5.31.2011

Adventuring in Hawaii Kai




A few weeks ago we rounded up some friends and went off looking for a specific geographical landmark out in the Hawaii Kai area that Chase Carleston found while using google earth. We went on a hike and probably came close but not close enough. We stopped by spitting caves for a bit afterwards to get a little cliff jumping action. The water was quite turbulent. Kinda gnarly.

I'm going to miss going on adventures like this that get put together on a whim and end up being awesome regardless of what happens. Hawaii is perfect for that kind of get together.

Picture 1: The crew before we embarked on the hike
Picture 2: Chase jumping at Spitting Cave in Portlock
Picture 3: The view from the jump with the gang
Picture 4: Sunset at earlier mentioned cliff jumping spot
Picture 5: Jordan Smiling for the camera while driving in Waiamanalo

5.29.2011

JUSTICE- CIVILIZATION

Neat video. When you throw ancient ruins and buffalo in any video it's gonna be a winner in my book.

5.28.2011

Zombies & Rapture


About a week ago there was all this wacky talk about the rapture happening. Remember that? Well, some road worker up on the North Shore thought it would be fun to add a twist to the day and warn people of Zombies up at Pupukea just up the hill from foodland. I had to take a picture of the sign cuz it was just too classic. Kelliann, Evelyn and myself had to turn back down the hill and snap some shots to document it. There were people slowing down and taking pictures just like we were; everyone had big smiles on their faces. I'm glad someone working on the road had a good sense of humor. It made my day.

5.27.2011

TAHITI

Just watch this. Incredible. Mark my words; I'm going to Tahiti in the not too far distant future.

5.26.2011

SEATTLE


I had a 15 minute layover in Seattle a few weeks ago and was able to snap a couple shots from the window of the airplane. The first two pictures are of Mt. Ranier. On the third picture I got pretty lucky with the narrow sliver of open sky that allowed for an interesting frame for the Cascades. It was neat to see the clouds above and below them. I wish my time in Seattle would have been longer. I would have enjoyed visiting some cousins and friends who live in the area. Dear Jon & Cher, Aaron & Lindsey, Scott & Jennifer; I'll make my way out there sooner than later. A Pacific Northwest trip is well overdue.

5.24.2011

FESTIVAL OF THE V-TWIN

I would be stoked out of my mind to be at this little gathering of pre 1980 V-Twins. The mix of bikes was incredible.
Deus Ex Machina always impresses me.
Camel Thorn Trees


This photograph looks like it could be a painting. The contrast with a bright orange sand dune as the backdrop to the dark snarled trees is more than eye catching. I came across this on Huffington Post this morning and had to put it up. Frans Lanting took this while visiting Namib-Naukluft Park in Africa for National Geographic.

5.23.2011

KING CREOSOTE & JON HOPKINS
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins 2011-05-08 Homegame-16

King Creosote & Jon Hopkins got together and created an incredibly remarkable album entitled Diamond Mine. From the start you can tell it's more than just music. It has sounds recorded at a scottish cafe with people talking and glassware clanking in the background as the opening track slowly starts to emerge from the atmosphere there. I've meant to post something about this collaboration for over a  month and now seems like the right time. I'm really glad I happened across this album from my wanderings on the inteweb because it's perfect to turn on and open a good book to. Calm and well thought out, the music is more of an experience crafted from Hopkins' arrangemnts and King Creosote's (Kenny Anderson) vocals collected over the years from various recordings. It seems those recordings from the past couple decades were created perfectly for the right moment to be released as this album.

COLD SPLINTERS

I came across one of those blogs that make you go look through every past post since it started. Yeah, I pretty much did that and I'm not even mad about it. Coldsplinters.com is filled with great content about camping, hiking, environmental awareness, etc. I'm already looking forward to implementing some of the wisdom found within the webpages of this site over the summer. The eclectic (that word is for your Doug) mix of information and the collection of old photographs really make for a great experience. ENJOY.
(photo taken by me a couple of summers ago in Banff)

5.21.2011

Proxy Cheerleaders
Read this article right HERE.
Read this one as well right HERE.
Read THIS for some of the latest chatter between Bebe & Obama.

