Life of Zane

Cocktail Bars

2011-07-02T12:07:00.002-04:00

Working on DH has been the most challenging and most rewarding thing I've done in my life so far. A lot of the thrill of doing this is the idea that we're making an effort at bringing something new to people in town. This is a huge challenge for a city who knows what it likes and isn't particularly interested in changing its mind about it. But I have a lot of faith in Houston, and I think we can really contribute to raising the consciousness and enjoyment people have with casual dining.

J and I were talking about, in a market sense, the challenge to consumers about the product we're selling. With familiar commodities, if you can beat your competitors on speed and price you'll always win. With luxury items, you're in search of an educated niche market who is willing to sacrifice speed, cost and necessity--which makes the emotional product, education, and the overall experience extremely important.* We realized early on that we're selling a higher-quality niche product to consumers who may or may not be educated with a longer wait time for more money. Potentially rough waters ahead.

For example: We've put together a fantastic, original craft cocktail list with house-made syrups, bitters, tinctures, and high-quality spirits. We're extremely fortunate that we live in a time and place where this kind of thing is starting to be accepted again, but it's still an uphill battle. At the moment we have a number of decisions to make along these lines:

For a number of reasons, vodka of all kinds and simple highballs (any spirit and any sugary soda, vodka and anything, etc.) don't get much respect in the craft cocktail community. Because the craft nature of our bar is critically important, we have a decision to make. Do we "water down" the overall experience by offering these simple highballs and spirits to those who ask for them? Or do we, as a hospitality-focused business accept that some people won't "get" what we're doing immediately and find a way to serve (some of) the things they want while still maintaining our standards for quality?

These options represent two schools of thought, both with genuine merit. There are potentially great benefits to be found in holding your ground, alienating people who don't "get it" and embracing those who do or are open-minded enough to be taken for a ride. Making a statement, sticking to your guns, and not budging will definitely breed die-hard loyalists over time.

But given that education is so important in creating this market, I have a hard time seeing the sense of alienating anyone so quickly by barring vodka or high balls altogether. If I were a Jack and Coke kind of guy, and was offered a nice George Dickel 12 on the rocks and a cane sugar Coca-Cola in a bottle, that would get me thinking that this was a different kind of place. And the next time I came back, maybe I'd think I could try something new.

There certainly is a place for bars that "don't do vodka" and won't make a bourbon and coke, but that's another part of the beauty of the marketplace--each place fulfills their own role in what they offer. For us it seems best to take the approach of bringing people into the fold instead of forcing them to take what we want to give them.

*I don't know if this is a thing, but I often refer to the "emotional product" as a huge part of the brand experience. Chuy's, Starbucks, Nike, Apple--they all sell their emotional product very well.

2011-06-09T21:49:00.002-04:00

My list of American musical geniuses:

Charles Mingus

Harry Nilsson

Thelonious Monk

John Coltrane

Captain Beefheart

Bob Dylan

Les Paul

And while I love Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, (and everyone at Sun in the 50s and 60s) I hesitate to put them on this list. I'm more likely to put someone from Stax (Booker T., Otis, Sam Cooke, Ike Turner, I could go on). Ray Charles probably comes closest but I have to admit I haven't gone through as much of his work as I should.

This list provided, I have to admit that I haven't been able to think about music much lately, and this is just off the top of my head. Someone please tell me a bunch of people I've forgotten so I can distract myself for awhile.

What I have in common with LARPers

2011-05-04T20:08:00.002-04:00

From 12-Bottle Bar (a fantastic project):

If I were to equate us to the world of Tolkien (and why wouldn’t I?), 12 Bottle Bar is “The Hobbit”. Some of you might not care for “The Hobbit” one lick, and that’s fine. Some will follow along with zeal but never crack the Rings trilogy or the even more arcane “Silmarillion”. Some will wait for the movies (in this analogy, for Cheesecake Factory to offer a Vodka Sazerac). Still, a rare few among you will dive-in head first and spend the remainder of your weekends cocktail LARPing, which is really what all those mustachioed, suspender-wearing, neo-Baroque mixologists are doing. And that’s the beauty of it. There are no rules, only discovery.

2011-04-01T16:39:00.002-04:00

Been listening to the new Strokes album, Angles, a lot since it came out. Like First Impressions of Earth, it has its moments. At its best, it's reassuring that the band that so many of us loved ten years ago can still make songs that make us happy. At worst it seems forced--both in terms of its "hipness" and its modest experimentation.

I thought I liked it quite a bit, but then I went back and listened to Is This It, and I realized how far Angles had fallen. The best tracks on it aren't as good as the worst tracks on their first album.

But sometimes you have to experience something else in order to get back to your roots, and I guess I hope that's where go next. The question that comes to mind now is: "The Strokes are to my generation as ______ is to generations past?" There's definitely a comparison there, but I can't figure out exactly who fits the bill.

Bitters, Tinctures, etc.

2011-03-22T16:57:00.006-04:00

I'm working on my first experiment in creating bitters and tinctures for cocktails. I started by buying a bunch of spices and herbs from Revival Market. One of the more interesting finds was some salt from a mysterious salt mine in Galveston called "Jurassic Salt"--the clerk tells me it's over 250 million years old.

A couple of things I've been thinking about while getting started on this:

Cocktails are like cover songs: You should only make them if they improve on the original or take it an entirely different direction. I've had a number of bourbon-based cocktails or Aviation gin-based cocktails that made me wish I was just drinking a good bourbon or Aviation martini.

Similarly, I have a concern about this whole endeavor: The world of tinctures, infusions, and decoctions comes perilously close to the world of crappy fruit- and vegetable-infused liquors. These infusions rarely improve on the original, and they usually start with a low-quality spirit. My plan is only "season" cocktails with tinctures and homemade bitters.

All that said, the important thing for now is to keep an open mind and put an emphasis on experimentation.

First, an important distinction between tinctures and bitters, because they are actually very similar:

Bitters is "an alcoholic beverage that is flavored with herbal essences and has a bitter or bittersweet flavor," according to Wikipedia. They commonly have an alcoholic strength of 45% ABV. They seem much more common for cocktails and alcoholic beverages.

Tinctures, by contrast, have a stronger association with health benefits (as described here). Wikipedia says that "a tincture is an alcoholic extract (e.g. of leaves or other plant material) or solution of a non-volatile substance (e.g. of iodine, mercurochrome). To qualify as a tincture, the alcoholic extract is to have an ethanol percentage of at least 40-60% (80-120 proof) (sometimes a 90% (180 proof) pure liquid is even achieved).

Aside from having a specific "bitter" flavor, the big difference seems to be with solubility. That being the case, I'm not sure if what I'm making would be considered bitters or tinctures, as I'm using 190-proof grain alcohol for all of them.

Here's what I started with:

- Jurassic Salt

- Fennel seeds/Cardamom seeds, this is the only one that I mixed while it sits. I think they complement each other well.

