Vacay

I am uber happy. It's almost that time again. In just a couple short days Steph and I will be taking off for round two our 2009 world tour. This time we're off to Paris and Florence.

I just love that feeling, that feeling of arriving at the airport with an eventual destination. I'm always at my best with passport in hand. Shitty airport croissants taste blissful and that horrible latte might as well be my latest coffee love, Blue Bottle, as far as I'm concerned. All this I can bear because I'll be leaving soon. Yeah, I sure like traveling.

Anyway, this trip is sure to be exciting. Paris, I've been twice and I'll go two more times if I can. As much as I I'm a geek for history, art and architecture I feel like this trip to Paris is being guided by my stomach. Firstly I think I want to blow some coin on visiting one of Guy Savoy's eateries. But, to tell the truth there is nothing I like better than a pastry and a perfect cup of coffee and there is no place better than France to get it. so I think we'll wander over to here Fouchon. Also, I'll want to stop at Notre Dame to light a nice little candle for my grandmother.

Oh and then we're going to Florence. I'm super excited because I haven't been to Italy and I know I've thus far missed out. If I can I'd like to rent a Vespa and just go bananas. Oh, the same history, art and architecture love fest applies to Florence as well and I think I'll pursue that with vigor.

Oh did I mention I'm a lucky boy because this is Steph's annual family tip and I was invited along for the ride? Nice! Anyway, traveling with family peeps is always fun. I hope it's a more Chinese version of the Griswalds trip to Europe. So with that we're off (well on Saturday) and I hope to return just a little bit fatter than I left.

Andy, good luck with your Zazzle job hunt.

A couple of things

Everyday I ride the T Line which comes up to collect me on my way to my job from cool places like Hunters Point. It really takes all kinds to make the world go round. I see this daily. Ahh it must be 8:30 because the female version of Eminem just got on and she's yelling at her baby in it's stroller again for simply existing. Not 100% sure I can blame her for that, but I'd blame it behind closed doors I'm pretty sure. It's just a decorum thing. Oh wait did she run over someones toes again and not say "excuse me?" Yep, that's her.

Oh is it 8:45 already. Have you finished your 40 oz. bottle of MGD yet sir? Can I recycle the bottle for you?

8:50. And you sir thank you for at least going to the back of the train to spit the gooey contents of your throat onto the floor. Yes we all appreciate your sense of tact in these matters. Oh and sure please do throw that wrapper or paper product onto the floor. Also, just so you know, yes, most dads really do love it when strange wild eyed creepy men try to start a conversation with their 5 year old daughters. It's a perfectly sensible thing to do.

Those are just the regulars. But this morning I was in for a treat. A young gentleman with sweet homemade Tats and fingerless gloves. I really hate when peeps wear those (you know the leathery - bike ridery kind?). He began his journey with a nice bit of small talk, with himself. Then he commented on another mans Pumas, which in and of itself is nice. But, when he proceeded to get into chapter 5 of his memoirs entitled "The pumas I had just like those except they were red but I had to throw them out last night," the conversation just started to get a little painful. Of course i found that after an awkward bit of silence he managed to pull out of it well with this bit of charm "yours look just like my size (maniacal laughter ensues)." Now for a bit of light reading, a well worn copy of Bizarre Magazine. Sweet articles! Then came a light dappling of some kind of creamy salve across the shoulders. I like peeps who are not afraid to moisturize in public. After that, he delved into his satchel and procured a very fancy compact mirror and tweezers and proceeded to make with some really skillful eyebrow plucking. Actually it reminded me I need to do this tonight. And all of this was drawn to a conclusion when he fished out of his bag a host of hypodermic needles and casually laid them on the seat next to him. "Next Stop Embarcadero Station." Ah, this is my stop see you soon sir, see you all very soon. The ride home at 5 is always a treat but that's for another time.