One of my professors said something that I'll never forget during the semester I studied in Jerusalem. When asked what can we do as students going back to the United States, after spending a semester in Jerusalem, to help the current political situation in Israel/Palestine... professor Yardin replied with this answer: Don't go back and be "proxy cheerleaders". What he means is don't go back and be pro Israel or pro Palestine and rally people behind your ideologies, thoughts, opinions, etcetera, but rather be pro peace. Be an advocate for a solution. Now... one can make a case and say that it would be close to impossible to do this, but I think that the main thing is to do exactly the opposite of what Mr. Beck and many other conservative commentators do. Don't go getting people excited about your opinion one way or another.

I'm not advocating luke warmness either (to borrow a familiar phrase from a particular book) but to rather be a voice of reason and take a look at both sides of the playing field and try and understand the commentary, history, and current events from the point of view of each side. Both people; Palestinians and Jews, have a deep and well documented history in that particular geographic area, both groups have given up much through time and have had to make adjustments, both are going to have to make big decisions that will ultimately displace people from their current home, both have done some pretty rude things to each other (to put it lightly). The lack of proper leadership and forward thinking over the past 40, 60, and even 150 years (some can make the case for thousands of years even) has created a situation, climate, cauldron, problem, or whatever you would like to call it that is less than ideal and filled with difficult roads to useful and productive resolutions. Things are tricky over there, and that is the biggest understatement of the century. The last thing we need are american demagogues that see fit to get caught up in the middle of something way over their head. Beck is a weirdo, you can put that together by watching just a few minutes of his television program. There are several other people that have done similar things (Huckabee is another, see the second link) that will only confuse people who really don't take the time to study and understand the situation.

You're not going to have an even decent understanding of the history and current situation in the Holy Land by watching cable news. Hells bells, you're not even going to gain it from reading a book or even an anthology of books written on the situation. This thing is so complex you need much more than that. As I write this I'm not saying I have it, and get it, and even grasp it like I need to, but I will say that I have taken the time to look objectively at both sides and have done everything I can to study and understand it; from both perspectives and from a few other angles as well. There is a proper approach and something at least slightly noble in acting like you don't have all the answers and being open minded to various world views shared by Jews, Palestinians, Israelis, Muslims, or whatever other group you want to label as the direct parties involved. Lets be open minded and educated.

Lets all remember to not be "proxy cheerleaders." I would love to hear some opinions.

(For those who care, these pictures were taken by me in the Fall of 2009. First one is outside Jaffa Gate looking to West Jerusalem. Second one is the symbol found in the Kotel Tunnel tour in the Jewish quarter in the Old City.)
SHOVELS & ROPE

If you have a chance to see Shovels & Rope perform live I would recommend taking advantage of it. Cary Ann Hurst and Michael Trent really compliment each other. I hadn't heard about them until I saw who was opening for the Felice Brothers in Minneapolis but was pleasantly surprised when I listened to a few songs. They hail from Charleston, South Carolina and know how to put on a show. Here is a link you should check out. Photos courtesy of Carleigh Knowles. Thanks again Carleigh. I'm glad Catherine and Asia came, they were great to have at the show. Good times, music and great memories in the midwest.

5.19.2011

Belongings

This video starts off pretty slow and quite regular in my opinion. The piano has a nice flow to it but the real kicker about the video is the cinematography. Things get pretty rad at about the two minute and fourty seven second mark. I respect the man's beard in this video. having a beard like that is something for me to shoot for this summer. It's a worthy summer goal in my eyes.
LAIE AT NIGHT
Last month I decided to be creepy and ride around Laie at night on my roommates bike and snap long exposure shots because of the full moon. I didn't realize how creepy I was being until midway through the evening when I thought to myself, "I wonder what that car was thinking when they just passed by me setting up my camera on that wall pointing it towards the palm trees". Whoopsies. I should have thought my plan of attack out better and brought a friend. Oh well. These pictures are what came of that brightly lit evening. I happened to have the opportunity to ride a bike last night since the moon was so full only this time I had the companionship of some friends and the lack of my trusty Canon G9. The new bike path that parallels Kamahameha Highway and connects Kahuku and Laie together happens to be my favorite place to be right now. It's nice how well lit it is as well. It really is a great asset for the community.

