WHO'S IN?
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Saturday, May 21, 2011
POST-APOCALYPTIC WATER GUN FIGHT!
WHO'S IN?
Monday, May 31, 2010
DVD Funhouse - The BEST Movie Store I've Ever Seen
I was in New York City yesterday, just walking around and having a good time. Walking towards the Flatiron building, I stopped in a cafe that was across the street from a place advertising $5.99 DVD's. Just for the hell of it, I decided to walk in, expecting nothing more than a ton of used DVD's.
Nope. $5.99 for brand new DVD's.
Now, there are used DVD's from Blockbuster for $3.99, but they also had brand-new DVD box sets as cheap as $5.99! In fact, they have the entire Aeon Flux series for only $6.99! Amazing!
I wound up picking the following because I either couldn't find it this cheap, or anywhere else:
The Ben Stiller Show was another personal highlight as well. I wanted to watch it for years, and the cheapest I had seen it was $20. Throw in Andy Dick as a cast member, and it has to be good!
Chasing Amy is a personal favorite of a film, and I've only had the VHS for 8 years. Again, the cheapest I've found this DVD ever. Its cool I finally get to catch Hamlet 2, and the copy of Imaginationland I got came uncensored and with commentary, which, if history has taught me anything, will be better and 100% different than if I bought the season they were in. Plus, I can toss it to a pal when I'm done. :)
The DVD's are all Region 1 so they will play in your DVD player. If you can, spend the $20 to go up there and stock up! They also have recent releases up there, like Bruno, and a bunch of others.
DVD Funhouse
655 Sixth Ave
New York, NY 10010
Nope. $5.99 for brand new DVD's.
Now, there are used DVD's from Blockbuster for $3.99, but they also had brand-new DVD box sets as cheap as $5.99! In fact, they have the entire Aeon Flux series for only $6.99! Amazing!
I wound up picking the following because I either couldn't find it this cheap, or anywhere else:
- The Ben Stiller Show (All 13 Episodes)
- Hamlet 2
- Chasing Amy
- South Park Imaginationland Uncut
- Samurai Jack Season 4 ($6.99)
The Ben Stiller Show was another personal highlight as well. I wanted to watch it for years, and the cheapest I had seen it was $20. Throw in Andy Dick as a cast member, and it has to be good!
Chasing Amy is a personal favorite of a film, and I've only had the VHS for 8 years. Again, the cheapest I've found this DVD ever. Its cool I finally get to catch Hamlet 2, and the copy of Imaginationland I got came uncensored and with commentary, which, if history has taught me anything, will be better and 100% different than if I bought the season they were in. Plus, I can toss it to a pal when I'm done. :)
The DVD's are all Region 1 so they will play in your DVD player. If you can, spend the $20 to go up there and stock up! They also have recent releases up there, like Bruno, and a bunch of others.
DVD Funhouse
655 Sixth Ave
New York, NY 10010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Notes from Hawaii Part 5 - Surfin' USA
What. A. Day!
The entire time I've been down here, I don't think I've finished a single meal here. Well, actually, I've finished two. The first was a meal at Arby's I got at the mall yesterday, and today was at Doraki Sushi, the greatest Sushi place I've ever been to!
The day started with a trip to IHOP, where we got a meal that was so big I didn't eat for a good 9 hours later! After that, we booked a car for tomorrow and headed to Diamond Head Park for a hike. The walk was nothing short of long and fun! It was about 3 miles for us to walk from the bus stop to the gate to the top of the mountain. We did the entire thing in about an hour.
After that, despite the fact both of our legs were killing us, I decided to go surfing.
Yep, surfing!
The hotel offered swimming lessons in a group for $60, so I decided to do something I wanted to remember forever, and this was it. Well, I also wanted to do skydiving, but that takes an entire day, waivers, etc... the lesson was only an hour and both me and the only other person both had to stop then because we were exhausted by the end. Swallowing nearly 2 gallons of fresh salt water will do that. But it was amazing! I wound up riding one wave back to the coast, nearly 125 yards in general! I almost fell off twice before I made it!
I also finally bought a longboard skateboard!
