This Is No Declaration

Winter at Earth's end.

2010-07-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

This photo is from a recent trip to Tasmania with Romy & Sarah. We stayed with Romy's uncle in his beautiful home on the tip of a peninsula about 1.5 hours south of Hobart. We left computers and digital cameras at home and just cooked, ate, read, drew, ate, knitted, ate, lounged, ate, hiked, skipped stones and ate. You can see all of the photos here. Shot with two disposable cameras and a very thrilled, wide-eye.

Homesickness from home

2010-03-15T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have been missing Minneapolis lately. I have really been missing my friends there. But more truthfully, probably, I have really been missing my friends and myself when we were all there...together

Please don't read this this the wrong way; I'm besotted with my new city, and the people who inhabit it. They are wonderful, they are talented, they are supportive, loving, and in every sense of the word, beautiful.

I am a boy with his heart in two places at once. Or perhaps its not in either of the places I think it is, and instead in the boarder-less dream of a transient existence.

Spurred by nothing obvious I have been having an insatiable craving to spend a night biking my former city of Minneapolis Minnesota. As in previous rides this one could contain a backpack with a few Black Labels, a camera, a time frame of 1am-6am and only a very rough notion of the trail to take.

Since I can't take this journey this second, I'd like to share a few of my favorite photographs of Minneapolis, all of which were taken on a bike ride much like I've spent the day dreaming about (and these past few moments describing).

A night-time view from the always beautiful Stone Arch Bridge

A night-time view from Minnehaha falls Falls

A Wintery view from that majestic Stone Arch Bridge

Again from the Stone Arch at the ruins and the Gold Medal Flour lights

A Minneapolis skyline. Shot for a project with my favorite LA resident

That Minneapolis skyline, from my old neighborhood

Candy & MPLS... Again from the DCL & CST collab.

That very Stone Arch Bridge.

ME†AL MEAL

2010-01-31T17:53:00.001-08:00

Me†al bleach t-shirt, long in the making. More of this
is in the books, too much fun.

I cannot stop laughing

2010-01-05T22:18:00.001-08:00

at the likeness.

Portrait by my dearest Liz Plahn.

Posted via email from colintrechter's posterous

From Owen Dennis' Blog

2010-01-03T00:38:00.001-08:00

Which you can read here.

Posted via email from colintrechter's posterous

The age when no one likes you

2009-12-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a decade since I heard this song, and thought about that line nobody likes you when you're 23, & now that I am 23 I think i've rediscovered the truly spiritual connection I have with this band, and this song. Side note, this was the first song I learned on guitar.

catz4dayz

2009-12-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

My friend Jonathan Tillet DeMallory & I have been plotting for some time to set up a blog where we post all things cats. We both love the creatures, like many others, so this will serve as our running (ideally daily) archive of our cat encounters. You can check out our blog here.

Nü Zealand

2009-11-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

In 4 Days (3.5 sleeps) this is where Kate & I drove around New Zealand in the early days of this fine month of November. All these here photopix taken by the aforementioned Miss Magellan Kate D. Apologies for the quantity, I'm still wrapping my head around the concept of brevity. If this post is taking too long, you can view smaller thumbnails here (this will also allow you to bypass my long-winded narration.

This is the 2 door Pulsar I rented. Her four monster cylinders and highly responsive manual transmission carried us with swift grace from Christchurch, to Akaroa, through Arthur's Pass in the Southern Alps, to Franz-Josef Glacier, Fox Mountain Glacier & Lake Matheson.

I have yet to fully grasp the numerous translations of the word "coffee" in New Zealand & Australia but these are Latté Bowls. These were consumed on the Lavender farm/café/gallery just outside of Christchurch, a glorious find en route east.

Blue door cathedral on the way to Akaroa.

Akaroa is southeast of Christchurch on the Southern Island. Akaroa, which means made-up-fairyland* as you can see here, is surrounded by hills with sheep on them, like everywhere we saw in New Zealand.

I have come to realize that I love waterfalls, and will continue to chase them. This one spotted on the descent to Akaroa.

I love Norfolk Pine, and really regret letting the one I had in my bedroom shrivel up and die when I was 13. I'm glad that my tree made it to Heaven.

This is a memorial along the main street in Akaroa.

This is for my friend, he will notice how I am falling over.

This is me in Akaroa when I was 10 years old, & before my jaw was reconstructed.

This is in Akaroa where we had a picnic, one is advised not to eat any shell fish from this part of the beach...

This is a fantastic Hostel in Akaroa. You can't miss it, cause it's pink and on the main street. Aside from being ridiculously inexpensive, it also offers you a full kitchen, garden, BBQ, use of their bikes, fishing poles & hammock. They also mailed me my belt because I forgot it.

For dinner we BBQ us some salmon, steak n' Asparagus.

From Akaroa, an early rise has us working our wayward wagon west, towards glaciers & through mountains.

This old car reminded me of and old man, friend, an old man friend.

Kia's are big birds that supposedly eat the rubber off of cars (an the tomato off of tomatoes).

This is Franz-Josef, the town of.

This is Franz Josef, the glacier.

We were constantly bewildered by the thick jungle surrounding the snow-capped mountains and mass of ice.

We tent camped on a dried up riverbed of a (temporary) glacial spring. While peeing in the middle of the night, I saw a 3.5 foot Kip McClellan.

We roasted us some veggie kabobs,

and we was home in time to celebrate Kate's birthday in Melbourne, with pavlova.

*In My language and Long Harbor in Kāi Tahu Māori

Happy Chalkboard

2009-11-25T06:28:00.000-08:00

I put the first coat of chalkboard paint up tonight, he's a happy black dot.

Also, a massive posting of images from my whirlwind trek 'round New Zealand coming in a day or so.

Magnificent mornings

2009-11-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yarra River on the left (the same river that runs behind my home) Yarra trail on the right.

I have come to understand that our journey to wherever we spend our day can have a profound effect how we experience it. The reason that I am only now realizing this is due to my previous proximity. I have not had a commute of more than 10 minutes to work or school for quite some time (if ever). My commute now, can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, this all depends on how I chose to get there, what mode of transport, and how relaxed I chose to move.

In previous times here in Melbourne, I have thoroughly enjoyed riding the trains, it's perfect for winter, and I feel some sort of inexplicable love for it. However, I've always preferred riding my bicycle to almost any other form of transportation, so as the days have gotten warmer (and oh have they! Its been reaching the low to mid 30s (roughly 90ºF)) I have made an effort to ride as much as possible.

Until about two weeks ago, I was riding (on a designated bike path) along some fairly busy roads for about 3/4 of my commute into the city. The ride was only about 7kms, but took about 25 minutes, if I biked quickly, due to traffic. The new ride is closer to 20kms, and takes about the same amount of time at a reasonably relaxed pace. Not to mention there are no cars, and the scenery is positively gorgeous.

Yarra River on the left (the same river that runs behind my home) Yarra trail on the right.

One of a couple attractive bridges along the trail, can't help but make me think of all the beautiful bridges in Minneapolis

Vines, veggies, and other plant-life on the Collingwood Children's Farm.

more Collingwood Children's Farm, the farm also has a café, with chickens, peacocks and geese running around.

Today a friend and I stopped in for iced coffee, and a peacock had his feathers open, unfortunately all I have is this phone picture. Regardless, the café is fantastic, and how great to have morning coffee on this bustling farm‽

Some handsome characters in some of the paddocks a little further down from the farm.

People Collective

2009-10-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

Well,
The worst part about having to pick a new name for the studio Aaron & I have set up here in downtown Melbourne, is telling everyone that... actually we're not The Union Graphic any longer.
Due to some legal issues (ha!) we were not able to register our business as The Union Graphic.

The good news, however, is
that we have registered a new name, hired an accountant, and thanks to said accountant, even have our Australian Business Number! People Collective was born on Tuesday, October 13th 2009. We have been very busy between setting/sprucing up our studio, projects & taking care of all the business loose-ends. This weekend we are planning a little op-shop trip in a white combie van (hopefully heads devoid of zombie)

Check back soon for photographs of my newly discovered ride to work (through a farm!! Thanks Isobel!) and our studio, all set up and furnished.

Babysitting to Bruce

2009-09-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

I havn't babysat (dumb word) PROVIDED CHILDCARE SERVICES since I was like, 15. But when you live for free with family, you jump at an opportunity to help out. Such was the case tonight, when Tim & Rachel had to go to go be guests of honor for their (through Tim's family business Henry Bucks) contributions in the fight against colon cancer.

I had more fun than expected, in no small part due to this:

Filled with such pride, and joy, I hope someday these kids know how cool they are for having done this.

P.S.
Worth noting, Ari (drumming) Was born in Iceland, Gemma in Australia, and I in the U.S.A.
but I think the power of the Boss transcends borders and nationalities, something in his conviction and passion just makes one proud to be themselves, free at least, for the 5 minutes that the drum pounds away, and Bruce gives us his all.

vroom vroom

2009-09-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

I got this bike, I'm beyond excited. It was a ridiculous steal, and has all original parts.
I think for the first time, I'll not be hip, I'll not be strip, and she shall keep her 12 speeds.

I live on a helluva hill, and after a long date with the steel wool, she'll be sparkling like Vegas.

One attempt on the timer,
trying to relay my elation
so awful I had to share.

We'll focus on the star of the show. Her name is pending. But one thing is for sure, I love her.

Adults adding -y, -ey or -ie to the end of their 3 letter name

2009-09-08T02:17:00.000-07:00

I am packed and more or less ready for departure. I took this picture because this is my life. All my belongings, moving forward.

Last day in the Midwest for a while.

Bon Jovi has always sucked.

The Union Graphic

2009-09-02T00:59:00.000-07:00

On September 17th I will be arriving in Melbourne. There I will be reconnecting with friends, traveling and most excitingly, starting a small studio with my good friend Aaron Moodie. The studio is called The Union Graphic. Together Aaron and I will focus primarily on print (with a side of web) work for (first and foremost) The bi-annual Next Wave Festival in Melbourne, as well as other ventures in the art, design, architecture and not-for-profit realm.

Until then, I will be cruisin' the USA visiting lovely people coast to coast. I'm hoping to regain a life interesting enough to document and share. Time will tell.

To those of you not in Australia, why? I reckon you should plan a visit. For those of you already there, I can't wait to see you.

Tramps like us...

Updated Albatross

2009-08-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Latest iteration of albatross illustration.

Albatross

2009-08-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

froma munf out

2009-08-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

There are a multitude of disjointed thoughts currently suspended here, your flicker downward deploys a slow drop.

For Michael Aberman's We Saw That #3 Centered around a theme of, Why we travel.

Canoe camping.

Canoe campsite.

Canoes converge.

From within a tipi, at NW Fur Trading post.

From the Stone Arch Bridge.

At the Minnehaha falls.

From atop the Minnehaha falls.

Woodpecker at Eloise Park with Nick.

Also at Eloise Park with Nick.