- Star Anise, the classic bitters ingredient, delicious licorice smell

- Long Thai Peppercorn, I've never seen these before. They look pretty cool and they smell delicious. We'll see how it turns out. I was thinking of trying a salt and pepper tincture, which might be interesting.

- Hot Curry, who the hell knows. We'll see.

- Lavender, reminds me of using Creme de Violette.

- Black Mustard Seed, I'm really hoping that this will bring out some flavor when it's concentrated.

- Thai Chilies, this came from the idea of doing a Sriracha bitters. Eventually I might get all the ingredients in Sriracha and put them all together.

- Cinnamon, seems like a given.

- Jamaican Allspice, Joey had an idea for a Jamaican cocktail that sounds incredible so I thought this would be a good start.

- Pistachio nuts, Who the hell knows. Could be awesome.

- Poppy Seed, Seems like a given.

- Orange, I used the peel of two clementines for this one.

- Apple, Again, I only used the peel and the seeds. I've read that the sugars in fruit can overwhelm the bitter flavors brought out of the peel.

My method is pretty simple: I add about half the jar with the herb/spice I'm using, and fill the rest with grain alcohol. I seal the jar so the alcohol doesn't evaporate, and then put the contents in either a brown paper bag or a cabinet so light doesn't hit it. They say you should shake the jar every day to extract the most of the herb's essence. The total time should be about two weeks. I'll update later with results!

Some Girls

2011-03-08T01:00:00.004-04:00

I have to admit that I didn't love Some Girls the first few times I'd heard it. I'm not really sure why. I was probably turned off by the disco influence, or too ready to judge it for albums like Goats Head Soup or It's Only Rock 'n Roll, which I now think have their moments. Maybe I was too young.

I've enjoyed it more and more over time, but I recently had an epiphany with that album. Bear with me, because I enjoy a good tangent:

Recently I had a discussion with ML about some teenager we know who is rumored to be a very heavy drug user. I can easily understand teenagers smoking some pot or experimenting with drugs, but I always thought that heavy serious drug use was really something that "adults" struggled with more.

"It just seems like you need to be able to look back on all the good times you had on drugs in order to become a serious heavy addict," she said. "Like before things got bad." Whether this is true or not is irrelevant, because it certainly does seem like it should be that way if it isn't.

And I think that's how it often works with music. People who aren't "serious" music appreciators often need to have some memory or feeling associated with a song or an album to really love it. For me, I have no memory of my dad listening to Some Girls, but I have plenty of memories around Sgt. Pepper or any Springsteen album that I of course love now. (This is also, by the way, why I think that "classic" radio stations play the same damn Zeppelin/Creedence/Aerosmith playlist every day.)

A few weeks ago a friend rented a hotel room at St. Cecilia where a few of us got together with some champagne and old LPs (including Some Girls) and created one of the fondest musical memories I've had in recent memory.

Anyway, go buy a vinyl copy of Some Girls and listen to it. It's lovely.

2010-12-21T11:02:00.004-04:00

Some albums I liked in 2010:

- Flying Lotus, Pattern + Grid World

- Jim Sullivan, U.F.O. (reissue)

- John Grant, Queen of Denmark

- Ghostface Killah, Apollo Kids

- Best Coast, Crazy for You

- Bun B, Trill OG

- Z-Ro, Heroin

- The Black Angels, Phosphene Dream

- Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

- Beach House, Teen Dream

- Wavves, King of the Beach

- Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

What did you like this year?

2010-12-16T01:44:00.003-04:00

"This is life in Austin: Wake up in the morning, plan on doing some shit. Walk into the living room and see your roommates sitting on the couch. Smoke some weed. Go down to Thunderbird, get a coffee. End up drinking a couple beers. Maybe go to the grocery store or the bank or something. Holler at some hoes on Facebook. Conjure up a half-baked idea to make some money, then never follow up on it again. Go back home. Smoke some more weed. Watch some SVU on Netflix. Go down to the Liberty and get drunk with your friends. Eat some East Side Kings. Go home. Smoke some weed. Watch a horror movie. Go to sleep."

2010-09-07T19:31:00.002-04:00

RP had just finished a story about how a friend of his elected to live on the street after a bad breakup.

"Most men shouldn't be allowed to be single," I said. "Without women, it's an inevitable devolution into the lowest standard of living we allow ourselves. Before you know it your dinners consist of fistfuls of fajita chicken consumed in front of an open refrigerator while you're wearing your underwear."

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience."

"Yup."

Studio 60

2010-08-26T22:28:00.003-04:00

Just finished the complete episodes of Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60. I enjoyed the show, but I have to say: Why would you make a show about comedy that isn't funny?

Anyone who has seen anything Aaron Sorkin has done wouldn't accuse him of being funny. Witty, insightful, powerful, dramatic, important--wry, maybe. But he's just not funny. And in all 22 episodes we never see a full sketch that the show creates. We see clips and get sketch titles--like "Cooking Healthy with Nicolas Cage"--which seem like they could be good, but no finished products. I think that could have been a substantial contribution and may have helped lighten the show.

My only other issue with the show is that it's haughty. The depth and power written into The West Wing rang true because it was about the White House. When the Studio 60 producers agonize and make stands and argue with executives over Standards and Practices, patriotism, and then invoke the evils of McCarthyism I just kind of think: "Does anyone really give a crap about what sketch comedy shows do?" There's a lot of hyperbolic action in the show, well, because it's a drama--but it also came off as a little self-important.

Other than that it was really good.

2010-08-23T22:39:00.002-04:00

"You speak English?"

"I speak a few words."

"How many words?"

"All of them."

"Why do you tell people you can't speak English?"

"It's fun."

From Studio 60: Live at the Sunset Strip, ep. "The Harriet Episode: Part 2"

2010-08-09T11:24:00.002-04:00

From Scott Bedbury, the Starbucks chief marketing officer, in A New Brand World:

The Starbucks brand's core identity was less about engineering a great cup of coffee than about providing a great coffee experience. Of course, it was about providing the highest-quality coffee beans, ground correctly, brewed with the purest water, at the right temperature, and for very specific periods of time. But just as "Brand Nike" was not simply about torsion control or midsole cushioning systems but about the pleasures delivered by sports and fitness, so the Starbucks brands was about what Abraham Maslow might have called the coffee "gestalt"--the atmospherics.

Seems obvious, but it requires some understanding to arrive at this conclusion. It's easy to get focused on one particular aspect of the business, but the overall experience is what really matters--and that includes, well, everything.

Good to great

2010-06-28T13:00:00.003-04:00

Level 5 leaders are a study in duality: modest and willful, humble and fearless. To quickly grasp this concept, think of United States President Abraham Lincoln (one of the few Level 5 presidents in United States history), who never let his ego get in the way of his primary ambition for the larger cause of an enduring great nation. Yet those who mistook Mr. Lincoln's personal modesty, shy nature, and awkward manner as signs of weakness found themselves terribly mistaken, to the scale of 250,000 Confederate and 360,000 Union lives, including Lincoln's own.
--Jim Collins et al, Good to Great, 22

I'm not entirely sure that Lincoln is the first presidential example I would have used to portray a Level 5 leader (Humble and fearless? I was thinking Washington.), but I think this is a crucial point for businesses. You can certainly be a good or successful company without a Level 5 leader, but you cannot become a great company.

