6.30.2011

Hurricane Lamp
Czechoslovakia Hurricane Lamp
I got this Hurricane Lamp in Lethbridge at an antique store. I've been wanting to get one for a while and when I came across this one I knew what I had to do. It's from Czechoslovakia. I like that it is from a place that no longer exists, kinda adds a little something to it. I have big plans for this old red lamp.

6.29.2011

M83

They have a new album coming soon... Click here for more info. It actually doesn't have much more info right now, but I anticipate there being more soon!

6.28.2011

Wild Horses

Iron & Wine's Cover of "Wild Horses"

I had a chance to see some wild horses get rounded up last week. It was a neat experience. There were over 70 horses that were taken from one pasture and brought into the corral. They are magnificent creatures.

I posted a cover of "Wild Horses" written by The Rolling Stones. It is by one of my all time favorite musical groups: Iron & Wine. It has to be one of my top three favorite cover songs of all time. Here is a link if you're looking for a different kind of cover of "Wild Horses". You can't beat Slash on guitar.
Not A Bad Looking Yamaha XS750
I rather enjoy the XS750 these days.

6.27.2011

A View From My Drive Into Work
Doesn't get old.

6.25.2011

The Perfect Westfalia
My dear friend Amy has the perfect VW westfalia. It really is a perfect vehicle in so many ways. Lately our weekends have been filled cruising around Waterton packing in as many people as possible and taking off for a bonfire or whatnot. One day I will have one in my possession and do a full restoration of it.

6.24.2011

Princess Chelsea- The Cigarette Duet

I came across this and thought it was too wacky, catchy, and slightly awkward to not post. This tune will have you singing to it's tune for the rest of the day. It's not that bad of a thing.

6.23.2011

New Hiking Boots
I got these old school Vasque Clarion hiking boots off ebay for 35 bones. Yep. Steal of a deal. They were in perfect condition. I'm ready for Cleveland, Blackiston, and Chief. Since I see all those mountains on a daily basis my motivation level increases exponentially as the snow melts and sun shines a little bit each new day.

6.20.2011

Canadian Road Trippin






About a year ago I had the pleasure of taking a group of friends (Mike, Evan, Erik, Ashley, Carolyn, and Janelle) up to the country I was born and not raised... Canada. Even though I grew up my whole life in California I would come and visit Alberta every summer with my family and partake of the goodness that great land had to offer. I have over 70 cousins on my dads side of the family alone and most of them lived out there so our family reunions were quite fun and memorable. My family decided to move back there a few years ago while I was getting my education in Hawaii so now I head to Canada to meet up with them... anyways, back to the point of the post.

We packed into some cars and drove up from Salt Lake, stopping at the Lewis & Clark Caves in Montana for a little expedition and eventually got to good 'ol Leavitt, Alberta Canada; the place my great grandfather homesteaded many years ago and the place my family built a house and settled down to get away from the hustle and bustle of Southern California.

Us guys left in one car while Janelle and Ashley drove up the next day and Carolyn flew in to Calgary a day after that as we were making our way to Banff. This little video documents some bits of our trip. Mike Schoneman filmed and edited it and it came out great. There is even more footage we have talked about putting together for another video but we will see if it comes to fruition. It was great to have friends like Maya, Ben, Sara, and Kaitlyn to hang out with once we got up there. All in all it was a trip never to be forgotten. If anyone is looking for a great place to take a road trip up to... my doors are open and there is a ton of things to do out here in Southern Alberta between Waterton, Glacier, Banff, and the rolling plains in between, I can promise you a grand old time.

Please excuse the inside joking and ridiculousness that you will find in the video... It probably isn't that funny to you. Just look past it if you can. Mahalo.

Picture 1: Part of the crew hanging out at Red Rock Canyon in Waterton
Picture 2: Don't worry, we all purchased matching ponchos from Caribou Clothes in... Waterton
Picture 3: The Crew (Ashley, Me, Evan, Carolyn, Janelle, Mike, Erik)
Picture 4: Roasting some marshmallows and cooking Bannock at Ben's place

6.19.2011

Andrew Belle

Leah Pearl introduced me to this music. Muchas Gracias. Pretty good stuff.

6.18.2011

I have a new thing for Canoes...
More to come on the subject of canoes later. For now this picture will do as a little motivation. I love summer projects, put it that way.