Father's day archway.

A fertile father's day.

Ferns on father's day.

A fine field on father's day.

What the world needs now, is a new Frank Sinatra

2009-07-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Its not even a debate anymore dude.

2009-07-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

In 1,040 characters I will add my embarrassingly tardy two cents to the twitter debate (& naturally, create a compounded twitter term: “twitterate”). There are three main reasons I Tweet. I have already published the first so I will focus on the remaining two.

Twitter is like any other creative/expressive environment, be it YouTube, a blog, a poetry journal, or a freestyle battle; some participants excel & create intriguing/entertaining expressions that utilize the limitations, & others author predictable, drab or unfortunate writings.

Twitter is an opportunity to share anything, poetically, practically or otherwise. One can choose to document and publish the seemingly small aspects of life (there was a time when “appreciate the little things” was an oft recited line). Or one can report from the front-line (preferably with a link to more information).

I don’t believe everyone should tweet, but for those interested & inspired, it is/can be, far more than a 140 character window for journaling your life, or it can be just that.

Only famous people get interviewed

2009-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Liz Plahn (pronounced plain, plane) was featured on It's Nice That today, not only was she featured, but she was also interviewed, something reserved for those looking for employment, the famous, and suspected felons.

An incredible story

2009-06-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

David Crystal's latest blog post is as exciting and incredible as it is fascinating. Detailing the story of a brave woman in a hostage situation, text-messaging authorities and friends, describing the situation, her plans, their plans, and that she was doing okay. A reader commented with another story of texting-triumph in a dire situation.

Maybe I will have a car someday

2009-06-16T09:51:00.000-07:00

From the BBC, A hydrogen car (which, unlike most current designs, actually has the potential to be extremely efficient, using 6kw as opposed to upwards of 80kw on most similar cars). This story has been making me really excited this morning (as has this one) because not only is it said to be extremely efficient (achieved by the use of "ultracapacitors"— also, totally fucking rad) the designs will be "open source" allowing for designs to be improved, tweaked to fit different environments, and facilitating the use of local man-power & materials. So jazzed.

TICKETS ARE INSANE

2009-06-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

So according to this New York Times article, we will never see airfare to Australia this cheap again. So I implore anyone and everyone to hop on this bandwagon, eff fiscal responsibility, come visit me in Australia. There are insane deals on flights to New York, Australia and Australia I'm sure there are tons of deals, you just gotta find 'em n' get 'em.

YES (ding round two)

2009-06-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

adios america.

—

2009-05-21T11:17:00.001-07:00

Nearing

2009-05-09T09:24:00.001-07:00

Thank you Erin Nicole Johnson for documenting this "performance"

The above image is of me, during my 8 hour stint as a "slow-materialized-RSS Feed" which consisted of me sitting in my exhibition adding to that drawing you see me working on, drawing facebook status updates, tweets, blog posts, general examples of language customization as they were published to the internet.

Final critique is done.
I am not.

DYLAN C. LATHROP // THE REVIVAL NETWORK

2009-04-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

I would like to congratulate my dear friend Dylan C. Lathrop, on a job well done. A sweet idea is becoming a really sweet project.

I have been excited about what Dylan has been working on since he pitched it to me months and months ago. So it is with great pleasure and great pride that I re-post this information about his senior project. Great work buddy, I'll see you in a couple days.

From Dylan's blog, an image of The Revival Network.

From his blog:

I'm officially launching The Revival Network, the website dedicated to a new way of thinking about the hometown newspaper! Essentially, this is a hub for those interested in having a new interaction with the newspaper. It stems from a case study that I have been carrying out for the past semester, wherein I purchased ad space in my hometown newspaper, The Wyoming Tribune Eagle, and inserted a new publication, The Citizen—Cheyenne. This new publication is an experiment in citizen journalism, but done with an attention to quality not just in content, but in design.

In Seventeen Days

2009-04-14T22:57:00.001-07:00

The above represents senior project form-making experiments. There are six woven patterns, 3 in-tact & 3 that are distorted.

"...The Text's plurality does not depend on the ambiguity of its contents, but rather on what could be called the stereographic plurality of the signifiers that weave it (etymologically the text is a cloth; textus, from which text derives, means "woven").
— Roland Barthes From Work to Text

I have been keeping this notion in my mind throughout this project, because of the endlessly fascinating implications presented by such a comparison. It seems so natural (IMHO) to think of text (in the broadest, 'signifier' sense of the word) as a woven fabric, a shelter, comforting, widely applicable/useful.

My focus in this project has been the "customizations" that occur when we manipulate our language to represent our unique ideas and emotions. The two groups of patterns (within the six circles— symmetrical & consistent paired with the distorted & seemingly more organic) reflect or represent these illusive concepts of communication. I feel that their correlation and interrelation resembles the sound waves created when an instrument is tuned, fading in and out of sync, mimicking one another, blatantly related but just as recognizably unique.

*Please note that the screen does not accurately portray the patters when scaled down.

Nü Animated Gif

2009-04-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Been wanting to make this for a long time.
I realize postings been rare, it will continue to be rare.

Apologies.

NEW SPECIES

2009-03-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

"Predator X" could have potentially "...crushed a Hummer" said Jorn Harald who led the expedition that uncovered this beast. Read the full article here. Man I love when they find new species, specially enormous vicious monsters.

On a side note, Tour de France runner up for the past two years, Cadel Evans (Australian) announced that he is not competing in the Giro d'Italia as previously announced. He IS however, still seeking a couple riders to sign to his team for the epic June race.

Whose with me?

Cool News

2009-03-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Monkeys Floss

Apparently Monkeys have been flossing their teeth (with human hair specifically) for some time, however the BBC writes about Momma monkeys teaching babies how to floss. Pretty fascinating. On a side note, I just started my flossing routine back up, we'll see how long it lasts, but knowing that monkeys do it somehow makes it easier.

GM Doesn't need March's Money.

And again, indirectly (via Twitter) from The BBC, this time they write about General Motors saying "thanks but no thanks" to the 2 billion they were slated to get this month... WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?! Anyone, thoughts?

MIND READERZ

The Green section is the Hippocampus, a hilarious word which read literally makes me smile and also the area responsible for storing memories.

And my final repost for now, the BBC reports that, for the first time, scientists are able to see memories being stored. WHOA, this seems pretty huge, for any number of reasons. Memory is a tricky thing, given that we can easily alter it and convince ourselves & believe in things that may or may not have happend as we recall. As the article states however, suffers of diseases that attack the brain and especially memory stand to gain alot from this.

Young Colin

2009-03-08T00:16:00.000-08:00

... thought this was pretty funny when it was on ABC's One Saturday Morning. That effing mouth effect...

A strange example of the bumper entitled: Mrs. Mungers' Class, from ABC's One Saturday Morning

TOTAL FNBS

2009-03-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

boo.

Senior Project Presentation 01 PDF

2009-02-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in killing 20-30 minutes reading about my senior project, I gladly invite you to download or view the PDF here.

I know I said this would be relegated to the tumblr... just couldn't resist.

Also, today was technorific—

Twitter kept me informed all morning,
Subscribed to Scribd
Used Justin's Iphone, subscribed to Punch Tweets, got FREE PUNCH ZA!

14 peers' web snippets

2009-02-24T09:12:00.000-08:00

Above is the first project I have completed for my Critical Studies class, it will possibly be used in my Senior Project as well. It is a 42" x 72" drawing of 14 examples (one from every student in my class*) of linguistic ludicity. As a means to illustrate the importance of manipulating language to reflect our individual thoughts and ideas. The abbreviations, emoticons & interpretations used in the original text are celebrated and their efficiency negated by the laborious act of hand rendering each character. This seeks to counter the notion that these abbreviations and alterations are used solely as means of efficiency.

This is a detail of some of the snippets.

*There are a couple students missing from the list, I used our online responses to get the full names of all of my fellow students, and some had not posted, therefore, were not included)

Thanks to JAN for conceptual direction.

Text & Image

2009-02-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

BIKE RIDES—

I have been trying to work in a nice (min. of 2hrs) bike ride every week, so far I've managed 3. Below are a few fings found along the way.

George Washington On a Bike (found on President's Day)

A Man befriending a squirrel

The beautiful view from Stone Arch Bridge

SENIOR PROJECT—

I am in the midst of preparing a formal presentation of my goals & intentions for senior project. I will be presenting this informatation on Friday February 20th, 2009: sometime after 1pm in room 414 or 416?

I will find a way to host the PDF I create for the presentation on here, so that if you are interested in seeing what I have been, and will be up to, you can do so.

David Crystal

If I may briefly speak about some recent advancements in my research, I would like to call your attention to a man who is uncannily in touch with something most people half his age don't understand: the importance of linguistic play & manipulation.

More than in touch with it, David Crystal is almost the godfather of the whole notion, inventor of the term Ludic Linguistics (meaning 'linguistic play), The seminal author of texts relating to the importance of how we use internet and text-message abbreviations, as well as a plethora of other linguistic-related articles.

I was fortunate enough to discover his work last Friday. I promptly sent him an email, to which he responded with endless helpful suggestions and places to look. I am truly grateful to have found his work, and consider him amongst the most exceptional minds in his field.

I highly recommend anyone with an interest in language, to read his very accessible & very insightful texts: articles, books & blog.

Giraffe—

This is a water color of a giraffe that I painted last year, I don't think I shared it publicly, so here you go!

The Breakdown

2009-02-12T01:22:00.000-08:00

I've always felt like posting my current youtube fav's on here is kind of like hearing that Rodney King got arrested again, you might look into it a little, but really, few care.

But this doesn't satisfy my compulsion to at least attempt to share these great songs and motion pictures with you. So allow me to publicly announce:

MY TUMBLR

I've had this thing for a while, but never really used it. (The first 6 or so posts are extremely random, and illustrate me learning how to post different things... possibly good for a chuckle if you care to look). It seems to me to be the perfect place to host my curated pieces of pop culture past & present.

I am hoping that this blog will now play host to some more interesting and engaging content.

I am also toying with using my website as a means to document the process of my Senior project, updating that frequently, and again, refining the content of this here anti-declaration.

We'll see how these go.

For the very few of you who would care to see what is tickling my pop-culture fancy, please check back frequently to:

www.trechter.tumblr.com

Bushfires

2009-02-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Australia (specifically, Victoria) is experiencing some of the worst bushfires they have ever seen. Photographic evidence of this inferno can be found here. I have been especially worried this week, as the fires have been getting within 50 miles (close enough for government-ordered evacuation) of the Beloved Cecil farm. Although my dear friends and family are not at serious risk of physical harm, to lose this beautiful piece of architecture would positively break my heart, and the only way I could possibly cope, would be to offer my services in rebuilding. Its a promise Tim & Rachel.

This image (is almost too much) from Jono>lookcaitlin>BBC? Amidst such tragedy, an amazing moment of tenderness, from a creature who is never this friendly.

You are all in my thoughts Victoria.