The skateboarding laws in Hawaii are not what you would imagine. Waikiki is 100% off limits to skateboarders, and some portions seem to be questionable. The main place I've heard of are skate parks, with one right outside Chinatown. I wound up having to walk nearly half a mile to skate for 3 minutes. I got to talk to some local skaters who started "Skatebeard".
I caught someone who does fire dancing and it was sweet watching it! He did all these awesome tricks and stuff.
After that, it was dinner at Doraku Sushi! We had a great time, and it was incredibly cheap considering what we had! It turns out one platter, the "Emperor Roll", actually had caviar in it! Which led to this sentence; "I can't believe I accidentally had caviar in the corner of my lip." $10. Who knew?
The rest is what it was. I ran to the mall to get something fixed; the anti-theft tag on a pair of boardshorts I got yesterday had to get removed. After I got off the bus, I actually got lost and found some neat little places here and there.
All is right with the world, and Hawaii is still a wonderful place.
Tomorrow we take on the North Shore and think about how great it all was. :)
The entire time I've been down here, I don't think I've finished a single meal here. Well, actually, I've finished two. The first was a meal at Arby's I got at the mall yesterday, and today was at Doraki Sushi, the greatest Sushi place I've ever been to!
The day started with a trip to IHOP, where we got a meal that was so big I didn't eat for a good 9 hours later! After that, we booked a car for tomorrow and headed to Diamond Head Park for a hike. The walk was nothing short of long and fun! It was about 3 miles for us to walk from the bus stop to the gate to the top of the mountain. We did the entire thing in about an hour.
After that, despite the fact both of our legs were killing us, I decided to go surfing.
Yep, surfing!
The hotel offered swimming lessons in a group for $60, so I decided to do something I wanted to remember forever, and this was it. Well, I also wanted to do skydiving, but that takes an entire day, waivers, etc... the lesson was only an hour and both me and the only other person both had to stop then because we were exhausted by the end. Swallowing nearly 2 gallons of fresh salt water will do that. But it was amazing! I wound up riding one wave back to the coast, nearly 125 yards in general! I almost fell off twice before I made it!
I also finally bought a longboard skateboard!
The skateboarding laws in Hawaii are not what you would imagine. Waikiki is 100% off limits to skateboarders, and some portions seem to be questionable. The main place I've heard of are skate parks, with one right outside Chinatown. I wound up having to walk nearly half a mile to skate for 3 minutes. I got to talk to some local skaters who started "Skatebeard".
I caught someone who does fire dancing and it was sweet watching it! He did all these awesome tricks and stuff.
After that, it was dinner at Doraku Sushi! We had a great time, and it was incredibly cheap considering what we had! It turns out one platter, the "Emperor Roll", actually had caviar in it! Which led to this sentence; "I can't believe I accidentally had caviar in the corner of my lip." $10. Who knew?
The rest is what it was. I ran to the mall to get something fixed; the anti-theft tag on a pair of boardshorts I got yesterday had to get removed. After I got off the bus, I actually got lost and found some neat little places here and there.
All is right with the world, and Hawaii is still a wonderful place.
Tomorrow we take on the North Shore and think about how great it all was. :)
Monday, May 24, 2010
Notes from Hawaii Part 4 - So Much To Do, But so Little Time...
If you go on a trip for a week, it is guaranteed by the law of averages that one of those days will not go as you planned. Yesterday was that day.
I got up at 6AM local time, as always, and wrote my blog post about the wonderful day I had before. The plan for yesterday was simple; Get some shopping done, check out some historical and natural sites, go to a park, and hang by the pool.
What happened was I spent nearly 7 hours shopping and/or trying to get around... but it wasn't as bad as I make it sound.
I started by trying to get some sketching in, but it just wasn't going to happen. I wound up walking east on some street that I never remember the name of, but I just call it "the Strip". I passed a surfing competition that was just getting started, and the further east you went, the nicer it got.
After that, I hopped on a bus to Ala Mona Mall, which is this massive mall with more stores than you can imagine, and it's 100% open-air. It's easy to get lost in there and all the stores... but that didn't happen. At least, not when I first went there. Instead, the mall was closed. The plan then was to head across the street to the massive Ala Mona Park, but I saw a bus coming and decided to head on over to The Royal Palace.
