my morning ride

Now that I do some running before work, I get to see a lot more sunrises. Snapped this one the other day.

modern day cave drawings

This is a series I hope to explore further. My theory started out as the simple idea that some graffiti is spawned merely from ignorance and boredom, some of it crafted by what I imagine to be mysterious, Neanderthalic figures. I’m not talking about the artful works like those of Banksy or fi5e, just things I didn’t consider to have taken a lot of thought or effort. Then, I considered the location. Subway tunnels are our modern day caves, and it only makes sense that this is where we find the modern day cave drawing.

I’m posting these two as an introduction, but I do plan to post more cohesive collections of them. I see them all the time.

happy president’s day

Did you know that after Lincoln had succumbed to the wound inflicted by Booth, doctors took out his entire brain (or what was left) because they couldn’t find the bullet? There’s your “fun” fact of the day. I learned this reading Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation. Well, an excerpt from a diary cited in the book, anyway.

Reading it has made me look at Lincoln as more of a man than a legend. Not that the meaning or epic-ness of what he did has lessened at all, but it just got me really exploring the idea that he was a living, breathing person, with eccentricities and a sense of humor — not just a thoughtful, seated statue overlooking the Mall in Washington. I mean, we all know that but don’t often pause to think about it. That being said, I don’t think the above image is disrespectful cause… well, I’d really like it if someone drew me with a machine gun arm.

I kind of skipped a Happy Valentine’s Day post, but I was out pretty much the entire day. It was happy. I wanted to say though, that regardless of my relationship status on 2/14 every year (yes, even that one year), I still like Valentine’s Day, or at least the idea of Valentine’s Day. I know a lot of people hate on it, and sure, you can make into a Hallmark holiday if you want to, but in our increasingly busy day to day lives, making sure to set aside time to spend with a significant other should seem like a priority, at least on this one special day. Like anything else, you just have to remember to keep it real.

brooklyn legal

This week I was asked to testify in a court of law regarding a crime I witnessed and reported some months ago. While the case was only a misdemeanor, I found the whole process, from working with the DA’s office to the trial, to be very interesting. When you have jury duty, the movie they show you claims that real trials are nothing like in the movies. In both my experiences in with the legal system here in Brooklyn, both jury duty and the testimony, I’ve found this to be false. There were sassy, smart judges. I swore to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. There were objections. I was cross-examined by an attorney who was determined to trip me up. So even though it was a small trial, it was a unique experience. That being said, I don’t hope to repeat it.

together we were gonna travel the globe

From Alberta to Ontario.

Robin Sparkles has a Last.fm page. I love it.

My Beirut videos came out kind of crappy, but the audio is really good (except for Brian and me talking a tiny bit). Unfortunately, I only got two because my battery died, … but one of them is a new song! I had a really great time. They are so so good.

mad crazy lineup

The video’s not bad either.

I want to go! Also I’m seeing Beirut on Friday and I’ve contained my excitement… but just barely.