Archive for November, 2009

fotografz

By On November 14, 2009 In photos With 1 Comment Permanent Link to fotografzPermalink

so, the past few weeks have been fortunate ones for me – toy-wise, that is.

I have a few new cameras.

the first was awarded to me in Hawaii from a very good friend who’s company needed photos, so we traded.

they bought me this:

now, yes. it’s a gorgeous camera and shoots amazing video. but to be completely honest, I’m so hooked on my little Leica and it’s wonderful smallness and 16:9 framing that I’m having trouble even giving the Canon it’s rightful time. I know nothing about camera, nothing. that’s a fact. that ‘A’ and ‘S’ and whatever else is on there [ISO? the fuck?] confuses me. I put it on ‘auto’ point it at something and press the button.

and this thing has a lot of buttons.

I think it would be a good camera to shoot people with, but I don’t like shooting people.

[and the recent Hawaii project that I did, I didn't like. like, didn't like so much I didn't want to put it up on my flickr, to be completely honest.]

and places? well, I like shooting 16:9.

so I don’t know, I’m going to have to have a courting with my new Rebel.

but am open to suggestions.

the other one is a beauty as well [and cost 50x less]:

I’ve wanted one of these for a long time and finally splurged the $20 and bought one. I should have watched some instructions online first, but it’s still fun. and the 120 film just makes it feel so…well, raw.

will gladly take suggestions, tips, etc on either.

just don’t try and buy my Leica…which deserves it’s picture in here as well – still the best camera I have ever owned, or seen.

respect.

the friday cinco 4 – adam cohn [writer. poet. photographer. likeable guy.]

By On November 13, 2009 In the friday cinco With No Comments Permanent Link to the friday cinco 4 – adam cohn [writer. poet. photographer. likeable guy.]Permalink

there are guys you like and there are guys you like. I like Adam Cohn. we met under strange and rushed circumstances during a 4-hour layover in Seoul and, 10-minutes into conversation, ditched all food and went on a soju binge. he got me drunk and funny things happened. he makes me laugh, he makes me think, his is the only blog I check religiously [sorry] and he made me cookies. guys don’t make guys cookies. but he made me some. and I liked that very much.

aric s. queen, nov ’09

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[quick self-bio]

  • suburban philadelphia native
  • born 1970
  • was going to go to law school, but changed to graphic design in 1990 and
  • never looked back.
  • started carrying a camera with me every day since november of 1998 and since then have been waiting for the day that my eyes and brain can download directly to my blog.
  • wrote a bit in high school, thought my english teacher wanted to sleep with me, realized all my stories were knock-off Steven King efforts, and stopped writing until november of 2008.
  • still fascinated with the US civil war and abraham Lincoln since living in the netherlands for three years (2002-2005) have been re-dedicated to study language, how people speak to one another, what words and phrases really mean, and developing ways to be as succinct and to the point in all communication and truly being real with all things.

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you work for Converse. you’re also good at conversing – what is your day job and what is the farthest thing away from a job that you have?

My day job is, officially, “Associate Creative Director” at Converse. Essentially, I oversee 3 areas: digital, asia-pacific region, and brand identity issues. all of these are as it regards to creative, brand consistency etc etc. It is a phenomenal job because it is basically exposing the ways in which Converse fans interact with music, sport, art and fashion and bring those stories to a larger audience.

how often do you travel? where do you travel do? of the top 5 places, give us 3 must see/hear/eat/drink tips.

the farthest thing from a job that I have is they way that I meet people and learn about them. I’m not even sure that this is truly an answer to this question, but one of the things I love most is meeting people, asking them tons of questions, hearing the answers, finding connections and shared experiences, getting exposed to new points of view. this may be the same reason that I often listen to religious radio and watch Faith TV. it is fascinating. I don’t agree with the messages, but I like to know about them.

I travel to china about 3 or 4 times a year, mainly Shanghai. I used to travel around the US a lot, but now it is just shanghai and Columbus, OH. I think about that, my travel experiences now are the paris of china and the fast food testing capital of america.

my top 5 places I have traveled to, in no particular order . . .

1. Beijing, PRC

2. Vilnius, Lithuania

3. Vienna, Austria

4. Johannesburg, South Africa

5. Baku, Azerbaijan

6. (sorry) Barcelona

In Vilnius, find an all night basketball league and watch this bball crazy nation fulfill their addiction. basketball is THE national sport of Lithuania. watch until dawn. awesome.

In Vienna, see every Jungdestil building and every Klimt and Schiele painting and drawing you can. then have the best soft pretzels in the world at a medieval restaurant called ‘Brezel Gwolb’ and then, have excellent falafel at a little place called ‘Maschu Maschu’, run by two transplanted Israelis.

