i found a crayon and wrote these words on your leg... (reblog)

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

So... we sell many "interesting things" at work and one thing that I'm still scratching my head at are these chocolate lollipops that you can put your logo or photo on. It's one thing to promote a company or event, but the fact that you can also place jpeg's of people on them is just a little odd. I mean, obviously nothing says love like people licking your face and watching you dissolve into sugary goo.

Anyways, the other day we got some samples of said lollipops in the mail.



Obviously, nothing is more fun than licking the face of a random man, who I'll refer to as "Jerry".



Jerry sucked.
I mean, he tasted like shit.
After letting him melt on my tongue for a little bit, I decided I didn't like the taste of him and so I quickly spit his "goodness" in the trash.


Maybe it's not you Jerry, maybe it's me?


no, no....it's definitely you.

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this bag is heavy, wanna carry it for me? (repost)

Here's another one from the vaults. I think this one struck a chord with me because for the past week or so I've been knee deep in "artworld" trying to get some screen printing done for ARTCRANK 2010, which is next week. My posters are due this weekend and I normally never wait till the last minute, but it's been a steady mess of things going wrong trying to get the printing of my posters off the ground, everything from the screens taking longer than expected to the paper store losing my order of paper and giving me some other crap instead, which is surprisingly, working quite well. Anyways, aside from teaching spin class Wednesday afternoon, after work I've just regulated myself to printing, printing, printing. hopefully I can get things done so that I can enjoy the last part of my week aside from spending it in the basement. Anyways, it's at moments like these that even though it's stress full and time consuming, I get a little joy out of the process and the effort because it reminds me of being in college, staying up all night working on those assignments, having shit go wrong (like electrical storms knocking out the power in the building which results in you losing all of your file because you hadn't saved anything the past three hours)... or saving your stuff and then getting your zip disc stuck in the computer. Ah, zipdiscs, those were the days eh? Anyways, this retro post is for you SCAD.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Randomly last week, my best friend from college Emily showed up at my house for a little regrouping. She had planned a non-planned last minute trip to Portland from San Diego and in proper last minute fashion, I welcomed her, Lucky -her dog, and her kayak with open arms in the fresh Oregon air.

One of the nights she was here, Emily sat in the living room working away on her laptop while I stood in my room tracing logos on large sheets of wood with my new overhead projector, and my roommate, sat her in room checking email. There, with the three of us plugging away at our various activities yet still having sporadic conversations, I had a massive flashback to college and just had to smile. It was just like how life was at SCAD, back in the day before we knew the routes that our art careers would take us, we'd all be in our rooms, working on respective art projects and randomly talking back in forth: asking if anyone tried that new burger place yet, how we didn't vote for Bush, if anyone had any extra exacto blades, kneeded erasers or if you could borrow someones guash.

Then, later in the evening, my roommate asked me how much painting I had to do on my large pieces of wood that I had been working on. "Well" I said "I'll probably need to do about three or four more coats, which means I'll be up till 3amish, but I might take a nap in there somewhere to extend the drying time." My roommate just looked at me and said I was crazy. But Emily and I just laughed while we explained to my roommate that it's what we do. As artists, you've got a deadline in which you have to get more work done than is humanly possible in the given amount of time... but, you make it happen. Bring out the late night coffee pots, the hairdryers and the 20 minute naps, you find a way to make that three day art project into a ten hour all-nighter, which included drying time. Week after week, quarter after quarter, year after year. Basically, it's just like the Mastercard Commercial where the kids are dancing in the hallway; having people around who understand you = priceless.

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Thoughts for a January evening.... (repost)

Every once and a while I rediscover that I still have a myspace account. I ask myself why I haven't deleted it yet, since I never check it or update it, but then I realize that I pretty much only hold on to it because it has volumes of blogs I wrote that I just don't want to part ways with yet. So, in order to not totally lose all those older writings, I'll occasionally repost some of them here. This is one of them.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Thoughts for a January evening....

A few weeks ago at my friends New Years Eve Party, I was looking through some postcards she had on a display rack and I came across a hand drawn little booklet about "her travels in New York City". I was so intrigued about this little piece of adorable art, that in the midst of her talking to someone, I had to interrupt her and find out more information about it.

As soon as she saw it in my hand, she stopped talking, her mouth turned into a big smile and she got red, blushing. "Oh, you found that!?" she said and I quickly responded, "I must know... what is this?... it is absolutely amazing!" And she replied, "oh...my ex made that for me before I moved from New York City, it's all these great little drawings about my experience there, I love it, it's like my favorite thing ever!"

