tim erdmann

The Last Emperor

2012-01-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

I just watched The Last Emperor for the first time in years. I had a much different perspective this time, having visited the Forbidden City this past October.

Photo Featured

2012-01-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

One of my photos was featured on a Website called Photo Advent.

Every December they feature 25 photos in 25 days, as sort of a Christmas present.

I had to chose a photo and write a bit about it. The experience of taking it, and settings or things I did to get the right light.

I found it to be a very fulfilling little task.

Read it here.

Thoughts on Hong Kong

2011-10-27T05:16:00.001-07:00

Hong Kong reminds me a lot of New York City. In the summer. And humid. And built on a steep hillside.

The food choices are beyond extensive.

The weird things are that all the historic/interesting spots have shopping malls built adjacent to them.

Monastery on Lantau Island w/ a giant Buddha? They put a mall next to it--in this case the mall is also Buddhist-themed.

Tallest point on Hong Kong Island? A mall next to it. 2 actually. Not sure why. Both have 7-11s & McDonalds.
O
The city is ridiculously fast paced but, what's cool is that the solitude of nature or a small town is only a 20 minute subway or ferry ride away.

I'm staying in an area of Hong Kong Island called Central. This is where the British had the center of it's governing regiment since it ran the place. A sub section of that, more specifically, is the Mid Levels. It's pretty much where all the expats & British-HKers live. 3 Pubs to a block, practically & everyone speaks English.

I think I'd rather live in NYC. It's only humid there for a couple of months. Better yet SF. No humidity.

It's still doesn't feel like China. I was just in China. This feels like the West, but Chinese people are the majority.

Beijing FELT like China. It felt communist, you could feel the 1000s of years of culture.

HK is all about capitalism. The culture is here, but it's been buried by money.

Here it's not called Wall St. They actually called it Bank St.

This is also not the HK I pictured after seeing Enter The Dragon. No sampan & junk filled harbors. It's all cruise ships and container ships.

Makes Long Beach look like a tinker-toy ship yard.

America, I've seen all your stuff before you even get it.

Location:Burd St,,Hong Kong

Ni hao, Beijing

2011-10-14T03:31:00.001-07:00

First impressions: For a people who's architecture and performance art is so grand, choreographed and precise, there's a whole lot-o chaos.

No one waits in line. It's basically a bum-rush for any and all openings when you need to get somewhere. This goes for walking, getting on trains, elevators and the roads.

People, motorcycles, bikes and cars just careen headlong in disarray, yet no one seems to run each other over, heavily laden with honking of vehicle horns.

Looking for my first meal and not being able to read anything, proved difficult. I finally found an underground canteen. You can't pay cash though. You have to purchase a card for 100 Yuan ($15) that they deduct from. I had an egg, tomato, & noodle-dish with tea and cost me ¥17 - about $4.

Exiting the subterranean cafeteria, it had gotten dark & started to rain. So, now add water to the roads and umbrellas obscuring every pedestrian and the chaos stakes were raised.

It was a long 12 hour flight, what seemed like forever to get my bag from claim area and an interesting first afternoon, it's time to sleep. 6:30p Fri in Beijing, 3:30a Fri in California.
Good night.

Been a while.

2011-08-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything since May. This is a restart.

Mudhoney - Casbah - 2011

Fleet Foxes at Spreckles Theater, San Diego 5/6/2011

2011-05-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

I was very much looking forward to this show--not so much 'the scene'.

A perfect venue to listen to a band with such subtlety in their music. Overall they were great. I won't say it was terrible, because it wasn't, however, there were some issues with the house sound. A band with such dynamics to their playing requires a very delicate touch on the mixing board. A bad mix can make or break a live performance for me. This one came close.

The Beatle-bass was mixed in far too loud--to the point where it completely overpowered the other instruments--in at least 5 or 6 songs. In those, when the bass dropped out, the mix sounded fantastic. On 'Grown Ocean', it was probably the most overbearing, almost jarring.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh--I don't mean to be. For the majority they executed perfect auditory delights. The songs were played to pretty much to perfection. I can only blame the mix.

But, let's talk about harmonies. That, they executed flawlessly. Angelic is the only adjective I find appropriate. I probably should have paid more attention to the actual set-list, but I wasn't concerned with hearing one song over another, save for White Winter Hymnal, which was perfectly performed.

For me, the standout songs from the new record, Helplessness Blues, were 'Montezuma', 'Bedouin Dress', 'Battery Kinzie', & 'The Shrine/An Argument'.

Perhaps I had higher expectations than I should have, but again, my only complaint was the house mix.

The band was damn good.

Yosemite Fall - March 2011

2011-04-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

Chrissy Zebby Tembo - Trouble Maker

2011-02-20T11:23:00.000-08:00

Psychedelic blues guitar from Zambia - recorded in 1974.

Stimy Memorial Show

2011-02-19T10:38:00.000-08:00

Photos from the Stimy memorial show at the Casbah in San Diego, CA, February 16, 2011

Sleeping turtle

2011-02-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

An odd feeling.

2011-01-13T10:20:00.000-08:00

So, I received quite a few compliments on my New Years Eve photo, both in person and online as well as from people I know and don't know. I'm pretty proud of the reaction it got--something I did not expect. It even reconnected me to some people I hadn't seen in years.

So it was an extra bit of sadness and shock I felt when I found out that one of the subjects in my photo, Justin Jay-the guy in the bottom right corner, in mid-kiss with the festive NYE hat on--had passed away. That night was the first I had ever met him, even though I had heard of the bands he played in.

Justin was directly in front of the stage most of the night, right next to me while I was shooting the bands. We exchanged a few words throughout the night & I found him to be a very cool dude.

It seems that this photo is possibly one of the last ever taken of him. While I did not know him--from everything I have heard from friends and read about him, he seemed pretty damn awesome.

Justin's passing comes quickly on the heels of the loss of someone else--a guy I did know but had not seen in over a decade. Many of my good friends that I do still talk to were very good friends with him & had known him since high school.

Michael 'Stimy" Steinman was also a very well-known local musician who passed away in late December. He played in a number of bands, including, Sub Society-the band he was in in High School with some other friends of mine and Inch--his most notable band.