If you are going to Columbus, OH, go to the museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, OH. geek out on technology and think about how many resources our species has spent on being afraid and protecting ourselves from fear.

worst film from a previously good book?

hmmm. many of the books that I read are not made into movies. I’m concerned about the book/movie relationship. I loved the movie “The Thin Red Line” and I’m told that the book used to be required reading in US high schools in the 50s and 60s. I haven’t read it, but I consider the movie to be the closest thing to a visual poem I’ve encountered. I also read a lot of Haruki Murakami, and have heard about a few film adaptations in the works. again, concerned.

tell us what you have on, right now – and where you bought them, your sentimental attachments, etc.

I assume you are talking about what clothes I have on? nothing too epic. I’m wearing a good pair of black Chuck Taylor black hi-tops. they are breaking in nicely. regardless of my employment by Converse, I have always loved Chucks. they are universal. they are global. they don’t know class or station. the wearer adopts them and owns them. they are for anyone and everyone. they flatten things out and equalize. I feel this way about clothes in general. that phrase “the clothes make the man (woman)” doesn’t really work for me. my brain, my thoughts, my actions, that is where it happens.

I’ve pretty much been wearing black and gray, in various shades and tones for the past 3 years. I just don’t want to dwell on what I wear. I once read that the bauhaus teacher, artist and designer Lazlo Maholy-Nagy wore gray coveralls, gray shirt and gray tie all the time because it was “not abou him” but about they work and his mind etc. I like that philosophy. Another designer from that time period changed his name to “zero” for the same reason, Hans Schleger.

you’re always doing exciting things. your shirts. your posters. what’s next? and when will you aggregate all of this onto one site for us to Christmas shop on?

my t-shirts and posters. I need to re-focus on them. I have a long list of phrases that I want to elevate because of their ridiculous nature. I’m planning more posters (a bit smaller in size this time), about 10 new tees and a postcard line. I’m also thinking about a notebook series as well. I don’t think I’m making it for the holidays though. I think it may be more of a “happy spring, I want to sleep with you.” sort of thing.

…now, iTunes/iPod/iPhone: hit ‘shuffle’ and ffwd past the first track. let it run for 3 songs. what are they, why do you like them and what are we missing by not having them on ours?

A. Don’t You Ever Learn_Todd Rundgren

B. Sonata Mexicana I: Allegro Moderato_Andres Segovia

C. Same Lies as Yesterday_The Meeting Places

A. I’ve been listening to Todd since I was 14 or so. I didn’t have any older siblings, and my older next door neighbor and his friend we’re all into Todd and Utopia. I started off listening to fit in, and then got wrapped up in his sad ballads, power arena rock songs, odd studio experiments and the overall underdog nature of this super talented rock-geek that everyone respected, but that couldn’t get radio play.

Check out these 3 albums: Something/Anything, A Wizard_A True Star, and Hermit of Mink Hollow.

B. I first discovered Andres Segovia via my friend Chris Gallu when I crashed at his apartment for a month in Washington DC. this was 1997 I think. I can’t say too much about it, except that stressful late night moments, or moments of depression and reflection can be tolerable and eased with his classical spanish guitar. I’ve solved or come to terms with a lot of problems via Andres Segovia.

C. This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to fill the void that Slowdive left in the shoegazer rock scene over 15 years ago. Thanks Pandora.

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in a few weeks, I’ll be spending a weekend with Adam Cohn. I suspect it will be fun.

hang hat [here]

By On November 12, 2009 In family With 1 Comment Permanent Link to hang hat [here]Permalink

this is Mom & Dad’s backyard.

it’s one of my favorite places.

line dancing

By On November 11, 2009 In family With 5 Comments Permanent Link to line dancingPermalink

‘how ya doin’?’

‘good, thanks. you?’

‘fine, thank you’.

that’s usually how it goes. it might even end after that second line. people say ‘hello’ and instinctively ask the same back. this isn’t a process that is obscure to anyone.

it’s basically obligatory.

and I like that.

but today, while eating lunch with my Dad, I got up to get him some ketchup.

not for me, for him – I hate the stuff.

I stood behind a man in orange talking to a couple in the line adjacent.

they exchanged the formalities mentioned.

and that was nice – I liked that.

but it didn’t stop there.

as most understand the understated end to that greeting[s].

but neither had the heart to be the last one to talk.

to end a sentence without a question mark.

they probably weren’t really interested in the details,

maybe they were.

but what they wouldn’t have is the silence that follows the silent end to a new conversation.

and so the questions kept coming.

the weather, the food, the Cowboys season and the coupons Chic-Fil-A offered.

and they stretched it out until both cashiers took both their orders.

and then said ‘thanks’, they said ‘goodbye’ and I heard one ‘much obliged’.

it was more important for them to not let the niceties drift off,

than to focus on their own things,

what they needed to order,

their own lives,

and the lives of those in theirs.

and I liked that.