—

2009-02-05T16:08:00.000-08:00

—

2009-02-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

Senior Project

2009-02-04T18:35:00.001-08:00

From Canadian Design Resource

2009-02-03T17:18:00.000-08:00

A target on the Goalie mask, the ultimate effue to any shooter.

Cannuck's Goaltender Gary Bromley.

——
For anyone with an appreciation in Hockey, Design, Masks/Helmets, Sweetness, Historical Athletics and/or 1980's era Goalie's-as-art directors:

The Canadian Design Resource,
Canadian Goalie Helmets of the 1980's

Click that link, and work your way back for all the posts, there are about 5 examples.

I've been really loving Hockey this winter, watching it on TV is sort of fun, but going to a game... that is an experience. When I watch live hockey, it is hard for me to understand why I left the sport (one look at my wrists gives a pretty good hint). Hockey gets in your blood like smack... and I feel its a lifelong addiction, one that grabs hold every time it confronts you. I look forward to getting back on blades and slappin' some stick in the near future.

Obama/The Wire

2009-01-29T01:03:00.000-08:00

I came across this old article about a week ago and passed it around to a couple of my comrades who too enjoy HBO's (former show) The Wire. Apparently it is a favorite of our New President, and Casey Gane-McCalla over at the Huffington Post wrote an interesting (unfortunately only to those who know the show) article detailing the lessons Obama could have taken from the show. Because this post is probably only interesting to the two people I already shared the article with, I have included some beautiful images (primarily) of my favorite characters from the show.

Needless to say, I highly recommend you rent the first season, pay close attention, and understand why it is one of the greatest television shows in recent history.

Folks are beautiful

2009-01-28T18:19:00.000-08:00

"We're All Gonna Die
—100 Meters of Existence"

Via the indestructible force that is ThreeThousand©

Boo

2009-01-27T21:00:00.000-08:00

This is an alright poster for a pretty bad movie. It was sorta pretty, and had a couple decent scenes, but overall, I was pretty underwhelmed. It just tried sooo hard. Sorta seemed like some smug sophomore film student made it, I wouldn't waste my time with this movie, or the Biggie movie...

In My Room

2009-01-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Katering Fleshstad and Killy "I'm" Abeln I would like to share my bedroom with you. I recently cleaned/unpacked from our move upstairs about 6 months ago.

Welcome.

2009-01-20T12:26:00.000-08:00

My portfolio website is done, and live.

www.colintrechter.com

I welcome any & all feedback.

I would also like to thank web-genius Liz Plahn, who was an invaluable asset to this project. It should also be noted that when she stops tip-toeing around minor tweaks to an already fantastic website, she too will have an updated web-presence.

Upper Case/Draft 01

2009-01-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

This is a mono-spaced typeface whose similar outline / characteristics allows for (what I hope to be) interesting combinations and play via kerning and leading.

The first phase of this as-yet-to-be-named typeface is done. These are vectors, not yet type-able and not as refined as I'd like them to be/as they will be. This has been quite the learning process. If I can get these usable shortly after school starts (just this weight, and just the uppercase) I'll be satisfied with this as a winter-break project. I feel like I might have as much time left (refining & tweaking) as I have already spent constructing.

Did You Know 3.0

2009-01-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is a couple of months old at this point, but given as we have just entered a New Year, (and I don't recall seeing this on any of your blogs, sorry if it was) I deemed it an appropriate (and interesting) thing to share. The update to the Shift Happens series:

Fall 2008

2009-01-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

Goodbye Horses

This is everything I made last semester.

These are semi-close ups, click image to enlarge.

This post will be moot by the beginning of the Spring semester, as better images will all be available on my website!

Break Project #1

2008-12-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

This is what I have so far, on a typeface I am working on. I have discovered (or been reminded again) of how long it takes to draw a vector character from scratch. But it has been rewarding— and once you get started, things begin to cascade and come more quickly.

This is a type style that I have been drawing in pencil for some time and then redrew with a (sort of) full character set for a project that Liz & I collaborated on for our Systems class/the MCAD Service Bureau.

I am sort of going about this randomly, initially I was just focusing on capitol case characters, however I have also sketched a few lower case, we'll see, this could very well become a long-term/ongoing project.

Y'ALL WON'T ANYWAY

2008-12-23T23:55:00.000-08:00

Again & Agin
Rule of thumb — never watchin' that vidja ya posted on yo blog.

NO TIME D00D

Well since this blog takes naps, between posts
and viewers are unlikely
to
pay much
attention anyhow

lets talk about elation
&
Italian Disco

great dance

the best computer music in germany

how old are you?

dance and eat an iced cream

livin' in the moment of a dream

wehadababyitsaboy

liz please note the singers hat, I knew it was cool.

Thank god for an endless supply of this.
To think that pop culture is representative of a culture's current values, tendencies & preferences, fascinating.

WATCH WATCH

2008-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

This is an example of a homographic collage. There will be a few of these in each installment of my publication entitled 'elaborate'. Do stay tuned!

¿KEN U SEAT?

2008-11-30T03:02:00.000-08:00

USE-LESS
INTERIOR DRAWING
FOR ULANA
& NICOLAS HENRI JACOB

"MGMT of 2009"

2008-11-23T12:17:00.000-08:00

as dubbed by Jeffus.

stoopidly infectious.

MY FIRST COMIC

2008-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

For my class Reading & Writing Memoirs, we were asked to make a comic about a childhood memory that involves food. This comic was a task when I had to work on it at 5:30am, but it was pretty fun... they say its never to late to follow your dreams.

WHAT A FEELING

2008-11-05T09:12:00.000-08:00

For the past 8 years, I have sat comfortably in a chair of discontent, disgust, hopelessness and shame. I do mean comfortably though, it has been easy to loath most of the folks in Washington. As I watched Barack Obama become my new president last night, I thought how incredibly strange it was to feel proud, excited, hopeful and to look at this man, who will be running my country, in complete and utter admiration.

I would like to continue this self righteousness now, and show you how gracious, classy & supportive the Democratic party is. Please watch the first thirty seconds of the first video and then go the second video, and watch it, pay attention starting at about 2:20.

John McCain Concession Speech Nov. 4 2008

Barack Obama Acceptance Speech Nov. 4 2008

And again I swell with pride!

2008-10-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks Sammy, this old ad has combined two things I am quite fond of, I think I might start buying that black label stuff.

Now this is something EVERYONE can enjoy!

2008-10-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Beautiful.

Obama Letterhead remix

2008-10-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

This is an Erik Brandt original— counter-form letterhead for Barack Obama.

This is a quick extension, an alphabet based on Erik's original, and... what is perhaps, a little declaration.

GOBAMA!

1,387 Homographs

2008-10-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

Form my Publication Design class, we have been asked to create a publication about a collection. I will be creating a publication about the collection of 1,387 homographs in the English language.

hom⋅o⋅graph

[hom-uh-graf, -grahf, hoh-muh-] Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun

a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear¹ “to carry; support” and bear² “animal” or lead¹ “to conduct” and lead² “metal.”

Origin:
1800–10; homo- + -graph

Please excuse* the insane and awful hard returns, this is a copy from a PDF, I was too excited to share this extensive list, and have not yet been able to correct these hard-returns