Her current girlfriend saw me with the booklet and kinda rolled her eyes at it, but - I unhesitatingly, went back to the drawings. "These are so cute"...I kept gushing while my host fingered though the carefully hand drawn sketches, pointing out her favorites, eyes glowing with excitement.

Then, I looked my friend in the face and I shared my thoughts, at why this little book, with these silly little cute drawings in them, had captivated me so much. I said... "I can only hope that if I ever were to give someone that I care about a piece of art, even if it be a little sketch to let them know I'm thinking about them, I can only hope that even if that moment in time has far passed and those feelings are no longer as fresh as the day they were when ink or paint was first set to paper... that when they look at it, so many years later, that it can still bring a smile to their face. And if it's anything like the smile that comes to your face over this little book, it'll will have been so, so worth it."

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tight-fitting, for style and mating purposes (repost)

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

OMG- so... last night I went to Holocene to see Leslie and Ly’s, and they were soooo much fun. Man, it was such a great show. I have almost never laughed, wanted to dance at a live show, or wish I had gold pants so much as I did last night. Holla for the keeper of the gem sweaters!!! Ya’ll checkout this Midwestern Diva if she comes to a town near you. Well worth your $10. (my personal favorite part was the naming of the gem sweaters and the infomercial backdrops... it’s glamorous!)



Regarding Leslie, basically, I know most of you are still scratching your head at this girl... but just to give you an idea:

"Leslie first began displaying herself in "strangely glamorous and unflattering ways" while attending Ames High School in Iowa. During her senior year, she entered the homecoming parade, as part of a prom queen campaign, donning a sparkling pink Goodwill gown, a neck brace, and a tiara (won by her mother who was crowned Miss Auburn, Nebraska in 1970). Her publicity stunt made the front page of the local newspaper the following day. Her campaign was a success, and when springtime came, she was crowned queen."

Heath Ledger, still dead :(

You know, I never properly mourned the death of Heath Ledger here. I’m not exactly saying that my blog is the proper place, but of all the current Hollywood male actors, Heath was one of my favorites. The first movie that he really grabbed my attention is was Mel Gibson’s, The Patriot... and I loved loved him and Julia Stiles in 10 Things I Hate about you, and loved how when I lived in Australia, he was all over the friggin place. In fact, I dated a guy in Savannah briefly before I moved who physically, bared some resemblance. I think we’re going to miss his impact in movies.

The leaves are finally budding on the trees which means that spring time is on the way. Which also means that this is the time of year that I steal flowers out of people’s yards. (mainly daffodils and tulips.. so if you have lilacs- don’t worry) Also, this makes me happy since I figured I’ve survived my first full fledged winter here regarding the rain and damp and dreayness. I’d tell you, as someone who has ridden their bike to work almost everyday regardless of weather, what I have to say about the Portland winter, but I’m afraid housing cost would rise even more... so, just leave knowing that it does rain every day and it’s dark... dark... dark ...dark, like the color of your favorite stout. You wouldn’t want to live here, trust me.

And.... another notable thing, T-shirts appear as 84 in the Things White People Like blog. Now, I fully fully agree with this and I love their description on what makes a proper t-shirt. Read as follows:

"T-shirts fall into three categories: vintage, new, and unacceptable, with the latter category compromising the bulk of the world’s supply. Within each category lies another, more precise subset of rules and rankings. Make no mistake, this is complicated.

The most prized t-shirt category is vintage. As shown earlier, white people need authenticity like they need oxygen and to have an original vintage t-shirt from the 1970s or 1980s is a very powerful social status symbol. The ideal shirt will have a funny logo, a year attached to it, and will be as thin as rice paper. In the event that two white people have shirts that meet this criteria, the superior ranking is given to the person who paid the least for the shirt. Acquiring a shirt at a vintage clothing store is seen as less respectable than sorting through racks at the Goodwill.

The second category of t-shirt is new and there really are only two options. The first is American Apparel, a company that constantly reminds you it is based in downtown Los Angeles. They are considered an acceptable white company since they produce things that are very simple, but also very expensive. The second acceptable new shirt is Threadless. This Chicago-based company produces artistic and funny t-shirts that are acceptable for concerts, Whole Foods and 80s night. White people like these shirts so much because they are designed by white people, for white people. Sort of like a white FUBU.