Its pretty interesting; Hawaii used to have kings and queens. In the late 1800's, Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown and replaced by a Provisional Government, which the US Government wasn't happy with and even declared the act illegal. The palace still stands, and it was wonderful to look at.
I wanted to head to Chinatown to get photos of street art for a friend of mine, but once I got there I couldn't find it. After 30 minutes of searching, which was incredibly fun, I wound up at a small skate shop called APB right at the edge of Chinatown. The guy behind the counter was awesome and we talked about skateboards for a bit and how the laws in both places where we live suck ass. That's when I realized the street art I was looking for was entirely on boards, and that they wouldn't be back up until everything closed.
So, playing it by ear... I got lost again. I was actually lost for 30 minutes before I even got to Chinatown, looking for Aloha Tower, and in turn something else to do. I wound up going back to the mall and grabbing a bite to eat at Arby's since the mall was open by now.
Now, the coolest product I've found... EVER. BOARDSHORTS. Remember when everyone basically wore them everywhere in the early 1990's? I still think they're cool, even if the intent is to just wear them during swimming or whatever. Why not wear them more, right? I got 2 pairs, and I can't wait to bring them back home!
It took an hour to get back to the Swap Meet and Aloha Stadium, but I was able to grab some Aloha Shirts and a Tiki from the awesome guys I mentioned who actually hand-carve them here. Really nice, awesome guys!
I went back to Chinatown, and was able to get my shots in. Sadly, that's when I realized that both the memory card on in my camera was full, and that it was nearly 4PM. Sunset was in 3 hours, and I still had to go to my room and rest.
I got back, and after getting lunch with Claire, my friend who came with me down here, I was working on a plan to get around to some spots that wound up being impossible to do in the time I had left. Claire told me about all the awesome stuff she did; hiking in a rain forest, taking tons of photos, and having a good time doing it all. I was a little jealous... until she showed me how she got a little hurt. I wished I had done more, but it worked out in the end. :)
I went downtown to see the nightlife here... not much to be found, actually, unless you're in Waikiki. I found a place called Nick's Arcade, a tiny hole-in-the-wall place where odd games I've never seen before and a copy of Monopoly Pinball, that I can only assume was rigged. How else can you explain the ball going STRAIGHT DOWN 80% OF THE TIME?! Eh... it was still really fun, especially since it was such a hidden place!
Today's plan? Rent a car and go to Diamond Head! Diamond Head is actually a massive mountain formed by a deep impact... just like the band! OOH! RIM SHOT! It's actually a huge crater and it should be a good hike. If we don't do that today, we're going to the North Shore where all the really cool stuff is.
On the main upside, I wound up taking a ton of photos so far, and I'm getting a lot of ideas and rest. If I don't get it today, I plan on getting a surfing lesson before I go! And a message is possible.
Oh, and I wound up selling two pairs of shoes from my store on Zazzle! NEAT!
Aloha!
I got up at 6AM local time, as always, and wrote my blog post about the wonderful day I had before. The plan for yesterday was simple; Get some shopping done, check out some historical and natural sites, go to a park, and hang by the pool.
What happened was I spent nearly 7 hours shopping and/or trying to get around... but it wasn't as bad as I make it sound.
I started by trying to get some sketching in, but it just wasn't going to happen. I wound up walking east on some street that I never remember the name of, but I just call it "the Strip". I passed a surfing competition that was just getting started, and the further east you went, the nicer it got.
After that, I hopped on a bus to Ala Mona Mall, which is this massive mall with more stores than you can imagine, and it's 100% open-air. It's easy to get lost in there and all the stores... but that didn't happen. At least, not when I first went there. Instead, the mall was closed. The plan then was to head across the street to the massive Ala Mona Park, but I saw a bus coming and decided to head on over to The Royal Palace.
Its pretty interesting; Hawaii used to have kings and queens. In the late 1800's, Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown and replaced by a Provisional Government, which the US Government wasn't happy with and even declared the act illegal. The palace still stands, and it was wonderful to look at.
I wanted to head to Chinatown to get photos of street art for a friend of mine, but once I got there I couldn't find it. After 30 minutes of searching, which was incredibly fun, I wound up at a small skate shop called APB right at the edge of Chinatown. The guy behind the counter was awesome and we talked about skateboards for a bit and how the laws in both places where we live suck ass. That's when I realized the street art I was looking for was entirely on boards, and that they wouldn't be back up until everything closed.