I suppose it comes with the territory as you get older--people closer to you passing away. It's just an odd feeling when it happens to those so young.

I lost someone close to me a couple of years ago and while it doesn't make it easier to deal with--he was in his 90s and had communicated to me many times that he felt he lived a very rich & fulfilling life. When asked how he was doing, Ruben Rubio would say to me, "Can't complain." He always said it with such positivity. His passing was also sudden & unexpected.

You never know what's going to be around the next corner.

Always make sure you let the ones close to you know--even the ones you haven't seem in some time--that you're glad to know them and appreciate them--that you love the ones you're closest to.

Life is much to fleeting to hold grudges or ill will towards anyone.

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

Photos from 2010

2010-12-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

My hastily prepared list of favorite albums from 2010

2010-12-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

These are the albums I listened to the most in the past year.
They're not in any particular order aside from The Black Keys being my #1.

+ the Black Keys - Brothers
+ the White Buffalo - Prepare For Black & Blue
+ Kings Of Leon - Come Around Sundown
+ The Morning Benders - Big Echo
+ Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk
+ The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards
+ The Bird And the Bee - Interpreting The Masters
+ Brian Eno - Small Craft On A Milk Sea
+ Broken Bells - Broken Bells
+ Melvins - The Bride Screamed Murder
+ the Mynabirds - What We Loose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood
+ Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
+ Twin Shadow - Forget

Stone Foxes - Casbah - San Diego, CA

2010-12-15T14:55:00.000-08:00

Out Of Focus

2010-12-02T10:27:00.001-08:00

Experimented with low-light & out-of-focus shooting.

Self #7 November 17, 2010

2010-11-17T08:48:00.000-08:00

Silver Morning

2010-11-15T22:12:00.000-08:00

I have a problem

2010-11-14T17:36:00.000-08:00

I have a problem.

It has now cost me. You'd think I would have learned, but apparently I didn't and now I've gone and lost something beautiful. The only thing I can do is confront my issue. It's not going to be easy, but I have to do it or I won't be able to move on.

I drink too much. I have to face this. I have to stop.

Gull

2010-11-12T11:32:00.000-08:00

Self portrait-a-day #1

2010-11-09T23:25:00.000-08:00

Broke out the pedals

2010-11-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

Jammed with a drummer for the first time in a few years. Good times.

Trans Am at the Casbah - San Diego, CA - Nov 2010

2010-11-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Buddha in morning sun.

2010-11-02T11:28:00.000-07:00

Writer

2010-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Writer performing live at the Casbah, San Diego, CA.

Serendipity?

2010-10-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Odd how some things work out. Unexpected turns of events leading to new discoveries. Finding things that you didn't know were missing. What do you make of things of this nature. Is it kismet? Fate? Serendipity? The advice to give, I think, is to just roll with it. Don't complicate things. Seems that it's working as an approach thus far.

Woodland kitchen

2010-10-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

This was my kitchen while hiking around Yosemite. I made stews, soups and espressos & cappuccinos. Worked out really well.

Half Dome from the valley floor's perspective.

2010-10-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

Little. Fluffy.

2010-09-27T13:15:00.000-07:00

Bison BC - Casbah - Saturday Sept25th

2010-09-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Bison BC from Vancouver, British Columbia.

Curry Trees in misty rain.

2010-09-24T09:56:00.000-07:00

Art.

2010-09-22T19:34:00.000-07:00

Me, my burrito & the Taco guy

2010-09-22T19:33:00.000-07:00

He yells: tacos!! Tacos!!!
Tacos!!! From 5pm-2am 4 nights a week.

Cans & bubbles.

2010-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

The road home

2010-08-31T14:00:00.000-07:00

Haircut 100

2010-08-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

El Monte Slim

2010-08-30T17:11:00.001-07:00

Enlightened

2010-08-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

A day at the races

2010-08-06T19:51:00.001-07:00

Lunchtime view

2010-07-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Had brunch today with some friends at the 19th Hole, overlooking downtown San Diego. You can see Cabrillo Point & the Pacific Ocean in the top-left corner. This makes want to finally learn to play golf.

White Buffalo

2010-07-01T21:03:00.000-07:00

Amazing singer/songwriter. The White Buffalo
Casbah, San Diego, CA - March 2010

My army

2010-07-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Getting reaquainted with an old friend.

2010-06-19T14:17:00.001-07:00

Pacific Coast Farmers Market

2010-06-19T10:22:00.001-07:00

Little Italy, San Diego, CA

Flightpath

2010-06-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Melvins - Casbah San Diego 06/01/2010

2010-06-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day

2010-06-01T08:44:00.001-07:00

From the iron horse

2010-05-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Family Wagon

2010-05-27T14:20:00.000-07:00

Shot this band, Family Wagon the other night at Soda Bar in San Diego. Pretty great band with a good sound. A real good stage presence. Had a bit of a desert-southern-rock-blues vibe.

The tracks

2010-05-25T18:05:00.001-07:00

7am Santa Fe Depot.

2010-05-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday. Studio.

2010-05-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

Rearranged the studio workstation.

Sunday photo

2010-05-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

8:50pm San Diego

Ruben G. Rubio

2010-05-14T11:35:00.000-07:00

It has been one full year since my friend Ruben passed away. In his honor an 'In memoriam' was published.

RUBIO, RUBEN G. Ruben G. Rubio, 94, of National City passed away at 8:58 p.m. on May 11, 2009, from complications due to head injuries resulting from a fall. He was surrounded by family and friends.

Born in Del Rio, Texas, on June 15, 1914, he was raised by his grandparents and uncles. At age 16, during the Great Depression, he began traveling to the Southwest. He ended up in San Diego where he got a job setting up pins at a downtown bowling alley. In 1932, after a little more traveling and some time spent back in Texas, Ruben settled permanently in San Diego, taking a job driving produce trucks from San Diego to Los Angeles.

It was at an Easter Sunday dance in 1935 that Ruben met his future wife, Consuelo "Connie" Ramirez. She made a bet with her friends that she would dance with the first gentleman she saw whose outfit matched hers. As Ruben walked by, wearing just such an outfit, she made a face at him to get his attention. Connie asked him to dance and he accepted. "She was a very good dancer and that was it," Ruben would always say. They married in 1937. Their only child, a daughter, Deborah, was born in 1939.