Finally, and perhaps the most important to be aware of, is the unacceptable category of t-shirts. There are a few simple rules to follow in order to avoid wearing the wrong t-shirt. First, if it’s made of a stiff, thick cotton, throw it in the garbage immediately. White people t-shirts must be made of the softest, finest organic cotton. This is law. Unless it is vintage, the shirt cannot be made in a foreign country (unless you can certify its labor conditions). The shirt cannot contain a current sports logo. Shirts with sports logos are acceptable, but they must contain a logo that hasn’t been used in 15 years. Last and not least, it cannot be baggy. Your t-shirt must be tight-fitting for both style and mating purposes.

It is also imperative to understand that faux vintage shirts ("Getting Lucky in Kentucky") are completely unacceptable. They are beloved by the wrong kind of white people, and must be avoided at all costs."

I hate manila colored paper.
I made a point to tell that to my art teachers in elementary school.

Just like sheets, I wanted a higher thread count and I was unsatisfied with the way the paper grabbed the lead from my 2 pencil or dulled my crayon after one minute of heavy coloring.

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Regarding the leftovers....(repost)

Friday, May 23, 2008

Cute photo right?

Well, in a discussion at work today, we were talking about trips to the coast and I mentioned the incident last weekend at Hug Point by Manzanita Beach, were we saw a dead bloated sea lion washed upon the beach. The sight of kids poking it with sticks (until a wave would come and wash the carcass towards them - sending the kids running back up the beach - only to then come back to the carcass as it settled down again and resume with the poking of sticks), was both funny and revolting at the same time. Which, as our workplace discussion progressed, brought up the question of: What happens to large marine animals when they wash up on shore?

This segued naturally, into a story that is rooted deep in Oregon lore.... the story about the exploding whale. Apparently, in 1970, a large whale washed up on an Oregon beach. The locals, who were at first intrigued by the large dead mammal, soon grew tired of the stench and requested for it to be removed from their beach. Of all the state departments who deal with such matters, no one wanted to be the one to do the job. The whale was too big to move, too big to bury, too nasty to cut up into pieces, and too revolting to just let be picked apart by rabid seagulls. So, they thought up the next best thing they could think of to dispose of the creature.... they might as well blow it up.

What follows is an animation of the event that is both, much like the kids poking at the dead sea lion, funny and revolting at the same time.


This next clip is the actual footage of the event which was broadcast on the local news. Warning, not for the faint at heart or weak of stomach, esp if you just ate a footlong tuna sub from subway.

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Down The Rabbit Hole....

It was with great anticipation... I mean, lackluster ambivalence, that I approached entering my first cyclocross race last Saturday. It’s not that I wasn’t excited, I mean... I was, but at the same time more or less, I just wanted to get the big oooooh FIRST RACE EVER experience over with (you know, that whole thing about not being smooth on the transitions, running into barriers or other people, climbing big muddy hills, crashing, falling, getting massive amounts of gravel ingrained under your skin or picking up blood borne diseases from open wounds, etc... all those horror stories you hear) yeah... I was ready to get that part over with. So, I packed up my bike and threw it in my car along with what ever else I thought I might need and made my way to Hood River to participate in Saturday’s Double Cross Race.

First of all, I got my bike a few weeks ago, I’m riding a single speed Bianchi San Jose. I made the SS choice the other year that when/if I race cross, I’m doing it on a single speed. Don't get me wrong, it’s not because I think I’m soo bad assed I don’t need gears, it’s because I’m cheap (less parts = less cost) and lazy (less parts = less things to break & repair). As well, I figure hammering it up hills with one speed can only make me stronger in the long run and well, honestly... I’m a lousy shifter. It’s best if there are less things I have to focus on. Anyways, rather than go out and buy a brand new bike to throw around in the mud, I went with a used one that I found on the OBRA list. This bike had battled through a cross season and a half or so until an unfortunate incident where the owner/rider crashed and subsequently, broke a few of her ribs. This I think, in the bike world is the equivalent of buying a used mattress that someone died on. All that horribleness aside though, the bike was in perfect working order (aside from a flat tire) and the price was a steal... so purchase it I did.