I liked that very, very much.

serve

By On November 11, 2009 In family With 1 Comment Permanent Link to servePermalink

this is not a photo of my brother.

but there’s probably one that exists.

not under the flag, thank God

although there were times where we didn’t know.

he has been on either side of the stripes though,

losing best friends from feet away

he’s gone to places he can’t even speak about

nor is he really keen to

he’s buried more comrades

and taken shrapnel out of his own body.

in the name of war, of justice, of principle,

of what’s right and what’s wrong?

no.

in fact, he remains ambivalent when asked.

he surrendered his opinions

so that we could have ours.

and followed through on a promise

that most of us would never make.

just for [narcissistic] men.

By On November 7, 2009 In aric s. queen, life With 1 Comment Permanent Link to just for [narcissistic] men.Permalink

now, before you say anything, yes – I know. my ‘just for men’ trials started out badly. but I was so damn happy I had little grey hairs growing back in my beard [nothin still on the neck, but hey], I decided to celebrate by growing one out again.

‘my beard is fantastic’ I re-read in my diary entries from Nepal.

I wanted to be able to write that again.

but it looked funny [see above].

so I decided to dye that little part to make it all work.

which ended up being a big ole’ black spot on my chin.

so I dyed the other side.

which, with my gorgeous deep-brown eyes, made me look dice.

so then I gave in and did the whole beard.

which, with my greying sideburns, made me look like an 8-year old hobo on Halloween.

so I did the whole thing.

and now just look like a dick who dyes his beard.

but at least this dick can have a beard again.

small victories.

and…action [by adam cohn]

By On November 7, 2009 In friends, people With 1 Comment Permanent Link to and…action [by adam cohn]Permalink
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you already know Adam Cohn. from either his posters or his t-shirts or his overall big heart that more often than not plays out in his blog that needs to be written on more than it is. a few days ago, I came across his newest story and have re-visited it no less than three times a day. it’s gorgeous. and deserves more than a hyperlink or nudge. and maybe, just maybe, he’ll start to realize that even if he doesn’t have much time to, he is expected, nay – required, with such talent to convey the things everyone else listens to but don’t really pay attention – to do so anyways.
the rest of us need it.
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and…action
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i was riding the train to boston from newburyport massachusetts. on a friday night. i barely made it in time and forgot to bring anything to read. the blackberry was on 2 bars of battery life and i needed to make some calls later. so i put it in my pocket and stared out at the tail end of the day that was receding behind the trees made evil due to lack of leaves. the conductor sat diagonally from me with a copy of the Herald and pen for the crossword. he kept getting up to call the stations and i desperately wanted to fill in some answers. rowley, ipswich passed, and i was getting bored. we came to hamilton and everything changed.

a woman got on and sat where the conductor had previously been. she was about 45 or 50 years old, looking a bit tired and haggard. she wore some obscure brand of athletic jumpsuit that had half-gloves at the end of the sleeves. it was navy blue with neon green stripes and accents. she wore beat canvas tretorn sneakers with a pink logo. her auburn hair was tied in the back of her head in some sort of victorian bun. what happened next was nothing less than mezmerizing.
it was another 30 minutes to boston. in that time, she literally put on her face. we’ve all heard that phrase “i need to put my face on.” or “face that she keeps in the jar by the door, who is it for?” this woman unrolled a tool kit of mascara, eyeliners, powders, wrinkle creams and lipsticks went to town on her face for 30 minutes. she attacked it. in between applications she sent text messages, took phone calls and adjusted her sports bra. she explained to her friend that “steve” had called at the last minute and asked her to the celtics game. this woman threw on a body-tight track suit, beat up tretorns and ran out the door to meet steve, knowing full well she would have 30 minutes to apply her mask before reaching north station and the famed boston garden. there, she would meet steve, who would spend the next 2-3 hours staring at 10 men run the court, while the woman in the mask sat next to him.
i really became attached to this woman, and her process. i started out stealing looks at her via the reflection in my window, but near the end, i was flat-out staring at her. i don’t think she ever even saw me, her eyes boring into her hand-mirror the entire time. holding it at different angles and making conversational expressions into it. i believe she covered every known emotion with her face to make sure that her makeup would withstand any reaction. and it did.
we reached north station and i walked out of the train behind her. i really wanted to tap her on the shoulder and wish her good luck. good luck with steve. knock him dead.
but i didn’t. ok.
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[adam cohn, nov. '09]

the friday cinco 3 – erin fite ['true blood' set designer and White House decorator]

By On November 7, 2009 In people, the friday cinco With 2 Comments Permanent Link to the friday cinco 3 – erin fite ['true blood' set designer and White House decorator]Permalink

e.fite.