During World War II, he worked at North Island Naval Air Station manufacturing and repairing aircraft. One day in 1945, Ruben decided he didn't want to work on planes anymore and along with Connie, began selling his signature Tex-Mex tamales. They opened their restaurant on the property Connie's family owned since 1920.

Rubio's Little Mexico would operate on West 18th Street in National City for the next 40 years, many of those years as the only Mexican-style restaurant in the area. During that time, Ruben's dining room served as far more than just a place to eat. It was a central hub for local and national political activity, including hosting a young, future Massachusetts senator named Ted Kennedy during his older brother John's campaign.

Ruben was also involved in many protests and marches for human rights and against political corruption. He and Connie would regularly travel to rural Mexico to help the indigenous people of Tecate and Neji.

Ruben happily spent his retirement tending to his garden, regularly making his signature tamales and spending time with family. Connie, his wife of nearly 70 years, passed in 2003. He is survived by his daughter, Deborah M. Cañedo and his grandchildren, Oscar Ruben Cañedo and Deborah Consuelo Cañedo, all of National City. Viewing and interment were held at Cypress View Mausoleum.

Photo of the day

2010-05-14T09:56:00.001-07:00

Tacos!!

2010-04-29T14:11:00.000-07:00

San Diego is only 10 minutes from Mexico, so there is a lot of great Mexican food here. Sammie had carnitas tacos today. Carnitas is slow cooked, seasoned pork. The tacos were made with corn tortillas, the carnitas, cilantro, onion, guacamole & a little lime juice squeezed on top. He also had fresh corn chips w/ hot salsa. Boy was that salsa hot!! To cool it off, he had a large horchata, which is an ice-cold sweet-spiced rice-milk drink. Yum!

More Coronado

2010-04-25T13:31:00.000-07:00

The view of downtown San Diego from Coronado Island.

Outside the Hotel del Coronado.

The beaches are really nice here.

Hotel del Coronado

2010-04-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, Sammie visited the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island. Here he is in front of a picture of the ghost of a girl who haunts the hotel.

In the Navy

2010-04-24T17:21:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest industries in San Diego is the U.S. Navy. San Diego is home to the largest West Coast Naval station. Behind Sammie is North Island Naval Air Station as well as three aircraft carriers, the USS Carl Vinson, USS Chester C Nimitz and the USS Ronald Reagan. The picture was taken from the flight deck of the retired carrier, USS Midway.

USS Midway

2010-04-24T15:10:00.001-07:00

Here is Sammie on the flight deck of the USS Midway, a World War II aircraft carrier.

Star Of India

2010-04-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here is Flat Sammie in front of the Star Of India at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world’s finest collections of historic ships, including the world’s oldest active ship the Star of India.

Flat Sammie is visiting

2010-04-23T14:05:00.001-07:00

My nephew Sam sent a flat version of himself to California for a visit. He arrived yesterday. This is him at my office, learning about user experience design.

Back On The Ice

2010-04-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

The Gentlemen had an 11:45 PM game Friday night and when I arrived home from work around 8PM, I decided to see if my helmet could fit over my glasses.

It's not the best fit, but I was able to get my helmet on and put my glasses on. I could probably play, I think. It was an exhibition game to start the summer season, so I figured, why not give it a shot.

My eye surgeon had given me the okay to play sans checking about a month ago, but I've never played while wearing glasses. I had been to one practice session 2 years ago, where I forgot to bring my contacts, that I went out on the ice with my glasses. It was uncomfortable & they kept fogging up.

I'm not cleared to wear contact lenses yet & don't even have a proper prescribed pair right now.

I get to the rink, the guys trickle into the locker room & start getting ready. I cleaned the glasses with anti-fog spray, usually meant for protective visors.

Things are looking good. I let 'em all know that if I can't see, my glasses get squirrelly or if they keep fogging, that I'll take myself out.

Goaltending kept us in it. We had at least 8 shots on goal in the final minute, down by one, when we pulled our goalie for the extra skater, but to no avail.

We ended up losing 3-2, in what was not our best game.

I was, however, absolutely fun. I played my first game of 2010. I lost sight of the puck when it was in my skates--no peripheral vision or lower vision. I'd see the puck coming around the boards and when it got where it went beyond the frame of my glasses it all went blurry. I was looking through glasses & a protective visor--so I had a double-paned window in front of me. I had minor fogging issues - but that can be fixed with a proper towel to clean them between shifts.

My legs were a bit shaky from not skating that hard in almost 6 months, all in all not bad.

Second day of running.

2010-03-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

Second day of running is completed. 6am this time. Easing into the running thing by following the 'Couch to 5k' plan. It helps that there's an iPhone app.

Inspiring

2010-02-26T08:32:00.001-08:00

The Sandpit from Sam O'Hare on Vimeo.

Olympic Hockey

2010-02-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

The 2010 Vancouver Olympic Men's hockey tournament began last night & it reminded me of something.

It was during the 2006 Torino games, that I decided as a life-long ice hockey fan, to finally learn to play. Hopefully before I turned 40.

During that last Olympic Games, I googled Ice Hockey in San DIego. Expecting to find info on the rink at UTC, I was surprised to find out that there 4 other rinks in town. Kroc Center near San Diego State College, 2 rinks in Escondido at the Iceoplex and the San Diego Ice Arena in Mira Mesa.

I spent about 8 months talking about giving hockey a shot.

FInally, just before 2006 came to a close, I figured that HAVING skates would be the first step & some motivation.

I set about looking for a place to buy them, figuring that I should probably learn to ice skate properly before I attempted playing hockey. I ended up finding Play It Again Sports, also in Mira Mesa. They guys in there were super knowledgeable about skates.

Even though I grew up in the North East, lived in two houses that had ponds on the property, had skates, a stick & pucks AND was a Boston Bruins and NHL fan, I never really learned how to play. I stumbled around on the ice, hacked at a few pucks, sure, but I was far, far from knowing how to skate.

After trying on a few pairs, I settled on some Nike-Bauers for about $125. I felt I shouldn't skimp on equipment. (This is before I realized skates could be as much as $700). My next step was trying them.