One of the things I love about business and management is how all of the principles of business seem to apply to individuals as well. For example, something called "The Hedgehog Concept":

One of my first reactions to this is that I wish I had understood this idea very early in life--or at least immediately after college. So many of us flounder around trying to figure out what to do with ourselves, and without any concept of how to find direction we just end up with whatever ends up in front of us. The result is usually a great deal of wasted time and dissatisfaction.

Great concepts. I can't wait to finish this book.

2010-04-27T20:58:00.002-04:00

"Oh, it's the typical Madonna/Whore thing."

"Yeah, like 'A lady in the street, but a freak in the bed.'"

"That would suck if you messed it up and got a freak in the street, but a lady in the bed. You'd be walking along together and she'd be like 'Hi, stranger, can I suck your cock?' and then you'd go home and she'd be like 'I think doggystyle is gross.'"

"That would suck."

2010-04-27T20:57:00.002-04:00

"You know that girl with the banana face?"

"No. What's a banana face?"

"You know, it's like 'Everything about her is hot, banana face.'"

"I don't think that's a thing."

2010-04-19T19:55:00.003-04:00

When I read the below quote (from Unbearable Lightness of Being) I begin to feel like there are really only two ways of living: in acceptance of or in rebellion/betrayal to.

When we leave childhood we all accept or betray the lifestyles our parents taught us. When we leave a relationship we either accept or betray the things we've learned about being in love with that person.

I felt a little depressed a few years ago after watching a touring modern art retrospective in Houston. Each artistic "movement" seemed to exist only in reference to the movement before it. It seems that way with everything.

I do have some sense of interest in discovering "truly" original ideas, but most of the time I figure it doesn't really matter in the end.

2010-04-17T13:25:00.003-04:00

But if we betray B., for whom we betrayed A., it does not necessarily follow that we have placated A. . . . The first betrayal is irreparable. It calls forth a chain reaction of further betrayals, each of which takes us farther and farther away from the point of our original betrayal.

2010-03-02T21:05:00.001-04:00

"I tried to give my life over to God, but it is hard as hell."

--Mike Epps

2010-02-15T18:34:00.002-04:00

A potential sticker I made for one of our retail coffee bags.

2010-01-22T19:02:00.002-04:00

A cool little carrot I made for our new menus.

2010-01-11T01:31:00.002-04:00

Little sign I made for the box we keep the food menus in. Not sure if we'll use it.

2009-12-11T14:51:00.003-04:00

Robert Cialdini discusses how blind obedience to authority can lead people to do things that don't make sense (Influence, pp. 219-220):

A physician ordered ear drops to be administered to the right ear of a patient suffering pain and infection there. But instead of writing out completely the location "right ear" on the prescription, the doctor abbreviated it so that the instructions read "place in R ear." Upon receiving the prescription, the duty nurse promptly put the required number of ear drops into the patient's anus.

2009-12-08T21:54:00.002-04:00

Amazing interview with Eike Koenig, a graphic designer in Berlin. It's wonderful to see people who really love what they do.

2009-11-11T20:20:00.001-04:00

One Thanksgiving when I was a kid, my grandmother started crying when we arrived.

"Why are you crying, Grandma?" I asked.

"I'm crying because I'm happy," she said.

I didn't understand at the time, because I was just a kid. But now I understand. She had some kind of weird old-person crying disease and she wanted to protect me from the harsh realities of the world. Thank you, Grandma.

2009-10-08T17:40:00.003-04:00

(In reference to this.)

LDH: Maybe I should have moved to San Jose or Orange County
so I can become the leader of a politically charged minority/GANG LEADER

me: More opportunity for--exactly

LDH: ROSA PARKS2K9

me: Maybe I should move there to become leader of a politically charged minority--to OVERTURN PROP 8

LDH: LOL

me: HARVEY MILK2K9

LanDHo12: LOLOLOL

The shape I'm in

2009-09-23T20:34:00.003-04:00

Things that I'm thinking about:

- Tumblr is pretty cool. It's almost as if a picture says 1,000 words?

- I'm kind of sick of the Internet. It's really good for getting infatuated with something, because there's always more information about that thing to be found. But I'm finding myself tired of being infatuated with things that don't "matter" to me. That is, if it doesn't have to do with the business, exercise, books, food, movies, or (some) music, then I guess I don't really need it right now. Also, I'd rather experience things, I think.

- I feel very good about my life. I guess I always have, but now seems like a good time to grow, to be inspired by things, to cultivate something that belongs to me.

- I'm also feeling very good about getting rid of people/habits/thoughts that aren't good for me. I had one of the most stressful weeks of my life recently, and I more or less coasted through it because I was riding a high from a book I've been reading. I'd prefer more of that, and less dealing with negative thoughts/people/activities.

- I think it's time to start eating better and working out differently. Again.

2009-09-07T15:44:00.002-04:00

Topics for hilarious things to write about:

- Breaking my iPhone

- A peanut is neither a pea nor a nut

- Being delirious after working a 21-hour day and having nearly everything in my business fall apart

- Being a celebrity; How it's more or less the recipe to becoming insane

- Teddy Pendergrass

- My business partner has never heard of The Smiths

- How it's important to be self-aware, especially after you're around people who aren't, and how you think they're awful

- I really, really like hamburgers

- I have not read the news in weeks; I believe there's something going on about health care at the moment, but I only know that due to Facebook updates

- Sly Stone: how he's from Denton, TX; a celebrity; and insane

2009-08-23T16:48:00.002-04:00

They were careless people, Tom and Dasy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . .

(The Great Gatsby, pp 180-181)

Day five - Successful coffee trip!

2009-08-21T16:18:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday I was finally successful in hunting for great coffee in NYC. I started out at Macchiato, in Midtown. The place was VERY modern, house music on the speakers, a packed house, and sleek design everywhere. I had a tasty cappuccino there with nice latte art.

I continued by jumping on the subway and roaming around like a fool for about 40 minutes, which didn't seem like a promising start. But after a couple of wrong turns I lucked out and ended up exactly where I wanted to be: just a few blocks away from Cafe Grumpy.

I had a really nice cappuccino there, and chatted a little with the baristas about their coffee. They use multiple roasters and feature a "guest espresso" on rotation, which I thought was a pretty cool thing to do.

From there I went on to Chelsea where I visited Ninth Street Espresso in Chelsea Market. Wandering around outside the Market, I encountered The High Line, an amazing example of adaptive reuse and sustainable landscape architecture and design. From there I wandered around some more and ended up doing some window shopping.

After that I met up with Lan and Dan to watch cartoonist and humorist Michael Kupperman perform at The Strand bookstore. Fun, hilarious, and I got a signed copy of his new book Tales Designed to Thrizzle, vol. 1.