a abject abominate abrogate absent abstract abuse accent access accumulate accumulating acerbate acetate ache acuminate adage addict addle adduct adulterate advert affiliate affix affricate affright affrontee agape agate agglomerate agglutinate aggregate airt alert alliterate allograph alloy ally alow alternate aluminate amalgamate ambuscade ament amphibole ana androgyne angulate animate annihilate ano- antedate antiquate appellate appropriate approximate arbitrage arbor arcuate are arithmetic arm arsine articulate as asperate asphalt aspirate associate at attenuate attribute aught augment auto autumn ava aver avoirdupois avow awe bach badge ballet ban baric baronet base basilic bass bat Batak bath bay bear beer begin benet bewet bewound bifurcate bilbo bingy birr bisect bitt blackguard blast blazon blea bleep bliss bombard boree bosch boule bourgeois bouse bow bowed bower bowing bowman bow-wow Brahminee brede breech bridgeward brier brod brogue brune bunter bus bye-bye caller cameline camphorate canard cannonade capelet caper capo capot carbonate carinate cashier cassie castline cave caxon celibate certificate chaffer cham chape chara chasse chatty chela chicken chickling chilly chimer china chisel chloroform choke choky choom chore cinch circumstance cleanly clique close coacervate coadunate coagulate cobbled cohort coiffure colleague collect collegiate Collins comb comber comginate come commensurate commerce compaginate compassionate complement complex complicate compliment complot composite compound con concentrate concert concinnate concise concorporate concrete conditionate conduct confect confederate conferruminate confine conflate conflict congenerate congest conglomerate congress conjugate conner conscript consolate console consolidate consort constellate construct consummate contaminate contest contract contrast convenable convent converse convert convict convoy co-operate co-ordinate coot cor coralline cordelle corduroy coronal coronate corporate correlate corroborate corrugate cos cosh Cottonian counterbalance counterbore countercharge countercheck countermand countermark countermine countermure countersign countersink countervail coup cover coxswain crenate crinite cross-bar crotal crutched cube cumulate curvet cuscus cuss cust cylindroid daff dagga dam dead debark declinator decollate decollator decolorate decompound decorate decree decussate deflorate defoliate degenerate degradation delegate deliberate demurrer denominate denudate depute descant desert desertless desiccate designate desolate desperate deviate di- diallage diaxon dictate Dieter diffuse digitate dilate dimidiate dinge disappropriate discolorate discorporate discount discriminate dishort disue dit ditch do Dominican donate downcast download dozen drawer dully dupe duplicate echelon edulcorate effeminate effuse egress ejaculate elaborate elater elect electioneer electron elongate email emancipate emarginate emasculate embattle embattling en enervate enfold ensign entrain entrance environ equivocate erase escort espalier essay estimate evertebrate eviscerate evolute exarticulate excerpt excise excommunicate exculpate excuse exenterate expatriate exploit export extract extrovert faro fasciate fastigiate fat federate fenestrate ferment festino fete feu fibrillate fiddle-faddle filibuster filler financier fine fissure fist flagellate flageolet flaught fleer flocculate flores flower fluey floia foliate folio fond footer footling footy foraminate forearm forecast foredoom forego forelook foreshadow forestall foretaste foretoken foretype forficulate formicate fornicate forpise forte forthcoming fracture freckle French frequent frontal frustrate fulyie furry fuse gala Galician gallant gaIly gam ganging gare garn geal gee gelation generate genial geniculate gib gibber gill gillie gimmer gimp gin gip giro gisement gist glacial go-ahead graduate grano grave gravure grease grenadine grind guilt gyrate habituate hangul hate haver heathery heavy Hebe heller hem heterogenic heterotransplant hin hist hockey hoe homogenic homotransplant hon hospitate house houseling how hue hum hump hydrate hypo illegitimate illuminate imbricate impersonate implant implicate import importunate impregnate impress imprint impropriate impugnable incarcerate incarnate incavate incense incensed incensing incentre inchoate incident incise income incorporate incrassate increase incrustate incurvate incurve indent indurate inebriate infatuate infill inflow infuriate ingenerate initiate inlaw inlay inlayer inlet inlying insect instar instinct insulate insult intaglio integrate interact interchange intercommmunicate intercross interflow interlace interlay interleaf interline interlink interlock intermediate interpenetrate interpolate intersect interspace interwound intimate intoxicate intricate introvert invalid invert inveterate invigorate invite irony irradiate irrorate isolate Italianate iterate i-wite jagged jam jasper jaundice joing jour jube jubilate junker ka kanga kayak kidnap lacerate lacet lactate ladino laminate lamp-black larum laser lathing laud laureate lead leading leaning lease leasing lech legitimate lesson levant levee liard lineate lingy lis live lived liver locking logie longer loon loop lough loup louse low lubricate lunate lunellunger lupine lustring mahoe maigremail maire majo malappropriate mamma manch mandate marginate marinade marish martinet Martini massage mast matai match math matriculate mattress maun mayoral mazard mediate melon merchandise mero- mese mesic meson metamorphose metope metrometer metroscope mezzo mi middling millet mind miniate minute minutely misuse mitis mobile moderate moellon moho moko mole moly monish mono monte moory moped mora morgue Mosan mot mouse mouth mouther mouthing mow mowing moya mug Mullerian multiply muriate mush mutate mutilate mysticete nada nan nana nark narra nasty necropsy needle neigher nestling nitrate nog none norther nuance nucleate obdurate oblate obligate obliterate obstinate obumbrate odic offset ohm ole opiate ordinate ornament osculate osmic osmund other ouch outbreak outlaw outlay outpour outreach outshoot outwatch outwind outwork ovate overcall overcast overcharge overfall overflow overfold overhaul overheat overlap overlay overload overlook overlord overman overmount overpaint overpoise overpraise overreach overrun overshoot overstock overstrain oversway overthrow overthwart overtone overturn over-use overweight overwork overwrap ovulate ow oxalate pace paled palliate palmate palsy palus pan pandan panga panhandle papa par para parametric parbreak pare parietary parquet parse participate pasty pate paternoster patine patrist Paulist pawn peal pectinate peneplain pennant percolate perfect perforate perfume perimetric permit personate perverse petro- phosphate piano pic piciform picked picot pignorate piked piline pinite pinta pipi piripiri piscine pita placard place plano- plat platinate plicate pocky pogrom point poise Polish poly pomp Pompeian pone pontificate pook popple portal post-date postfix poult pow powwow pox pram prayer preamble precedent precinct precipitate predate predestinate predicate predominate preform prelude prematuration premature premier premise preponderate presbyterate prescript present presto prima primer proceed produce profligate profuse prograde progress pronk pronto propine proportionate prosodiac prospecting prostrate protest protogenic provo prow psychologic pud puku pull punt punto purblind purl purport purvey pussy pustulate put pustulate putter putting quadrate quadruplicate quant quark quart quinate quint quite quote raad rabbi rache radiate radicate ragged rame rampage rampire rance ranger rappel rasa rather rayon razoo re read rearward rebate rebuff recall recap recede recession recitative recollect recollection recon record recound recover recovering recreate recreation recreative recreator recurvate redouble redress redressing refit reflex refugee refuse regale regenerate regress regring reis reiterate rejoin remit repatriate repay replicate reprimand reprime reprobate res reset resinate reticulate retinal retrocede re-use revet rheum rhine rickle rifled ripa river rog rolling roove roset rouge roup rove row rowan rowing rowy rubbee rugged ruth sacro- saga sagene sal sala salicylate salve sambuca sampan sang sardine satiate saturate scance scar scarfed scarify scarp scart scatch schist scone scoop scopa scrae scribble scrow sculpture scuttler second sement semis sensate sensor separate seriate serra sew sewer sey sheathed sheather shellac shelver shive shower siderosieur sigillate sika simulate Sinaic sine singed singer sis situate skiver slaver slavery sliver sloom slough sloughy sludge slurry smeeth snook sol solute solvate son sook soor soothful sought souper sow sparkle sparrer spatulate spectacle sphere spinaceous spin-down spin-up spiral spiry spoof stabile stance standard staple staver stay steer stellate stereogram stern stipulate stipulation stith stiver stow stower strangulate straying strickle strontian stupa subdelegate suberose subfeu subject subordinate succenturiate successive suffix suine sulphonate sun super supine supple suppliance sura surcharge surrogate survey suspect swamp swarf swather swatter swinger syndicate syringe tabac taboot tabulate tache talc talesman tamboo tan tangi tarry tartana tass Tassie taster tatty taut tawa te tear teething telemeter tender terebrate terminate tessellate testate that thee theoric theory therm thou thralless threshold throughstone thymic tier tight till timbre tinger tinging tip tithe tither titling toco toman tonite toph tore torment toward tower traik traject transect transfer transform transgress transpire transmit transplant transport travail trepan triangulate tribe triplicate triply trisect trite trouse trow tuba tubulate tun tuna turnel tush U uh uke ultimate undulate unionize unwind upthrow urge use utile vaccine vague valent victural viola visit vitiate viva volt volva wahoo ware warden waugh weapon Weberian weet weet whinger whip whistly who wicked wind winded winding wind-up winged with woodward woof woofy worsted wound woundy yap yokeless yolky zoon.

*A special apology** to Erik Brandt, who on two occasions (once when he first visted MCAD roughly two years ago, and once during my Junior Review) told me that I need to be more careful of my hard-returns.

** I hope that with this update, I have fixed the hard returns, and can subsequently retract said apology (in reference to this specific document... previous hard-returned document apologies still stand).

Thanks David Lynch

2008-10-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

And thanks 'Charles' of 'In Twin Peaks'

A still from the opening credits of Twin Peaks

This is the exact branch (look at the blurry background) that the bird is sitting on, only 19 years on. Charles of In Twin Peaks, has re-shot dozens of these now famous stills, its incredible how little has changed in nearly two decades. Neat-o, thanks Charles.

This looks like fun.

2008-10-23T17:11:00.001-07:00

Bobby Neel Adams

Dude is a little heavy handed, cheesy at times, but his gimmick gets me, you go guy with three first names.

0h h3y †here.

2008-10-21T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ill Studio

Well this is just a chocolate-on-your-pillow kind of find friends... thanks so much Dylan for this tasty little morsel that is Ill Studio out of France... a collective of Designers, Typographers, Illustrators, Photographer, Motionogrphers, the list continues. They have a few projects that do make me flutter.

You ffffuckin' ffffound ffffreaks prolly ffffound them ffffriday...

And again

2008-10-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

With so many voices (never enough however) speaking out against unjust, irrelevant or untrue accusations it is a wonder that this race isn't even more of a blow-out. We've seen some horrific accusations and terrific rebutles as of late, but I appreciate the cool and collected delivery via Colin (and its actually pronounced just like my name, but Colin (thats Call-in) Powell just got fed up with correcting people when they said "Colon"

I wonder how many times you have to be called "Colon" before you just give up... It'd be a fare few before I caved.

Stuart Mcfarlane

2008-10-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

Aussie industrial designer Stuart Mcfarlane created this paper aeroplane looking chair from recycled plastic, it can support 100kg (just over 220 lbs.) I wonder if it wouldn't be possible and fun to make this out of a refrigerator box. See more pictures where I originally found this article on Dezeen.

"Modern architecture is defined by it's mediation, not by it's built form"

2008-10-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

This is Zaha Hadid's Opera House in Dubai, found via SuperSpatial. I am far from knowledgable in the field of architecture, I am fascinated by it, and have architects in my family, I exist within it and take notice of/appreciate it. I say this becasue I also have an opinion, but want you to understand my lack of understanding... if that makes any sense.

This proposed Opera house has that intensely "futuristic" (whatever that really means) look. It is flowing liquid, or perhaps (much more likely) it is a shifting sand dune. To me however, it is forced progression, not entirely human. It looks like we are aspiring to build beyond our means or even ourselves, I feel like this is a mimic of what we think the future might look like, or even what something from another place in space might look like. Overarching point... the design of this is forced, not like the Sydney Opera house, which is beautifully unique, human, and perfectly placed for its surroundings. I think that the author of the SuperSpatial blog puts it painfully well when he says:

"Why not build it?

- Because the reality will never live up [to] where my imagination will take it.

- Because more people will see it online and in magazines than will ever visit it. Modern architecture is defined by it's mediation, not by it's built form."

Taken from the comments section of that post.

Two more thoughts that do not fit in to the above paragraph:

1) Does the building not look like an overly photoshoped graphic?
2) Is Zaha Hadid's website not only frustrating to navigate, but strangely "student" in overall design?

form & function

2008-10-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Takeshi Miyakawa

Fractal 23 is Takeshi Miyakawa's 23-drawer cabinet, to utilize each drawer the unit can't be against any walls, but if you can forgo the use of 4 of those drawers (you could hide your valuables in that one, and push that side against the wall) you've still got 19 to work with. It reminds me of Brian Lee's self-contained dining table (seen below).

Brian Lee Chubby Brothers 2008

Thanks

2008-10-04T19:17:00.000-07:00

MOMMA'S BOY

Thanks Dylan, for reminding me to watch this video. You rule Dylan, you rule because you are a Momma's Boy, and are proud of it, and we love you for it. You rule Chromeo, because you were a sweet part of this summer with your sweet tunes. You rule Stephane Manel because you make amazing work.

Chromeo Momma's Boy
Directed By Stephane Manel
Produced By Partizan Midi Minuit

A Book 'bout Bunsen burners

2008-10-03T09:57:00.000-07:00

This was our first assignment in Publication Design. We selected a question out of an old "family encyclopedia" sort of book (it was chock full of questions pertaining to science, culture, everything) and then were given one week to make a book based off of the question. My question was: What is a Bunsen Burner. I tried to define it every possible way, as slang, as an object, and anywhere else that it popped up as having a meaning or use. What I found was that a Bunsen burner is:

-a scientific instrument
-a very fast pitch in the game of cricket
-an easy job for which you are well paid
-a badass

A thoroughly enjoyable project lots of fun, and very fast.

2008-09-30T01:21:00.000-07:00

-Deleted all my music to make room on my computer, whose health is a constant worry... 30 Gigs opened.

-Got a badass leather jacket.

-In need of black pants 34"34", and a black dress shirt... anyone?

I have wanted to get a photograph of this #5 for years. I still need to do better, but this is a reminder to drive by KSTP Channel 5's station on University. Breathtaking form.

POPULAR HAIRSTYLES OF THE 1990s

This is my drawing for Illustration Topics. The prompt was to basically make a motif of imagery from a specific decade. I have chosen popular hair of the 1990s.