By now it is January '07. Almost a year since I became "motivated". Hey - I was busy as the creative director at a new company.

Conveniently, there was a rink within walking distance of my office. Debbie met me there during lunch one day for the breaking-in ceremony.

Ouch. I think she still has video & pictures from this. Things didn't go 100%. My memory of skating was far from my ability, that day. Which was 0%. I, of course, fell, a bunch. Kind of hurt my knee too. BUT! I was encouraged & now determined. Enough talk. Time for action.

The next day I stopped in at the San Diego Ice Arena, found a flyer for skating lessons & called the number. I get this guy - Craig Sterling. He says come down, Tuesday night, 7pm.

So for the next 7 months, every Tuesday night, I took an ice skating lesson with emphasis on hockey. In addition, because I was taking lessons - I got free skating at any public skate session. Thusly, on top of the weekly lesson - I was going to the rink a minimum of 4 other times a week to practice. Probably 2 months into my lessons, Craig suggested I might take this Friday evening, completely beginner, basic hockey skills class, which I did. In this class - I met a bunch of other people in the process of learning. A few of whom were forming a team to play in the low-level adult league.

During my 7 months of practice & lessons, I kept running into people from my skills class at public skates. Now and then they'd ask me to join their team, but I didn't feel like I could skate well enough to make it enjoyable. I felt I wanted to be at a decent skill level before I attempted real team play.

Towards the end of July, I started trying the rink's pick-up on Monday nights. This kicked my ass. Most of those who attended had actually played when they were kids, in college, some from theNortheast, Canada, Russia, Latvia... For most of these skates I was out of my league.

By the end of August after skating lessons, skills classes, and now a month and a half of pick-up games with players far better than I, the call went into Craig to ask about joining a team for the season that was about to start in September. The team consisting of the people I'd met in skills class was full, so he placed me on another team. The Thunder. L.A. Kings colors. I talked with the captain on the phone a few times and signed on.

There aren't many things more nerve-wracking as walking into a locker room full of people you don't know to play on their team. Very first day at a new school feeling. You can see the chatter between players that know each other & have played together. I've only been playing, at this point, for 8 months. I could barely stand the previous January.

I played on that team for about a year and a half. Division 5 - the beginner level. I had one game-related shoulder injury and a puck knocked out my front tooth.

I made some new friends, even brought in a co-worker that I found out played while growing up in Alaska. (He is a far better player than he had ever let on.) We started going to 5AM open skates as a small team group to practice. 5 in the morning, in Escondido, two hours of hockey before heading to the office. Our small group had a lot of fun at these practices, but we started to get frustrated with our team's games and other things. By now I had stopped the regular skating lessons, wearing out my originals and now having a new pair of $600 skates. (Taking a slap-shot puck on a cheap skate boot is not fun and these will last a lot longer.)

We decided to break away from the Thunder and form a new team and move up one level to division 4. We recruited other players at the Morning skates, the Monday & Wednesday night pickups, and eventually put together a team of 20.

In March of 2009, The Gentlemen were born.

To celebrate my 40th birthday, this past November, I skated in a game on an NHL rink.

The Gents are in their second season, with the playoffs starting on Friday night. I'll be there, but not playing due to my detached retina surgery in December. I'll make a full recovery & should be back on the ice for the summer season.

The Vancouver Olympics reminded me of the beginning of my quest to learn to play 4 years ago. Those athletes train hard to get where they are, but I now understand their drive & their passion.

Four years, 3 injuries, 2-pairs of skates, 2-teams, probably 30 sticks, countless hours of ice-time, and a bunch of new-lifetime friends. All of it worth every penny & tick of the clock.

Just sayin'.

IM Conversation on the iPad

2010-02-04T09:04:00.000-08:00

This is the transcript from a conversation I had with Andrew Walpole regarding the iPad. I know there are myriad posts on this subject, I just thought the 1:1 conversation format was a bit different. Typos & all are intact.....

7:44:15 AM Andrew Walpole:

flash user group meeting last night was good.. guy form chumby talked about... chumby. then there was a heated discussion about the ipad.. also they want to have a flashcamp conference here in SD this summer, you should give a talk on something designy.

7:57:36 AM Timothy Erdmann:

I dont do flash anymore. It's all about html5

:-)

7:57:54 AM Andrew Walpole:

I'm sure you could give a talk on that

7:58:17 AM Timothy Erdmann:

how heated did the discussion get?

7:58:38 AM Andrew Walpole:

pretty heated, there was some australian guy we've never seen playing devil's advocate for apple... it was almost as if he were some apple spy infiltrating the user group.. sitting in the back, in the shadows

7:59:12 AM Timothy Erdmann:

remember Google is going down the same path

7:59:13 AM Andrew Walpole:

watching, always watching.

7:59:26 AM Timothy Erdmann:

so it's not just Apple

8:00:12 AM Andrew Walpole:

so far Google is doing it open though, the Android operating system and devices are still very hackable... a couple good points were made. "the internet" is really just up in arms about this from a developer's perspective. Because as developers in 2010, we expect openness in technology, it has become the norm. However, from a consumer point of view, we all fucking love apple products and we beg to buy whatever they dangle in front of us.... Bottom line is, someone needs to make a Flash Player 10-based tablet that just runs flash/flex/air apps. There are 2 million developers that would build stuff for it, and atleast those 2 million developers would become 2 million consumers.... It's like a gaping hole in the market right now, I wish I had money to build it.

8:10:13 AM Timothy Erdmann:

That's what Chumby should really do.

8:10:50 AM Andrew Walpole:

yeah, I asked if they anticipate rebuilding their flash lite OS in mobile 10.1 player, they aren't sure

8:10:54 AM Timothy Erdmann:

It should really still be closed though. Allow Flash developers to load air apps on it but otherwise it should be closed.

8:11:08 AM Andrew Walpole:

Adobe is also making FlashLite 4, which will target feature phones, 10.1 for smartphones... but a flash OS build on mobile 10.1 player would be pretty sick... because Adobe is doing the heavy-lifting as far as getting it to play nice with devices... so someone just has to program it, and then you have an OS that works on TV's and everything, I mean yes, that's exactly what chumby is doing, but they ought to go after something more than flashlite

8:13:17 AM Timothy Erdmann:

THe bottom line is that consumers (not developers) don't care nor do they want to care about how their stuff works, they just want it to work and do the things they want it to do fast and efficiently. THey don't care HOW their car works, they don't care HOW their stove works, or their TV they just want it TO WORK.... Developers can build for the iPad, Apple will allow that, and when the Flash player doesn't crash as much & it runs effeciently enough - Apple would consider it.