From there I left the group to meet up with Wade at a bar called Gatsby's. We had a couple of drinks, then went for a slice of pizza. Not a lot going on in the area, so we went back to Greenpoint (Brooklyn), where Wade lives. We popped into a couple of bars, but ended up at a really nice place called Black Sheep. The owner was there, so I chatted with him a bit about craft beers and the Brooklyn bar scene. He gave us a bag of Doritos, and then we headed home.

Another great day in New York!

Day four - Failed coffee trip, Rock of Ages

2009-08-18T10:34:00.003-04:00

On Monday I made an effort to check out a bunch of different coffee shops around town. I pretty much failed. This was the first day I was on my own. Lan had to go to work, so we had a quick coffee at Oren's (a cappuccino--way too foamy) and then I set up my game plan. They didn't have any outlets at Oren's, so I tried to make my map on my phone, which didn't work out too well.

I got on the subway and rode back and forth for about 40 minutes for what should have been a ten-minute ride to Counter Culture, a coffee roasting company originally from North Carolina. Counter Culture is one of the most respected coffee roasters in the country, and I was really interested to see their setup in NYC. It turns out it's really just a training facility. I talked with a girl that worked there named Meister, who was super friendly and extremely helpful in getting to know some good coffee places to check out here in town. I promised that I'd see her again on Thursday night for the latte-art competition.

After leaving Counter Culture, I ran across the street to a place called Hill Country BBQ. Funny, right? The sign promised Lone Star, a bunch of Texas stuff, and good BBQ, so I thought I should check it out. I had a pulled beef sandwich, some mac and cheese, and a couple of Lone Stars and they were all quite good. The staff was ridiculously friendly, and we chatted about Texas, BBQ, and what to do in NYC.

From there I got a hold of Wade who was working on setting up the space for his new art gallery. Getting over there was much easier than it was to get anywhere else, and soon we were catching up over a couple of Stellas at a place nearby. It had been about five or six months since I'd seen the guy, so it was nice to hang out. We'll see more of each other this week for sure.

From there I took a cab to Manhattan to meet up with Dan and Lan because we had tickets to see Rock of Ages, a Broadway musical featuring the music of Journey, Whitesnake, Styx, Poison, etc. Before we went, though, we stopped at a food cart called Biryani Cart for some lamb wraps that were pretty great. Apparently Biryani Cart won best vendor food in 2008. I can't really validate that, but the food was pretty damn good.

Rock of Ages was awesome. It was kind of a sleeper thought--the first ten minutes seemed really cheesy and kinda dull, but after that it really took off. It was funny, exciting, and all the performances were really impressive. I have never seen a Broadway show before (well, not on Broadway), so this was a really fun experience.

After that, Lan and I trudged home through Manhattan, had a quick whiskey at the bar around the corner from his apartment, and passed out. Another great day.

Day three - Dinosaur Jr, etc.

2009-08-17T12:18:00.003-04:00

I've only been here for three days and my feet are killing me. I've walked at least ten times more per day than I normally do.

Checked out a couple of spots that I really wanted to go to yesterday. First, we stopped in at Oren's, a coffee shop near Lan's apartment that he frequents. It was reasonable, but I got the impression that great coffee wasn't their main focus. They had an enormous four-group Marzocco (it looked like a GB5, but it was hard to tell). I had an Americano, and the barista waaaaay over extracted the shot. Plus, I have to say that when I got to a place that has frappes and all kind of sweet drinks on the menu, I kind of take it a little less seriously.

Immediately after that we went to Joe, whose tagline is "The art of coffee." I had a macchiato there, and it was really nice. Joe has five locations, and is really well-designed as far as their menu and the layout of the store. I would definitely go back.

Then we went over to Shake Shack on the Upper West Side (71st/Columbus, I think). Wow. As a business, these guys are doing pretty much everything right. They make a great product, the space has a great aesthetic, friendly staff, and somehow they've managed to make being extremely busy and having a huge line part of their image and appeal. I had two shack burgers, fries, and a lemonade. It was all very good.

After eating, we made our way to Central Park, where Saviors, The Walkmen, and Dinosaur Jr were playing a free show as part of their summer concert series. Can't beat that, right? I've never heard of Saviors, but they were a really solid metal band from Oakland with lots of tattoos. The Walkmen were of course great, but Dinosaur Jr. rocked our asses off. These guys are a group of super-talented professionals who know exactly what they're doing. They were totally on fire.

I've had a few recommendations for coffee here in NYC, and I'm looking forward to checking them out today. I really want to check out Counter Culture (and possibly the throwdown on Thursday), Gimme Coffee, Ninth St. Espresso, Stumptown, Kaffe 1686, Stumptown, and Intelligentsia. Any other recommendations are very welcome. Let me know!

Day two - Rockaway Beach

2009-08-16T12:00:00.002-04:00

(This may be a short post, because we're about to go to the Central Park Summerstage and watch The Walkmen and Dinosaur Jr.)

People in New York spend a lot of time talking about where things are and how to get there. It makes sense--the city is so big and there are so many ways to get lost. Plus, it makes you look like you're really smart and savvy. The subway does seem like it's pretty intuitive, and even if you don't know what you're doing you should be able to get around if you pay attention. People here are also a lot friendlier than pop culture would have you believe. When I got off the plane the other day a lady picked her bag up from the carousel, and her bag busted open, strewing her clothes and personal items all over the carousel and the ground. Every single person who was standing nearby grabbed something and helped her get it together. Very nice!

I woke up early yesterday, showered, dressed, and headed to the subway. Lan lives Manhattan, and it's very easy to get around by subway from here. I headed over to LiLi's--she lives in Greenpoint, which is in Brooklyn. Greenpoint is the Polish area of town, and there are all kinds of Polish stores, meat markets, signs, and people all over the place. We headed farther south to meet some of her friends who would then drive us to the beach.

I forget that many people don't drive here: When it came up in conversation with people we met on the beach they all seemed pretty impressed. The beach itself was crowded with all kinds of people, and the weather was perfect. After a few hours, we headed over to a popular taco stand and an Italian ice place--each of which were really delicious. From there we headed back to Greenpoint via car/subway and got ready for the second TV Torso show, which was at a place called Sheas Stadium.

There was this crazy art-rock-freakout band from Atlanta there called the Back Pockets that were in parts really great and really awful. TV Torso was supposed to play at 10:30 but ended up going on at 1:30 a.m. In between me and LiLi stopped at some little Mexican bakery and had a torta and a burrito, which I think made me sick later. TV Torso played about half a set--and played like men posessed--after which point we were all really exhausted so me and Lan just trudged back home and passed out.

Now time for Dinosaur Jr. and the Walkmen!

FOR THE FUTURE: I'm thinking about going to this (via Jen Hellow):

2009-08-15T10:43:00.004-04:00

First day in NYC was a good one. Flew Jet Blue, got to JFK early. Met Lan at the Sky Train terminal and headed to the subway. They say the subway is easy to navigate, but I have no clue what I'm doing yet.