6.17.2011

Portugal. The Man

This video is a bit graphic towards the end. Even though it gets sorta gnarly, I wanted to post it because I liked it so much. I warned you about the blood so don't be mad if your mind gets boggled. There is a really interesting interview about it you can read right here. Sleep Forever is a neat song that you can find on the upcoming album entitled, "In The Mountain In The Cloud".

6.16.2011

Ron Paul
I don't wanna get all political and stuff but I really enjoy hearing what Ron Paul has to say. So I'm making a post about it. I especially enjoy his quips and comments in debates. He ran for president in 2008 and made a name for himself and he is running again in 2012. Now I know it's too early to really get involved in the next election for some people but I really think it is important to stay at lease a little up to date on what is going on. I don't find myself to be on one side or another on the political spectrum in relation to how most people lump political views up in the United States of America; I keep it pretty neutral as I look for the good in different political parties while having a keen eye for all the fluff that is passed back and forth between them. I am constructively critical of a lot of things whether liberal or conservative. With that said...

I don't agree with everything he has to say, but the biggest and most important things I look at in relation to someone running for president (foreign policy, education, domestic economics, etc.) seem to be lined up pretty close with Dr. Paul compared to all the other candidates I've heard about on both the republican and democratic sides. Here is a link to some clips from the republican debate that happened on the 13th. Check out the Los Angeles Times' article here that talks about Ron Paul's applause level during the debates.

Photo taken by Shaun Connell.

6.14.2011

Barn Wood

Aloha Sunday is a little surf shop in San Diego. I've never been there but next time in SD you better believe I'll be stopping by. I like how they took some old barn wood and reused it in their store. I'm actually helping my dear mother out with a project using some old wood from my great grandfathers barn that is just around the corner at the old homestead. My grandfather actually finished part of his basement back in the 60's with barnwood and it still exists to this very day. I guess you can say reusing barn wood runs in the family... or something like that.

Grant, if you're reading this, I hope you pay attention and notice the guys hitting up the Oregon coast for a surf session. You should make that a reality this summer while you're home. Looks pretty cold though.

6.13.2011

Sabbath Bears










After church last Sunday I drove up the road to Cameron Lake in Waterton and decided to pull off on the side and take a short nap. I was awoken by a noise coming from the side of my truck and looked up only to see two small black bear cubs wandering towards me. I quickly grabbed my camera just in time to see the momma bear rollin up too. I saw and watched as they went right around me and onto a small patch of grass by the road to start their ritual of food finding. It was pretty neat. As I turned around, I opened my door to get a better picture (the bears were plenty far away) only to find a lone straggler who had been hanging out on the opposite side of the truck rubbing up against the bed of the truck. It was the bear that had originally woken me up. It was a lot lighter than the other cubs and was much more playful.

Word on the street is that triplet bear cubs are pretty rare so I was quite happy to have had about a half an hour to just sit in my truck and observe. At one point the cubs had a little tussle that was broken up by their mother. Later on towards the end of my observation the momma and two cubs went on the other side of the road to keep eating the grub in the grass. One of the bears stayed back on the other side minding its own business until its kind mother got up on her hind legs and looked over in its direction. The other bear immediately ran over to the other side and started to eat with the others. It was pretty neat to see how the interaction was so similar to us humans; very fascinating.

Seeing bears happens all the time in Waterton, especially on the way to Red Rock Canyon and Cameron Lake but it's still quite impressive to behold the wildlife regardless.

On a side note: I'm here all summer, if anyone wants to get away and check out the Canadian Rockies... let me know. I'll be your tour guide. My Mom loves company and I wouldn't mind showing off the wildlife that surrounds me out here. I've had the chance to bring two groups of friends on road trips up here the past two summers and nobody has left our homestead in Canada unsatisfied. I'll post a couple videos Mike Schoneman made about our travels last summer. I'll use them as advertising to help ya'll out with your decision. Ha.

6.09.2011

Box Of Stones

Here's another great video from Benjamin Francis Leftwich. He has his debut full length album coming out on July 4th. It's called "Last Smoke Before The Snowstorm". I've had a chance to listen to it in its entirety and I can tell you as solid fact that it will be one you want to get your hands on.

6.08.2011

Head For The Hills

A couple weekends ago a group of us did something we don't usually do; we packed into as many 4 wheel drive vehicles as possible and decided to head for the hills. Some friends found some neat roads located behind Kahuku that are perfect for off-roading and mostly require 4 wheel drive. We decided to have a little pow wow and have a bonfire. We went up to a vacant ridge, pulled the trucks around in a circle and enjoyed the evening and each others company.