8:14:36 AM Andrew Walpole:

yes, and for 95% of things the ipad is gonna rock for consumers, until a consumer that has no clue what flash is goes to miniclip or kongregate, or wants to play farmville on his ipad and all he gets are blue legos. I think from a consumer perspective, the only thing to be mad about is that they call it the "best web experience"

8:15:17 AM Timothy Erdmann:

So Adobe should work to getting Flash to not crash.

8:15:28 AM Andrew Walpole:

ok, the crashing thing is bogus.. Jobs is still living in the flashLite 3 demo world he saw running on iphone

8:15:46 AM Timothy Erdmann:

No way dude.. IT crashes my shit ALL THE TIME... Seriously...

8:15:55 AM Andrew Walpole:

mobile 10.1 is as stable as any flash player version ever.

8:16:11 AM Timothy Erdmann:

I wish it weren't true. ... but it is. I've dealt with it for a year or more... I just shrug it off... and restart my browsers

8:16:52 AM Andrew Walpole:

as far as crashing goes, it's the swf programming, not the player

8:16:58 AM Timothy Erdmann:

it crashes ffx, safari & camino

8:17:12 AM Andrew Walpole:

I bet I could program an iphone app that crashes

8:17:21 AM Timothy Erdmann:

then there should be a little more oversight.

8:17:24 AM Andrew Walpole:

but that doesn't mean the ihpone always crashes

8:17:30 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Fair point

8:17:39 AM Andrew Walpole:

the player is stable

8:18:07 AM Timothy Erdmann:

ok, fine, then it's some shoddy developers that are to blame... but those shoddy developers are building shit for NYtime, MLNB CNN,

8:18:45 AM Andrew Walpole:

yes, and I will agree that you probably have the shoddiest in the flash community, that's just the nature of going from designer to developer

8:19:39 AM Timothy Erdmann:

SO I'd venture to guess that if the quality of offerings in the wild were better then Jobs would put Flash on the iPad... The simple act of navigating to a site that has flash sometimes makes my machine spin up like it's navigating the space shuttle..

8:20:51 AM Andrew Walpole:

yeah, but using canvas in html5 does just the same.. people are getting like 2FPS with html5 animations... and it's using 60% processor

8:21:13 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Im not saying by any means that Canvas is ready for PRime Time... I know it's got growing to do. I know Flash is a better media experience when built right... I dont argue that at all

8:23:48 AM Andrew Walpole:

I think that when all speculating is said and done, there is no solid technical reason for apple to not include flash support. It's all business politics, and I think that's where people are having a problem with it, that's where I have a problem with it. the ipad supports javascript, I can write you a slow and shitty javascript application, he's not stopping me form doing that

8:23:58 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Flash needs to get stabilized. Less hacky.. posssibly stemming from the problem that Flash designers/developers are not always valued enough at companies...so they end up hiring the cheaper guy... Jobs is thinking of the consumer, not the developer... I couldn't even remember the last time javascript crashed my browser... Flash did it yeaterday... We are in the midst of a growing pains era in computing... where it's moving from the early adopter, specialized field to the realm of auto mechanic.. it's becoming a trade... and just like you have half-assed mechanics.. you'll see more and more half-assed programmers on all platforms.... Which is why I prefer BMW to Kia

8:27:58 AM Andrew Walpole:

here's the thing though, Apple is thinking about the developer, they are thinking about how they can make money off the developer. $99 developer fee, you need a mac to develop apps on, then you need to deploy through their app store which they will take a cut of profits. Maybe 10 years ago that would be fine, but today, there is a different mentality about technology, and I'm not saying what they are doing is illegal, but the development community has a right to feel upset about the closed system.

8:28:18 AM Timothy Erdmann:

And what's wrong with that?

8:29:08 AM Andrew Walpole:

I guess it's kind of a breach in technology ethics that have kind of self-arisen with the open revolution in the last 6-7 years.

8:29:09 AM Timothy Erdmann:

I see nothing wrong with that model.... this isn't Star Trek... We are not a Utopian money-less society & won't be in our lifetimes... as much as the Neos of the world might want that

8:30:16 AM Andrew Walpole:

it's innovation vs. greed, and apple just chose greed. Where in a time where people want the brands they look up to to innovate and allow everyone to participate

8:30:55 AM Timothy Erdmann:

And Apple doesn't innovate?

8:31:32 AM Andrew Walpole:

THEY innovate, sure, but they close the door for me to innovate... Tinkerers Sunset - Post

8:31:38 AM Timothy Erdmann:

the iPhone cause a sea change in the entire world-wide mobile INdustry...they are doing it in computers.. they are creating a new market.

8:34:00 AM Andrew Walpole:

... maybe Jobs is just becoming a crotchety old man. My frisbee landed in his yard and now he won't give it back. And he's shaking his fist at me.

8:40:49 AM Timothy Erdmann:

re: the first article.... see the thing is - yes Apple made him who he is by allowing him to do his tinkering... that's fine... the computer has now grown from a device that a fraction of a percentage of .00000000005% of people in the world were doing at that time.... It was probably the same fraction of people who were inventing and tinkering with early cars or oil drilling technology...eventualy it grows up into an industry and the early tinkerers don't lie it... computers are in that phase now. ... Something else will come along that will interet his kids... maybe not the iPad... maybe some crazy kid learns how to make endless fuel from dog poo...

8:44:41 AM Andrew Walpole:

yeah, and I think that the cycle you just explained is detrimental to innovation, I mean the car has remained unchanged (until now we're making LAWS to change it) for decades because the auto industry took it over. Innovation has been minimal compared to what may have come if those tinkerers were fed fuel.

8:44:45 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Railing against the auto industry for eventually putting structure on their business didn't stop him from tinkering with this new thing called a computer... and there will still be people who tinker...just like people tinker with cars still... Yes. I agree that auto innovation has stalled.. ha!..