When Kindra returns my Bunsen Burner book, I'll post images of that, the most fun I've had design-wise this semester.

You know that feeling like there is a fight breaking out behind you, you get it because suddenly everyone is intent on whats a bit beyond your shoulder? Its a funny feeling to have in a room by yourself.

You probably won't watch this.

2008-09-24T02:16:00.000-07:00

But you probably should.

Aussie filmmaker Kris Moyes (Kim Moyes of the Presets' younger brother) made this ONE CONTINUOUS SHOT masterpiece. Its brilliant, as are many of his videos. Sweet tunes, sweet vid, sweet aussie interconnectedness.

Dan Ibarra is Genius

2008-09-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is stolen from geotypografika, because as many people as possible need to see this.

A video by Dan Ibarra, as blunt as the woman herself, but a million times more clever. Ignore what he says on his blog about it being stupid, its infinitely less stupid than SP.

Oh, you'd expect.

2008-09-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

The time is nigh, no, the time is most certainly here, to create.

Doof Doof 1

My new bike.

Doof Doof 2

Goooodd-bye raaaaaattail, I'm flyin' over you...
ooooo-oooo-hooo-hooo

Pictchah Post

2008-08-22T01:33:00.000-07:00

The following pictures are taken from either here, here, here or here. Because this is a post with just a smattering of pictures that amuse or delight me, I have started with this photograph, one of my favorites, an old classic I say.

I think Tin would like this Ice tray, I can think of a few problems with it... but don't want to be a stick in the mud.

Museum Station in Sydney doubles as a sort of advertising museum, old print ads are displayed in a grubby frame as you wait for the train. Apologies for this being a photo from a phone. I love the Arnott's logo, and many of their delicious products.

Sweet Jantzen type, as well as the MUSEUM station logo.
Apologies for this being a photo from a phone

Few things more Australian than an Akubra.
Apologies for this being a photo from a phone

I love his expression... and his "throw caution to the wind attitude" as well.

Ed first spotted this type on a walk. check out the "A" in American, the one letter is on 3 levels... dimensional type.

One of my favorite signs I saw around Western Australia, Kevin Hawthorne Ninja Schools.

Early mornings often mean Fandango, a breakfast place in Melbourne, I liked this type for their hours.

Hand done metallic type for Geppetto's Italian Restaurant. Seen during a 10k (6.1miles) walk home... Uff da.

Gundagai regional history.

Sweet ghetto blaster, but unfortunately this would not be allowed on Gayner-Hayfield premises.

Yeah fat type.

Classic 'Stralian image.

Olympic Doughnuts, apologizes for the darkness.

Same place, different sign... why are the rings upside down?

Mansfield Farm

2008-08-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

We arrive at "The Farm" and look over to the snowy mountains in the distance.

This is the back of the house, and the porch where we sat for most of the weekend.

Jessi & Lilly enjoy swinging from a tree in the back yard.

From the porch we can look over the entire dried up lake. If you look at the center of the image, and slightly to the left you can see what remains of a body of water that used to come up to the nearest line of trees. Proof that Victoria/Australia really is experiencing a drought. This view is especially spectacular during sunset.

When we were inside, we lounged in front of the fireplace, whose name is "Darth"

The morning we left, we climbed to the highest hill in the area and this is the view from one of the sides. What a terrifically gorgeous place this is.

Prom

2008-08-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

PROM

Melbourne is a city that loves its parties. But a party is not just a house full of people... a party is a themed, well dressed and well attended event. This party was a fare-well to Melbourne's favorite over sized, screenprinted broadside Is Not Magazine.

Like any prom, a proper preparation is necessary, Tin & Sari primp n' boogie.

Floral hair decorations by Hopie.

Jono gets down, straddling the line between well-dressed playboy & secret service agent... every day.

Luke on the left, fellow yankie Ricardo on the right... matching.

Ed came straight from the footy, and didn't have time to change.

Hopie is in pink, I am in blue.

To end the night off right, Jono somehow gets his hands on some sparklers, but it's a finalé, so the whole box must be lit. Funny how little attention you get until there are sparks flying all around you.

Melbourne Museum

2008-08-17T11:40:00.001-07:00

On a lovely afternoon in Melbourne Victoria, Jessica Nelson & Colin Trechter ventured to the Melbourne Museum. After a beautiful lunch overlooking Carlton Gardens we trotted over to spend a couple hours looking at the wonders of the natural world. After paying 5 dollars (which was not only the cheapest entry for the sweetest museum, but also unnecessary; note to future visitors, student ID gets you in free... always remember that jingle). Unfortunately we did not have as long as I would have liked, but their exhibitions on deep-sea creatures, drugs & jungle walk, all were top notch.

apologies for the poor images, my camera refused to stop flashing.

The long squiggly character is a worm.

Spiders on a wall

Insects on pins.

Breathtaking display of beetles, there was a room with three walls all covered in displays like this, I was captivated, and would have paid 5 dollars just to see this.

Starfish & Sea Urchins.

Preserved cephalopod.

Amazing deep-sea fish. If you can, get a good look of 'ol boy on the right's set of chompers.

Otherwise just look at this guys teefs.

Haul ass out of the building... for J Renz.

Closing Chapters vol. I

2008-08-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Because I've been having too much fun and haven't posted photographs in quite some time, I've got about 50 I'd like to share, so over the next couple days/posts, these will be appearing in big 'ol chunkers.

Trough/WOMB/90's Studio Party

These are a few weeks old, but we will start here and see where the paths take us. The photographs shown are from our 6 person 90's party in the studio following the Trough Womb Party but any photographs from the actual party would just be a sweaty mass of topless people amidst pink balloons. So you can just use your imagination.

Sara, Aaron, Tin & mouth-agape Ed.

Aaron gave me a haircut.

Ed gave me a tattoo.

I find this to be a rather humorous photograph, everyone seems sort of frozen in a slow-awkward pose. Take note of Hopie's full body sparkle suit... you'll soon learn, she has great clothing.

Meet Sara, she is really terrific, and in just under a week, she will be uprooted from her home in Melbourne, to go and be Karen Walker's assistant. Sara and a 48 year old woman will be Karen's right hand women, how amazing is that, for a first job?!

This is actually a photo from Sara's birthday party, again, please take note of Hopie's awesome full body zebra suit.

Following an enormous pot-luck style feast (with incredible food, everyone here can cook!) we played a loud and boisterous game of Articulate. Ed was hopeless.

IF I ONLY COULD

2008-08-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've got

2008-08-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

left here in Melbourne :(

Amazing updates soon I swear, including Jessica Nelson, "The Farm" & studio treats.
Looking forward to Panchos, Bachmans, friends & family. Not looking forward to leaving the lovelies here. Check back in a sec yeah?

+++

2008-07-20T23:07:00.000-07:00

ENJOY YOURSELF...
TAKE ONLY WHAT YOU NEED FROM IT.

No words, photographs drawings or videos could really describe these past few weeks, but I'll give you bits of all to lead you in a direction. Its beautiful how indescribable it all is, thank god these atmospheres are intangible and cannot be pinpointed by any object or gesture. You've just gotta believe, cause its magic ya know.

We took a break from the studio for a few minutes to check out the Ed Fella Exhibition a few blocks away from the studio at The Narrows. Ed is holding the Ed poster in front of Ed's posters... Tin is looking ominous in the background.

We were just about to leave when Isobel showed up. Moments earlier she had hit a pot-hole and crashed her bike, she was pretty shaken, and needed some medical attention, so we trammed it to the Dental Hospital.

I can imagine that the Dental Hospital is pretty high on a lot of peoples most-feared lists. I'd say they've taken that into consideration by having beautiful displays of these macabre-looking ancient dental tools as you first enter the lobby. On top of this, we got up to the waiting room to find some doctor show playing on the televisions, depicting a man in scrubs, yanking his tooth out with pliers.

These are more utensils used for dental work, strategically placed to be one of the first things you see upon entrance.

The following weekend was our trip to Sydney to meet up with all the Allen cousins. Here I am, standing on either side of the Hume Highway, the traffic was pretty bad, so I woke up, got out, Rachel snapped this picture of me, Then I got back in, and went back to sleep.

When I woke up again, we were in Gundagai, the Premier Horse Town. We got out, ate lunch amongst a bunch of cows (they were grazing just steps from us). Gundgagai is fairly famous, considering its tiny size.

This is the Dog on the Tuckerbox. This monument comes from Jack Moses' Poem, Dog on the Tuckerbox, and resides as the song says, [roughly] five miles from Gundagai.

Sweet sign, at the Dog on the Tuckerbox monument.

When we finally got to Sydney, we had the most beautiful view, the Harbor Bridge, the Opera House and an enormous ship.

Lilly and Alison arrived and we had some food and drink. Pictured above from left to right are: Tim, Rachel, Lilly, Michael (my Grandfather's brother #1) Alison, and Kim (my Grandfather's brother #2). Also, as much as this photograph looks staged, or posed or like I am using a strobe, or its a funny freeze frame from a family film, it really isn't.

Following the reunion, I hopped a train to Gordon station, where I met up with this fine looking chap Travis Cornell and his family, for his 18th birthday. We ate at an amazing resautrant called: Ribs & Rumps. Please take note of Trav's little picture on his cake, quite adorable.

After dinner, Trav, Luke, Lou & I walked to Oxford Street for Trav's first legal night on the Town. I found this stencil, and thought it was rad, really rad.

I also found this sign, I also thought this was rad.

The first bar we went to, had a live band upstairs and a DJ downstairs. They also had these pieces of paper and paint, and people were encouraged to do whatever they wanted on them, as you can see, this was perhaps not the most artistic bar... or it was getting late, or both. Regardless I did approve of the colors.

When I came home, this was the beautiful sight I saw, Luna Park, in all its nighttime glory. Unfortunately my camera battery died shortly after this, and I was unable to photograph for much of the rest of the journey. However I do have some treats to share (snow! 105 year olds! fun!) over the next few days... stay tuned & stay moist (as Stebie C always says).

MONTY PYTHON'S: THE MEANING OF LIFE

2008-07-10T00:51:00.000-07:00

IS (PERHAPS) THE GREATEST COMEDY OF ALL TIME.
10 supporting points

10.

Perfectly placed, immediately after "THE MIDDLE OF THE FILM" This gloriously absurd, and tremendously funny sketch introduces the best half of the film, and reminds you that the Pythons that are Monty, are masters of numerous forms of comedy.

9 & 8.
"Oh what a frightfully witty song" indeed, that song, (the number 9 reason) acts as the perfect segway to one of my favorite scenes in the whole film. I realized while watching it, that this is possibly where my adoration and appreciation for the hilarity that is vomit stemmed from.

7.
One of the most famous numbers from this comedy/musical masterpiece, this song is gold through and through, and the cherry on top is the little conversation at the end, amongst the "fiercely proud Protestant couple".