We dropped off my bags at his place and then went to a place called The Burger Joint for dinner. The burgers were really good, but probably the coolest thing about this place is that it's totally hidden--literally, behind a curtain--within a French hotel called Le Parker Meridien. We both had a couple burgers and some fries and cokes--it really hit the spot.

Then we wandered over to a place called Billy's Bakery in Chelsea where we were the only two straight men munching on sweets at 10:00 p.m. They also have coffee there, so I got an 8 oz. Americano and Lan got an iced soy latte. They have a cute little dual-group La Marzocco there. The coffee was good, but it didn't knock my socks off like the apple pie did. Wow, it was AMAZING.

Then we went into Brooklyn via subway to watch TV Torso play at a little hipster oasis called Goodbye Blue Monday. Beers weren't too expensive (for NYC)--$4 for a PBR tall boy. Met DO there, who is a pretty great guy--born in Brooklyn himself. TV Torso was awesome, but Austin, the bass player, got shocked really bad by the microphone which very nearly ended the show.

We headed back to Midtown-East to see what kind of trouble we could get up to. For some bizarre reason Lan was hungry again, so the three of us went to Pho 32. A few minutes after we sat down, a group of four showed up next to us and before long the seven of us were belting out Bon Jovi songs in the middle of the restaurant. . . .

Fast-forward forty minutes and we're a block away at a Korean karaoke joint with private rooms rocking out with a bunch of strangers and drinking canned Coors Light. The strangers LOVED Texas (especially Austin), and were down for a good time. When it was time to go it was 5:00 a.m., and me and Lan trudged back to his place where I immediately passed out on the couch. Amazing day.

Today: Going to Rockaway Beach with Li Li, more food and coffee, and then an encore TV Torso performance (get to see them twice here!). More + pics soon!

2009-08-09T20:32:00.003-04:00

Just weighed myself. I weigh 204 lbs. That's the most I've ever weighed, but a lot of it is new muscle.

It's funny, when you meet basketball players, you realize how much bigger than normal people they are. But when I look at the stats of some NFL players, I realized that by the numbers, I'm bigger than they are (and sometimes stronger--according to the number of reps they do on bench press, which is published information).

By no means to I have the talent or athleticism to become an NFL player, but it's still kind of weird to think that I could beat a pro athlete at arm-wrestling. Or at least be bigger than him.

2009-06-26T22:53:00.004-04:00

Michael Jackson, dead at 50. He was like a bodybuilder for the music world--amazing talent, but grotesque to look at. I think I'll go listen to his entire discography. Except for Invincible.

2009-06-18T20:46:00.001-04:00

From a recent e-mail:

It's easy to lose track of the large-scale principals that are important to me amidst all this stuff. I value reading, learning, trying to make myself a better person, and helping others. Making an attempt at a virtuous life has been a consistent desire for me, even when my lifestyle is completely at odds with that desire. Lately I've been trying to keep focused on the important things while cutting out the pastimes and people that don't enrich my life. It's actually pretty easy to do if you know what you want, but I'm human, and although my desire for virtue is real, I have seen myself totally ignore its pursuit for extended periods. I frustrate myself with that sometimes, but one thing I have noticed is that goodness is always an option you can return to even if you forget it for a while.

2009-06-18T20:44:00.001-04:00

"What's that song called, the one where they're driving around like Mad Max in the video?"

"I don't know . . . "

"Oh! 'California Love'!"

"Ha ha, right. The quinnessential white person's rap song."

"I know all the words!"

2009-05-20T01:16:00.003-04:00

"Pain or damage don't end the world, or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you're dead. Until then you got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man. And give some back."
--Al Swearengen

On Image/Identity

2009-05-18T21:46:00.003-04:00

Working as an owner/manager of these businesses has been an intensely rewarding experience for me. I've learned a great deal about myself, others, and business--and I know I've barely grazed the surface. I expect that my next few posts will be experiments in sorting through my thoughts re: the businesses.¹

One theme on my mind lately has been building the identity of the stores. How are we perceived, and how do we consciously create our image?

My feeling is that if you don't consciously build your business's image, the customers will define it for you. How? They'll base their own ideas on what you sell, your prices, your decor, and your location. Of course, those are all things that you choose as the owner of your business, but they aren't necessarily things you consciously choose in service to the image your business projects. (Even if they should be.)

Of course, if you don't have an great location and a halfway decent product, your image will be of a business shutting its doors. But here's an important thing to consider as you define your image: The image you project will determine your customers. It shouldn't be the other way around.

If you're in this situation, it might feel scary to make a change, or to alter the identity that's manifested itself. Do not let this feeling dictate what you want your business to be like.

I mention this from my own current experience. I think we've been more conscious about creating our image and building our own customers at store A than at store AA. Store AA, which has a history of more or less "finding its own way" has an image that has been built by those who simply show up and will take what's available. I admit that allowing that to happen has been a huge mistake, and very likely a significant cause behind store A's relative success compared to store AA.

I resolve to more consciously create the identity of my business based on my values, what I think is best, and what I feel will be most successful. Allowing anything else to happen is irresponsible.

1 Goodbye, anyone who still reads this blog!

2009-05-18T21:39:00.003-04:00

My feelings about writing, vis-a-vis my job:

I am oddly both more equipped and less equipped to provide insight with the written word at this point in my life. Because:

- MORE: I have a job that brings with it a good deal more "interesting" anecdotes, which could be witty and interesting to the right audience.
- MORE: The job also doesn't require intense mental scrutiny for eight to ten hours straight, which leaves me, at the end of the day, more able to think clearly. In theory.
- LESS: The job requires less mental scrutiny, which leaves my powers analysis and intellect dull and useless.
- LESS: The job also lends itself to far more social outings. Meaning: I go out and get fucked up more than I used to. Time spent drinkin' is time not spent thinkin'. I am not comfortable speculating on why people in the service industry spend most of their off time inebriated.

Girls are never this hilarious

2009-02-05T20:52:00.001-04:00

"How did you sleep?"

"Great. I slept like a rock."

"Weird, 'cause I slept like The Rock."

"Is that why you kept calling out 'Can you smell what The Rock is cooking?' in your sleep?"

"I guess so."

"I thought you were just dreaming about food or something."

I'm only 11 years late on this one

2009-02-03T03:43:00.003-04:00

Omaha rapper Big Bear's 1998 album Doin Thangs:

2009-02-02T14:26:00.002-04:00

Things to blog about:

- Columbia, South Carolina
- The Greek system at universities in the South
- Barbecue in Memphis
- Graceland
- Lady at Graceland who told the story about Elvis gave her one of his scarves
after a show in the '70s
- Lady who responded "No, thank you," to a television that was showing an
Elvis perform at the "Live from Hawaii Via Satellite" show.
- Truck stop in rural Tennessee that had graffiti soliciting anonymous gay sex written on the bathroom stall.

