Ork Posters

I saw this smashing map of Toronto when I was picking up my "Tex" cardboard game head from a nice little shop on Roncesvalles in Toronto's south-west end, called Soho Art and Custom Framing.

It's from a company called Ork Posters, and they this as well as other major US/CDN cities that have been mapped this way to choose from, along with the Heart, the Brain, and the Great Lakes.

I'm off to NYC soon, and hopefully will stay for a spell, and I thought this nice little reminder of my hometown would be much-appreciated.

Suunto Quest

It's always nice to come across some neat technical products that aren't strictly limited to the Bauhaus design theory of form follows function.  As Apple and LaCie and others have clearly shown, hi-tech can have excellent function and pleasing form.
Now Suunto, the legendary compass company from Finland, is on board with this strong function and design philosophy.  When Suunto started making technical training and outdoors watches, they performed quite admirably, but they were gangly, large, and visually unappealing.  With the Core series and Elementum series, and now the new Quest, Suunto has turned super-functional watches into stunning timepieces.

The Quest has the requisite fitness watch basics of heart rate monitor, stopwatch/laps/timers, but nicely add fitness and training functions, cadence/speed measurement, calories burned, and alerts for when to rest and when to work out again.
Nice.  And looks nice.

Gerber Steady

Fish scalers, nail files, toothpicks, and magnifying glasses are fine enough items to add to a multitool, but they aren't going to be the game-changers that will get me to buy one.  The Gerber Steady (due Spring 2012), on the other hand, has something beside the standard multitool assortment of knives, bottle openers, and wee mini saws - little gray legs that fold out to make a camera tripod!
The Steady has the handy tripod and a standard camera mount screw to hold your camera still, without the unavoidable tiny little movements that holding it by hand invariably brings.
It sure beats trying to take a steady pic by holding your camera really tightly with both hands and leaning hard against a nearby post or ledge or bench or chair back. 

"Tex" - Large Longhorn Trophy

Cardboard Safari has a full line-up of laser-cut cardboard animal head "trophies" that add a good dose of flair to your walls for not a lot of dough.  Choose from the trophy heads of rhinos, moose, deer, longhorns, elephants, or even a bass fish.

"Tex" sits proudly above the flat screen TV in my living room and provides much-needed substance to an otherwise plain and boring wall. 

Easy to assemble, comes flat-packed, made from recycled materials, and comes in natural brown or white.

Einstein, Albert

Citizen Eco-Drive Satellite Watch

I've never been a big fan of Citizen watches.  I've always liked simple watches, or watches designed with a purpose, such as a running/HR watch or an ABC watch (altitude/barometer/compass).  Citizen watches have always seemed either too busy and involved, or too gadgety.  Also, the price points they are sold at seem a little too high compared to similar brands, such as Tissot and Seiko.
But, and obviously if you are reading this you knew there'd be a but, Citizen introduced the Eco-Drive Satellite watch that is due to come out in Fall 2011.

This is a beautiful modern watch that has it's time automatically set by satellites.  Whoddha thunk you'd need such a thing?  I guess since Casio pioneered setting watches automatically using land-based atomic clocks situated around the world, setting the time from outer space was the next logical step.
It is also powered entirely by light.  A solar conversion panel and energy cell provide all the energy this watch will need.   
These are neat things, and interesting for conversation about the watch, but I'm more concerned with the look of the watch.  It's gorgeous.  The ceramic and stainless case, coupled with a green/black rubber band, the printing on the crystal, and the cool little green coil that wraps around the inside of the bezel make the watch definitely stand out.

I do hope Citizen brings it to Canada or the USA and they don't make it a restrictive limited edition watch like it looks like they are going to do.

Anti-Tourist Shoes

You've seen them - brand new pure white leather court or running shoes worn by guys on vacation in a big city.  Shoes bought only a day or two before the trip specifically for long days walking around a new city with the better half or family.
http://www.time-travellers.org/Historian/UglyAmerican.html - see No. 3.

These shoes, as ungainly as they are, are seriously practical.  Feet that aren't blistered and swollen after hours gawking 'n walking around NYC or San Francisco or further afield are much preferred over feet that have been chewed up by more stylish, but less practical footwear.

So what are you supposed to do if you want to merge a thousand kilos of style with a tonne of comfort?  Sneakers and cool-looking runners are the way to go.