6.
Towards the end (naturally) we are graced with this scene; there is something magical about watching this as one of the only yanks in a crowd of at least 40 people, but the crowning moment of this scene is undoubtedly the wry smile from a cross dressing Michael Palin at about 5:13 when he thinks he has stumped the Grim Reaper. A fun piece of trivia I picked up from Russell while watching this: Palin's little aside at the end, claiming that he didn't eat the salmon was an improvisation.

5. & 4.
The animation in this film is not only beautiful, and original, but it too seems to have had a fair influence on our contemporary scene. I would argue that, everyone's favorite genre of illustration and installation, Post-postmodernism draws heavily from the aesthetic of Minneapolis' Own Terry Gilliam. So the beautiful animation, and its influence on Post-postmodernism, comprise reasons 4 & 5. (The above example is not the best, just do yourself a YouTube (anyone ever heard of this sweet site?!) search of Terry Gilliam Animation) and see what he is capable of.

3.
Mariam said that she would get the 3D gridded woman giving birth tattooed on her, I think that my next drawing will be of that, and I'd like to make a bunch of drawings/pieces based on this movie, but this part is just amazing. The whole song is just too incredible for words, its wit, accuracy, commentary, and honesty and educational value; you really must appreciate this one.

2.

I can't say for certain that present day comedy wouldn't be anything like it is without this film, but I can say that for as heavily as Family Guy has borrowed from The Simpsons, everyone has borrowed from Monty Python. It has birthed (see the 3-D gridded birth scene from the film to have a visual of what this entails) nearly every endorphin-enducing film since the mid 70's (even though this film came out in 1983, MP has been nailing comedy since the late 60's)

1.

Primary Colored, topless women in proper safety gear, chasing a man off of a cliff, fulfilling his wishes in execution method. Ah-men.

–

There is nothing like re-watching a film and discovering that it is still everything you remember, and much much more, I have always said this is my favorite MP flick, and I stand firm that this one has it all.

NO USB//MY NEW FRIENDS

2008-07-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Because my USB port is not registering my card reader, I will not be uploading any of my new photos for a few days, which is frustrating to me, as I've got golden ones of the Ed Fella exhibition, Sydney, and perhaps a few surprises as well.

So instead of continuing my narcissistic blogging trend, I will show you some work by the people surrounding me here in Melbourne, because they are doing some very fun & intriguing things, and because I think you might enjoy the fun & intriguing things that they are doing.

AARON MOODIE

Aaron Moodie sits next to me in the studio, he shares a space with T & E and he is a very friendly, very hardworking (if not frequently vacationing) individual. Shown above is his Typeface: "Walrus" which is a lovely little geometric wonder, which I believe he uses on his business card & very effectively. I have always been a fan of these sorts irregular geometric faces that seem to combine Herb Lubalin's Avant Garde & Milton Glaser's Baby Teeth (which he turned into a full typeface after the Dylan Album cover). They actually probably all stem from some Russian Constructivist face, but now we're getting off topic. Check out his work, and pay some attention to his blog TEMPORIZE which is well worth a good long peruse.

HAMMER & TONG

Hammer & Tong also share a building with T & E, their (his?) studio is a few floors down but within their caverns are created some of Melbourne's finest typographic compositions. Such as those displayed in the free (to those in AUS, but available for purchase worldwide) publication WON magazine. I will be bringing WON back with me because it is full of fantastic interviews, writings, collages & type. Hammer & Tong also create a fantastically beautiful magazine known as A Fine Line which, to those who are a fan of Fantastic Man,will present a similarly beautiful look with a more accessible range of articles.

RIK LEE

Rik has a few things going for him, first of all he has a sweet name, like he should probably be in (AWESOME!!!)* a kung-fu movie or something, second he has a most excellent portfolio, and third he is a very kind, easy-to-talk-to roommate of Ed's. A personal website is in the works, but clicking that portfolio link will take you to 33 images hosted by the Jacky Winter site, who represents him (and Tin & Ed as well). If your like me, then you read Girlfriend, Vibe & Nylon pretty religiously, and were familiar with his work long before you knew his name; now we all know both, and that is better isn't it?

*THE CAFE I'M IN JUST STARTED PLAYING CURTIS: "(DON'T WORRY) IF THER'S A HELL BELOW WE'RE ALL GOING TO GO")!!

SHOW & TELL

2008-07-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

This is the train station where I catch my train into the city every morning (or afternoon, depending on how late we stay)

This is the Nicholas Building on Swanston St It is a Greek Revival Building designed by Harry Norris and constructed in 1925-1926 with an extension that was built in 1939-1940. It is home to some of the most affordable artist studios in Melbourne, and the last two lift operators in Melbourne, they are lovely and go by Dimitri & Jane.

I cut into the Cathedral Arcade to catch the lift to the 8th floor.

Two right turns later I am here. That is Aaron (he shares studio space with T & E) in the far left corner, then its my spot (empty) then Tin's spot (also empty) and then there is Ed in the right corner.

Ed & an ampersand.

This is a bit of the view from my desk, the big mustard building is Flinders Street Station, where I catch my ride to and from the City.

When we get hungry, we take a trot downstairs, sometimes we see street performers (pictures of them later, there are some amazing ones) sometimes we see other entertaining things, like security vehicles with boots.

This is where we most commonly go to get coffee and eats, it is called the Centerplace laneway and it is a lovely, often packed little alley filled with coffee shops, delis, a diamond & gold exchange place, boutiques and other quasi-European treats. Melbourne is full of these laneways that would be deserted avenues, home to big rats, litter and a random junkie in most cities I'm used to seeing. This is a much more desirable use of the space.

We work late into the night and my view of the Flinders Street station begins to look like this, sometimes I get distracted watching people cross the street where all the cars are lined up, all the headlights shining forward and the legs walking across create these amazing, long, flickering shadows that dance down the street for a few chaotic seconds. It is quite mesmerizing, and when I figure out how to use my new camera* I will take video of it.

After a long hard week, we like to unwind and go out. We went to a bumpin' warehouse party last weekend, it was fun to see Liz dancing on the shelf in the background, but I was worried she might fall.

I have said this a million times, and I will probably continue to say it, but Melbourne bears a striking resemblance to Minneapolis, and that has been very fun, and comforting, of course it is vastly different, but the little things, such as ending a big night out with an early morning dance party are the warm, familiar hugs that make me love this city even more. Here (from left to right) are Jay, a girls whose name I cannot remember, Cath, Tin & I, if you must know we were singing All4One's "I will be right here waiting for you" but it looks like we are singing something waaay more epic. It was pretty fantastic.

*I found this camera in the gutter as we walked up to the warehouse party, I spent the next few hours feeling very guilty and asking if anyone had lost a camera. Tin and I began looking through the pictures on the camera and were horrified/giddy/relieved to see that the previous owner was... well he seemed to be a sleazy womanizer who liked to purse his lips and pose with an ever changing cast of girls at the bar... I almost want to upload one of the pictures of the guy, but I don't have his permission, so I really shouldn't.

Rest assured though, if we can find the proper owner, they'll have their camera back, if not though, this little point and shoot gem that I've been after for ages, is mine. So if you know this guy, and can show me other pictures of him, and the other people on this camera, let me know, so you (or whoever this belongs to) can have their shooter back.

Marshalite

2008-07-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

WE SHOULD USE THIS AGAIN

The Marshalite, used primarily in Australia, was invented in 1936 by Charles Marshall, it was used from the 1940's through the 70's and seems to me a better alternative to our current traffic lights. Of course there would need to be updates (perhaps some back lighting) but because of the rotary system, one can know when green will turn to yellow and act accordingly. The colors remain in a uniform pattern to account for color blindness, and I would assume less energy is needed to power the dial than to power three individual lights. Unfortunately I don't see this coming back, especially given that the above image is from The Melbourne Museum... how often to objects come out of historical museums to be put back into use?

A New Home

2008-06-30T02:35:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO MELBOURNE

I have arrived and settled in the beautiful city of Melbourne, as the 8 of you who read this already know. But here are some pictures to support my words.

This is the beautiful house that I am calling home until the 12th of August, I have been helping a little with that garden out front, and enjoying all of the pets and beautiful scenery. The house is only about a 10 or 15 minute train ride from the city, but it is located right on the Yarra River, and across the river is a huge national park, so I am enjoying the peaceful nature surroundings, as well as the convenience and happenings of big city living. It is beautiful to say the least. Come for dinner some time won't you?

This is the living room, and beyond that is the dining room, and beyond that is the kitchen. I'm not sure how to verbalize my love for this home, but lets just say the color couldn't be better.

This is cousin Rachel (her hand not the bird) feeding one of the 5 or so Kookaburras that hang around the backyard. The Kookaburra usually eats snakes, picks them up and then beats them against a rock until it is dead, so it is fun to watch the 'burra with a chunk of beef, bashing it against the railing to ensure that it is good n' dead before swallowing it.

These cute little mop creatures go by Archie, and Nellie, they have long bodies, and squat legs and take about 10 minutes to walk a few yards, they are very loving and adorable. They are only a fraction of the animals that live here at The Esplanade. Joining the dogs are perhaps 5 indoor birds, two geese (that live in the backyard) a beautiful black cat named Baxter, a mouse, and the various animals that come to visit for a feed or just to kick it with us.

These are some of those animals that come for a feed. These are Rainbow Lorikeets and this is a common sight, every morning they come to feast and socialize, often along with the Kookaburras.

Soon I will post some more pictures of the property, the river, and various other novelties and oddities around this amazing new residence.

I am extremely fortunate to have such a beautiful place to come home to,l full of lovely people, wonderful food, beer and wine, all of which flows freely and frequently, oooh heaven is a place on earth.

END OF AN EAR-A

2008-06-29T23:32:00.000-07:00

April 2002-June 2008

In the famous last words of the metalhead who lived downstairs from me my freshman year, and dropped out after the first semester:

"fuck this shit, I'm out"

My sentiments exactly, regarding the little plugs that filled the holes in my earlobe. I have had a series of unfortunate events that has led me to throw in the very bloody towel.

After dropping one of the only pair of plugs I brought with me down the drain showering the other day. I set out to buy a replacement pair, just a couple cheap ones to hold the holes open. I bought a pair, took them back to the studio to pop them in, and they didn't fit, no matter how much tugging and yanking I did. They were supposedly only a millimeter larger, and because I'd had mine for so long, and they were kind of loose I assumed it would be no sweat. I was wrong. So I trotted back down to the shop. It was closed by the time I got back so I waited until the next day. When I went back the following morning they said they couldn't exchange (no surprise, I had assumed they wouldn't be able to) but they gave me a squishy silicone piece that I could fold down, pop in, and would stretch the lobe the little bit I needed. That little bit has seriously gnashed me left lobe. And as I trembled and winced pulling the silicone plug out of a bloody, swollen ear, I decided that I have spent enough time and money on these silly things, I am defeated and done.

My ear is still crusty and bloody, and the inside of the hole looks like the skin has split, and there is innards hanging out it is gnarly to the maximum.