2009-01-28T23:11:00.000-04:00

RIP, John Updike.

2009-01-05T20:41:00.003-04:00

Flier by Lydia Reynolds for Clementine's third birthday party:

Post-Irony

2009-01-02T17:25:00.003-04:00

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like the age of post-irony is truly here.

A lot of this, obviously, comes from the earnest passion people felt for voting/rooting for Obama. Most of the other stuff is just incidental: my friends talking about how they feel to each other, being supportive of one another, and generally just not being too cool to be who they are. If that's all it takes, it makes me wonder how deep-rooted the age of irony actually was.

Awesome gun phone

2008-12-29T00:27:00.001-04:00

Worst gift ever

2008-12-25T11:32:00.002-04:00

A pretty funny article in the NY Times Magazine about the worst gift someone ever received, pictured below.

2008-12-19T11:46:00.001-04:00

Bad news. The body spray that smells like a Whopper is sold out.

2008-12-18T22:35:00.001-04:00

Someone saw this kid steal some money out of the tip jar at work.

2008-12-15T16:56:00.001-04:00

Say what you will, but our president has great reflexes.

SOLVE THE MYSTERY

2008-12-06T10:24:00.002-04:00

Last night at my house, a girl went to use the bathroom. After a few minutes, I started to wonder what she was doing.

"What is she doing in there?" I asked. "Is she doing blow?"

A few moments later, she came out of the bathroom, and the incident was briefly forgotten. Ten minutes after that, I went into the bathroom.

"That girl was NOT doing blow in the bathroom!" I declared.

HOW DID I KNOW THAT SHE WAS NOT DOING BLOW IN THE BATHROOM?

A) I searched the cabinets and confirmed that I have no suitable mirrors on which to do blow. Therefore she must not have been doing blow at all.

B) The bathroom smelled like poo, which I deduced to mean that she had been taking a poo in the bathroom rather than doing blow.

C) There was a syringe, a burnt spoon, a short length of rubber tubing, and a small spatter of blood on the floor, which I deduced to mean that the girl had been "riding the H-train" rather than doing blow.

D) I recalled that the girl had no nostrils, which would have prevented her from doing blow in the traditional way.

2008-12-04T19:25:00.002-04:00

The best designed books of 2008 (according to one dude) are here.

2008-11-29T15:13:00.000-04:00

"It's Too Late" by Carole King will probably never be properly appreciated by our generation. It's fucking amazing.

2008-11-29T15:12:00.001-04:00

I should probably stop being surprised at people's willingness to screw over their friends.

2008-11-20T15:45:00.000-04:00

I guess Chinese Democracy is finally coming!

2008-11-19T11:13:00.001-04:00

Is there anyone in history, alive or dead, that you would pay $425,000 to see speak for one hour?

2008-11-10T11:39:00.002-04:00

Two interesting things:

- Barack Obama's Flickr page, with photos from election night.

- Change.gov, the office of the president's transition page. The most interesting thing about this, I think, is a portion where you can send in your suggestions. Open-source democracy?

Even though these are small gestures, I think they're extremely relevant and important to a lot of people, especially coming on the tail-end of an era where the presidency was shrouded in mystery.

This is ridiculous

2008-10-20T02:24:00.003-04:00

I kind of used to go out with this girl:

2008-10-19T16:05:00.001-04:00

I just got an e-mail from Joe Biden called "My Wife."

I dunno, it just seems kind of stupid.

2008-10-07T19:01:00.000-04:00

I guess my iPhone is worth freaking $143 a month.

2008-10-07T01:21:00.002-04:00

Bob Fosse was a director who was fascinated with death and misery, apparently. And he likes his misery with glitter and a big spotlight: Cabaret, All That Jazz, Lenny were all very good. (I've yet to see Star 80, but plan on seeing it soon.) He's also a hell of an editor.

2008-10-05T14:49:00.003-04:00

"And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear . . . "

2008-10-05T14:49:00.001-04:00

"Must sell or wife says she will have an abortion."

2008-10-02T09:13:00.002-04:00

Jonathan Richman at the Parish this evening was just as great as he always is. He insisted the air conditioning be turned off though, so I enjoyed the show while sweating my ass off.

I really don't think anyone does what Jonathan does. He reminds me of Daniel Johnston in the way that he's affected by other art, but he doesn't seem to process it the way most people do. He just sees things and puts it through his own unique filter and it comes out great. Spanish guitar, romance languages, '50s rock 'n' roll--who else is influenced by this stuff today?

Anyway, I love him. Thanks, Jonathan Richman, for being my website's namesake.

2008-09-16T03:17:00.002-04:00

"With humans, it's different. The feeling is always changing. Like if you love somebody, the love is always shifting or wavering. It's always questioning or inflating or disappearing or denying or hurting. And the thing is, you can't do anything about it, you can't control it. With my Subaru, it's not so complicated."

Yuki gave it some thought. "But that didn't get through to your wife? Didn't she know how you felt?" she asked.

"I guess not," I said. "Or maybe she had a different persepctive on the matter. So in the end, she split. Probably going to live with another man was easier than adjusting her perspective." (120)

2008-09-16T02:54:00.001-04:00

So long, David Foster Wallace. Most people will probably have no idea what this means.

2008-09-05T09:13:00.002-04:00

Roger Ebert writes a great response to one of the questions he's most frequently asked: "What's your favorite movie?"

Ebert answers, of course, Citizen Kane. But is that true, or only convenient?

2008-08-31T20:26:00.002-04:00

I'm again reminded of how rarely people know what they're talking about, and how rarely they mean what they say. A banal example: I once knew a girl who said that she had a great sense of humor, and enjoyed film. When she told me her favorite movie was My Best Friend's Wedding, I felt like it was a betrayal to the phrase "great sense of humor" and "film."

Maybe what I'm really annoyed with is how easy it is to keep up appearances by talking about film, fashion, social issues, popular literature, and music, when it takes a good deal of work to hold a significant understanding of any of these things.

Then again, I'm probably a little sensitive to this right now because I've hardly been able to spend any time on these things lately, and know what I'm missing out on because it has been such a huge part of my life in the past.

But things, as Lan reminded me recently, change: "If you told me I would be spending $400 on a jacket a year ago, I would have laughed at you," he said. "But here I am."

2008-08-27T17:11:00.002-04:00

I spend a lot of time doing things, nowadays, and I find that it's a very different sensation from doing things for eight hours a day, and then doing whatever the hell you want for the remaining 16 hours.

Those remaining 16 hours used to be inevitably filled with surfing online, watching movies, writing, and reading. Doing things allows less time for that, and it's certainly changed my perspective on things.

For example:

- I spend very little time alone (which is both good and bad).
- I spend less time thinking about abstract ideas (like gender bias, class issues, religion, and philosophy).
- I have slightly more stress.
- I have to plan a day off.

And since I'm a human, I pretty much just adapt to all of it without too much complaint. But my job is badass, and that makes a difference.