8:45:41 AM Andrew Walpole:

ah, but look at the prius, its the ipad. it's un-tinkerable, the thing is bascially locked down within sheets of metal

8:45:56 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Welll people are tinkering with it... you just don't always hear about it... and it has inspired myriad startups to begin tinkering on their own versions...

8:46:37 AM Andrew Walpole:

well people will tinker with the ipad, but like the guy is saying, there's a no trespassing sign being put up where there used to be none... and those that heed it's caution will be left out

8:47:16 AM Timothy Erdmann:

While the computer age is in it's first real area of growing pain.. the car is entering it's rebirth, I think... it's all a cycle... someone will come up with som insane innovation on the auto that will blow everyone away and change everything within the next 10 years.... SOmething no one can see coming... one big difference between the auto analogy & the computer is the time between cycles... The early auto tinkerers are all dead...

8:49:03 AM Andrew Walpole:

right, I think you're totally right, so what if that person who has the next computing innovation is a 12 year old kid right now, and he has the potential to do all this, but not if the doors of open technology begin to close

8:49:11 AM Timothy Erdmann:

computers have a faster cycle with more tinkerers.

8:49:53 AM Andrew Walpole:

that faster cycle is BECAUSE we've moved towards open technology.... the cycle will slow down because of what apple is doing right now

8:50:12 AM Timothy Erdmann:

The next person that has the next computing innovation will not be hindered by the iPad's closedness.

8:50:23 AM Andrew Walpole:

you can't say that for sure though

8:50:33 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Well.. look at it this way... if a kid gets an iPad & becomes enamoured about computing... he's then going to want a real machine...which he'll tinker with... then he'll hack open his iPAd... and tinker with it... eventually something will evolve... Apple isn't locking down computng. THeyre locking down one appliance. I am free to learn all I want about how refridgeration works... if I so choose - I can buy a fridge and hack into it.... but 99.999999999999999% of people won't and dont care... iPAd is not a computer. it's an appliance.... Apple == GE

8:53:25 AM Andrew Walpole:

you're probably right, the only argument I'm making is that Apple is not the company it used to be, it used to embrace it's technical community, much like adobe does today. Now it's kind of grown up and doesn't need "us" to get by, and it's just a little bit betraying.

8:53:41 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Of course it isn't & it shouldn't be... It still embraces it... it just say "you can lpay - be we need to follow some rules"... Like MLB... NFL... games that yoused to be willynilly - now have a set of rules people agree to follow so that things run smoothly, fairly and are satifying to the consumer... YOu can juice all you want in your weekend softball league - just don't do it in the MAjors... We could easily copy/paste this whole conversation inot a blog post

8:56:09 AM Andrew Walpole:

yeah, and it would be like every blog post.

8:56:26 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Ahh.. but we innovated by making it a running dialogue

8:56:54 AM Andrew Walpole:

I guess it just comes down to 2 things for me. I think Apple has an ethical responsibility that they have for the first time dropped the ball on, and second, the ipad is not the "best browsing experience ever"... so they shouldn't say it. people would be a hell of a lot less mad if jobs came out and said, "here's the ipad, it fuckin rocks, but we didn't put flash on it for business reasons, but trust me it's stiull pretty awesome"... I'd be all about that!

8:58:38 AM Timothy Erdmann:

the ipad is not the "best browsing experience ever" - according to you...and have you browsed on one?

8:59:22 AM Andrew Walpole:

no, but my definition of best browsing experience has to atleast meet the minimum of what my desktop can do.. and my desktop runs flash.

9:00:00 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Your desktop has a faster processor & more memory....remember.

9:00:16 AM Andrew Walpole:

ok, then just don't come out on stage and say "it's the best browsing experience ever"
9:00:47 AM Timothy Erdmann: It all comes down to hurt feelings. Flash users are hurt that they can't really play. Power computer users are upset that they are no longer special. ...you can say, "it's a great browsing experience", "it's a browsing experience that fits the tablet industry" whatever, just don't say that.

9:01:43 AM Timothy Erdmann:

The iPad is an appliance. Your feelings are hurt because it's not what you wanted and Apple never promised anything.

9:02:40 AM Andrew Walpole:

I really don't care about the flash thing that much, it's what I think Apple is becoming, I think more and more their systems will be more and more closed. I can code, I could go learn cocoa, I'm not mad because I can't ever develop for their products. I just don't want them to impact my future and the things I think are driving technological innovation, because they are big enough to affect that, and that's their ethical responsibility in my eyes.

9:03:15 AM Timothy Erdmann:

Think about that statement - "best browsing experience ever" - BROWSING - not hardcore Web surfing or computing. Browsing. Like a Gap catalog or Field & Stream.... This has all happened before.... And it will happen again.

9:10:42 AM Andrew Walpole:

Apple aside, I think that the way technology in business has evolved has really stopped progress in general, so I look to Apple and Google and Adobe and even Microsoft (though with less hope) that they will break through that, because only they really have the power to do so. It used to be that we could hardly imagine what the future will bring, where now I can tell you exactly what we should have in the future and how to build it and all that, but I can't do it, so the idea sits there on the shelf until someone can see profit in it. It's just depressing to me.

Seen this morning

2010-01-28T07:38:00.001-08:00

The 80s are officially, now, the 2010s.

Forest trail, Yosemite National Park

2010-01-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sat. Jan 16 Los Angeles, CA

2010-01-17T12:19:00.001-08:00

Sunrise

2010-01-12T06:31:00.001-08:00

Something

2010-01-08T20:15:00.000-08:00

There's something poetic and satisfying about having a number of cocktails and fantastically prepared food on a Friday night all by yourself. I can't quite put a finger on it, but I like it.

It has a small bit of an "I'm lonely, but totally happy with my meal and subseqent evening" aire about it.

Maybe it was just the sweetbreads, pork bellies and bourbon talking.

Love it.

2010-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

cowboy.star.sandiego.ca

Friday morning

2010-01-08T07:30:00.001-08:00

The old Boston Gah-den

2010-01-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

(it's only a model. sshh!)

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T08:40:00.001-08:00

2009

2009-12-31T20:57:00.001-08:00

I lost my friend Ruben in 2009. Here's to you big boy. Hope the great dancehall in the sky is rockin'.