So, playing it by ear... I got lost again. I was actually lost for 30 minutes before I even got to Chinatown, looking for Aloha Tower, and in turn something else to do. I wound up going back to the mall and grabbing a bite to eat at Arby's since the mall was open by now.
Now, the coolest product I've found... EVER. BOARDSHORTS. Remember when everyone basically wore them everywhere in the early 1990's? I still think they're cool, even if the intent is to just wear them during swimming or whatever. Why not wear them more, right? I got 2 pairs, and I can't wait to bring them back home!
It took an hour to get back to the Swap Meet and Aloha Stadium, but I was able to grab some Aloha Shirts and a Tiki from the awesome guys I mentioned who actually hand-carve them here. Really nice, awesome guys!
I went back to Chinatown, and was able to get my shots in. Sadly, that's when I realized that both the memory card on in my camera was full, and that it was nearly 4PM. Sunset was in 3 hours, and I still had to go to my room and rest.
I got back, and after getting lunch with Claire, my friend who came with me down here, I was working on a plan to get around to some spots that wound up being impossible to do in the time I had left. Claire told me about all the awesome stuff she did; hiking in a rain forest, taking tons of photos, and having a good time doing it all. I was a little jealous... until she showed me how she got a little hurt. I wished I had done more, but it worked out in the end. :)
I went downtown to see the nightlife here... not much to be found, actually, unless you're in Waikiki. I found a place called Nick's Arcade, a tiny hole-in-the-wall place where odd games I've never seen before and a copy of Monopoly Pinball, that I can only assume was rigged. How else can you explain the ball going STRAIGHT DOWN 80% OF THE TIME?! Eh... it was still really fun, especially since it was such a hidden place!
Today's plan? Rent a car and go to Diamond Head! Diamond Head is actually a massive mountain formed by a deep impact... just like the band! OOH! RIM SHOT! It's actually a huge crater and it should be a good hike. If we don't do that today, we're going to the North Shore where all the really cool stuff is.
On the main upside, I wound up taking a ton of photos so far, and I'm getting a lot of ideas and rest. If I don't get it today, I plan on getting a surfing lesson before I go! And a message is possible.
Oh, and I wound up selling two pairs of shoes from my store on Zazzle! NEAT!
Aloha!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Notes from Hawaii Part 3 - The Cutlure Myths and Realities
When you and I think of Hawaii, or at least those of us who have never been there, we imagine nothing but native wearing Hawaiian shirts, beautiful girls in Hula Dresses, being decorated with a lei and drinking tropical drinks by the pool side. Sadly, I've yet to see one woman in a Hula Dress, but the rest is pretty true. Well, if you're a your a tourist, at least.
It's interesting; A lot of the local ads for an upcoming election shows the candidates wearing just what you think they would wear down here in general. An Aloha (Hawaiian) Shirt and a Lei around their neck. I've been walking around Waikiki in what I would normally wear; a band shirt and shorts. I've actually have been mistaken for a local quite a few times. I went to the Disney store and just outright asked about the shirts, and as you may have guessed, no, the locals really don't wear them.
I actually found the place where John Lithgow (of Rat Race and The Critic fame) buys most of his Aloha shirts. Awesome place... but the shirts there are $40+. Most of the places around here have them for $20, and I found a place at the Swap Meet that had them for only $10! It's basically an hour each way out there, but they also have board shorts.
Board shorts. Hands-down, they are the COOLEST piece of clothing out here! They even have a pair with the album cover of the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen" out here! SWEET.
One thing you and I would worry about is everything costing an arm and a leg out here. Well, its not that bad. The prices are just about what you would find in Center City Philadelphia, and the sales tax is only 4.75%, but it does apply to EVERYTHING, including clothes and food.
Waikiki is basically like Old City, but the shopping is a billion times better and you get a lot more variety with everything.
The main thing I wanted to learn out here was the history and nature of Tiki mythology, and it's been hit and miss. Tiki, on a whole, is a very informal mythology, open to a lot of interpretation. I met a man who carved them yesterday, along with his brother, and he told me they were taught how to carve them and their history from the age of 5! The main thing that's bugging me about 99.8% of all the Tiki's I've found here aren't made here. Most of them are actually made in China and the Phillipenes. A bit of a bummer, but I do plan on getting one real one if at all possible.