(the battle worn San Jose)

Secondly, a few years ago I went to go watch my first cross race ever out at Alpenrose Dairy, while walking to my car to leave, a woman parked beside me asked if I wanted her husbands old SIDI cleats, otherwise, they were going to throw them away? I looked at them, they sorta fit and aside from the cleat plates being rusted through and the base flapping around a bit, but to throw them away seemed such a waste. At that point in my life I didn’t know much about bikes, but one thing I do know something about is money... and these Italian leather cycling shoes reeked of it (under a few layers of mud that is). So, I gladly took them off the lady's hand and threw them in the back of my closet, where they've sat for two years. Finally I dug them out and repaired them last month. It required several trips to several bike stores, a trip to two cobblers and a lot of gorilla glue. Aside from the shoes being a little too big and the soles needing re-gluing after every race, they work like a charm. I found a nice pair of Crank Brothers eggbeater pedals and spent a night outside in the pouring rain riding laps around my block like it was some type of urban criterium for the dismounting handicapped, all the while teaching myself how to clip and unclip them.

A few days after that I went out and took a cyclocross clinic from the kind folks at Upper Echelon fitness. The clinic was great! (Actually, I hadn’t the foggiest of any idea about anything regarding cross other than sometimes you ride your bike and then other times you carry it over things. So really, me saying the cross clinic was great isn’t really giving an honest review of it.) Thankfully a racing friend of mine, who had a cross season or so under her belt, was there and gave me more tips and tricks than the UE folks did. Thanks M! Overall, the biggest concern I had after my one clinic was my apparent failure to fully unclip properly on the left side before trying to jump over barriers. So, you can imagine this frequently resulted in me spending more time on the ground than really necessary. Oh - and note to self, when I fail, I fail hard. This means that I didn’t approach the barriers at a light, gingerly safe speed. No, I fucking attacked them... full till, race speed, balls to the wall. Which also means that when I hit the ground, I hit the ground at attacking, full till, race speed, balls to the wall. I think throughout the evening I was called “dangerous, lethal and bound to kill someone” on multiple occasions. Regardless, I left the clinic knowing that I needed to hone in my skills in a few areas (many) but I might as well enter my first race and get it over with. I reminded myself, my game plan with cross is not to take it seriously, not to get consumed by it, not to be OCD like I get in crit season, but to just enjoy riding my bike, get a little muddy and drink a little beer... all results aside. So showing up at Hood River a week or so after getting on my first cross bike, I felt like a novice all over again.

(When I told my favorite illustrator Jay Ryan that I was racing cross this year, he drew me this picture.)

However, oddly enough unlike my first road race... I wasn’t nervous.

Hell, I had a friggin huge ass party and I consumed a fair share of pints from my very own kegorator the night before, racing was merely my motivation to get up before noon. Thankfully at registration I ran into my road racing friend Karey, who would be racing her first cross race as well. She asked if I was racing Beginner or B (in cross, unlike road, you can self select the cat you want to ride in) and I informed her I would be racing Beginner, since well.... I was beginning to race cross and according to the sound advice of Maria Von Trapp, the beginning is a very good place to start. Karey, having just started riding her bike that week for the first time as well, was considering racing B. We debated back and forth and finally, against the urging of Karey’s husband, I think I persuaded her into racing Beginner with me. I am sure she would have done just fine in B, but secretly I didn’t want to be the only beginner racing in a full team kit, now at least... there were two of us.

For about 15 minutes prior to the race we got to pre-ride the course. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to make sure my brakes were behaving and a great opportunity to practice unclipping before the race actually began. Things were going excellent, I was warming up, getting ampted for this, finding the zone, and then right after going into a screeching downhill ... (literally, I could hear Karey’s bike breaks squeeling behind me) I started to pedal and all of the sudden I was going nowhere. I looked down... shit! I dropped my chain. The race hadn’t even started and already I was having mechanicals. So, I pulled off to the side of the course and yanked my chain back up onto the gear. I went to hop back on and pedal away when I realized my back wheel wasn’t moving. Turns out that somehow during that one little downhill, my back wheel got bumped forward and wedged against the, well... whatever they’re called, things that make my wheel not move. Shit.