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

2008-06-26T08:56:00.000-07:00

I feel as though this has been something that has been brewing in my mind for some time now, I (and everyone else) have been complaining about the lack of "news" especially in mainstream media. The news is not news any longer, it is drama, what makes headlines is negative, scary, filtered, and has an agenda. Its not just American media, its everywhere. There are alternatives to mainstream media of course, but why are we settling for this?

After watching Sarah Watt's Look Both Ways last night, I felt as though there is potential in a publication that focuses on both real news, but real news that is not all negative.

Now, before I go any farther, I would like to say that the last thing I want this to be is some sort of cheesy, happy-go-lucky publication that ignores or denies that there is tragedy and sorrow in the world, however I think there is enough coverage of that. I would like to see a publication that reports on advances in sciences, the discovery of new creatures, new cultural institutions, amazing concerts, funny stories, maybe a more literary direction, interviews, and so on and so forth, not just kittens getting saved from trees or whatever obligatory "uplifting" story the nightly news throws in their mix.

Watt's film followed several characters in an intertwined story of tragedy, some are paranoid some are depressed, all of them are tied together by one accident, and throughout the entire movie we are reminded of how much negativity surrounds us. It is not total debbie downer movie though, it picks up at the end. I think the flick was the last little push I needed.

So I present:

Now, the irony here, is that there is no good news... in the above image, that is partly because I had somewhat of a shitty day today (because I lost one of my $30 plugs down the drain, and then spent $30 on a new pair that don't fit, and I keep dropping everything) aaaaaand partly because this is just a rough sketch, a quick mock up to get an idea down.

I am not in a huge rush to make this, but if anyone is interested in collaborating on this sort of publication or has any ideas or suggestions please drop me a line, I am open to any and all thoughts or comments.

ctrechter@mcad.edu

2008-06-23T20:15:00.000-07:00

WEST AUSTRALIA, FINAL (for now) POST

From Northam Stephen & I made our way back down to Perth to spend some more time with McCracken, Chris & Hastie. Stephen decided that he wanted to try his hand at cooking a roast. This was Stephen's first roast, and it was deeee-lectible! Here Stephen is seen dishing up our roast, with McCrackin standing by offering his thoughts, support & criticism.

Chris went and got his tattoo finished, it is a statue of Saint Chris, the shading is pretty amazing.

This is Brita, she is Chris' girlfriend and one of the lubliest people I got to meet on this trip, McCrackin took this picture, as well as the dozen or so other pictures very similar to this one that did not make this post.

Wednesday was Steven's twenty-first birthday, seen here (from left to write) is Chris, Leticia, Stephen & Jason. Jason works with Stephen on the mines and is a grade-A champion, he worked for 8 weeks straight, just to be around for Stephen's birthday.

Chris, Bob, Jason. Chris can't help but show off his updated tatt. These photos show us all before we headed out to Captain Sterlings for Stebie's birthday.

The funny story about Captain Sterlings is that we all got there (in two cabs) and as we showed our I.D.'s the bouncer told me that my out-of-country I.D. would not suffice, and that I needed my Passport. So, I hopped back into a cab, Bob paid the $70 for my round trip, and I spent the next 45 minutes talking about U.S. politics, cancer, emerging research in self-help therapy & wikipedia. I love cab drivers, and If I were made of money, I'd take a cab everywhere.

The next day I woke up and packed my bags, bob came by to drop off my shoes and skateboard which I had left in his car a few days earlier, and he, Steve & I drove to the airport.

Steven, Bob & I got up to the gate (they let non-passengers go right up to where you board in Perth), said our goodbyes, had our hugs and promised to keep in touch. I got in line with my boarding pass out and couldn't help but look over my shoulder. Every time I did I'd see Stephen moving around to keep me in sight, with his hand raised high in the air, and a smile on his face. I would return the gesture, turn back to the que, and then repeat. The last time I looked back all I could see was Stebie's face, head tilted up, the reassuring smile still fixed, with his closed fist in the air, I turned around to fight the little lump growing in my neck to see a little billboard for Qantas that had been beautifully defaced with this message:

"amen" I thought, and boarded the plane.

B.T.H.L.A.L.T.N.T.H.L.A.A?

2008-06-23T07:02:00.000-07:00

WEST AUSTRALIA, PART FOUR

After a whirlwind few days with Zack, I returned to Stebie's for my last few days in Northam. Stephen & I spent most of Thursday cleaning & polishing his car so he can sell it and get a newer nicer one. I got to see Shafen one last time, and that was nice. After some time with Shafen, Stevie took me to Muresk Institute of Agriculture, which is the college campus I lived on 6 years ago.

Muresk, and it doesn't seem to have changed at all.

This is Stephen walking up the four stair we used to skate for upwards of 10 hours a day (not just those steps, but around campus). I can't really explain why, but I really adore this picture, it has something to do with how immediately it transports me back to that time.

This is my old house.

After our visit to Muresk, we decided to hike up to and on top of these rocks, from them one has a most gorgeous view of the countryside.

When we got to the top we looked around a bit, and Stebie found this leaf covered in these little bugs, as soon as he started poking them a bit, they started spewing that yellow goop out of their bum, or their head.

This is the view from atop the rocks.

Saturday morning, Stebie & I went out for a 'good-bye' lunch with (from left) Jess, Bri, Holly & Janet. I was very sad to be leaving Northam again, but I promise it won't be 6 years before I return.

BAYSIDE

Reminds me of being 16 years old, but in a way I can appreciate now.
Have you every had one of those days where everything you say or think suddenly comes on TV or the radio or whatever? Stephen & I had one of those days, his exact dream from the night before was on Scrubs the next day, and later that night I was talking about Mars Volta being life-changing when Anthony Raneri, in unison said "changed my life" in this song. Those are moments that make me wonder how anyone can question the existence of our lord, the lord. Weh.

they BLANKED each other's BLANK

2008-06-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PART THREE

Following two nights out in Perth, Zack and I woke up at 4:30 am to go out on a boat so he could surf, his lovely pal Joel took us out on his sweet sweet boat, this is us leaving the bay in perth, its about 7:45 in the morning here.

There is a stencil under this bridge, and I swear its Randy Newman.

Or maybe its Jerry Seinfeld

Yes please!

These are some waves where the boys surfed while Tanya and I sat on the boat getting progressively more and more sea sick.

This is a Jellyfish swimming up to our boat.

This is Tanya and I, holding a Jellyfish.

This is a Jellyfish on my head.

FAKER

This dreadfully catchy tune will probably fall upon deaf ears to those of you with your nose in the air, and I don't blame you, if it didn't have some sentimental value to me, I'd probably write it off as catchy tune not to be taken as anything more, but listen to it 20 times and tell me it isn't the first song you want to find a free copy of and play over and over (with headphones on of course). One must love the Robert Smith-esque voice and especially the little stutter when he says "I want some down tuh-ime..." yes, pure pop genius.

sights/cites/sites

2008-06-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PART TWO

Stevie and I made our first trip to Perth where we stayed a couple days with Chris & McCracken, and a couple days with Bob, and his cousin's wife and adorable new child. One morning Bob took me for a walk in Kings park which has gorgeous views of Perth, gorgeous gardens, ponds, trees and walkways. It was hard to pick only a few photos from this romantic little walk. This image is of the city of Perth.

This is DNA tower. Bob took me to the top of this fun little tower, where we shared more romantic moments.

Late that night, Bob drove me to this fantastic little eatery known as Alfred's Kitchen, you order your food (I had a delicious steak burger) at the window and then hang out by the bonfire, the benches around that little fire pit are the only seating, and on Friday nights this place goes off. They also have a very sweet chalkboard menu, I have a postcard of it, but I don't have a scanner, just ask to see it when you next see me, its very fun.

After eating, Bobart's acute eye caught a little discrepancy in 'ol Alfred's supposed founding time, the big photo on the right was taken in 1989, when they decided they had been around since 1953, the big photo on the left shows Alfred claiming to have been around since 1946, hmmmmm puzzling indeed.

The following evening I met up with Zack Sofoulis whose hair has not been cut since I saw him 6 years ago. We convened at the airport where he had just arrived from work on the Mines. We hopped in the car with his friend Shannon, went back to her place and prepared to go out clubbin'. Zacks younger brother was nice enough to come pick us up and sober-cab for us and we had a grand time. We went to a club called: The Deen, we were there for hours and hours. Things were going swell, until the club owners noticed (I believe anyway) that I had not been ordering drinks for quite some time, they decided that (I believe anyway) they did not need another male body in the joint, especially if he wasn't giving them money, and kicked me out. Nothing new, I did my usual walk around the block, took my top shirt off, and walked back in. I was in the club for probably an hour when the bouncer that threw me out saw me again. He got upset and, more forcibly, threw me out a second time. This time into the arms of two police officers, who I promptly punched in the face. This brawl went on for a few minutes producing a bit of blood. When all was said and done I earned myself the above ticket.

The above ticket was not written for punching a cop, because I did not punch a cop, that was a lie. I did get a ticket however, and that is blood on it. But the ticket, (for re-entering an establishment from which I had been banned) will not be paid, at the suggestion of the police officers who wrote it for me. A nice little souvenir.

The next morning I did not wake up.

The next afternoon we woke up and decided to take a drive to a part of Australia known as "The Wedge" We drove about 100k south, with a quick detour to see one of Zack's plots of land that he, Shannon, Shannon's dad & Zack's dad have purchased. The above photo shows Zack and I riding on the roof of Shannon's rav4 (sorry mum, but we were very safe I promise) tooling around their property.

This is a little pond on Zack's property, it is chock full of sweet trees.

We left the property and drove to Wedge, which is amazing, gorgeous and full of sand dunes. To access it you must have a 4 wheel drive, you drive along the beach, the waves creep up to your tires, and then you drive up and over dunes, this really was fun.

Here you see me holding up a dead stingray, we found this on the beach next to another dead sting ray. Its actually quite sad because they were clearly killed, and I have no idea why I look so happy.

This is the coastline we drive along, words cant describe the freedom and fun one feels as they careen along the beach. We were almost all alone and there were storms in the distance, which were beautiful, but it was sunny and perfect where we were.

Driving up, over, around and down sand dunes in an unstoppable little 4WD was more fun than I ever could have imagined, also, never will I make fun of Rav 4s for being ninny girl cars, this thing was a champion, nary a dune could slow us down.

The rolling dunes, they go on and on and on...

Zack and I rented a sandboard, It was fun, but we quickly learned that it was more fun to be towed behind a car, mostly because the sand was slightly damp from the rainfall earlier in the day, which made the board a little too sticky to really rip on just gravity's force.

This is Zack and I, in front of a beautiful sunset, we would like invite you to our wedding.

This is the beautiful Wedge sunset, sans two goons posing in front of it.