2008-08-09T21:32:00.002-04:00

At one point I was a frequent reader of Arts and Letters Daily, a daily media update on literature, music, and culture. I'm not really a frequent reader of much online right now, but the creators of that website (which I still visit occasionally) have started another website called Climate Debate Daily, which links to articles that both support and challenge the idea that climate change is caused by human activity.

I wish there were more sites like this that extensively post new articles on important subjects.

2008-07-23T16:55:00.002-04:00

Three sealed Netflix movies showed up at the coffee shop today. Curious bunch that we are, we opened them up to see what movies they were. Inside we found:

King Solomon's Mines (2004): Patrick Swayze stars as the rugged Allan Quartermain -- the explorer who made it his mission to unearth King Solomon's mythical mines -- in this Hallmark-produced movie based on H. Rider Haggard's classic novel. Quartermain and the rest of the gang, Elizabeth Maitland (Alison Doody) and Bruce McNabb (Gavin Hood), know that anyone who finds the hidden treasure will reap great riches, but may also face grave danger.

Android Apocolypse (2006): Jute (Scott Bairstow), a disgruntled human soldier displaced by the advancement of androids, is sent to prison for illegally terminating a robot -- and, ironically, soon finds himself depending on a robot for survival. Android soldier Deecee (Joseph Lawrence) is being shipped to the same prison colony, and when their transport ship is suddenly attacked by mutants, Jute and Deecee must work as a team to stay alive.

Skinwalkers (2007): As 12-year-old Timothy (Matthew Knight) prepares to turn 13, he's blissfully unaware that he's a half blood slated to transform -- and that his extended family of good-hearted werewolves has been protecting him since the day he was born. Elsewhere, lurking in the shadows, an evil pack of werewolves (led by Jason Behr) has been waiting for more than a decade to pounce on him and claim him as its own.

What the fuck?

2008-07-19T22:36:00.000-04:00

The public loves me.

Notes on a roadtrip to Denver

2008-07-09T09:44:00.000-04:00

Dumas, Texas has:

- A grocery store that smells like my grandmother's house (didn't buy anything)
- A McDonald's
- A lingering sense of desperation
- A Bath and Bodyworks (surprise!)
- Unattractive people
- A Subway Sandwich shop
- A highway that leads to Denver

2008-06-30T15:40:00.001-04:00

Better Off Dead is the weirdest fucking movie I've seen in a long time.

MySpace post from Brothers and Sisters guy

2008-06-18T19:22:00.003-04:00

A great post from a member of Brothers and Sisters (Will Courtney, I'm guessing) on "Dennis Wilson Reissued, Coldplay on Vinyl and I’m out of touch!" A great post.

Ok, so I woke up early this morning, tossing and turning in bed, because today is the day!
Dennis Wilson's PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE has finally been reissued by Legacy in a 2-disc set with the second disc devoted to the unreleased record, BAMBU.

I have been counting down the days since it was announced back in January. I have the original on vinyl plus bootlegged versions of both CDs, but finally its been remastered and BAMBU was remixed and mastered. No more crappy MP3 compression. No more 6th generation hiss. June 17th is here! While I wait for my 3 LP set on blue vinyl from Sundazed to arrive in the mail, I thought I needed to go pick up a copy on CD.

I usually go to Waterloo or Antone's for all my music purchases in Austin, but today on my way to get coffee I decided to have my girlfriend drop me off at Best Buy. I went in hoping to see it as soon as I walked in on the big "New Release" cart. Nope. Maybe a separate display with a big cutout of Dennis holding what looks like a tray in his hand with a stack of the new 2-disc set with a big banner hanging over his head stating "PACIFIC OCEAN BLUE. The greatest solo release by any Beach Boy has finally been reissued. The Masterpiece has arrived!". Ok, I knew I was kidding myself, so I went over to the "W" section. I flipped passed the WHITE STRIPES card, then WIDE SPREAD PANIC, then WILCO, then WYCLEF. Wait. Where the hell's WILSON? I went over to the music section assistant stocking all the new CDs and DVDs that had arrived earlier that morning. I told him what I was looking for. He replied, "How do you spell that?". I speak slowly as he types into the computer D-E-N-N-I-S, last name is W-I-L-S-O-N.

Sure enough, it pops up on the screen, but they don't carry it. He asked if he wanted me to check another location. I proudly responded, "No, I'll get it at Waterloo".

I walked back down the CD isle, killing time as I waited for my girlfriend. I came around the corner to find two Freshman-looking college types. The guy had longish hair growing over his ears and he had a pretty hot girlfriend and they we standing looking at the new Coldplay display case. The new album "dropped" today. I couldn't help but overhear the conversation they were having.

Here was this big display filled with the regular CDs and special deluxe, limited versions for 8 bucks more and two copies of the vinyl (kinda cool to to see at Best Buy even though I had no desire to own Coldplay on record). Anyway, the two of them were standing looking at the display case and I heard them talking to one another as the boyfriend picked up the record.

"What is it?"
"I don't know", she answered.

"You think its some sort of weird CD boxset?"
"I don"t know"
"Maybe its a calendar"
"Hmmm"
"You think I should get it? There are only 2 copies left."
"I don't know"

I couldn't fucking believe it. I mean I hear all those speeches to large crowds where someone will reference back to the "old days" when they were listening to their favorite record and the speaker will stop and say "for people who are to young to remember, we used to listen to music on these big round discs". The audience always laughs. Hardy-Har-fucking-har. I mean these two people standing there were in college or at least seniors in highschool. I leaned over to them and said, "Its vinyl, dude". He replied, "oh, cool, thanks." No shit.

As I walked away, I heard him say to his girlfriend, "what's vinyl?"

I hung my head.

I mean what have I been thinking. I am so removed from that world. Here I am in my late 20's, holding on to another time, buying only records on vinyl unless there's some new reissue like a Dennis fucking Wilson CD and my local Best Buy rep has to have me spell his name.

What is going on? Parents teach your children well. Don't forget to teach them about the good music and about the joy you felt as you held that new record album in your hands. Older brothers and older sisters, tells your siblings about The Beach Boys and how their amazing songwriter/drummer drowned in 1983 and left behind two albums that need to be heard - on vinyl.

Please! We must keep this alive. Everything good about the world is crumbling and being forgotten and left while bullshit, digitally recorded music climbs up the charts and another Home Depot is built on that beautiful meadow that used to showcase all those different types of flowers.

Damn.

2008-06-16T02:03:00.001-04:00

My roommate is trying out for a reality show, which he will (in my opinion) almost certainly be asked to participate in. Our lives will never be the same.

2008-06-16T01:59:00.004-04:00

Thoughts on The Incredible Hulk:

If I'm ever blasted with gamma rays and become a violent monster, I hope someone will understand me as much as Liv Tyler understands the Hulk.

Also, Lou Ferrigno looks damn good.

2008-06-16T01:59:00.001-04:00

Would they be as popular if they were called Stereolabia?

2008-06-04T02:01:00.001-04:00

Well, Obama finally won the nomination!