Anyways... I recommend getting yourself out there amongst the beaming rays of moon light next time you have a chance. It would have been fun to go night surfing if there was at least a little bump on this side of the island. Shoots.

***UPDATE*** A group of us actually went surfing last night even though there were hardly any waves. It was still a bunch of fun. Anytime you have two large white long-bed pickup trucks filled with people and surfboards you're gonna have a good time.

5.16.2011

Bon Iver- Calgary
bon iver
Bon Iver Sunrise Show at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Bon Iver - Calgary by Some Kind of Awesome
I first saw Bon Iver play in August of 2008. I went with a friend who happened to be visiting Los Angeles the same time I was there visiting some friends on my way back to Hawaii after a little mainland visit. The show was great for several reasons. They played at my favorite venue (The Troubadour. It happened to be my go to venue in my high school days) which you have to drive by the Los Angeles Temple on Santa Monica Boulevard on you way to get there (it's always nice to pass that building), A.A. Bondy happened to open for them, it was great to just be in Southern California again, and to top it all off at that time I was pretty stoked on the gal I was with. I had wanted to see Bon Iver play for about six months before it all came together that late summer day so it was great I was able to work it into the itinerary of my trip.

The fact that Justin Vernon got together with a boat load of his friends to create his latest record which comes out in June makes me even more excited for its release. All his collaborations since "For Emma, Forever Ago" have been top notch.

As I mentioned in my last Bon Iver post, the fact there is a song called Calgary is pretty neat but all of a sudden it's his first single... so that's rad. Calgarians have to be pretty stoked on that.

Hopefully I'll get to see them play live soon. I hear he is bringing all his collaborators from the record on tour with him to better duplicate the sound. Go here for some preorder jazz.

I know I sound sorta like a super-fan and that's okay because I really enjoy this music. When I came across it for the first time it was a breath of fresh air. I know a lot of other people have had that same experience. If somehow you are not familiar with Bon Iver I suggest you get on it and delve into the music. It has never gotten old. It's been really neat to see Justin Vernon's career take off over the past couple years. The guy is going to be known as one of the great songwriters of our time. No joke.

Picture credit can be found by clicking on the pictures. The second pic is of the sunrise concert he played at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery a couple years back. I would have loved to have gone to that show. I heard it was unreal.
Intentio Trailer

Came across this via adventure journal. It looks like it's going to be a good production. The cinematography is amazing just in the short minute and a half teaser trailer. I wouldn't consider myself a surfer but I do enjoy getting out in the water and catching waves. I have nothing but respect for guys who have honed in on their skill of surfing. There is nothing like the feeling of catching a wave and riding it. Pure energy.

5.15.2011

THE FELICE BROTHERS
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers
The Felice Brothers


I had a chance to catch a pretty good show last week while visiting Minneapolis. The Felice Brothers happened to be in town while I was there so I took advantage of it. I'm glad I did. I took my good friends Catherine and Asia to the show even thought they were not too familiar with the band and they ended up loving it so that was grand. The Felice Brothers have been on my radar for awhile now. Hailing from New York, their sister happened to be married to one of my favorite musicians, A.A. Bondy, but I think that is in the past. Regardless, they are all great musicians.

It's a rare treat for me to see a band play live these days. Being in Hawaii makes it difficult. That will all change soon enough. The day I move back to the mainland I get to see Ratatat play live for the first time since I saw them at the troubadour in 2006. I'm pumped.