I'm having a great time out here, and I want to head to the Polynesian Cultural Center and learn more about the cultural history here in general. In a way, it's the lost chapter of American history that we're never taught.
But I still want to see the chicks in Hula Skirts...
It's interesting; A lot of the local ads for an upcoming election shows the candidates wearing just what you think they would wear down here in general. An Aloha (Hawaiian) Shirt and a Lei around their neck. I've been walking around Waikiki in what I would normally wear; a band shirt and shorts. I've actually have been mistaken for a local quite a few times. I went to the Disney store and just outright asked about the shirts, and as you may have guessed, no, the locals really don't wear them.
I actually found the place where John Lithgow (of Rat Race and The Critic fame) buys most of his Aloha shirts. Awesome place... but the shirts there are $40+. Most of the places around here have them for $20, and I found a place at the Swap Meet that had them for only $10! It's basically an hour each way out there, but they also have board shorts.
Board shorts. Hands-down, they are the COOLEST piece of clothing out here! They even have a pair with the album cover of the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen" out here! SWEET.
One thing you and I would worry about is everything costing an arm and a leg out here. Well, its not that bad. The prices are just about what you would find in Center City Philadelphia, and the sales tax is only 4.75%, but it does apply to EVERYTHING, including clothes and food.
Waikiki is basically like Old City, but the shopping is a billion times better and you get a lot more variety with everything.
The main thing I wanted to learn out here was the history and nature of Tiki mythology, and it's been hit and miss. Tiki, on a whole, is a very informal mythology, open to a lot of interpretation. I met a man who carved them yesterday, along with his brother, and he told me they were taught how to carve them and their history from the age of 5! The main thing that's bugging me about 99.8% of all the Tiki's I've found here aren't made here. Most of them are actually made in China and the Phillipenes. A bit of a bummer, but I do plan on getting one real one if at all possible.
I'm having a great time out here, and I want to head to the Polynesian Cultural Center and learn more about the cultural history here in general. In a way, it's the lost chapter of American history that we're never taught.
But I still want to see the chicks in Hula Skirts...
Monday, August 17, 2009
FLASH MOB! - August 19th, 6PM! DANCE AGAINST HATE!
I didn't post the story, but over the weekend, I had one hell of an adventure! I'll explain tomorrow, but on this adventure I came across Anthony Riley, the young man who was arrested for singing and later cleared of all charges. He was at 9th and Market, where he set up shop to sing... right next to a group of racists! In response, I, along with a few people, danced behind him in support.
On Wednesday, August 19th at 6PM, please come out to 9th and Market and dance!
On Wednesday, August 19th at 6PM, please come out to 9th and Market and dance!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Another Rainy Night
The following is a short story. Is it based on real events or pure fiction? I'll leave that to you to decide. Its the second in a series that I hope to collect into a short book.
It's 9:55 on a Friday Night.
I've just spent the last 2 weeks busting my ass to get a ton of projects and things done, and all I have to show for it in a tangible sense right now is a pounding headache and this incredible need to sleep.
I've spent the day working at my full-time job and came home on a train filled with people who only seem to want to eat, shit, and breath as they trudge on to whatever goddamn thing they call a "life". I've found not using the words "life" and "existence" makes it a lot less personal and takes a lot of the humanity out of what is, in essence, the same phase. So I guess its only fitting to say that the people I'm surrounded with need an existence, because they sure as hell don't even have a life.
I spend my night looking at my bills, wondering how the hell I'm going to pay them like so many of my fellow American's on this too-damn-cold-for-July Summer Night. I listen to Rancid on a boom box that looks like its been through hell and is older than some kids who decided to make fun of me for how I look today. I order a pizza, my dinner for the next week, and drink directly from a 2-Liter of Sprite. Deadlines are looming over my head as I'm left to ponder what, exactly, this existence means.
The guitars and bass of "Damnation" drown through my house. While I need it rather loud next to me, the sound rattles through the rest of the house and down the hallway clear as a bell. The old boom box works as bad as ever. You need a boom box to listen to punk, especially something that's already ratty and beaten to hell as it is. It makes it more real, more human. It makes you feel alive.