Things that many people are probably thinking:

- God, I hope he picks Hillary as VP
- God, I hope he doesn't pick Hillary as VP
- I wonder when he'll get shot at?

2008-06-02T16:52:00.001-04:00

Oh, shit.

The Ny Times lists the "31 Place to Visit This Summer," and the Texas Hill Country is number one.

Good for the economy, terrible for finding a seat at Salt Lick.

2008-05-28T23:00:00.001-04:00

My new ride:

2008-05-26T19:55:00.002-04:00

Maybe this is already an Internet phenomenon (possible, judging by the 1216 comments on the online version), but this article has got to be the most insufferable bullshit that the NY Times has ever published.

For example

My blog post was ridiculous and petty and small — and, suddenly, incredibly important. At some point I’d grown accustomed to the idea that there was a public place where I would always be allowed to write, without supervision, about how I felt. Even having to take into account someone else’s feelings about being written about felt like being stifled in some essential way.

2008-04-26T13:43:00.003-04:00

Ideas for things:

- Name of a juice bar: The Juice Nip
- Beverage: Slice of cheesecake, espresso, ice, chocolate, blended
- Imaginary male character with blue dreadlocks who comes into eclectic coffee shops: Sparkle Fish
- Mop bucket with a spigot on the bottom to empty water (Note: Does this already exist?)
- Apple pie latte
- Cinnamon-raisin latte
- More Scorpions albums need to be produced

Portrait of the artist as a young man

2008-04-04T18:21:00.003-04:00

Courtsey of Joey Honey.

2008-04-01T17:42:00.002-04:00

"You work at Thunderbird? I think I've been in there before . . . "

"We're just a few blocks away, on Koenig?"

"Oh, right! I did go in there! It was too expensive, so I left."

"Oh. Well, we're cheaper than Starbucks . . . "

"I don't go to Starbucks."

"Oh. Do you drink coffee?"

"Not really."

" . . . "

2008-03-26T11:29:00.001-04:00

Maureen Dowd, who I usually find too flippant to read, has obviously read my blog or been talking to my friend from the other day. She proposes a scenario very much like the one just published here in her column today.

2008-03-25T16:10:00.003-04:00

Here are some things that I am a fan of, circa the summer of 2007:

- Thing one
- Thing two

2008-03-25T15:30:00.002-04:00

A friend wrote to me today with the following theory:

Clinton knows/thinks she's gonna lose the nomination but wants to hurt Obama's chances in November. If McCain beats Obama, Hillary runs again in four years, running on the platform that we should have elected her last time. If Obama wins, she basically won't have a chance to run again. She'll be ancient history after eight years of Obama. If Hillary wins in four years, Obama is shut out for at least 12 years.

I said that it seems possible--and that I wouldn't put it past her campaign--but I doubt we'll ever be able to confirm something like that. It is interesting, though. Especially in the context of David Brooks's Op-Ed in today's Times, which ends this way:

The only question is whether Clinton herself can step outside the apparatus [of her campaign] long enough to turn it off and withdraw voluntarily or whether she will force the rest of her party to intervene and jam the gears.

If she does the former, she would surprise everybody with a display of self-sacrifice. Her campaign would cruise along at a lower register until North Carolina, then use that as an occasion to withdraw. If she does not, she would soldier on doggedly, taking down as many allies as necessary.

I <3 Kevin Bewersdorf

2008-03-21T17:52:00.003-04:00

Photo by Kevin Bewersdorf
Click image for larger size.

2008-03-21T02:02:00.002-04:00

To-do list and status of to-do list for 3/20/08:

- Build awesome website for coffee shop: done
- Rip Whitney Houston's I'm Your Baby Tonight: done
- Rip Boyz II Men's Evolution: done
- Rip Richard Marx's Rush Street: done
- Rip Shai's Right Back Atcha: pending
- Rip Ralph Tresvant's It's Goin' Down: oustanding
- Rip Freddie Jackson's Do Me Again: outstanding

2008-03-18T17:37:00.001-04:00

Barack Obama's speech on race in America. The most inspiring--and inspired--things to come out of this campaign so far. A West Wing moment if there ever was one.

To the confuzed bitches

2008-03-18T12:38:00.003-04:00

Via Joey Honey:

Some girl was asking me advice about some guy who she likes. She said she couldn't tell if he was that into her or not, and that she was confused. I always tell confused people that they aren't actually confused, just willfully blind. "Don't be confused," I tell them.

To save myself time, now I tell them in picture form.

2008-03-18T12:23:00.003-04:00

A fun game to play when someone is driving erratically or slowly in front of you:

"Old person or cell phone?"

I like this game because it keeps me from being too frustrated, and the cause of the slow/shitty driving is inevitably one of those two sources.

Try it!

2008-03-15T23:20:00.003-04:00

Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap. If this isn't already super-famous, please do your best to make it so. The funniest thing I've seen in a couple months. HERE.

For example:

Little general

2008-03-14T12:50:00.002-04:00

General updates:

- EW has come in to the store pretty much every day this week. We're best friends.
- Saw some cross-dressing glam-rock bands Wednesday night. I love SXSW.
- Got the pre-release of the new Gnarls Barkley album. It's pretty Gnarls Barkley-like.
- Bands playing at Thunderbird all week, which is exciting.
- Health inspector is expected this month; I got excited today because all of our refrigerators were operating at or under 40 degrees. I'm a nerd.
- I fell asleep during Lost the other day. Fate punished me by a co-worker revealing a major plot development, which filled me with rage and regret.
- My room is filthy.
- I bought some new boots online for super cheap.
- My mom's birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday, Mom!

2008-03-08T21:03:00.003-04:00

Elijah Wood came into the coffee shop today, presumably in connection to a movie being filmed a few blocks away.

Things I didn't ask him:

"What was it like to film Home Alone?"
"What was it like to film Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over?"
"Can I have some money?"

Things I did ask him:

"What can I get for you?"

2008-03-01T23:24:00.002-04:00

"We could watch His Girl Friday," I said.

"I have some interest in watching that," Lan said.

"It's got Cary Grant in it," I said.

"Yeah, that has-been."

"What?! He's dead!"

"No kidding!"

2008-02-26T10:45:00.009-04:00

I think people should spend money on things in proportion to the amount that they use them. It seems like sometimes the things we use the most we pay the least for and vice-versa. Consider:

- Bed sheets: Spend the money on the 600 thread count, it's one third of your life
- Pants: I wear some of my pants three to four times per week; good thing they all cost hundreds of dollars
- Shoes: I'm on my feet a lot, so I go out of my way to find the most comfortable shoes ever.
- Diamond rings: How often are you going to wear it? Is it worth $12,000 a finger to make your friends jealous?
- Gasoline: That's already pretty expensive; at least we use it a lot.
- Other stuff that supports my point

2008-02-26T10:45:00.005-04:00

I saw a girl who I thought was cute, but then she turned out to have gross-looking teeth. Get them fixed, people.