Christmas Theme

Hope you don’t mind the Christmas theme, it’s that time of year again and I’m feeling festive!

RIP John Updike (3/18/32 – 1/27/09)

John Updike’s writing has played a large part in my development over the years as a reader. His very creative, complex, and artful sentences have taught me that with fiction, the “anything goes” applies as much to the method as the madness of the plot, and for that Mr. Updike, thank you. Beck finally is at rest. I will miss you.

Tony Creed

I have here 2 skull rings carved by master silver smith Tony Creed, a southern California based silver carver who has been custom making creative and cutting edge jewelry to rockers and celebrities for decades. Not only is his talent easy to see- he’s has one hell of an easy to get along with personality. 

Being passionate in the history of ancient Rome the SPQR on the “destinyman” skull shape was the perfect addition. SPQR is the motto of ancient Rome standing for Senatus Populusque Romanus or For the Senate and the People of Rome.  Which was emblazoned everywhere in the old Roman Empire. 

Take a look at Tony’s work- and feel free to ask him for custom orders- he’s got the skills, and with the medium of pure silver or gold you cannot go wrong! Who wants a fucking Cartier or Tiffany’s cookie cutter (though I confess ownership of many of both) when you can own a one of a kind hand made masterpiece that actually reflects something about yourself. That was something that I understood right away about Tony’s work. It’s original, it’s one of a kind, and it’s hand made to stand the test of time!

Tony Creed- the man, the master, the skull bringer!

For Whom the Bell Tolls?

It tolls for me!

Apple iPhone

If you want a phone that works, don’t buy this one. Seriously, I don’t know which is more worthless- the piece of junk phone, or ATT’s service in Downtown Chicago- a place where they should have more cellular towers than almost anywhere else in the world.     The phone’s great for browsing the internet at any time, sending and receiving emails at any time, browsing pictures, watching movies and listening to iTunes but god forbid you have to make a phone call in an emergency.

I Shall Finish the Game

William H. Bonney: You remember the stories John use to tell us about the the three chinamen playing Fantan? This guy runs up to them and says, “Hey, the world’s coming to an end!” and the first one says, “Well, I best go to the mission and pray,” and the second one says, “Well, hell, I’m gonna go and buy me a case of Mezcal and six whores,” and the third one says “Well, I’m gonna finish the game.” I shall finish the game, Doc.  ~Young Guns II 

If

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;

If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two imposters just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings — nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!

 

~Rudyard Kipling 

Self Actualization

 

 

“Do not try to bend the spoon; that’s impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth: There is no spoon. Then you’ll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.”

~The Matrix, Wachowski brothers

 

 

 

 

The Lorax

View From the Water

  

I thought I’d share this picture that I recently took on the Lake Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Taken at dusk using a Leica D-LUX 3. The lake constantly provides spectacles to take pictures of, this one makes me proud but mother nature really did all of the work. With a decent camera anybody can take a great photograph these days.  

Bill Maher Has A Great Reason Why…

We should impeach Bush now!  

Will Ferrell does Bush

Marlin Fishing

The wind swept past

thundering in my ears and spraying ocean

in my face, dampening the sound of

the boat smashing over and down the

waves. The sun blotted the sky blinding

and made my shoulders heavy, but

I bellowed up

with excitement- hollering- my

breath heavy as I reeled

in the catch.

Exploring the Past

This afternoon was spent at the Field Museum with my very inquisitive nephew Cameron who turned 9 years old this year. Our first encounters were of course the two giant elephants that are on the main floor seemingly wrestling each other for rule of the museum’s main floor.

Just beyond the two African titans is another very impressive and no less of a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex nicknamed Sue that I captured several images of, this one being my favorite.

I used a Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 which sports a Zeiss lense and 5.0 mega pixels. Not an exceptional camera, but for a compact point and click it’ll do the job.

I’ve spent many a weekend afternoon at the Field Museum and know it’s exhibits fairly well already but I never bore of seeing the wildlife and tools from so many different cultures. Bows and arrows, war-clubs, spears and harpoons, muskets, and then there are the more utilitarian objects such as those used to do something as simple and mundane as making a fire to cook food or warm the interior of a small hut or shelter. I was reminded of all of the many many aspects of living that I so often take for granted without even realizing I am doing so. It goes without saying that we’ve come a long way but I find myself wondering is this a good thing, or was life better when there were less of us making demands on this planet and it’s shrinking resources.

RIP Kurt Vonnegut

One of the great writers of our time has passed on to another place. His books played no small part in my development as an adult and were a direct influence on the very foundation of my personal sense of humanity and my idea of what it means to be humane.

For more years than I have existed Kurt Vonnegut has taken great pleasure from entertaining people by introducing or reintroducing them to the gentle art of kindness, an escape from the melancholy of being a part of this world.

Farewell Kurt, may the wind be at your back, wherever you are.

Jedi Battle 2

Here they are at it again, these two guys are absolutly amazing, the special effects are superb and much more elaborate.

Enjoy!

Jedi Battle

As a Starwars fan I get a huge jolt from the fantastic work that amature film makers are doing these days. Finding them is as simple as doing a “starwars” search on youtube. I found this particular media segment to be phenomenal.

New Next Day

In life man seeks the
uncertainty of the morrow
with hope and the
knowledge of defeated
yesterdays hallow ring
still resounding deep
in his ear. He looks
abreast for an extra step
amidst the pace of a
great march and seeks
the solace of a
new next day.

It is this great march
that keeps the nature
of the beast foraging.
Bursting forth. Giving
rise to the new next days
tomorrow.

Yeehaw as a foreign policy

As I watched this scene in the film “The Quick and the Dead” it reminded me of how our current Presidential administration is bullying the world around, though we’re starting wars, not simple gunfights with other nations and their leaders. I’m sure that if Bush and his business partners here in the US and elsewhere had to fight their own battles rather than having their armies and Blackwater mercenaries do their fighting for them they’d keep their mouths shut more often.

Technology Revolution

This past weekend I made the switch from PC to Mac. The experience has been both rewarding and enlightening. As an ipod user I have been aware in a small sense of the ease at which Apple products work in all aspects of use, and needless to say I haven’t been disappointed.

Comedy is the best medicine and the cast of SNL knows best- please enjoy my video of the week- ladies and gentlemen I give you Steve Jobs.