NHL Winter Classic

2009-12-31T17:49:00.001-08:00

Detached Retina

2009-12-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

About a month or so ago, I started noticing a shadow in the top left corner of my right eye. It would come and go, grow slightly & recede when I would move from dark areas to light. Eventually it seemed it was there a fair part of my waking hours.

I figured it was something related to the sinus infection I had had, pink eye or something similar. I mentioned it to my family after while at the Honda center skate the weekend of November 22nd. They, of course, said I should get it checked out.

It wasn't until this past Monday while playing a lunch-time game of table tennis at the office- that I noticed I was completely losing sight of the ball as it passed from my left to my right.

It was then I decided I'd better make that appointment.

I called my eye doctor and they scheduled me for the next day at about 2pm. I went in still expecting that I'd be given an antibiotic or other medicinal item to drop into my eye for the next couple of weeks.

That was not to be. After an almost 2 hour examination and more poking, prodding and investigation than I think my eye had ever experienced. She said she thought I might have a detached retina and that I should go se a specialist right away.

She made a call and sent me right over to this specialist. After a probably hazardous dusk-hour, eye-dialated and blurry drive to the eye care center, I arrived. It was almost closing time for the whole facility--the same facility I was in for a surgery about 5 years ago, which felt familiar & gave me the willies, equally.

Another hour of eye-poking and he made the same assessment, I had a detached retina. A very serious one. One that required emergency surgery.

My retinal wall had a tear in it. A couple, actually and they were letting fluid get between my eye(choroid) wall and the retinal wall. These tears were allowing fluid to push the two apart and tear the retina away, thus causing the shadow and if it completely detached, loss of sight. If the retina becomes detached all the way to the back of the eye, where the optic nerve is, things are much more difficult to repair and surgeries of that type have a much lower success rate.

My retina was detached right up to that point.

If it had been earlier in the day - he said he would like to perform the surgery right away-but since there was no staff, he decoded to wait until the next day.

There are three possible paths the surgery can now take. Scenario A, they go in and perform a Scleral Buckle everything is good and I have a three-six week recovery. Scenario B, If the fluid doesn't drain properly they'll need to force it out by injecting the eye with a gas bubble. This requires the patient to lie almost immobile on their side for a minimum of 8 weeks. In scenario C, the retinal wall doesn't 'stick' and they have to try other methods.

I was told then & there that I shouldn't eat or drink anything after midnight and that they would call me in the morning with the surgery time.

Also - I had to lie absolutely flat on my back until the surgery.

The next morning I got the call to be at the surgical center at 2:30pm & that the surgery would be at 5pm.

We arrived at 2:30 and I was checked in right away, brought back into the familiar confines of the pre-op area and prepared for surgery. Placed flat-on-my-back, IVs inserted, hospital gown, non-skid socks and a buffet-table's worth of eye dilating and numbing medicines.

Debbie, my way-cooler-half periodically sings parts of Soundgarden's 'Searching with My Good Eye Closed" which makes me laugh.

After a long delay due to surgeries in front of mine, I'm wheeled into the OR, asked what music I want to hear, to which I replied - anything calm and quiet.

I'm put on the table and completely covered except, of course, for the not-good eye.

The IV is connected to a local anesthesia which I can feel course through my veins. I begin to get loopy, but I stay awake for the whole 2-hour procedure. All I can feel is slight pressure on my eye periodically and all I see are ghostly shapes, sometimes making out a hand or some type of tool. A fairly claustrophobic situation.

I tried to concentrate on the music most of the time, barely making out Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday Cab Calloway and Dean Martin during the 2-hours.

I can hear just about everything that's going on and in my anesthetized state am trying to 'follow along'. Eventually I hear the doctor begin asking for sutures to close things up. He asks if I can hear him, I reply yes, and he tells me that it looks like it was a success, they didn't have to use the gas bubble and that if my follow-up exam the next morning proved good, then we had achieved scenario A.

The anesthetist feeds the IV with an anti-nausia fluid and they begin to uncover me and get me sitting up. After a few minutes - they have me in the hospital chair - which is like a Lay-z-Boy on wheels. All of a sudden I don't feel so hot. I let them know that I feel sort of dizzy and nauseous. They tell me it'll pass and begin wheeling my out to go change and send me home.

As they get me out into the post-op area, Debbie is there talking to the doctor. I am now feeling even more nauseous and have cold sweats, which I verbalize again. They immediately bring be back into the hospital area and transfer me to a gurney lying flat on my back. INstantly, I can feel the nausea recede and the cold sweats subside.

The doctor decides I should sit, post-op, for a bit longer and they wheel me to a room where I recover for about an hour before I am able to sit up and eat some food.

Eventually I'm able to go home at about 10pm and I am again told to lie flat on my back all night, this time with Vicodin.

The next morning it feels like a train hit me square in my eye. We drive to the doctor's office for my follow-up at 9am.

After a tiny bit of examination, he tells me that it looks like the retina was successfully re-attached and the fluid drain, so the gas-bubble insertion wouldn't be necessary.

I'm given a cadre of eye medications, Vicodin for the pain and the instructions that I can't read, use a computer do anything strenuous or drive at all for three weeks. Considering I'm a visual designer and photographer, this puts a damper on me working. Typing this out--which I shouldn't be doing--has taken me 5 hours, 2 eye-med cycles and 1 eye-patch change with many breaks in between and I can really feel the fatigue.

All I'm basically allowed to do is watch TV. I can't (obviously) play hockey or even lift anything mildly heavy--already tried that once & it made me dizzy. Already bored enough to defy orders and post this though the pain, but at least I'll be able to see. I miss my depth-perception and my eye is swollen, bloody and in great pain, but I have a fabulous support group and will eventually make a full recovery.

Looking to the sky and down / Searching for a ground / With my good eye closed

The Gents in Anaheim.

2009-11-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

A contingent of the Gentlemen had the honor of skating on NHL ice last weekend. We played a pick-up game three hours before the Ducks played the San Jose Sharks.

The surprising thing was how small the players bench is. Those guys are far bigger than most of us, and we were packed in like sardines between shifts.

It was a ton of fun & our team won 8-6. It was also a small celebration of my 40th.

the Gents.