surely you’ve seen her work…
I LOVE YOU MAN..THE HANGOVER…brothers and sisters…maybe even modern family
numerous commercials
she makes these places believable places these characters reside, love, fight, work, play, BE.

she’s the girl who BUYS [also rents...barters....borrows] stuff to make environments REAL
modern…mid century….classic…name a style she’s on it.
decorating powerhouse and did i mention she gets to SHOP…all day. what girl wouldn’t want to do that?

inspired by Wes Anderson and Quentin Tarantino-designs [thanks to the married team of  Sandy and David Wasco] to get into the movies…
she can cook a mean turkey even in a 200 degree not-really-working oven.
pull a party together in no time flat
is one of the coolest people you could meet and kindest and empathetic but is from texas so don’t mess with her…she will kick your ass.

she will go home [to texas] for thanksgiving and then it’s off to washington DC…to DECORATE…1600 pennsylvania….for the holidays.
there was a brief moment of eeek…what if the background check comes up with “allegedly smuggled something in from cuba” but no…she’s fine.
again….alleged.

[Lori Fradella, Nov, '09]

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you have a job. what is it?

right now i am currently working on TRUEBLOOD as a set decorating buyer. i work in the set decorating crew of feature films, tv and or commercials.  decorate, buy, shop, schlep, it’s all the same…basically read a script, develop a character in my head, ask the a bunch of questions about the history and the look of that character to either the production designer [my boss] and or have a meeting with the director and then shop….for everything from the look/type of keys on the key chain sitting on the dresser in a farmer’s bedroom to the look of the folding bed and sheets in a homeless shelter to the tables and chairs put in the ambassador hotel’s version of the 1921 palm room.  i basically try to help create the best possible environment for an actor “feel” and act his part in a role and try and make the background portray the story as best as i can.

what’s this about being invited to decorate the White House?

a dear friend is doing all the floral design for the white house.  she somehow got us on a list to help decorate the white house for the holidays…it was a shot in the dark…after many hours of filling out forms and what i thought to be a shot in the dark, i got an envelope in the mail that was crisp and off-white (no smell, unfort)…..the return address at the top left hand corner said “THE WHITE HOUSE”….THAT IS IT!  ”THE WHITE HOUSE”….um, ya, they don’t have an address CAUSE IT’S THEEEE WHIIIITTTEE HOUSE!  pretty rad.  i’ve kept it stuck between my four wheel drive shaft and my stick shift….i pull it out every so often to look at it.  i noticed it has aged…what we freaks pay money to have done to any letter needing to look old…but i shouldn’t have done that, i should’ve tucked it away and kept for later years of coffee mornings and “i can’t believe it” conversations.  sad.

are you allowed to tell your William H. Macy story? and if not, can you tell us if he’s really, really nice?

he’s amazing.  he’s amazing. he’s amazing.  after much inhalation of some chronz, i won’t say WHO’S chronz….AND the jameson’s i brought as product placement served “neat” all taking place in his reno hotel suite with other crew members from THE COOLER….he lost his tendency for the mad mag look and pretty much turned into the reliable actor we’ve all come to know and love.  that’s that.  i can’t tattle on the bill macy, man – he’s one of the good ones.

your bf is a designer. you are one as well. who chooses what the house looks like? and in one word, how would you describe it?

i don’t know that you’d call either of us designers…..but i have to say, the house doesn’t come together without feeling like you’ve had a hard day at the dentist…………………………i usually play the dentist and he the patient….i get a little heavy on the laughing gas………..either that or a sleeping dart is a good back up…….when he wakes, things are hung and he’s well rested with a cold beer in his hand….”that didn’t hurt, now did it, baby?”……hhahahaa…happy campers….one word to describe this place:  calm.

and last, why do you call your dog Jagger?

it was gonna be tweedy (jeff tweedy, my hero and lead singer of wilco) but i thought it too painful for a boy dog…though he’d pull that shit off, i still couldn’t do it….so, my next hero would be mick jagger.  me loves me somes olllllddddd school jagger….he’s so not a rock n’ roll dog but he’s the best damn dog and he makes the name better.  probably the singer too.  all of us really.  period.

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[check out Erin's work on the new upcoming season of True Blood. or on IMDB. or, you know, at The White House.]

take me out.

By On November 5, 2009 In films, people, travel, work With No Comments Permanent Link to take me out.Permalink

I haven’t gotten out much here in Hawaii.

but it’s because I’m working.

and I’m just fine with that.

because my work involves pushing a button.

and in-between, having fun.

and when your work involves pushing buttons,

and in-between, having fun,

in Hawaii

well, there’s not much room for moaning.

so I won’t.

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