So... here I was, race time was in eight minutes, my bike is a little dysfunctional and I am somewhere far far away from the start. This was not looking really good right now for my first cross race. I shoulder the bike and run off the course on some little path leading up a hill. Luckily, this little path took me to the football field where I then ran my bike across looking for anyone who might be able to help me out. I go to the parking lot and find people mingling about. Start time? Five minutes. I see a Sorella rider I know and run over to her. “Tonya? Perchance do you have a pedal wrench?” Luckily, she carries one with her to put together her kids bikes. So, I used the wrench to loosen the wheel and then pulled back on the wheel to tighten the tension in the chain. Apparently when I put my “mud tires” on after falling down my stairs that morning (Did I forget to mention that I fell down the stairs and landed with the edge of the handrail in my back right right? I forgot to mention that it really really hurt and afterwards I laid on the floor for five minutes before moving out of sheer pain? Whatever?) So, apparently after that I hadn’t tightened the bolts down enough in the stays and they loosened on the downhill. Lesson #1: Check your chain tension and bolt tightness before you race the SS. Thankfully, that crisis was adverted and I was able to make it to the start with enough time to look cool calm and collected (and covered with chain grease).

In no time at all, we were off and racing. Both Karey and I wished each other good luck and offered back and forth tips and advice, like we knew what we were talking about. One thing I noticed real quick, was what a cluster fuck the beginning was. I can’t blame it on being a beginner admist the pack of beginners, I just think everyone bottle necks in the beginning and you can only go as fast as the hesitant rider in front of you. That first lap seemed to take forever... a few bridges, a few barriers, a nice little run up... overall, it appeared to be something I could handle for 45 minutes. I can do this shit, I told myself... no problem. Entering into lap two, I was feeling pretty good, I was on Karey’s wheel and I knew we were somewhere towards the front of our pack. I just stay here and I’ve got a pretty good shot at doing well I kept thinking. And then it happened. AGAIN. I pedal and I go nowhere. Shit, my chain fell off again. So, I stop, pull over to the side, a slew of girls pass me as I quickly fix it and then hop back on, trying to catch up. And then shit.... it friggin happens AGAIN. I sigh... pull off the course, fix it and realize that I just lost whatever pack of the leaders I was in. I hop back on and do my best to catch up, AGAIN. I totally lost sight of Karey but there are some chicks ahead of me that I know I can pass.

This cycle pretty much continues for five laps. I am not going to be one of those people that were like OMG THAT WAS THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE, I WANTED TO THROW UP THE WHOLE TIME.... because honestly, it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done. And honestly, I don't even know what the hardest thing I've ever done is... but I can tell you that this wasn't it. And, don't be all like.. well, you just weren't pushing yourself hard enough... cause um... did you see me run up the those hills? If there is one thing I'm good at, it's hustling. What I will say, that that was one of the most fun bike races I've ever done. And, maybe it's because I don't ride mountain bikes that much, but I was so excited to be on dirt, dirt going uphill... dirt going downhill. There were a lot of sections that you could kinda rest and then some other sections... like the grassy muddy flats, where you really had to push it hard to try and pass people.

One thing that I found was oddly disturbing and I am sooo not used to it, was how nice everyone was, out of nowhere. And, unlike most bums in Seattle, they didn't even ask you for money after they assisted you with a problem you didn't even know you had. There were several times out on the course when I'd be gaining ground on the rider ahead of me only for them to pull off to the side saying, "you... please go ahead of me". I'd turn my head to the side and look at them with crazy eyes saying to myself... um, this is a race.... right? But, who am I to turn down a kind offer from a complete stranger to pass them? So, I obliged and as I sped away, I thanked them and wished them good luck in all their future endeavors in life. One thing that I absolutely loved about the race were all the hecklers and cheerers out on the course. I felt like I was in one of those countries like South Korea where they pay people to be fans. Never in my life have I had so many complete strangers yelling at me with such enthusiasm. My family, they will yell. My friends, they will yell.... complete strangers.... they will happily curse at me, and I love it! It was unreal. I got called crazy single speeder multiple times which I kinda liked, it was good motivation. (My roommate and some of her friends even came out and heckled me with her cowbell. And trust me, that girl is from Jersey, she will yell at you.)