Here's what I picked up in NYC to do 'touristy stuff' with the better half...

These Asics Gel Trail Attack 7 shoes made it actually fun to walk hours on end through Midtown Manhattan, dodging real tourists and native New Yorkers alike.  Just like walking on two nice fluffy size 10.5 marshmallows, and as boldly-coloured as they are, they look pretty cool.

New Zealand National Badminton Team

Just amusing...

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10345531

Badminton: Black Cocks name reconsidered

By Martyn Watterson

3:40 PM Wednesday Sep 14, 2005

Badminton New Zealand appear to be going soft on adopting the controversial Black Cocks tag for the national team.
The monicker was raised as a potential team name by Badminton NZ over a year ago as a gimmicky label to attract sponsors and fans.
Badminton NZ were expected to confirm it at a board meeting last month, but opposition from home and abroad has seen a rethink.
Badminton NZ will seek feedback from the 27 regional associations at its November annual meeting before deciding on the name, president Nigel Skelt said today.
The reaction from the associations and former players was mixed, though current team members were comfortable with it, he said.
The International Badminton Federation (IBF) had also poured cold water on the idea.
"They don't want to see the game lose its composure for the want of a gimmicky name," Skelt said.
"If you're over in China and you get introduced as the Black Cocks, it raises some issues."
When the name was raised, Badminton NZ were inundated with sponsorship offers from companies such as condom manufacturers.
Despite the opposition from within the game, Skelt said the public reaction was still positive.

"At the recent New Zealand Open, crowds were yelling out 'c'mon the Black Cocks'.
"Whether the team actually adopt the name officially, they're already known as the Black Cocks."
- NZPA
By Martyn Watterson

10 Ton Lampshade

Who doesn't remember Wile. E. Coyote with all his stuff purchased from Acme to catch the elusive Roadrunner?  I wasted years worth of Saturday mornings just waiting (and hoping) that the Roadrunner would finally get his and become a nice fried/baked/broiled/BBQed meal for the hapless coyote.

This 10 Ton lampshade from Meninos is one of those simple, easy, "why didn't I think of that" items that you would buy even without knowing where to put it.

Gibson Angus Young SG

Gibson.  Angus Young.  Two massive names in Rock come together to make one beautiful guitar.  The Gibson Angus Young SG is one of those guitars that you would want to just show off in your living room as a work of art.  I know I would.

I don't play guitar, but I've always wanted one of these purely for aesthetic reasons.  Humbucking pickups, solid mahogany neck, vintage Kluson-style tuners really mean nothing to me.  I like the fact that this guitar can be and is actually used to play my AC/DC favourites such as Thunderstruck, TNT, and Highway To Hell.  I'll never be Angus, but I know that I could dream to be, less the silly school-boy uniform.
Propped up on a stand in a prominent place where I can see it while watching the idiot box would be very nice.

Saucony ProGrid Razor

It's not often that you come across new technical running shoes that look like they should only be worn for running.  The Saucony ProGrid Razor trail running shoe has definitely got a heaping helping of style that would look nice on a dusty singletrack as well as with some jeans putting around downtown.

Light, waterproof, the cachet of being a red dot design award winner, and knowing that not everyone else will be wearing your shoes makes these very tempting.

Gerber Shard

I've got drawers full of Allen key/screwdriver head tools, Leatherman tools, Swiss Army knives, and multi-function pliers.  And that's where they have been living for a good, long while.
There is always something about them that makes me easily forget about them for a while.

Now I'm a big believer in simplicity, and it's hard to imagine anything simpler - or better - than this wee tiny Gerber Shard to keep on your person. 


7 bucks gets you a nifty capable keychain tool that is airline-safe, less than 3 inches long, and has:
* Lanyard hole
* Pry Bar
* Small Driver
* Wire Stripper
* Medium Driver
* Bottle Opener
* Cross Driver

Just a nice, simple tool.

Mill Street Lemon Tea Beer

Summer is here, which means cold cold cold beer should be near.  The new fave heat wave suds of mine to slake my thirst on a hot day is the Mill St. Brewery Lemon Tea beer.
I plan on doing a lot of sitting out on the balcony on hot summer days (and nights) long enough to get a good dose of swamp butt, and it's nice to have a refreshing summery beer that also satisfies the beer nerd in me.
Unusually, Orange Pekoe and Earl Grey teas are blended with real lemon puree and organic cane sugar to the Mill St. ale.  The resulting amber ale is not too sweet, not too fruity, and just hoppy enough in the finish.

