifth and final act


everything seemed so perfect, and i did nothing. and i need to be alright with that. it was out of a movie. it was exactly out of a movie. maybe moreso if there was rain or sweeping music. but it was out of a movie.

i hate being at the state where if i say one thing, i could be happy for a moment and then i would be mildy dissappointed for the following months. or i could say nothing and be dissappointed for a short while (now) and be happy with my decision in the end. all the time knowing that each word i say is important and almost life changing.

i learned way too much between the hours of midnight to 4:30 am.
my heart will yearn.
my mind will remember.
my downfalls will disappear.
my heart will become.
my life will change.

(sometimes metaphors do justice in my mind)

yesterday i went from here:



to here


to here



the gorge in big sur killed me. both ankles, one knee, one shin, three ribs and the back of a leg are bruised. one toe is cut. muscles are sore in both legs, both feet, both hands, and my torso.

san francisco didnt kill me. we took four buses and one taxi. the longest time of wait for a bus being 5 minutes. otherwise we had no wait at all. first time in a while ive been up here without going to a concert or eating a burrito.

who is down for some nanking sometime soon?

add august 29th to my list

i just bought a ticket to see cat power. i dont know if anyone else plans on going, but im not worried about that. i just see cat power at great american music hall as one of those things that i will remember for a long while. so i had to do it.

Cat Power - Wonderwall

reasons to be excited

august 11:



death cab for cutie, spoon and mates of state @ the greek theater

august 12:

alexander robotnick @ the rx gallery

august 26:

matthew herbert with a live band @ the mezzanine

august 29:

cat power @ great american music hall

august 30:

jeremy enigk @ great american music hall

september 4:

cloud cult @ bottom of the hill

november 3:

the knife @ the mezzanine

november 17:

hot chip @ the mezzanine

bold text indicates i will be there for sure.

other exciting things are a trip to san diego and a trip to new york city.

this last weekend / part of the week

i always talk about how i like to be immersed in a culture other than what i am used to. ive grown tired of san jose/california roughly. but this last week, showing 3 people from london around the bay area was so much fun. i had the same feeling that i would have over the sea. it was to a different degree though. like i was in their culture while surrounded by my own. we showed them some stuff, but their excitement over the random things (seeing a valley or a reservoir or a funny sign or their fascination with the pink man in santa cruz) was so exciting. i know it will be more exciting if i go out to new york, to be in a part of american that i have never been to/be with people with english accents who will show me around. it just makes a lot of sense to me.

beer on tap

i had this thought the other day about how great it would be to know where to go in which cities to find a certain beer. say for instance i was going to san francisco and i wanted a Duvell on tap. how would i know where to go? beermapping.com doesnt help me out. it shows me my overall options. but i want to know which places have which beer on tap. i want a google map thing built around this. i want a myspace built around this. i think this should happen. i think this can happen. i cant really fully explain myself right now. but i can tell you in person that i want this to happen more than anything else. so think about it. and help me out. money wont help me.

so basically.....

november 3

the knife @ the mezzanine

november 17

hot chip @ the mezzanine on my birthday