The Closing of a Crap Month

When I started this blog a few months back I had aspirations of posting daily. This was to be my tidier and lazier way of maintaining some creative form of self expression when I didn't feel like painting. I began slower than expected, but that wasn't surprising as I was still wrapping up several paintings for my art opening. I reviewed the first month and while not writing daily, I was ok with posting every 2-3 days. It was a start right? I'd get in my groove.

I continued and had a decent March even with wrapping up for my opening. My April was to be the first month of regular blogging, much to share I imagined. It started out ok and I had some good stuff here and there, but it just didn't work as planned. I had some high hopes for May too but all of that went to hell fast. Not only did I have a drop in quantity, but I had some sub-par writing as well. My apologies to my faithful readers (all 2 of you).

Seems that there is a direct correlation between a good month at the office and a crap month for my personal life. I have noticed that every month I have had, dating back almost 3 years, has on average been the busiest month of my career. I work at work, then I work on work at home and when I'm not working I'm either thinking about all the things that I should be working on or now even worse, I sneak peeks and replies on my Blackberry.

After a wretched weekend that began with having to redo the work of one of my designers, then spending several hours writing a proposal which a client just had to have urgently, and wrapping up with my wine fridge plummeting to 16*F ruining several bottles in my collection. I decided when I got home tomorrow I would not turn on my laptop and would do no work. Well, that backfired by me not being able to sleep thinking of all the work that I wasn't getting done. It wasn't even stress or anxiety, it was purely not being able to stop working. Is it a groove at that point or a rut? I'm still not sure.

I wish I had a way of going back and comparing say March of '04 to now. I imagine it was nowhere near as busy as it seemed at the time. I don't like to complain though, it's counter-productive and OCDs dont do that! My mother taught me when I was a boy that when you complain you are taking away any of your own power to do anything about your problem. I live by that everyday. She may have had something to say about stopping to smell roses or something too, but I was likely to busy to hear it.

Becks

The footballer, not the lager.

David Beckham sold his soul to the Los Angeles Galaxy of the American MLS several months ago and with his stint at Real Madrid wrapping up so that he can cross the pond in search of greater stardom, he has now been recalled by the English national team for a couple of friendly (useless) matches! What's up with that?!? It's enough that he left the Premiere league to go to Real Madrid (a better move for him than for the game) and then he bails for the MLS?!? Are you kidding me?!? I realize the money is absolutely ridiculous and he's obviously moving to the States for the stardom not the footie, but christ, get the man on the pitch and see what he can do against sub-par talent! Oi!

Simple

It's ironic to me that as a designer and artist my taste in art, food, products, clothes, holidays, etc - as far as what's most appealing to me - are usually very simple and yet my life is quite complex. I love Brancusi. I love a nice plate of cheese with a crusty baguette. I love a young Oregon Pinot Noir. I love the flowing lines of a 1970 Volvo P1800. I love the look of a classic Saville Row suit. I love to fly to a new destination with no plans and just wander the streets taking it all in. I am happy to sit at a bench by the sea reading, writing or thinking.

Why is it that in today's world we feel the need to overprocess and overpackage everything to try to make it bigger, better or faster? Most parts of the world that are considered progressive or have strong economies, usually do so at the expense of their qualities of life and by trivializing simplcity and "express"-ing your joy. Conversely, countries that value life, family and a slower pace are often deemed lazy or unproductive. Try to explain the concept of a 10 minute power nap or a drive-thru Starbucks to a Greek and they might crack in pieces like a statue of Apollo.

I guess the most pervasive and influential countries and economies are what dominate cultures and dictate lifestyles. Certainly there are conveniences that come as a result of the making of a maniacal "work first, rest when you're dead" culture. I'm quick to order things online and love the feel of a new pair of shoes, but I often think of selling all my stuff and moving to a remote part of the world where life moves a bit slower but with more humility and grace.

B-Day +1

While I am older today than yesterday, I am not old enough to have been a part of anything significantly historical. I suppose that history or at least the context of how each of us thinks about it is very much dependent on if we were around to witness it or not. Many people remember where they were when President Kennedy was assasinated, where they were when man first walked on the moon or listening to the radio broadcast of the signing of the Magna Carta. I'm guessing that if we had roamed the earth 75 million years ago, then dinosaurs would have just seem like a normal thing we used to have around, like passenger pigeons and dodo birds.