NHL ice is nice.

Kennedy scoops the puck while I wait for a one-timer pass.

More pics

Four Oh

2009-11-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

I turned 40 today.

Seems just like yesterday.

When I was in my 30s.

Mirror Lake

2009-11-03T10:54:00.000-08:00

This is one of the first composed shots I made while in Yosemite Valley. The tripod is balanced on mossy-wet rocks about 2 feet from the river bank. This is a straight exposure. One shot. There was a small amount of manipulation in photoshop - but ONLY adjustments of shadows and highlights and a bit of burning and dodging. I attempted to do an HDR photo with three other similar shots-but I just didn't like how it turned out. HDR photos tend to create too many halos. I like more realism.

Harvest.

2009-11-01T07:53:00.001-08:00

My bok choy & butter lettuce harvest.

Seattle from 20,000 ft.

2009-10-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

Signage Series #3 - North Beach, San Francisco

2009-10-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

Home - for the past week.

2009-10-24T04:46:00.001-07:00

I lived here for a week. You should try it some time. In the off-season.

At the top of Glacier Point. 7200ft above sea level... I started that day's hike at 3200ft. Half Dome is in the background.
Apparently it's the steepest grade of all Yosemite Valley hikes. My calves & knees agreed. The "Four Mile Trail", though in actuality 4.6 miles one-way.

My suite acommodations. No heater, but it comes with its own bear-proof locker out front. Walls are not bear-proof. Having a bear on your porch when you open the door at 1am? Priceless.

It's a nice neighborhood.

One of my smaller neighbors.

Channeling Kerouac

2009-10-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

At the bar next to City Lights Books in San Fransisco.

Absinthe

2009-10-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

Hayes & Gough - SF

Durso

2009-10-16T09:51:00.001-07:00

Durso Italian Deli SF.
236 Townsend.
Great cappuccino.

2009-10-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

SAN - bar

2009-10-15T16:21:00.001-07:00

Sunset coming through the bar window at San Diego International Airport. Sipping Makers on the rocks.

MLK park

2009-10-07T08:00:00.001-07:00

MLK park - Downtown San Diego. 8AM.

Fine Canadian beer

2009-10-03T16:45:00.001-07:00

For consumption while watching hockey.

Dusting Off

2009-10-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Looking for a breakout
Day after brings new perspective

By Ace reporter, Buz Sawitall
Tribune Correspondent / October 3, 2009

SAN DIEGO - If the hype surrounding the Gentlemen leading up to Friday night’s game seemed a bit overwhelming, today’s morning-after session will be suitably classified as a day of recuperation.

Minutes after the Gentlemen’s humbling 5-1 loss to the Avalanche before a clearly not-sold-out San Diego Ice Arena, coach Tim Erdmann guaranteed a better brand of hockey to come.

36 hours after the game, players and coaches will reflect on what went wrong and how to get better at a late-morning pick-up at the Ice Town UTC. (11:45 Sunday)

“If I convert occasionally on all the easy chances I have it would be [expletive deleted] nice for a change.’’ said forward Jeff Rogers. “ Hopefully we’ll respond.’’

Effort and work ethic were words thrown around in the locker room, but some players said all the touting - some media outlets predicted a League Finals appearance - had them chasing the big picture rather than focusing on the task at hand.

One telling statistic was the Gentlemen’s lackluster power play. They went 0 for 5 and were the only team that night not to convert with the man advantage.

That lack of execution seemed to seep into the Gents’ troubles at even strength. They were outshot, 34-20, for the game, 12-3 in the third period.

“We were getting outworked,’’ Erdmann said. “We were losing battles, we were losing races, with the five-on-four and at five-on-five. That, again, for me goes back to work ethic. That’s why I keep stressing that word right now.”

Captain Sean Mehaffey , Peter "heart and soul"Cutting and blue-line force, Jimmy Doherty were conspicuously absent from the line-up.

“I thought our breakouts were a weak point,’’ acting defenseman, Chris Kennedy said. “We got caught in our zone and we just couldn’t get it going. You just have to keep it simple and stop the weak backhand attempts to clear the puck.’’

The Gentlemen could muster only one goal, on a short-handed 2 on 1 with newly-signed forward, Evan Weisman converting on a pass from Rogers. That would, unfortunately, be all that the Gent's could do for their side of the scoreboard.

The one bright star was goalie, Danny Villada. The laid-back Columbian sensation kept the score at somewhat respectable tally. Tied 1-1 going into the second, Villada was left without help, giving up 3 goals, none of them his fault. Though it was in the third period where he really stood out, making multiple highlight-reel glove saves and standing on his head to try and give his squad a chance to even it up.

That would not come-to-pass, though, as the team in front of him just couldn't put puck to twine.

"We have to redeem ourselves next week", Kennedy said. "We're up against the Ice-O-Topes and we need to beat them. They've come out on top every time teams I'm on have faced them. That needs to change next Saturday [October 10th]."

There will be a reflection session at Stout Public House - 1125 6th Ave. in downtown San Diego at 4pm, today, Saturday.

Voluntary practice will be Sunday at 11:45am - 1:15pm Sunday at Ice Town UTC in La Jolla

Late August/Mid September recap in pictures.

2009-09-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

With Bing & friend in San Diego.

@ Hotel Sé in San Diego.

Down w/ Phil Anselmo..not the clearest image I've ever shot.

Buzz Osbourne of the Melvins

Big Sur, CA from 22,000 ft.

After the desert sun went down.

Inland Empire. 11:30 am. 90 degrees. My only salvation was tacos and beer.

The White Buffalo - Solana Beach 8/27/09

2009-08-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

Great music & great people.

Take a listen here: The White Buffalo

Buddhist wall painting. From China @ MetArt NYC

2009-08-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Them Crooked Vultures

2009-08-19T14:06:00.000-07:00

Gentlemanly gear

2009-08-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

GET YOUR GEAR, HERE! GET YOUR GEAR!!

Look like a gentlemen in these fine threads, brought to you by makers of other fine threads.
YOU SIR!! There, yes, you! You look like you could use some gentlemanly vestments!

Have a look, why don't you?!

Big Sur forest

2009-08-10T15:51:00.000-07:00