Also, I did manage to get my Etsy up and running. Right now it features just one Giclee print. But I'll put more up soon. Also, as soon as I edit the pics I'll put up Steph's brainchild that I made, "The Bro-ach" it involves an octopus. I won't spoil the surprise though. Anyway go here for a look see. DIRTY UNCLE HAIRY'S WARES

Spice Odyssey: Exploring the Burning Tongues of Saturn.: Open Letter to Fuzio because they're bush league

Spice Odyssey: Exploring the Burning Tongues of Saturn.: Open Letter to Fuzio because they're bush league

Giclee all up in your grillz

Lately, I've been wondering if I should take a stab at selling some prints of my Holga stuff. I really like some of them a great deal. Stephs sissy in law asked me for a print so I made her one. Also, I get some really nice comments from photo peeps on Flickr. I guess the only thing holding me back from doing it is an innate sense that causes me to avoid joining the masses who fancy themselves some form of "artist" and yet their "art" is derivative and overpriced.

However, I do appreciate people doing creative things as well as those who take the initiative to try and make a living outside the confines of the 9 to 5 regimen. I also think that you can this without a modicum of pretention i.e. deigning oneself an "artist." Please for the love of all that is lovely do not self apply this title. I feel like that term is up to society at large to decide. For example, if you paint then feel free to call yourself a painter. FOr example, take Bob Ross. The man was an amazing painter and I think he would've acknowledged as such. I don't recall him ever saying on his show that he was teaching you to become an artist nor do I think what he did was art.

This brings me back to me. I don't feel like I have created or contributed "art" to the world via my crazy cross processed Holga photos. Also, I for sure don't have any statement or deep feelings associated with the subject matter, unless it's Steph or the dogs of course but then they just happened to be in the shot. Rather I just see something I feel like getting on film and using a very rudimentary knowledge of photography as well as the tool that ultimately helps turn a mundane picture into something interesting to look at, the Holga, I let fly with the shutter and viola. That's it.

So with that being said I think I will go ahead and make some of my favs available through my Etsy site (which I will post soon). The format I've chosen is Giclee, which essentially a photographic print on stretched canvas. I think they're perfect because they're ready to hang and they look cool. The downside is that they aren't super cheap, but if you've been frame shopping lately, neither is that. Anyway, since I am not trying to live off these prints I'm going to price them damn near cost. Basically for like $25 extra dollars I will hoof it to Photoworks, find parking, and ultimately go to the post office to ship it to peeps. Really is $25 extra dollars worth that? No, but if even one person hangs it up on their wall and thinks it's cool and maybe it inspires them to go do something creative and interesting then the 6 pack of beer and dinner that person has provided me was totally worth it.

Anyway Like I say the prints will available through Etsy sometime in the near future. In the meantime you can check out my current repetoire on Flickr. Just go here!

Spice Odyssey: Exploring the Burning Tongues of Saturn.: Tahi House Express can Suck it!

Spice Odyssey: Exploring the Burning Tongues of Saturn.: Tahi House Express can Suck it!

The new phonebook is here! The new phonebook is here!

Ok, so the title has nothing to do with this post perse. But after our recent tests of the new ink stash I feel a bit of that same excitement that Navin Johnson must have felt when that phonebook arrived. "Things are going to start happening to me now." So we ran a few test prints just to get used to the new inks. This one came out awesome! And yes we think it may be 3D.

You may make a bid on this one of a kind stripy American Apparel beauty if you wish. Please, feel free to do so.

Also, please note that this is a multifaceted renaissance man type post so hang tight as I round many curves.

In circling back to our little screen printing deal. We have a potential job coming up. It's kind of nice using your gear to make stuff for money. Here's a little look see at our lab. In Holga vision.



Also let me introduce you to the boys. There's Alex, your Wine Steward and there's Andy and he's the backbone of a major coffee empire. Note their action poses as I used my extensive photography skills to catch them in real life situations while they worked on things. I told them, just act natural and they did. Great shoot guys. Top shelf!






On Friday night we went to see the new Star Trek. Being a huge fan of Capt. Kirk and Khan I was prepared to hate it. But on this night I chose to celebrate the life one the greatest, Ricardo Montalban. I wore shirt made for me while I was at my job by Steph.



Anyway, I really dug the movie. It was actually super fun. I just hope they inject a young upstart Khan in the coming sequels.

Next we come to some girlie art I made for Steph. I used some squishy pastries we bought in Hong Kong and stuck them to a canvas that I painted to look like a giant frosted piece of pink cake. Take it all in.




And then these are my ladies. I like them.