As I eat my pizza, the crust just crispy and puffy enough as I like it, the pepperoni cracking as I take a bite from it as the carbonation of the soda tickles me like a long lost lover meeting her mate, I read the works of Frank Miller. I've read nearly all his work on Batman, and it was a ton of fun reading him take Batman past Year One and to a time where the tales that will unfold in The Dark Knight Strikes Back is still decades away. The book makes me feel like I'm 10 again and I run around my empty house like it.
I take a quick break and turn on the flat screen TV and throw on Sonic the Hedgehog and then Starfox to breeze through some levels just to laugh at how much fun it is again. The house is slightly moist and I still don't know. But right now, it doesn't matter. I ignore, no, forget that the reality of the world is that I exist simply to work and pay my bills and live in a nightmarish hell where I'm forced to deal with people with room temperature in winter I.Q.'s in a burg that seems to have forgotten that creativity and free expression are ways of life.
No, tonight I'm home alone with soda and pizza, video games and punk rock.
Tonight, I'm alive. And it's feels pretty damn good to be alive!
It's 9:55 on a Friday Night.
I've just spent the last 2 weeks busting my ass to get a ton of projects and things done, and all I have to show for it in a tangible sense right now is a pounding headache and this incredible need to sleep.
I've spent the day working at my full-time job and came home on a train filled with people who only seem to want to eat, shit, and breath as they trudge on to whatever goddamn thing they call a "life". I've found not using the words "life" and "existence" makes it a lot less personal and takes a lot of the humanity out of what is, in essence, the same phase. So I guess its only fitting to say that the people I'm surrounded with need an existence, because they sure as hell don't even have a life.
I spend my night looking at my bills, wondering how the hell I'm going to pay them like so many of my fellow American's on this too-damn-cold-for-July Summer Night. I listen to Rancid on a boom box that looks like its been through hell and is older than some kids who decided to make fun of me for how I look today. I order a pizza, my dinner for the next week, and drink directly from a 2-Liter of Sprite. Deadlines are looming over my head as I'm left to ponder what, exactly, this existence means.
The guitars and bass of "Damnation" drown through my house. While I need it rather loud next to me, the sound rattles through the rest of the house and down the hallway clear as a bell. The old boom box works as bad as ever. You need a boom box to listen to punk, especially something that's already ratty and beaten to hell as it is. It makes it more real, more human. It makes you feel alive.
As I eat my pizza, the crust just crispy and puffy enough as I like it, the pepperoni cracking as I take a bite from it as the carbonation of the soda tickles me like a long lost lover meeting her mate, I read the works of Frank Miller. I've read nearly all his work on Batman, and it was a ton of fun reading him take Batman past Year One and to a time where the tales that will unfold in The Dark Knight Strikes Back is still decades away. The book makes me feel like I'm 10 again and I run around my empty house like it.
I take a quick break and turn on the flat screen TV and throw on Sonic the Hedgehog and then Starfox to breeze through some levels just to laugh at how much fun it is again. The house is slightly moist and I still don't know. But right now, it doesn't matter. I ignore, no, forget that the reality of the world is that I exist simply to work and pay my bills and live in a nightmarish hell where I'm forced to deal with people with room temperature in winter I.Q.'s in a burg that seems to have forgotten that creativity and free expression are ways of life.
No, tonight I'm home alone with soda and pizza, video games and punk rock.
Tonight, I'm alive. And it's feels pretty damn good to be alive!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
A Few Of My Favorite Things (Right Now)
Everyday I visit a bunch of blogs and websites that inspire me and I don't feel that I post my findings enough. Ever since I got posted on NotCot, I felt it's only fitting I share stuff I like to get the word out. Well, enjoy!
Someone was clever enough to take a pineapple grenade and turn it into an awesome piggy bank! SWEET!.... just don't take it with the bank with you. The Love Grenade Coin Bank is available at Heilothrope.
Back in 2001, I thought about becoming a police sketch artist but decided not to because... well, I suck at caricatures. This guy, on the other hand, was able to push his creativity to the limit outside of his job and came up with "Musical Anatomy"! Check out the rest of Shawn Feeny's stuff at his website.