The show was great. Shovels & Rope opened for them. It was my first time being introduced to their music and it was a good introduction at that. I'll post more on them later. The Felice Brothers played a solid set and even though they had a heckler in the crowd make a redonkulous statement that they, "weren't as good as they used to be". The fool who uttered those words actually got the snot beat out of him. It was a bit nuts. It was a mellow show other than that. I talked to James (accordion player) for a bit afterwards and got some info about their album called "Celebration, Florida" which just came out. That was neat. He was a nice guy.

The craziest thing was that the hotel I was staying at was the same one they stayed in that night. It happened to be the bass players birthday so they celebrated by not sleeping in their tour bus and getting a hotel room. I had the chance to chat with some of the guys as they were coming in. Small world. ha. Their song Frankie's Gun was featured in this video I posted a bit ago. Here is another cool video of them.

The pictures (other than the black & white one) were taken by Carleigh Knowles. Thanks again Carleigh, they turned out great.

5.11.2011

Ka'ena Point
Skee @ Kaena Point
Kaena Point Gorge
Kaena Point gorge expedition
Mud @ Kaena Point- OAHU
Stuck in the mud @ Kaena Point
IMG_3519
A week or so ago my buddy Skee and I decided to go on a bit of an adventure to Ka'ena Point. We ventured off to the furthest point West on Oahu's North Shore as we could. Ka'ena point is known for it's large waves during the winter swells and the large Albatross bird population that lives there. It has a road the dead ends and turns pretty rough. Most 4x4 vehicles have a difficult time getting through it. Skee and I decided to bushwack and blaze our own trail to go and venture into a small canyon/gulch. Once we got to the dry creek bed it was a breeze but before that we were in grass up to our faces while weaving between the large lava rocks hidden by the brush. The end result was an impressively dry 50 foot waterfall with nothing more than a trickle of water and a brown pool of water underneath it.

As the picture shows, I also had a run in with a mud puddle. It honestly had the appearance of being totally dry in spots... so I crept out onto the surface, only to find myself quickly sinking mid thigh deep into the muck. I had so much fun that once I got out with the assistance of Skee's extended arm I jumped right back in. It was quite fun. The ocean was less than 40 yards away so cleaning off was a cinch. Unfortunately for a man driving a stock 4x4 Ford Ranger the mud got the best of him. We ran into him on the way out and offered to drive him to get help (my trusty truck had nothing to offer in terms of being able to pull him out) but he already had a friend coming to assist in the excavation.

All in all, Ka'ena point is a majestic part of the island. Besides a quick hike to some climbing walls I would occasionally peruse with some friends back in the day, the gorge we found, incredible mud piles, large waves, and albatross; Ka'ena Point happens to be a nice place to camp as well. We plan on going back soon. Here is some more info on Ka'ena Point.

5.10.2011

The City Limits Timelapse

I'm in Minneapolis this week for the SIFE National Competition. It's the first time I've been here and so far I'm impressed with the city. I'm all about the Midwest these days. I came across another great timelapse a few weeks ago. Check it out. Brilliant.

5.08.2011

Mother Dearest
Mom's wedding day
Mom & Lulu's Kodak Dick Van Dyke Ad
My mom is the greatest. Fun, Beautiful, hard working, domestic, smart, silly, and so much more. I'm glad she chose to be a mother full time and raise us 5 kids. In high school she was all my friends' favorite. She woke up early to pack my lunch growing up. She sends me stuff in the mail from time to time. She even sends me little reminder emails and usually throws in a good story just for good measure. She is incredibly fun to play board games with. She even was a good sport and moved from Southern California up to Alberta Canada with my dad, all with a good attitude. You won't find a more hip and with it mom. Plus on top of all of that she can be just down right ridiculously funny/silly.

The first picture is of her on her wedding day in Hawaii. Good lookin' couple, yeah? The second picture is of a print ad her and my aunt Marilou (they are identical twins) were in with Dick Van Dyke back in Hawaii in the 70's. It's her modeling days claim to fame.