I'm 35 as of yesterday and I have been on this planet during events like the fall of the Berlin wall, the fall of the Khmer Rouge, the Challenger disaster, Watergate, September 11 and more. While all pretty remarkable and oftentimes infamous pieces of history, they seem like normal parts of my life, a part of me sort of like a relative you acknowledge but dont like.

I oftentimes wish I had been around during say 1930 to 1969. I would have lived through a couple of wars, amazing technological advancements and some fantastic periods of art. I sometimes like to think that when I was born in 1972, that WW2 ended just 27 years prior, which in that context doesn't seem too long before.

Relatedly, yet not, I've always kind of liked how after D-Day they called the days D-Day +1, D-Day +2, etc. Not sure when they decided that they should stop that. Today then is B-Day +1 for me. Today I see the world through the eyes of an older, wiser man. If only I had today's wisdom yesterday when I was gorging myself on all of the sweet delicios treats made for me by my many friends and family. Today I not only feel a bit older and wiser, but I also have a stomach ache, I'm lethargic, I'm slightly hungover and I cant seem to stand up straight. Could it be my new age or is it merely the result of too much chocolate coursing through my body? I suppose we'll find out on B-Day +2.

Birthday Blog

I'm not one to self promote, but it is in fact my birthday today. I feel older for sure, a bit wiser maybe and sadly I think I'll have to finally accept that I've probably stopped growing.

I suppose with every passing year you care less and less about birthdays, parties and gifts. Really all I ever want anymore is for mine or anyone elses birthdays to be a convenient reason to call or see someone that you haven't seen in a long time. Like maybe for a year. Or more in some cases. That to me is the best.

Thanks to my close friends for your birthday wishes, calls and emails. My hair is growing greyer but my heart is growing fuller.

iReturn

This almost feels like an entry into the diary of a man who's been stranded on an island for several months. Like Tom Hanks kind of in CastAway (actually, I've always loved that subtle play on words in the way they wrote the title). I have been on an island I guess, Long Island (which if you read more below you'll see just how fond of it I am). I have been stranded too amidst loads of meetings, proposals and genuinely time consuming nonsense (but not the good kind).

I was flying back from Boston the other night and in my delirium of changing flights, delays due to weather and lack of sleep, I was both antsy and bored. I must say, I do love my ipod to get me through pretty much any mind-numbing occasion, and this being one of them, I thought I'd spend some time going through all the layers of the menu. I dont think I'd ever done that before.

Well, one of the options happens to be language choice. Hmmm, I thought to myself. I wonder if they have Greek? I scrolled down and there it was, ellivika (I dont have greek on this keyboard). Curiosity got the better of me and I selected Greek as my new default interface language. Magically all the menus, options and details are translated and written in Greek. How cool! Greek is my first language, so naturally I am comfortable looking at things this way. But after a while of reading the annoying translations (you've got to realize that Greek being thousands of years old, doesn't have actual Greek words for like "playlist")I wanted to go back to good ole English....

I cant seem to be able to figure out how to do that.

Ocean

I recently returned from a brief trip to our office in New York. It's actually on Long Island, which albeit close in proximity to New York, couldn't be more different than the real New York nor a real island.

I'll spare you the boring details about Long Island. It's long, it's an island, and it is bisected by a long expressway called interestingly enough, the Long Island Expressway. On the west end of the island you have Brooklyn on the south of the expressway and Queens on the north. As you break from the tractor beam of culture and prosperity, you are then subjected to mile after mile of suburban housing developments, shopping centers and office parks. Our office is situated in one of these, about 50 miles east of Manhattan in a small suite within a small office park not far from the freeway and the municipal airport.

50 miles may sound a bit far to some, and near to others. In a normal part of this country, 50 miles may take 40 minutes or so by car. Here it takes about one and a half hours of frenetic stop and go traffic that leaves one stressed for the next several hours once you've arrived. I couldn't imagine doing this commute daily. I've been coming to this office every few months for about 3 years and every time I wish I had just one more day so that I could make it into the City. The distance of 50 miles is just off-putting enough that I never bother to go in.

When I think of an island, I think of an untethered, serene land mass surrounded by millions of gallons of blue ocean. I think of fires on the beach, the warm Mediterranean sun and a slower pace. I imagine that save for Cuba, most island nation peoples are pretty happy folk too. There is a calming quality to living by the sea. My guess is that the fact that islanders are separated from mainlanders by ocean, there is a certain freedom in that autonomy and isolation. After spending time on Long Island, I find it sadly ironic that although technically an island, it's neither serene, nor isolated.

