I am not a hoarder by nature. I’ve purged entire collections of comics, toys, records, zines, CDs, whatever just so I would not have to move them to the next apartment. Out with the old, in with the new. Of the few things I have held onto over the years, this mug is one of my cherished possessions.
My mom gave this to me for my birthday in 10th grade. It was a peculiar gift at the time and I’m not sure I recall exactly how I actually felt when I received it. Usually when you are 15 the last thing on your mind are kitchen ceramics. However, at some point between then and my first year of university I became very attached to it. This mug has moved 14 times with me. It’s seen me through some great times, some bad times, and some mediocre ones too.
To me, this is a perfectly designed thing. It serves its function well: holds hot drinks, comfortable to lift, long lasting. But apart from that it also has a very restrained and adequate amount of beauty. The black and white Charlie Brown striping adds just enough class to elevate this from a plain mug to an object of adoration and intrigue. Maybe not everyone sees this mug the way I see it, maybe I’ve projected a lot of nostalgia onto it, but I can’t help feeling that this mug is just plain fucking awesome.
One of the many reasons I love the internet is that it provides a place for niche archives. Ten years ago, if I had to find vintage footage of Milwaukee television news promos I’d have to fly down there and search individual station archives (i’m guessing on this one). Instead, here we are in 2010 and all I have to do is check out this youtube channel: A great collection of similar clips and commercials from the same era. I don’t know if it is nostalgia, but there seems to be a quality of fun and innocence in these clips that’s hard to come by on television these days.
A new year, a new decade. Despite a world economy on the fritz, I managed to spend three and a half months of 2009 traveling. Started the year with a trip and ended it with two different ones. And although not everything went to plan, I feel blessed to have been able to experience so much in the span of one year. It’s been said a million times before, but travel truly is the best way to learn about both the world at large and the world inside your own head. After a nomadic year, I feel nothing but optimism for this year. Looking forward to enjoying this city, my friends, and a renewed interest in design and creativity. To my friends and family: I hope this year brings you the absolute best, I’m rooting for you.
Spent nine hours today driving through dark and eerie Scandanavia. Slept through most of it but during my conscious hours I cranked Timber Timbre. Something great about findingthe perfect record for the moment. By 3:30 the sun was down.
In Sandviken, Sweden playing with label mates Gadget. The club has a list of every show from 1994. Great Swedish acts like Entombed, Hellacopters, and Disfear as well as some Canadians (Born Dead Icons) and classic 90s hardcore (Snapcase and Turmoil). Cool to see a timesheet like that.
No wifi in sight today, but the apartment we’re in above the club has a great VHS collection. Currently watching the Van Damme classic Double Impact. So far it’s proving to be a great way to kill the post epic drive blues.
There is an animal sighting board at the entrance where everybody writes down what wildlife they’ve encountered and at what time and where etc. Definitely two different bear sightings on our campground in the wee mornings of the AM, but I didn’t get to see them myself. Pretty sure we heard them knocking a BBQ around (why you would bring a full propane BBQ camping? I’m not sure.)
I’ve only seen wild bears on one occasion. Portaging through Algonquin with Nick and his pops a long time ago we saw two cubs paddling across the lake. Nick and I wanted to get closer but his dad insisted that there is no worse idea than getting between a momma bear and her cubs. The momma never made an appearance but the ranger told us on exit that a hostile female bear had been removed from the area.
Looking forward to getting to know this park over the course of my life.
Can’t wait for the summer to finally arrive, this is the first winter I’ve truly struggled through. Which is ironic considering I skipped two months of it.