The company "Iron Fist" made this kick-ass high heels! What? I'm secure enough with myself to say that, yes, I like high heel shoes. I know a bunch of women who would love these. Sadly, I can't find them on their site, so here is the Boing Boing story with them.
Someone was clever enough to take a pineapple grenade and turn it into an awesome piggy bank! SWEET!.... just don't take it with the bank with you. The Love Grenade Coin Bank is available at Heilothrope.
Back in 2001, I thought about becoming a police sketch artist but decided not to because... well, I suck at caricatures. This guy, on the other hand, was able to push his creativity to the limit outside of his job and came up with "Musical Anatomy"! Check out the rest of Shawn Feeny's stuff at his website.
The company "Iron Fist" made this kick-ass high heels! What? I'm secure enough with myself to say that, yes, I like high heel shoes. I know a bunch of women who would love these. Sadly, I can't find them on their site, so here is the Boing Boing story with them.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Don't You Hate Pants?
So I did something that few men and, well, few black men will ever do in this country: I bought a
kilt.I'll repeat that: I now own a kilt. And I love it!
I can't say I know what drew me to a kilt... maybe it was because of how odd it is, how rare it is to see one... but there was something just pretty cool and out there. So I bought it and it came in the mail yesterday. I was going to run around yesterday in it until I thought about. No, the fact that I live in Philly and I was going to Center City wasn't it. Instead, the problem was that... well, what do you wear under that thing?!
The main appeal of the kilt is that it makes up for what us men wear daily: Pants. I fucking hate pants! I didnt' at first, but put on a kilt and you'll agree... fuck pants! What kinda idiot thought MEN should wear pants? No, really, who? Did they not have testicles? I hate when you wear pants and you get that horrible feeling where it seems one of you testicles has decided to... ahem.. "rearrange" itself on it's own. When does it happen? Whenever you wear PANTS!
Most men wear boxers for the comfort and feeling of freedom, something we really get to enjoy when we wear shorts in the summer. Otherwise, we wear pants. Tight, restricting, horrible pants. Fuck 'em! Well, a kilt is better. I had on my boxers, I put a kilt on over them, and my god... paradise! PAR-A-DISE! Walking around the house, feeling free.. my god, FREEDOM!!!!
Well, what DO you wear under them? A real Scot would say "Nothing"... and they're right, your not supposed to wear anything under them. But in "The Real World", a.k.a, Philadelphia, you need to. Especially in winter. So I've debated a few things... no real idea yet, but hey, I'm working on it.
One idea was to wear just the boxers, but... well, it's not exactly a nice view if there's a wind. I also thought about wearing long john underneath them. I tried on a pair and walked around... well, it may be a kilt and not a skirt, but I sure did feel like I was wearing pantyhose! It's... it's a maybe. What? It kept me warm while still being fashionable. You got a problem with that, 'ya girl scout?!
So the solution really isn't simple. I'm debating the long johns... they look good, I could just say their socks, and skateboarding in them would be nothing short of awesome. That, or maybe just a slightly tighter pair of boxers.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Some Awesome Blogs Worth Checking Out!
Well... awesome if you love art and animation. Otherwise, just go away.JOHN K BLOGs!
John K, in case you didn't know, is the man behind Ren & Stimpy, The Riffic Friends, and a bunch of other weird and insane cartoons. He has a lot of blogs up, and I have to say, they're amazing! His main blog has a bunch of rips on Disney and is a great how-to for young artists and animators!
He has another blog up where he has a few pitches for other TV shows and another one called "Demo Reel" that... well, just look at it. It's basically him posting some awesome vidoes and pictures!
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/
http://johnkpitch.blogspot.com/
http://www.cartoonthrills.org/demoreel/
Cartoon Brew
I just found this one recently... awesome, awesome blog if your a cartoon junkie! They have articles about a lot of recent stuff, stories of older things, and everything you can imagine! Check it out!