NYC

I was flying back from NY last week and while I was at the airport, I picked up a copy of my favorite men's fashion magazine, GQ Style. Now, this isn't the usual GQ, it's a British quarterly version that is heavily fashion focused, and not just pretty pictures, but tons of great reading. The one they put out last fall was all about the concept of luxury and it was extremely well written. These issues tend to have not only great contributing writing, but also some poignant historical quotes that seem contemporary and applicable today.

The issue I just picked up is entitled The London Look. Not very clever title, but again, very well done, great writing, interviews and pictorials. Not the best fashion spreads either, but you cant have everything I guess. One of the things I really like is how cleverly the editors seamlessly marry current interviews and stories with quotes, exerpts and commentaries that are 100+ years old. I've often thought I would like to be one of these guest design editors or something. Maybe not as cool as it sounds.

Anyway, the articles within this 300 page tome were all preaching the virtues ole London-town. Well, morelike current London. In the last few years London has experienced a boom that has increased the population to over 15 million people. There has been a rebirth of the design, arts and overall cultural scene. The pound and the overall economy is strong as ever. Moreover, with the resurgence of the British fashion scene, London is poised to take over the world as THE city. The capitol of the world. Well, as much as I love London (actually, it's more of a love/hate relationship), I have a hard time handing the reins over that easily.

Paris is the fashion capitol of the world (and my favorite city), with Milan a close second. London's got some great restaurants, endless shopping and obviously they've got the financial thing pretty well covered. But, if I had to pick one place to crown king of the world, it would undoubtedly be New York City. Many more posts to come about New York and all my reasons why.

The Landau

Not sure how this one popped up in conversation today, but when Tanner and I digress, you never know what sewer you'll end up in. At least this is postable.

I got to thinking about cars and specifically cars from the early 80s, even more specifically American makes. Cars that even though shitty, were bejeweled or embellished with details considered luxurious. It's the manifestations of this type of luxury that I find hilarious.

The concept of luxury as applied to cars began years before with all the chrome found on Deusenbergs, Packards and Cadillacs, then migrated through the 50s with Buicks, Mercurys and Fords. The 60s and 70s led to less chrome and more minimalistic design. Ok, sure, there were some pretty iconic Muscle cars during those years, but most cars were pretty basic. Politics seemed to play more of a role in automotive design back then and it's pretty apparent. The 60s and 70s saw the US battling a failing war, economy and fuel crisis, and gave way to the Reagan years of prosperity and the wildly popular theory of trickle down economics. That and the whole preppy, country club, frat boy, Thurston Howell display of wealth. Let's not forget, the 80s were when Trump began to make his real mark and he's still an icon of classless wealth.

This cultural mindset is what paved the way for such design triumphs like "boot buckles" and the famed Landau top. A prime example was a Cadillac Seville from 1983 that had a hideous sloping trunk and was often adorned with a pseudo spare tire, and if you could swing it, gold belts that were made to invoke a nostalgic homage to the autos of yesteryear, or the desire to be Captain Hook. See exhibit A.



Next was the Landau top. Now, most people are familiar with the cabriolet concept, and like it or not, it is at least fucntional. During the 80s it became en vogue to upholster the rooves of cars to give the impression that they too were cabriolets, but were in reality not. Just hard top cars with canvas rooves. 'What do you mean Simon? Are you telling me that that 1982 Lincoln Town Car isn't a convertible?!?' Puzzling, I know. The one that really gets me though was the Landau. What the hell is that? It's bascically a portion of a vinyl top that covers only the rear portion of the roof. Why? Well, a little research tells us this...

"Usually found on luxury cars, a landau roof enhances the outside appearance by adding an element of formality to a car's roofline. Instead of a full covering of the roof area, a landau roof usually covers the rear section."

Exhibit B



So, it seems the term Landau was actually a historical reference back to coach-building and referred to an open carriage coach, which had a retractble roof, the distinguishing characteristic being the the elegant S shape made by the bars locking in place when closed. Personally, I think it would take a hell of alot more than a Landau to make an '81 Buick Regal look classy, but who am I to judge.

In conclusion, just because there might be history or meaning behind something, that doesn't necessarily make it good. And these cars are oftentimes so hideous, I just cant look away. Plus I love how you can see where this image of regality has worked it's way into current popular culture and the mouths of rappers.