Definitely a better option than those proliferate beers with lime and such.  
Too bad I haven't seen it on tap yet, and also too bad that it only comes in pint cans.  You can't beat a bottle.

Would Pepé Le Pew Ever Get Penelope Pussycat?

Watching TV as I'm wont to do, I came across a commercial for Lifemates Canada - an online dating/matchmaking service.
The commercial seems innocuous enough, showing a woman complaining to the camera of the seemingly standard dilemma of stridently but fruitlessly trying to find a "perfect" partner.

Have a look:

Nice commercial, but what seems wrong here?
Check out the woman.
Now check out the man.

See anything out of place?

I cannot get over the fact that she would choose him.
She is quite a looker.  She seems just nice.  She seems fun.
Now check him out.  He seems nice enough.  He's also very average looking.  He dresses like he shops at Moores.  His job would probably be signing up World Vision donors on Yonge Street outside of a Starbucks.

I thought something was amiss about this unseemly seemingly random pairing.
Now most dating service ads use actual real couples who were joined up via their respective services.  The people actual look like they would be with each other - there never seems to be any proverbial dating up or dating down within ranks (see eHarmony).

Could this be an actual, viable pairing?
Could she see something in him that was enough to make her see past his milquetoast exterior?

Nope.

Turns out they are actors.
Link

Couldn't Lifemates Canada find one good personable and telegenic couple to represent them in an ad?  Seems not.

Re-Waxing Your Waxed Cotton Jacket

Purchasing a waxed cotton jacket is one (beautiful) thing, maintaining and reproofing your jacket is another.
Eventually your waxed cotton jacket will need to have a fresh coat o' wax dressing applied - recommend is one year, but it all depends on use.

Since I only came upon my waxed cotton jacket just recently, the wax is intact and does not need reproofing.   But I am curious about the process and I do intend to maintain the jacket myself, instead of sending it back to the retailer to be done, so I checked the web to see what is needed to be done and how to do it.

Here is a handy dandy video from Lark in Vancouver that shows everything quite nicely:

The coffee looks good.

Belstaff Sammy Miller 1955 Jacket

An impromptu shopping daytrip to Buffalo/Niagara Falls graciously led me to realize what I've been missing in my life - a waxed-cotton Belstaff jacket.  More specifically, a Sammy Miller 1955 Replica jacket.

I've been after either a Barbour or Belstaff waxed-cotton motorcycle jacket for some time - ever since I saw the Long Way Down adventure series on the BBC.  Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman were dressed like stars in their Belstaffs as they rode their BMW GSs from John O'Groats, Scotland, all the way down (get it?) to Capetown, South Africa.

I do like Barbour, and their quality jackets are anything but non-functional, but for me Belstaff is an equal in quality and functionality, and a level above Barbour on the fashion and style front.  I would compare it to the difference between wearing a Tommy Hilfiger suit and a Hugo Boss suit.  Both are fine suiting, but the elevated, proud, and confident feeling you get from wearing Hugo just can't be had from Tommy.

The Sammy Miller is heavy.  And waxy.  And very large-pockety.  And initially stiff.
I've never had a jacket of this type before.
The jacket exterior always feels damp, thanks to the waterproof wax dressing that is applied, which is a strange sensation to become accustomed to.     

My first ride with the jacket on was revealing.  Summer has finally hit Toronto, and the heat is on.  Wearing the Sammy Miller was a cooling experience.  I am accustomed to wearing heavy leather motorcycle-specific jackets whenever I go out on a good ride, and even well ventilated leathers leave much to be desired in the summer swelter.  It is nearly impossible to avoid a swampy back and sweaty belly.
The Belstaff allowed for cool, breezy ventilation and made me a believer in wearing a non-leather jacket for riding.
The Belstaff also helped in not making me feel like an outcast off of the bike.  It is definitely not easy to wear motorcycle leathers without looking like you dressed for motorcycle riding.  I could easily (and fashionably) wear the Sammy Miller to work or play.

A winner.