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/
J.R. Spumkin Blogs
J.R. Spumkin is a man who loves his Ren & Stimpy and is awesome! Just AWESOME! He has a blog dedicated to mainly himself, art, and the greatness of Spumco and Animation in general, as well as theories, and another one dedicated to his sketches. He's working on a new show idea right now, too.
http://spum-blog.blogspot.com/
http://spumkinssketchblog.blogspot.com/
El Tigre Blog
OK, I won't lie: I can't get into this show. I've never been a fan and I watched a few episodes of a marathon of the series today... just couldn't get into it. But it is beautiful to watch and this blog is a testament to that!
http://tigreroar.blogspot.com/
BRUTE! a.k.a. Aidan Hughes
In case you didn't know, BRUTE! is the British genuis who has done 99% of all the artwork for KMFDM. I love his work, he's a remarkable artist and designer, and his blog is just wonderful!
http://www.bruteprop.blogspot.com/
Steve Purcell Blog
Steve Purcell brought us Sam & Max, and if you don't know who they are... well, you most likely spent your childhood going out, having fun, and playing with friends unlike me who spent it inside watching cartoons and then running around for hours hopped up on sugar. You missed out on a lot of good times!
http://spudvisionblog.blogspot.com/
More likely than not, I'll have a bunch more lare, but for now... courage.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
My Pepsi Redesign Attempt
OK, so since October a lot of people have been up in arms over the new Pepsi logo and have done everything to belittle it. From comparing it to ass cracks, Korean Air, and even the Obama campaign logo (which was idiotic since the Obama logo was compared to the Pepsi Logo as early as February of 2008!) I got sick of it!
I didn't mind the alteration myself; the tilt to make it a "smile" is cute and clever. The Pepsi can was becoming a lot more cluttered lately, with really crappy designs hogging up a ton of room better left to, say, breathing room. The thing became a Photoshop nightmare, so cleaning it up to a more flat vector-esq thing again is a great thing!
Now, my problem is simple: The PACKAGING is generic! It's bland, boring, uses a generic font that's unappealing for something that's supposed to have impact... it isn't "PEPSI" anymore! It's "....pepsi....", a timid little thing that is afraid of being on the shelf and wants to be second-banana to Coca-Cola.
So when the new ad campaign came out, I was kinda glad to see the logo with a font that was better! The font used in the advertising actually has some weight to it and some impact. It isn't thing and kinda airy and thin; it's bold and strong! That, to me, is what is missing in the new Pepsi packaging and the font.
So I found a font close to the one used in the ads, made a few adjustments to it, and added a background that I thought made it say "POP", or at least "Soda Pop"; I wanted the fact that Pepsi is a large part of POP-Culture to be in it.
This is just me screwing around and actually putting my money where my mouth is.
Original:
Check out more of my art here: LARRY WEST PRODUCTIONS
I didn't mind the alteration myself; the tilt to make it a "smile" is cute and clever. The Pepsi can was becoming a lot more cluttered lately, with really crappy designs hogging up a ton of room better left to, say, breathing room. The thing became a Photoshop nightmare, so cleaning it up to a more flat vector-esq thing again is a great thing!
Now, my problem is simple: The PACKAGING is generic! It's bland, boring, uses a generic font that's unappealing for something that's supposed to have impact... it isn't "PEPSI" anymore! It's "....pepsi....", a timid little thing that is afraid of being on the shelf and wants to be second-banana to Coca-Cola.
So when the new ad campaign came out, I was kinda glad to see the logo with a font that was better! The font used in the advertising actually has some weight to it and some impact. It isn't thing and kinda airy and thin; it's bold and strong! That, to me, is what is missing in the new Pepsi packaging and the font.
So I found a font close to the one used in the ads, made a few adjustments to it, and added a background that I thought made it say "POP", or at least "Soda Pop"; I wanted the fact that Pepsi is a large part of POP-Culture to be in it.
This is just me screwing around and actually putting my money where my mouth is.
Original:
Check out more of my art here: LARRY WEST PRODUCTIONS
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Cafepress Meet-Up Today
Getting ready to head out soon to a Meet-Up sponsored by Cafepress here in Philadelphia that's being held at noon in Manayunk. It should be interesting if nothing else. Not sure what to write about, really. I've been a member of the site since December of 2001, so right before I turned 17. I joined after someone in my high school told me about it after having some little store on there herself. I've stuck there ever since and really never made much.
Over the years, the quality of their products has gotten a lot better and, oddly enough, so has my art. It basically evened out I guess.
If you haven't, check out the shop: http://www.cafepress.com/larrysshop
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