MUSCLES

Please don't actually watch this video, actually do watch it, but understand that it was not made by anyone affiliated with the man from Melbourne who goes by Muscles. He is pretty fucking awesome, I love him and I want to have his babies, if he just comes here I'll kiss him... He also has a sweet album cover designed by Jonathan Zawada. This track will forever remind me of Stebie's 21st, where he was dancing, taking his shirt off, and letting ice cream save the day. It was worth every penny of the $100 dollar cab ride there, back and there again.

what a great night

2008-06-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PART ONE

Some time has elapsed. The lack of postings does not reflect a lack of activity, in fact the opposite is true. I have been riding a magnificent roller coaster and now is the time to share some of my experiences with you.

Over the next few posts I will share with you, roughly 45 images whittled down from over 600, of my exploits, endeavors and entertainment. I would also like to post some of the songs that will forever remind me of this trip, and if I could I'd post scents as well I would. The music I post is not necessarily music I have fallen in love with here, but it will, regardless of how bad it is, forever bring me right back to Western Australia.

So here it is, chronological order:

Following a wild night on the town in Northam, Bob (far right) Stebie Caruana, Daniel McCrackin, Glen Patton & Chris Rosendale and myself headed back to Bob's farm, here all of us (except Chris and I) can be seen sitting, on a couch in the Woodard rec room. We did not need more beer, but it was free, and about to expire...

This is Glen "Patto" Patton, he is insane, here he is seen eating an entire cube of billiards chalk, he also ate glass.

This is Stephen, he is playing a challenging game of darts.

This is also Stephen, this is why the game was challenging.

This is an adorable picture of McCracken and Chris, Chris is sleeping.

PERTH ZOO

Stephen took me to the zoo with Letecia, we spent a half day there and I photographed nearly every animal, these are some of my favorites pictures and animals.

Of course I had Nick in mind for much of this excursion, but I thought he'd especially enjoy these guys, my favorite is the very fat, scowling guy at the top of the picture.

These 'rangas were havin' a blast, the one under the tarp was rolling around and wrapping itself as it tumbled down hills.

It is ripping into flesh, sweet.

Penguins are cute, and kinda shy.

This is a start, check back soon for a continuation.

P.S. New plan, I'm moving to WA in a year, working on the mines and paying my mom and dad and the bank back for school.

MUSIC

This is aussie through and through. I do love these boys: the Hilltop Hoods, they have a sweet cd with the Sydney orchestra. I love that their accents are prominent and their lyrics are drenched in 'stralian. Drinking, fighting frolicking.

2008-06-06T02:29:00.000-07:00

What does one expect when returning to a place that is home to some of their fondest memories? Surely we cannot expect things to be the same as they were years ago, but of course, selfishly, a piece of us might want that.

It has been 6 years since I skated, sweat, strutted, and stomped the streets of Northam WA. In that time, most or many of my closest friends have moved out of the town (there are still some of my dearest here though). In that time, family tragedies that I was aware of 6 years ago, but never really aware of, have progressed. In that time the actual, physical town, has remained in almost the exact state it was when I was here. This is mind blowing to me, coming from a hometown where the scene changes fairly drastically month-to-month. I have been able to catch up with almost all of the people I so desperately wanted to see: Stephen, Bob, McKracken, Shafen, Rosco, Bussy, Mully, Tybo, Christiane, Holly, Tanya and soon I will see Miccy, Zack, Nikki & others, I have been so pleased to see that these boys have not changed at their core. This is not to say that some present serious cause for worry... many do.

One thing I have noticed, and I almost hesitate to speak about this for fear of seeming to dwell on negatives, but I cannot help but feel that my friends here, know and are surrounded by tragedy, on a significantly larger scale. Tragedy is a strange thing however, it unites groups, and brings people together.

My joy to see my friends has been somewhat bittersweet, Rosco & Bussy came down to Northam to support our friend Ty, whose mother passed away last Sunday morning. I probably would not have seen them, had it not been for this. Ty's mother died of cancer, it was incredibly scary to hear him tell us, when I first arrived, that she had been given about 5 weeks to live, the next day she was down to 2 weeks, then 4 days, and then, one day into that 4, she passed. Tybo has been incredibly strong, but I don't think it has hit him fully. This is sadness that cannot be expressed in words.

But this is also common, since I have left, 3 of my classmates and friends have died, two car accidents, and one suicide, another has been completely paralyzed, limited to a few signs he can make with his fingers.

Nearly every single one of my friends here, has this sort of tragedy, many spend their days taking care of their ailing parents, or helping around the house, as one has passed away. I am not exaggerating, of the 13 names I mentioned seeing above, 7 of them are missing immediate family, or are caring for them as they are unable to care for themselves.

People of Australia, however, are some of the happiest, most celebratory people I know. This is extremely respectable in my eyes. I cannot help but notice, however the amount of substance abuse I have witnessed. It would be inappropriate to go into detail here, but suffice it to say, that I have seen things here, that I never ever expected to see in the flesh.

These things dwell on my mind...

But, please know that I am doing very well (save for a little cold I received from Daniel McCracken, ta brotha)

With love,
Colin

Bloggin' From A PC

2008-05-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

A QUICK RECAP

Because this computer is giving me trouble, and because its almost out of battery, I will keep this post brief. Also, I cannot get the pictures to show in the correct order, so I have numbered them, but they do not appear sequentially. Here is what I have been up to.

1.

Went to see Daniel (cousinnephewcousinsecondcousinthriceremoved) play soccer, they didn't win, but the "Man of the Match" certainly earned his title, well done Daniel.

3.

Beautiful Western Australia, as we begin to land in Perth, I am shaking with excitement. Special thanks to the lubly Christiane for picking me up at the airport. (And a happy birthday)

2.

A lovely little lunch with Andrew (far right) Daniel (middle) and Tahlia following Daniel's game.

5.

From left to right this time, Stephen Caruana (in the sling) Bob & Shafen, I have missed these boys somethin' seriously fierce.

4.

Stephen broke his collarbone playing Aussie Rules Footy, this happened at about the same time my plane touched the ground. Christiane and I went and picked him up from the hospital that evening, and Stebie C put he and I up in this hotel for the night. The hotel got robbed while we were sleeping, Stephen heard it, rather exciting.

6.

This is Northam, the old stomping grounds from 6 years ago, Almost nothing has changed, minus a lot of good people have left, I just can't understand why....

Expect a more 'fleshed out' post in a few moons.

NEW PHONE NUMBER

2008-05-23T02:08:00.001-07:00

HELLO LOVES:

I NO LONGER HAVE THE SAME PHONE NUMBER AS YOU MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE, REGARDLESS, CALLS OR TEXTS OR MESSAGES OR ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT THAT NUMBER WILL NOT WORK UNTIL I RETURN TO THE STATES.

MY NEW, AUSSIE PHONE NUMBER IS:

0404310575

DO NOT HESITATE TO CALL OR TEXT OR WHATEVER

Some Follow Up Images

2008-05-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

This was a wonderful sight to see as I got off the plane in Sydney. Only football fans... I couldn't help but think about how wonderful this was, but how this sort of raucous behavior would never fly in U.S. Airports. Also I couldn't help but love the fact that the four guys, for whatever reason, didn't have a fifth man (for the "H" in Ghana of course!) but were resourceful and made themselves up so that they still got their message across... wonderful.

This is a very dark image of where I am staying with long time family friends Suzie Lucas, Tay & Luke Cornell (they also have a son Travis, whose room I'm staying in while he is in boarding school.

This is the Lucas/Cornell porch

This is the nationally famous Monty, he is a frisky pup and is still kickin' at 10+ years of age

This is the lovely little patio where I sit and drip sweat after my morning run.

This is one of the many things that I have missed terribly, the beautiful aroma of Eucalyptus, It feels so good, I can't even describe it.

This is a courtyard at Sydney University, where, on Tuesday I went to an Economics class with Luke.

And this, my friends is the real reason I have returned to the beautiful country of Australia, Brownes, Chocolate Honeycomb Supashakes, god they are great.

In my younger days I used to sport a rag

2008-05-21T04:29:00.000-07:00

WEST WEST YALL

I have been thoroughly enjoying my time so far here in Sydney, but before we get into that, there are a few people to be thanked and times to be remembered in Los Angeles.

I had the extreme fortune of meeting up with the ever-radiant Jessica Ashley Nelson, who, with her two friends Kami & Rachel flew in to L.A. just a few hours after I did. There we were all picked up by an extremely funny, generous and entertaining man by the name of Christian (he is Kami's brother) We all went for a quick bite at Porto's Bakery where I had a Potato Ball & a Feta Sandwich. From there we moved the three girls into their new apartment overlooking the Warner Brothers Studio area. After getting their things moved in, and a little grocery/liquor shopping, we set up shop at the Grills where I ate my last (half) meal, a delicious burger crafted by Sir Christian. Christian got me to the Airport (a little buzzed) and in time for me to secure an empty seat next to me for my 14 hour flight. Of course the plane was delayed a half hour so I sat and read my new issue of Good Magazine (which is one of the best magazines I've picked up in a very long time). Upon finding my seat I plopped down & slept for 5 hours. When I did wake up the plane was dark and everyone else around me was asleep, so I began to watch some recent Indy favorite (the title slips my mind presently) but after about 30 minutes switched to American Gangster, which was an extremely good choice. Perfectly entertaining, Denzel is the undisputed king of suave and bad-ass. (Unfortunately the real Frank Lucas was a skeezy, sleazy slime ball who was a little obsessed with becoming rich, and perhaps even a bit of a dog... but a very clever dog nonetheless). Following this film, I took another 5 hour nap, and spent the remaining few hours reading and looking out my window.

When I landed in Sydney I had a surprisingly quick and easy time passing through customs. As I exited the customs area I could hear drums and shouting so I rolled my one suitcase and carry-on luggage down the terminal to see four men, topless with painted faces and the lettters "G" "A" "N" "A" painted on their stomachs, they were holding a sign that said: "BE THE 'H' IN GHANA" I watched as they welcomed (with bongos and chants) the Ghana soccer team.

Minutes later I found Luke & Suzie and we departed for some tea and back their beautiful Home in Willoughby NSW (its sort of like a borough of Sydney, equivalent to Brooklyn or Manhattan in New York.

A very bustling Porto's Bakery in Los Angeles (Glendale)

My Potato Ball at Porto's

The Oakwood Estates Lobby. This is where Jess & Rachel are living for a month, Its pretty nice... actually its ridiculously swanky, I saw Sean Jean Puff Daddy Puffy P Diddy Sean Combs Diddy get turned away at the door.

This is everyone moving around and moving in.

This is a very dark image of Jess's living room, where we watched Coyote Ugly.

This is one of Jessica's Pools.

This is the view from the pool/bbq area of Jess's new place.

This is (from left to right) Kami, Jess, Rachel & Christian, they were absolutely terrific to spend the day with, couldn't have asked for better company, I thank you all very much, especially Christian for picking me up, dropping me off & feeding me... I owe you.

(the next post will include images of Sydney, The Ghana Guys, & Monty)