is this thing on?

um, hi.

forgive me, for i have been a terrible blogger.

tumblr has been holding my attention lately. won't you come visit me there instead?

hippo birdie

hard to believe it's been five years since i started this blog. i've often neglected it, but it's been a good place to share ideas, thoughts and fun stuff.

and for those that say

(via)


pffffft.

things i love: look at this fucking hipster

the latest in an occasional series about things i love, or otherwise find useful and generally pretty rad.



if your instinct is like mine, your first impulse might be to shield your eyes, but look at this fucking hipster is harmless. that is, if you consider laughing at idiot fucking hipsters harmless.

in short, hate the hipster, love this site.

things i love: neosporin overnight renewal therapy

the latest in an occasional series about things i love, or otherwise find useful and generally pretty rad.



i'll admit it, i had my doubts about neosporin's magical healing properties. i mean, i use it occasionally for a scrape, but not religiously like some people.

but this winter, i've had the unfortunate experience of especially dry, cracked lips and found that my usual ace-in-the hole wasn't doing a damned thing. my sister recommended regular ol' neosporin, which sounded generally pretty icky to be putting on your lips, and i came across the neosporin's kid sibling, specifically designated for use on lips.

the claim is that after three days of overnight use, you'll have softer, smoother lips. i'm pleased to report that this was indeed my experience with this product.

bring it on, california winter!

blast from the past

i once heard nostalgia is memory without emotion. i often ponder this, especially when i wonder about what it must have been like to live in the 50s and 60s, with the innocence of that time.

there's something about this video that captures the excitement of children on Christmas morning, certainly a timeless experience.

Kodachrome Christmas from Jeff Altman on Vimeo.

(via retro renovation)

gallery show, part deux

the first show was so successful, ISM Community is hosting another Polaroid show, this time in Los Angeles.

i am hoping to drive down to see two of my submitted 'roids in their second show.

if anyone is in the area, visit the Copro Gallery in Santa Monica on january 9, 2010 and support what is sure to be a great show!

shopping tip:

you know how much i love my photobooths, and how much fun would it be to send postcards with photobooths on them?



even better, chronicle books is offering a deal through december 4: just use code FRIENDS to get 30% off your order and free shipping. (via piewacket)

time for holiday shopping, anyone?

cultural tradition

i am likely participating in buy nothing day today. i briefly thought about taking the picture black friday challenge, but that would mean dealing with way too many crazies at the mall or other stores.

and besides, i have all the crap i need right now.

link of the week

blackberry rules!

malibu dream house

i'm not ashamed to say that i LOOOVED playing with barbies when i was a kid. my sister and i played for hours, and i entered her into a contest that won her the barbie dream house when she was about 5. once that house came into the mix, it was all about which one of us would use that, and which one of us would use the fold-n-fun house, the "loser" settling for the latter. i often "won" the dream house simply by virtue of being the oldest.

now this is a bit over-the-top, but a giant handwoven rug with an inital "B" stamped in the center? the mid-mod sunurst mirror? jonathan adler? i'm all over it.

my video pick of the week: barbie's maliu dream house.



(via retro renovation)

regretsy

i stumbled upon regretsy over the weekend and have been horrified at its contents since.

i mean, people really sell this crap? or, more accurately, are hoping people buy this crap?

take, for example, the reaper, made with real human rib bones.



not your style? maybe the masturbating dinosaur is more your speed. (i'm looking at you, t-rex.)



a great way to spend a solid 15 minutes going, "wtf?!"

gallery show

(click to enlarge)

the Hibbleton Gallery in Fullerton, CA is hosting a special show dedicated to the art of the Polaroid, and two of the Polaroids i submitted were accepted!

i will likely not be able to make it to southern california for this event, but it should be a blast! there's a reception and after-party on opening night, this friday, august 7.

spread the word, and make a it a great show!

things remembered

my sister's bridal shower went really well. it ended up being hot as hell on saturday, and the clubhouse isn't air conditioned. but it didn't get too bad until the very end, and it seems as though the 13 guests had a good time. i never heard from half of my family, the jerks, but i think my sister had a great time despite the fact that the only family there, other than my mother and myself, was my aunt that flew up from laguna.

friday night my sister, john and i took my aunt to santana row for dinner. we opted for pluto's because the hour-plus waits at consuelo's, straits, etc. was ridiculous. we wandered around a bit before heading to the left bank for drinks after dinner. it was a great night, and fun to catch up with her.

saturday morning i was up early to drag all the stuff i had at home to the clubhouse. i made 4 trips before Jewels came over to bring by her stuff, and before i knew it it was time to go buy balloons and stop by my restaurant to pick up some of the items i had them cater. (hey, i make the best of my resources!)

it was hectic getting everything ready, including myself, ready by 1p but somehow we managed.

i rented a 28mm f/1.8 for Sophie's birthday party and my sister's shower and i loved it! it was difficult to return it on monday.

yep, it's what you think it is. given to her by one of her employees!




caaaake!


sister and mom laughing it up




my gift to my sister, her toasting flutes (those are luggage tags on top)





i had my aunt, my parents, sister, john, Jewels, Cy and Sophie over for dinner after the shower. my parents kindly did everything to prepare and pretty much cleanup, which allowed me to go for a much-needed swim with everyone.