She has a really fun blog you can check out here. She is also the biggest commenter on this here blog. Thanks mom. It's always good to hear what you have to say. Have the best day ever.
A NEW RESPECT FOR ANTS

I came across this and had my mind blown. Super interesting.

5.06.2011

CUBE PROJECT

One of the things I have become slightly obsessed with over the past few years is the design of small eco friendly living spaces. Whether it's homes built out of shipping containers, various new construction methods, or traditionally built homes, I have become interested in learning about them. I came across this video on a one of the news websites I frequent and thought I would post it. Pretty interesting stuff. I don't love every part of this building but it has a few features that are really impressive. Plus the dude giving the tour seems like a nice guy. Here is a link to their website for more info.

I'll post more on this tiny house movement I am so interested in in the future. There is a lot of really neat stuff out there.

5.05.2011

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals


Ryan Adams is one of my favorite recording artists. He has changed up his style quite a bit from his Whiskytown days. Every album is different. The first video is one of my favorite songs off his album Easy Tiger. It never gets old for me. The second video is entitled Fix It and is off the album Cardinology. Click here for one of my favorite songs off the album III/IV. Even though it is a collection of past recordings they are still new to me so I'm stoked on it.

I was first made aware of Ryan Adams when I was living in Alabama for a couple months back in the summer of 2006. A friend of mine who I worked with was a huge fan of Ryan Adams and burned me a bunch of his albums before I left to drive back home. He was all about spreading the word of Ryan Adams. I think Jacksonville City Nights had recently come out, so that is what I started on. It was perfect music for the drive back to California. I don't think I listened to anything else all the way across texas. We're talking from Beaumont to El Paso. It was a long drive but perfect for me to dive right into all of his material.

Some people don't dig his tunes but I really do. It's always fun to get his latest release and see what direction he is taking. Rumor has it he is going on tour in Europe soon and coming out with a new record that has entirely new material. Ever since he got married to Mandy Moore he has been laying low.
Hilarious

So I'm a Lakers fan. I have been since the early 90's when they were rebuilding after the showtime era. I was a super fan in the days of Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, George Lynch, Elden Campbell, Anthony Peeler, Vlade Divac, etc. etc. I grew up outside of Los Angeles and have fond memories of going to the Great Western Forum with my dad and brother to watch the games. Now that I have that off my chest, let me proceed...

They aren't doing too hot right now. Down 2-0 to the Dallas Mavericks in the second round of the playoffs. Crap. In situations like these I try to look for the good. In this case, the funny. This comedian does a great job of being a Lakers fan in the most awkward of ways. He has another video that is a classic about the U.S. and Canadian border. Check it out here.

I know most people don't care for the Lakers... or maybe basketball in general, but I do. I've been a fan for quite sometime now. I can see why people don't like them (they win all the time and have one of the most cocky players of all time leading the team) but I respect the organization and the legacy they have going on there. Let's hope they can dig themselves out of this hole and defend their championship.

5.04.2011

Cowboys & Indians
Cowboys and Indians and a Holga
A shelf above my desk.

5.03.2011

THE TALLEST MAN ON EARTH


The first video is my favorite Take Away show of all time. I look forward to visiting this music store (Music Inn) next time I'm in NYC. Something about its disorganized and eclectic mix of instruments make me want to just tinker around for an afternoon. Here is the blogotheque website. They have tons of great artists. You can get lost on that website for hours.

The second video is a very well done recording of a live show in Spain. The Dreamer is the best track (in my opinion) off his latest release.

Kristian Matsson is from Sweden but he plays a brand of music that would make you think he is from the Southern United States or perhaps the midwest. He has a unique twang to his songs. Before he did his own thing he was in a band call Montezumas. I'm glad he is doing his own thing now, not that Montezumas was bad but he definitely found his sound with The Tallest Man On Earth. Here is another neat video of one of my favorite songs.