...was born in 1977 in Dallas, Texas, travelled, lived in the Bay Area, DJed, studied architecture, collected furniture, played drums, and now lives in New York City. Here's more.
I advise small businesses and individuals on networking, wireless, hardware and software and build web sites and web based applications using Java, ATG Dynamo, PHP, MySQL, and valid XHTML/CSS. Here's more.
Leffot, Six Months and the Long Weekend
At some point, I read about Leffot on The Satorialist and put it on my to-do list to check out because a. I love shoes and b. they are the only place I'd seen in New York that carried Gaziano and Girlings as well as a whole bunch of other brands I'd been wanting to see. Not only do they carry beautiful shoes, but it's a beautiful space in the heart of the West Village, a beautiful neighborhood. The also have what's turning into a great blog. Since then, I've gone in every weekend to talk to Steven, the owner, and have been hard at work thinking about which pair of shoes I wanted to get *first* as there will be many more that follow. More about this later...
Somewhat tangentially related is the fact that I have been smoke free for six months today, which is still somewhat surprising. I'm pretty pleased with myself.
I'm off to the Jersey shore tomorrow for the long 4th of July/my 31st birthday weekend. See y'all next week.
The Weekend, Wall-e, and the VMAs
John and Tasha were here and on Friday, John proposed and they're now engaged! They're both wonderful people and they're great together and I'm very, very happy for them. We spent some more time eating good dinners and breakfasts, hanging at Beer Table with the rest of the Dallas crew, staying out of the rain, getting our nails did, and checking out the Pride parade. After I sent them on their way, I saw Wall-e which was absolutely wonderful even though such a sweet and perfect love story left me feeling sad and nostalgic for the rest of the evening.
Today, we launched the 2008 Video Music Awards Phase 1 site for which I am the lead developer. This is the biggest project I've worked on at MTV so far and so far, it's turned out well. There's lots more to come, so stay tuned.
John, Shoes, Bikes, and More
My good friend John Keehler came into town to speak at a conference followed by some R&R and we spent the evening at Beer Table and will, along with his girlfriend, who arrives tonight, be spending some time together this weekend.
I've been looking at a lot of differnt kinds of pr0n lately: architecture, interior design (as well as cars and fashion), shoe, and bike (via Dave, especially this and this).
Linkages
Peter's in Ireland on his "honeymoon" (I went to his wedding recently) and it seems as though he's seeing a lot of cool stuff and having a good time. He's making me fiend for a vacation.
Lava lamp night lights. What won't they think of next?
I don't care what you say; Tobias Wong is a freakin' genius.
Four Years
I totally forgot to mention when I posted on the 19th and 20th last week that the 19th was the fourth anniversary of my move to New York. Life is remarkably similar to how it was a year ago, which is a double edged sword, I suppose. I'm still at MTV, though I've changed desks and am an employee instead of a freelancer. I am in the same apartment but I have a different roommate and have grown weary of the problems that come with living in the ghetto. I have been here long enough that life here is second nature, which is perhaps why I'm not so sentimental about my move anymore. I think of backyards, cars, and affordable real estate as something impossibly exotic, though they were so attainable where I came from, but New York, with its shaftways, subways, and half-million dollar studios, is home.
Cheerwine and This Weekend
I got another package today: four 12-packs of Cheerwine. Cheerwine is a caffinated black-cherry soda that's sold in Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee and it is so, so fine.
There are lots of good things going on this weekend, including the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, which I saw last year but sadly, and I do mean sadly, I won't be attending this year. I will try, however, to attend BODIES... The Exhibition, the Police Museum car show, the Christie's Pop Culture auction preview, the Calder/Nakashima show at Tina Kim and much, much more. It should be fun.
Netflix, Hulu, and Bread Winners
I'm a Netflix user and have been for a long time and when the "Watch Now" thing debuted, I thought about installing Windows on my Mac Mini based home theater rig so I could take part. Then the Roku video box came out and it's only $100 - a small price to pay for all that movie goodness. Then, as of just a few days ago, I discovered Hulu and I've been watching the latest season of The Office and wondering what I'm going to watch next. On the Internet. For free. It's like livin' in the dang future!
Yesterday I went to Grand Central to visit the watch repair shop, get my shoes shined, and eat some chili, then came back to work to find a box of records that Aaron had sent. He also included some of the best cookies in the world: oatmeal toffee from Bread Winners in Dallas, the perfect dessert for a lovely long lunch.
Weekend Update
After months and months, the dog is finally getting taken in at night, but now I have new problems, both beaurocratic and domestic. I've been reminded that I can affect positive change in my own life so I'm doing that.
On the weekend, there was the Affordable Art Fair where I took pictures of moody, atmospheric seascapes and the Renegade Craft Fair where I checked out what the kids in Williamsburg were up to (besides getting tattoos and being clever). Last night, I laughed, I cried and ultimately, I got let down by the Sex and the City movie but still had a good time. The rest of the week is pretty wide open.
Beer Table 2.0
I've just put up a redesigned and redeveloped version of Beer Table's site. Beer Table, a wonderful bar owned by my good friends Justin and Tricia, is located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and well worth the trip from wherever you are. I think this new version of the site is going to better convey their messages and allow for the perusal of more pictures and soon, their copious amounts of good press. Check it out.
On Reading and Books
After reading ten Lee Child pulpy paperback thrillers in a row (I just couldn't put 'em down!), I finally read a couple of books with substance that I borrowed from my friend Emily: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Road. Tonight, I start Miranda July's No One Belongs Here More Than You and waiting for the next Jack Reacher book to show up in the mail.
Speaking of books, of the 100 Must-Read Books [in the] Essential Man's Library, I have read 27.5. I strenuously disagree with at least one of their choices, but I have many more on my shelf that I haven't gotten to yet. I'll be counting more books tomorrow, but tonight, I'm off to what promises to be a lovely dinner party.