sunday i had every intent to really just do nothing, but it rarely works out that way. i went to a movie screening in the morning, did a bunch of stuff around the house, and went shopping for new workout clothes. i never really understood why people spend lots of money on workout stuff, but it's funny -- i look forward more to working out now with my new duds.

alex finished up on my hall closet today, and it looks so awesome! i need to paint the door and the new closet, and he'll come back and hang it next week. i'm hoping i'm able to paint it this weekend.

i'm on this home improvement kick -- alex also replaced all the door hardware for me, bringing these details into this century. it really changes the way the place looks! i had someone come out on monday for an estimate on central air conditioning, and i'm still awaiting his bid. i'd love to present the request at our condo board meeting on tuesday, especially since i won't be at august's meeting and i'll be damned if i'm waiting 'til september to gt A/C installed! today i also spoke with the electrician that did my ceiling fan a couple of years ago, and have him coming out to change out the exhaust fans in the bathrooms. all these things on my home improvement to-do list are finally getting done!

also, i have pink eye. i'm trying to figure out how i got it, my guess is at the gym, or at least that was suggested to me. i picked up the prescription eye drops today, and would you believe i had to psych myself up to use them? almost 30 years old and, aside from eye appointments, i have never put any eye drops in my eyes. i hope it clears up soon, although the itchiness already seems to have subsided.

the great depression

seems like i've been missing my maternal grandmother a lot these days. so when i discovered, via retro renovation, depression cooking with clara, i felt like i had a renewed connection.

clara is a charming 93-year-old grandmother living in new york state, and her grandson has put together a series of videos of clara sharing recipes and stories about her life.

my grandmother grew up in the midwest in the great depression, and was forever telling us horror stories of what it was like. frankly, sometimes it was tiresome to hear about just how awful things were, but i always listened patiently. now i wish she was still here to tell us more stories.

with our economy the way it is, "depression" has been thrown around a lot. living in the silicon valley tends to skew one's perspective, as despite frequent news reports of housing and unemployment crises, i still see at least one maserati daily.

i like to think my grandmother would appreciate "depression cooking with clara," and that it would inspire her to share some of her own depression-era stories and recipes.

photo walk

if i were free this saturday, i'd be participating in this worldwide photo walk. it sounds like lots of fun. but since i can't make it, maybe some photog friends of mine can? just thought i'd spread the word.

don't stop believing

definitely heartwarming. my favorite is the kid in the blue "elmjack" t-shirt -- so expressive!


(via zoomdoggle.com)

coming soon?

somethings needed to be invented a long time ago. brilliant!

kill your television 2009

it's that time of the year again, folks -- tv turnoff week.

even though i typically watch less than 2 hours of television a week, i like to participate in this event as a reminder that those 2 hours (and sometimes even more if i watch a movie or two) can be better spent doing other things. some advocate making this week a technology turnoff week, but i'm not ready to go that far. i mean, would that i could live without my blackberry. ;)

anyone else up for the challenge?

dooce!

a couple of weeks ago i went to a book reading by the one and only heather b. armstrong.

having been to readings before and gotten stuck in the waaay back, i made sure to get there early, and was fortunate enough to snag a seat for me and also one for marcy. it was definitely cool to see heather in person, and even cooler to see that she's just as irreverent in person as she is on her blog -- she mimed giving the microphone a blow job when someone mentioned she should get closer to it to improve the sound quality.

the crowd was amazing! i don't think books, inc. in mountain view expected as many people to show up as did, and among the many people i spotted a chick i went to high school with. (actually, i had to text vanessa to ask what the chick's last name was because it was driving me crazy.)

i didn't buy her book, but i did go up with marcy and say hello, and of course snap a couple of pics.

mixing it up

my family and i went to our cabin for the Easter weekend. on the way there, my sister, her fiance and i decided to stop at one of the only local shopping centers and see what was new. turns out: not much, but i decided i wanted to go into Gottschalks since i'd never been to one, and to scope out their supposed 60% off merchandise liquidation.

what i found there somewhat surprised me.

i imagined Gottschalks to be along the lines of Mervyns and Kohls, which it was, but i wasn't expecting them to carry Lenox and Noritake or have an upscale cosmetics department with lines by Estee Lauder and Lancome. that's where my interest ended, however, as the rest of their merchandise was geared toward an older customer. much, much older, it seemed.

i wanted some new workout sneakers and thought they'd have at least a couple of pairs to choose from, and that perhaps i could score a good deal on something i needed. maybe it was because they were already in liquidation mode, but every single pair of shoes looked like something a grandmother would wear. they had zero even remotely fashionable shoes, much less any sneakers at all. it was puzzling, because apparently liquidation of this store had just begun, which means that they really weren't gearing much merchandise toward a younger consumer at all. sure, they had some apparel by Volcom and O'Neill but that was pretty much it.

this sparked me to comment to my sister (who was even less impressed with the store than i), "this is why they're going under -- they haven't managed to keep up with the times."

unknown to me at the time, others opined the same about Gottschalks skewing toward the older consumer. (sidebar: Labelscar is an awesome site for anyone interested in retail present or history.)

i am sad for those that will lose their jobs due Gottschalks ceasing to exist. most stores are located in already economically depressed areas, and more folks looking for work in a matter of weeks will not help anyone's situation. but it begs the question: could Gottschalks have survived, even just a bit longer, had they modified their merchandise offerings? it's a tough balance to strike, keeping long-term customers while attracting a new base. but for a 105-year-old company, they must have done something right along the way.