I will admit, that by the third lap my legs were getting a little tired and I was honestly wondering how much longer the race was going to last. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, I just really really wanted to know how much longer I had to do it for. Once again, I like a fair amount of predictability in my races and I hadn't even noticed that apparently there was a lap board... but I'll look for that in the future. Eventually, I heard the announcer say two more laps and I knew, it was at that point I really had to try and focus and try and pass as many other people as I could. I couldn't promise miracles on the barriers or the run ups, but I knew in the flats I really had to hammer it. So, that's what I did. When it was all said and done and I finally crossed the finish line, I felt pretty good. I really had no idea how I placed, but I know I made up a little bit of ground on some of the people that passed me during my mechanicals. As well, other than dropping my chain twice, it was a pretty fun race and surprisingly enough, I didn't wipe out on my bike or crash into anyone else. When the results were posted I found myself once again, in 4th place, not too terribly far behind the leaders (Karey placed 1st). However, considering that I dropped my chain twice, had a big party and drank waay too much IPA the night before, fell down the stairs that morning, impaled my back and unknowingly at that time was suffering from the early onsets of food poisoning, I was fairly satisfied with the results.

From here, I think I might race my next race as a B. It's not that I don't like the beginners, but I don't like people giving me their line, I like fighting for it. Granted, I may come in the bottom of the bracket, but it really doesn't matter since all the beginners, all the B's, and all the Masters and the Junior women were all out on the course at the same time, it kinda turned into a cluster fuck of knowing exactly who you were racing against. I guess the biggest thing is just reminding yourself that you, and only you, are your biggest competitor, and then... um after you've convinced yourself of that, you'll need to remind yourself that you're just doing it for fun. For fun and beer.

(ps... all these great photos are from the swell folks at PDXCross. They happened to be one of the very few photographers out on the course on Saturday... apparently Sunday everybody and their mother and their bother, sister, uncle, third cousin twice removed was out there at the race. In return for me "borrowing" their photos for my blog, I promise to actually buy a print if they ever get a smokin shot of me.)

Highly visible...

Spendy and classically trendy bike wear company Rapha, unleashed last week some of their new products for the fall... one of these items that caught my eye were their jeans. While normally the words "denim and bikes" don't go too hand and hand aside from a mention of hipsters on fixies and their skinny jeans, Rapha has taken into account the demands and the wear and the tear that bikes have on clothing. What struck me about the jeans was the plethora of good ideas they incorporated into them. As someone who commutes and goes to work in jeans (and has blown out the seating area of a few favorite pairs of pants) it's the little details that can seemingly can make quite a bit of difference. Especially when it comes to being seen and not seen by the heavier faster bigger machines out there on the road. Lets discuss...

Jeans Material:

While everyone loves wearing jeans, not too many people like wearing their jeans wet. And frankly, the idea of my inner thighs rubbing back and forth on a bike seat in wet denim gives me chafing thoughts just thinking about it. So much in fact, that anytime the forecast out the morning window looks to be rainy, I'll don my spandex (I don't think it's normally necessary for me to wear spandex on my nine minute commute to work)... just to avoid sitting at my desk in wet jeans all day. Rahpa has taken this issue in hand by making their jeans out of a durable, nylon-denim blend yarn (aka: non-cotton), which is water-repellant, stain-resistant and fast drying. As well, to avoid those blown-out seats, apparently the material is highly resistant to abrasion and won't deteriorate at key wear points (aka: my ass). Also, the yarn has a far amount of "stretch" which allows for ease of movement, something my meaty thighs appreciate.

Jeans Fit:

Also, another problem I have while cycling in most jeans is my butt crack showing. Granted, I personally don't have too big of a problem with it, but I imagine the families on their extracycles I pass may. (However, I have had some dudes... while gasping for air as they finally catch up to me at a light, tell me they liked my thong.) Anyways, Rapha has considered this unfortunate crack exposure and has designed their jeans with a cycling fit in mind; namely, the jeans have a high backed waist which is cut low in front. They have also been tailored to accommodate pedaling action and have off-set seams and belt loops to prevent chafing. I've personally never had "belt loop chafing", but it doesn't sound pleasant.

Details:

While I'm not one of those people who can safely lock their bike up with a tiny u-lock and carry it in their back pocket, Rapha has created a reinforced right rear pocket to hold a compact lock. As well, the front pockets are cut deep to keep your valuables safe from falling out (I don't know how many family heirlooms that I keep in my pockets I've lost this way).

The main detail that I love is the reflective Rapha logo imprinted on the inside of the right pants leg. When your pants are rolled up to avoid getting caught in the chain, the logo is visible. Not only are you suddenly more noticeable from on coming cars, but you can tell the whole world that you spent a lot on your jeans.