One of the coolest things about it was the trek up there. We had to really weave our way through the forrest to get to our destination. Doing it in the middle of the night added a bit more to the experience as well. Hangin' with Gideon and Morgan made it even better on the way up. It was a fun night.

Picture 1: Mark's new Jeep with the wood pallets and part of the group getting ready to head out.
Picture 2: Chad effectively roasting 3 marshmallows.
Picture 3: Jordan, Skylar, Jordan, and Nellie kickin it by the fire.
Picture 4: We let off some fireworks for kicks.
Picture 5: Group shot of the Pow Wow.
Picture 6: Nellie and I messing around with the long exposure function on my cam with some sparklers. (Thanks to DAK4 and his photography tips)

6.07.2011

BEIRUT- EAST HARLEM
Beirut
Beirut - East Harlem by Revolver USA
It has been too long since we have heard new music from Zach Condon and his band Beirut. Luckily he just released some new music with a song called East Harlem. I really enjoy it. Check it out. Photo courtesy of Lion Works Studios.

6.06.2011

Memorial Day
Memorial Day was a whole week ago. Crazy. Time is flying by like none other. Luckily it was a perfect day filled with Barbecues, paddle boarding, snorkeling through underwater caves, falling coconuts that almost landed on some friends but didn't, and so much more. Here are a couple pictures to document the perfect day.

First one is Waimea Bay. Hailey, Dave & Ashley Bowen, and myself went snorkeling and found a few cool things out in the bay including a mini fish habitat in the form of an old foodland shopping cart. I have a new goal: Instead of just getting a sailboat, I wanna get one and park it at Waimea Bay for a week and just live there. This was inspired by the three sailboats that parked themselves right in the bay and seemed to be having the time of their lives all hangin' out together. I want in on the sailing lifestyle.

The second picture is at Kawela Bay. I have a decent amount of married friends who look past my lack of a spouse and still invite me to their functions. It's always a good time catching up and spending time with them all. It was a great last Monday on the island.

6.05.2011

Lord Huron- When Will I See You Again

Very enjoyable song. I liked how simple they made it for this outing by the shore. The version on their EP is good too but I like this version a bit better.

6.02.2011

RATATAT

17 Years - Ratatat by MonFineis
Yesterday I flew into Calgary just in time to see Ratatat perform live with my friends Maya and Jeff. I hadn't seen them perform live since 2006 when they played at the Troubador in Los Angeles. I went to that show by myself right after work; this time it was nice to have some company to enjoy the show with.

Some people don't get Ratatat. That's fine. I like how they don't have vocals and make crazy beats with crazy a crazy amount of guitar layers. The coolest thing about seeing them live other than the music itself is the weird video programming they have going on along with a crazy light show. They will have videos of birds, people dancing, people playing the cello dressed like they were from the 18 century, movie clips of people breaking windows with bats and punching things, weird designs, and whatever else you can imagine. Their video for the songs Shempi & Drugs will creep you out. Hands down they pick the most awkward videos to put their music to. Very avant-garde.

Here is a link to a little promo video to get you better aquatinted with the band if you're not already. I posted the video they made for the song Mirando because it's awesome. When you combine clips from the movie Predator and sync it with Ratatat music, you're gonna win every time. Enjoy.

6.01.2011

HAWAII AS HOME



I just moved. WEIRD. I've lived in Hawaii since 2005 (minus going home for some summers and even taking a couple semesters off). It has been the greatest place to live and get an education. The best part about Hawaii has been the incredible people I have been able to associate with. Seriously the best of friends have been made while living on that small and secluded rock out in the Pacific.

The first picture was taken at the airport when I arrived for the first time to go to school. I was lucky to have a few incredible friends already living there to greet me. Emily, Seth, Robin, and Becky made my first semester in a far away land super easy. I was instantly plugged into their scene and the rest was history. GOOD TIMES INDEED.

The second picture was taken yesterday about an hour before I left to the airport. It was great to get a bite to eat at the Kahuku Grill and visit with a few friends before embarking on another adventure; this time instead of beaches and waves there will be lakes and mountains. I don't know when I'll ever live in Hawaii again but I know I'll be back. I just gotta make a pit stop on the mainland for a bit. Cheers.