my new favorite website

it's the home to all things cool. shoes, art, food, clothes, web links, etc. you might find some ridiculous stuff here and there, but tell me you don't love most of it. you have to check this link:
http://www.joshspear.com/

where else would we find stuff like this?

also, per liner's below comment... more on nyc later.

peace.

the perfect pastrami sandwich

Who really knows how many life-changing pastrami sandwiches are in the world... You know? And for that matter, how many are in the United States? Well, we have a couple factors that influence the answer to this question.

The Goyish Factor. If you know what I'm talking about already, skip to the next point. It really comes down to how many jews are in the neighborhood, because you sure as hell won't find a coma inducing reuben sandwich (that's one brilliant food coma) or hot glistening pastrami in a neighborhood filled with a bunch of gentiles... Know what I'm saying? If you see jews around, you're halfway there.

The Cash Factor. I have yet to find an amazing pastrami sandwich for under $10. If you know of one, let me know. Most pastrami sandwiches of a high caliber will set you back $10.99, maybe even $14. Crazy, you say? Not until you taste it.

The Locale factor. Now, I have heard people talk about Nate and so and so's in Beverly Hills. Granted, the person had no food respect in my book, but really, are you going to find an amazing sandwich in the middle of a bunch of Rolls Royces and breast implants?? That's F*$KiN ridiculous. Absolutely Not. Now, Canter's deli in Los Angeles (on LaBrea) may have a shot because it meets the above criteria, but I still have a place that is better than Canters. Enter NYC. Enter Katz's Deli.

It is the home of the perfect pastrami sandwich. Perfect. And don't forget the Brooklyn-brewed Katz's ale. And the kosher pickles on the side. Did I mention that they carve a couple slices of pastrami for you to taste and approve, then they make your sandwich? Yeah, they're not messing around.

I'm not the first to write about Katz's and I won't be the last, but try it for yourself. I guarantee it will change your life for the better. It's pastrami to live for, I tell ya.

the garden pumpkin gets carved

halloween weekend

here i am in my apartment in boulder. it's prep time for halloween. i am john mcenroe circa 1972. i just got back from an amazing sushi dinner at hapa. orgasm roll, amazing.

i'm listening to griffin house. he's singing a song for me about L.A.. "even if i had the money to stay, i still can't afford what it costs. all my things melt away, only love remains" you should really here this song, it's called "love remains".

i'm going to see the motet tonight. they are a jazz/funk/jam band. really good. as they say, dance your ass off! every year they do a halloween show that covers an artist. years past have included michael jackson, prince, etc. this year: madonna. i'm not that big of a madonna fan, but it's not about madonna. it's about letting the good times roll and messing around and meeting strangers and enjoying the evening and being john mcenroe.

also, not to be materialistic, but i also bought this from patagonia. patagonia is very nice.

and then next week is the big apple. NYC, it is on.

peace, happy parties on halloween, and laissez le bon temps rouler!

view from my office

caroline in the new york times

there must be some magicical vibe between my friends and the new york times. first, alex beh is brotally quoted in an article. now, my friend caroline shows up in a picture. check out the girl in the back with the blonde hair. she is seen at an annie leibovitz gallery showing which she helped set up. here's the link.

congrats caroline, i wish that one day i will make it in the new york times. you, caroline, are a celebrity. how does it feel?

rod stewart alert (see pic), music, and snow???

is it really october 9th? wow, time is flying. things are happening.
beer is brewing. leaves are falling. snow is coming?

yes.

we might get a couple inches of snow this evening. that's right.
two days ago it was 75 degrees, now we might get a dusting of snow.

so, as the leaves change or the snow falls, i have some music for you.

here's what's happening in my house these days:

lupe fiasco - food and liquor
fave tracks: i gotcha, kick push, real, hurt me soul
my morning jacket - okonokos
fave tracks so far: golden, lowdown, steam
easy star all stars - radiodread
fave tracks: karma police, let down, no surprises.
(this is a reggae version of ok computer)
medeski scofield martin & wood - out louder
fave tracks: tootie ma is a big thing, legalize it
josh ritter - girl in the war
only song i have and therefore my favorite:
blame it on the tetons (modest mouse cover)
ray lamontagne - till the sun turns black
fave track: you can bring me flowers (WHEN I'M DEAD AND GONE!)

ok, peace out people. have a nice october.
remember, the leaves changing does not mean death.
it means they are exploding with life... and you gotta love it.

oh, and here's a little tip for you on drama:
if it's necessary drama, deal with it.
if it's unnecessary drama, get over it.

oh, and welcome back seth!
please leave a comment if you read this...
i just want to make sure you didn't combust on your honeymoon.

cya!

jackson hole, wy

imprints in the sky

limb by limbs

teton peaks

the snake slithereth

togwotee pass or your favorite camping spot

teton up

these are from my labor day trip to wyoming with jenna...
hope you like them.
click to enlarge.
-me

lighten up

so, sometimes it is necessary to take life seriously... to overthink the details, to proclaim the seriousness of life, and to always be in control.

but most of the time it's not necessary.

for example, i have 2 great friends in los angeles that are in entertainment: one a scriptwriter, the other a music manager.
they both work hard, are successful, and go for it in their careers. but they also don't sweat the setbacks, don't give a shit if things don't go exactly their way, and they always have a positive outlook. they also admit they don't have all the answers, and go with the flow and make things up along the way if they have to. they work hard, but play hard. they don't take themselves and their self-importance seriously... which is a good thing.

so, lighten up. we're specks of sand in a galaxy. yes, we each have meaning, but take it easy. don't be so serious about yourself. if things work out, awesome. when they don't... it's ok. things will come around. life will keep moving. everything is going to be ok.

boarding gear... it's on.

saturday mornings

Two things make my weekend mornings more enjoyable:

Coffee and The New York Times.

I've started drinking matte b/c it makes me less jittery
and doesn't make my ears ring as much b/c of my tinnitus,
but i still like to drink coffee - especially with a good newspaper.
besides, matte is very very boulder. drink it too much
and you might forget about bruce springsteen, hunks of bbq'd
pork shoulder,and american beers like rolling rock and miller high life.


Why The New York Times?

Because the articles are incredibly descriptive, smart,
and interesting.what other newspaper will simultaneously
have articleson a hole-in-the-wall new york pizza joint,
lupe fiasco's debut album,traveling in patagonia, mario batali,
and noam chomsky's book?

On other notes, fall is here in Boulder. It's snowing in the
mountains,but here in Boulder it's all about nice consistently
crisp autumn days.last weekend i bought a snowboard
(salomon amp), bindings (burton custom),and
boots (vans with the rad steel lacing system).
i also bought the fivemountain pass (arapahoe basin,
keystone, breckinridge, vail, beavercreek). this will winter will
be a new adventure in learning how to board and
having a hell of a lot of fun in the process. oh yeah!

And after the labor day trip to jackson hole, i have new new
travels ahead.first, going to oxford ohio this coming
weekend for seth's wedding. then going to new york city for
my birthday at the beginning of november.
i've already managed to convince the people at the woody
guthrie archives in nycto let me in the door
and look through rare unpublished guthrie lyrics.
i'm also planning to make it to mario batali's
(molto mario) restaurant "babbo" in nyc and have
the best meal ever recorded on planet earth.
in addition to that, the all-star lineup of tyler, caroline,
aniko, and iwill all be in the same city at one time.
should be epic. i don't plan on sleeping
too much. did i mention epic?

ok, time for me to get off this thing. peace.

also, i took the above pic of the berlin wall in 2001.