All kidding aside, I love this idea. I had first noticed this as a detail in jeans last year from San Francisco based company Cordaround, who not only added this bit of flair to the inside of their pants, but also added reflective piping on the seams of their rear inner pockets. Meaning, that one could can turn their pockets inside out and create another barrier of visibility. I myself, did my own DIY take on this by purchasing reflective ribbon and stickers from bike and fabric stores and placing it on the inside of the pants I already owned and commonly bike in. For the purpose of the experiment, it worked okay, but sometimes the material uncomfortable brushed against my calves during the day and irritated my skin. It'd be great if someone could invent an iron-on reflective solution so everyone could be a little safer on their bike using materials and clothing they use everyday.

So, kudos Rapha once again for having some well thought out products. I'll be anxiously waiting for you to make them in a women's cut and also, well... having a pay increase that would allow me to purchase a pair.

oh ps: read my post from last year re: biking attire tips for the daily commuter.

and pss: Rapha also is increasing their women's line for the winter... yeeeah!

of note: Swrve also makes some pretty sweet biking jeans and the folks at Outlier have some nice pants. Also, the folks at Pedaler have some nice details on their everyday items also intended for cycling as well.

it never leaves the stove top

Hands down many people will agree that aside from a roaring campfire, one of the best things about camping is cooking in the great outdoors. Now, if any of you out there are purist lightweight style backpacker campers, this post may irk you slightly as it has NOTHING to do with cutting weight out of your back. And listen, I hear you. I understand as I myself for THE LONGEST TIME fell into this range of camping style and thusly, all of my meals consisted solely of what I could make from boiling water or tiny airtight packets of tuna and carry on my back. However, in my later years and move to the great Pacific Northwest, I have re-discovered the joys of car camping. The wonders of being able to take everything you need - and probably a few things you don't - and live in the outdoors in perfect comfort! And my friends... this is where the irreplaceable cast iron skillet comes into play.

What would never cross your mind to throw in a backpack the cast iron skillet without hesitation will find its way into your car for camping and can be used for pretty much any dish you'd make around the campfire. From cooking up bacon in the morning to making delectable quesadillas at night, there is not one basic dish that can't be cooked up in a cast iron.

Sadly, in many households across the states, the cast iron skillet has been shoved to the back of many people's cookware collection over the past thirty some years. Granted, in some households it never leaves the stove top... but many people have switched to stick free easy cleaning teflon. But you know, that teflon is gonna ware out over time and the one dish that can take a licking and keep on ticking and be passed down to your kids... is the good old cast iron skillet.

So, to continue on an Classic Americanna theme, I'm going to share with you a small company called Borough Furnace (Murfreesboro, TN) who are venturing to combine modern design with a classic american product and... to make it out of upcycled materials.

These two cousins that make up Borough Furnace, shared a mutual love of industrial design and environmental responsibility. They wanted to get into business doing something that combined those passions... so, they started gathering scrap metal, things from junkyards, old furnaces, car parts, then melted them down to create a high quality classically designed product. Not only are all the materials completely recycled in their dual handled skillets, but the whole process takes place in their backyard! In fact, the furnace that they use for the process was constructed from recycled steel dairy cans and about 500lbs of hand mixed sand and clay.

Recently, Borough Furnace were showcased at the A+: "The Young Designers Platform" at the Accent on Design portion of the International Gift Fair in New York City. The duo walked away from the exhibition with the garnering of the Bloggers Choice Award by Jen Lockwood, a judge and blogger from The Daily Grommet. (You can catch the interview here). As well, they recently were featured on CoolHunting.com, which is always a sign of good things to come.

On a side note: My favorite meal to be cooked in a cast iron in the open air is the dish that I won Outstanding of the Day for in the 1995 Ohio State Fair Outdoor Cookery 4-H Competition (which... for those of you not familiar with 4-H, is like winning a huge ass stage race in cycling) is calico beans. If you like bacon, beef and beans this dish is for you! (Just a warning though, you may want a fair amount of ventilation in your tent for the post dinner aftermath.)

Calico Beans

(as written in the Ohio State University Extension Outdoor Cookery 4-H Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained

• 1 (16 ounce) can baked beans with pork
• 1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, undrained
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the ground beef, bacon and onion together until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain fat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the kidney beans, baked beans with pork and butter beans. Stir in the ketchup, white vinegar, dry mustard, brown sugar and cook beef mixture. Mix thoroughly, adding salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the bean and meat mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

(the Ohio State Fair, not every state is lucky enough to have an even amount of open letters to walk through)

Have an old cast iron laying around you need to re-season? Check here.