Bodhi Day

Namaste! My nifty keen Life in Hell Calendar tells me, today is Bodhi Day! (December 8th) It is the day that Siddhartha Gautama became enlightened as the Buddha. Learn more!

Happy Chester Greenwood Day!

Happy Chester Greenwood Day! Yes it is time to celebrate the inventor of the ear muff ~ It all began in 1873 with some cold ears ... I am not sure why this special day celebrating the man and the invention of ear mufflers or "Greenwood's Ear Protectors" came to mean something to me but it's nice to have fuzzy warm ear muffs on when you're out and about with a proper hat on & it's freezing cold outside. I speak not from experience, since I live in Oakland, California ~ where the temperature remains in the high forties during our coldest days in the winter. But the rest of you - enjoy thine ear muffs!

Bark at the Moon!

Happy Birthday, Ozzy Osbourne! YEAASs! Let us honor the dark lord of RAWK, the prince of darkness himself, OZZY! Don't deny your roots people. I began my adolescence with Ozzy, Motley Crue and the like ~ Yes, it's Ozzy's 60th birthday! On a personal note, I've written O-Z-Z-Y across my knuckles many a time during Junior High and I'll never forget camping as a Boy Scout and playing BARK AT THE MOON as loud as possible at midnight ~ So many great songs like Crazy Train, Iron Man, Mr. Crowley, Suicide Solution, Warpigs, I Don't Know, Bark at the moon, Paranoid, Over the Mountain, Miracle Man - not to mention some other Black Sabbath classics like Fairies wear boots & Sabbath Bloody Sabbath of course. Happy Birthday, Ozzy! (Cue flame throwing demoniod robot creature ... now!)

Thanksgiving story

Yes this is my first post in over a week ... What can I say ~ it's that time of year when life gets hectic and overwhelming all at once, aah yes the holiday season! So I had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Chris & Kip's this year, astoundingly magnificent I should say except for the fact that I sat next to Jake (SICK BOY) during our private screening of Quantum of Solace (We have a friend on the Academy awards viewing list - Sshhh!) And after Friday's traditional turkey leftovers and multiple slices of pie & watching The Duchess by the warm fire, I began to feel not so well. Saturday and Sunday were spent trying to sleep with an anvil inside my head, the sinus pain was awful. Luckily I recovered enough to hop back to work on Monday ... Well that's my story.

The Best Apple Pie On Planet Earth

My friend Christine is quite the chef. She recently began making Cook Illustrated's Apple pie with vodka crust. It is amazing! I think she's made it three times in the last two months, and each time, the pies disappear more quickly! I suggest making this recipe at once, and please invite me over for some "taste-testing", just to be sure you have made this work of art correctly. Hi Ho!

Artist of the week: Shepard Fairey

Shepard Fairey's latest claim to fame has been his iconic poster of Barack Obama which went viral this year during the election campaign, even though it wasn't an official part of the campaign.





This artist, illustrator and graphic designer extraordinaire began by making "Andre the Giant has a Posse" stickers and plastering them all over the streets.




Now the Giant Obey label has become a clothing line and poster factory of epic proportions. Check them out at obeygiant.com

And to learn more about Fairey check the wiki entry or pick up a copy of OBEY: Supply and Demand: the art of Shepard Fairey at your local bookstore or library.

The One True Maverick

Vignette IV: The One True Maverick
This vignette is the fourth in a weekly series of vignettes composed and photographed by me. This week I was inspired by Xander's birthday party on Sunday. He invited five friends over and they had a Nerf war ~ red versus green. I found these great wacky ninja style masks at the Japanese dollar store, Daiko in Daly City. It was a bit surreal watching masked children with guns shoot at each other and run around the yard like commandos. But it was all in the spirit of fun, and best of all ~ no one got hurt! So please check out the photos on flickr for a glimpse into the madness from that Sunday afternoon! And enjoy the vignette!

And for more fun with your Maverick ~ try this!