bg/ish: June, We Hardly Knew Ye...
Well, the month of June has come and gone and it's almost hard to believe that 2009 is about halfway over.
June kicked off with your boy bg turning 23 years old... er, 32 years old, the Lakers brought home another NBA title... Saw Benga + Skream drop heavy wobble... survived another Pride weekend taking over my hood... Ate a $70 brunch... Pulled off a personally unprecedented "4 in 4"... Topped it off today by trying some opium for the first time... (mixed in Everclear)
I'm ready for bed. I'll see you bitches in July...
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
bg/ish: Critical Mass, San Francisco, June 26, 2009
Back in March of this year, I rode in my first Critical Mass here in San Francisco. Although it's something I'd like to do every month, I only got around to riding it for a second time this last Friday. As usual, it was an entirely surreal, somewhat unique experience, and I only had to ditch my firm's annual billiards party to ride in it. Of course, we rode right in front of Jillian's, where the party was being held. Doh!
Not a lot to tell really, but I guess I can sum it up with this quick note. As we were gathering at Embarcaderro, an older gentlemen, clearly a tourist (seemingly from the South) came up to me and asked, "What do y'all got going on here?"
I replied, "Just a little bike ride."
And I think that's what I like most about Critical Mass. Despite all the dueling "bike cultures" and the hate from other cyclists we all seem to encounter here in the city, Critical Mass is the one time we all seem to be on the same page. Same agenda. United. Eh...
I can't do an adequate job of describing the sights from Friday, but I strongly recommend this pretty amazing photoset on Flickr from Hal Bergman photography.
Your boy bg even shows his mug in the following shot... See?!?
Back in March of this year, I rode in my first Critical Mass here in San Francisco. Although it's something I'd like to do every month, I only got around to riding it for a second time this last Friday. As usual, it was an entirely surreal, somewhat unique experience, and I only had to ditch my firm's annual billiards party to ride in it. Of course, we rode right in front of Jillian's, where the party was being held. Doh!
Not a lot to tell really, but I guess I can sum it up with this quick note. As we were gathering at Embarcaderro, an older gentlemen, clearly a tourist (seemingly from the South) came up to me and asked, "What do y'all got going on here?"
I replied, "Just a little bike ride."
And I think that's what I like most about Critical Mass. Despite all the dueling "bike cultures" and the hate from other cyclists we all seem to encounter here in the city, Critical Mass is the one time we all seem to be on the same page. Same agenda. United. Eh...
I can't do an adequate job of describing the sights from Friday, but I strongly recommend this pretty amazing photoset on Flickr from Hal Bergman photography.
Your boy bg even shows his mug in the following shot... See?!?
bg/ish: "This was supposed to be the Summer of George!"
The Summer of George. One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes of all time. In it, George gets a severance package from the Yankees and figuring it should last him about 3 months, decides to take the summer off of work, and of course, calling it, The Summer of George. It's his time, "time to taste the fruits and let the juices drip down my chin!"
Of course, immediately after declaring the "Summer of George", he gets accosted by a bee and, as with George, things descend pretty quickly downhill from there, until of course, he ends up with temporary paralysis of his legs, his summer reduced to a hospital stay and physical rehab.
It seems like it might just be human nature. We've all had a "Summer of George". As the saying goes, even "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray".
But let's give some credit to George, shall we? He saw an opportunity to change his life, and he acted on it. He set goals. He had a plan. He applied himself. That's all any of us can be expected to do.
A couple of years ago, around this very time, I set out for my "Summer of George", just a young man with some ambitions, a plan, and a goal. The thing is, sometimes we forget that setting a goal is just the first step. Achieving that goal only leaves you at a new beginning. From there, life goes on. And life doesn't always have the same plans for your "summer" that you do. Life will throw you curve balls. Life will test your patience and will. Like my dad loves to tell me, "As soon as you've figured out all the answers, life asks you new questions."
Life is asking all of us new questions right now, isn't it?
We're all being tested, and many of us are raising a fist in frustration, clenching our teeth, and in essence saying, "this was supposed to be the Summer of George!" Whether it be pressures from school or work, failing relationships, family problems, or financial worries, many of us are fighting to retain our dignity, self-esteem, ambition, and motivation. We're asking ourselves, "Why aren't things going the way I planned?"
And it's a fair question, albeit one that I don't have an answer to.
For beings of free will, we often find ourselves the victim of circumstance. I'm thinking that maybe it's how we handle those circumstances that really defines who we are and who we will become. Over the last couple years, I've personally dealt with challenges that I was in no way prepared for, let alone wanted to deal with. Some days, I feel no better off than George. And yet other days, despite that general feeling of demoralization, I feel like a better person for having gone through the trials and tests I've endured. Those of you who I've spoken to personally in recent weeks that are experiencing problems and challenges will likely feel the same with time.
They say that "time heals all wounds", and while I would tend to agree with that statement, I think it leaves out one key component. Us. We need to be aware of our attitude, our mentality, and while keeping our eyes ahead and remaining positive, let time slowly do it's thing. It literally cannot be rushed. In fact, while time may indeed "heal all wounds", there is another quote I much prefer...
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."
Too often we choose to suffer. It's the easy road. The approach that requires no confidence or effort. So, keep that in mind, because regardless of the circumstance, we do in fact retain our free will, and whether or not we choose to suffer our lot in life will go a long way in determining our personal futures.
And that's just it. Although the "Summer of George" didn't turn out quite like he'd expected, it still was, in every way, the "Summer of George". So, my friends, I miss you all dearly. Some of you I hope to see soon, some of you I may never see again. But regardless, enjoy your "summer".
The Summer of George. One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes of all time. In it, George gets a severance package from the Yankees and figuring it should last him about 3 months, decides to take the summer off of work, and of course, calling it, The Summer of George. It's his time, "time to taste the fruits and let the juices drip down my chin!"
Of course, immediately after declaring the "Summer of George", he gets accosted by a bee and, as with George, things descend pretty quickly downhill from there, until of course, he ends up with temporary paralysis of his legs, his summer reduced to a hospital stay and physical rehab.
It seems like it might just be human nature. We've all had a "Summer of George". As the saying goes, even "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray".
But let's give some credit to George, shall we? He saw an opportunity to change his life, and he acted on it. He set goals. He had a plan. He applied himself. That's all any of us can be expected to do.
A couple of years ago, around this very time, I set out for my "Summer of George", just a young man with some ambitions, a plan, and a goal. The thing is, sometimes we forget that setting a goal is just the first step. Achieving that goal only leaves you at a new beginning. From there, life goes on. And life doesn't always have the same plans for your "summer" that you do. Life will throw you curve balls. Life will test your patience and will. Like my dad loves to tell me, "As soon as you've figured out all the answers, life asks you new questions."
Life is asking all of us new questions right now, isn't it?
We're all being tested, and many of us are raising a fist in frustration, clenching our teeth, and in essence saying, "this was supposed to be the Summer of George!" Whether it be pressures from school or work, failing relationships, family problems, or financial worries, many of us are fighting to retain our dignity, self-esteem, ambition, and motivation. We're asking ourselves, "Why aren't things going the way I planned?"
And it's a fair question, albeit one that I don't have an answer to.
For beings of free will, we often find ourselves the victim of circumstance. I'm thinking that maybe it's how we handle those circumstances that really defines who we are and who we will become. Over the last couple years, I've personally dealt with challenges that I was in no way prepared for, let alone wanted to deal with. Some days, I feel no better off than George. And yet other days, despite that general feeling of demoralization, I feel like a better person for having gone through the trials and tests I've endured. Those of you who I've spoken to personally in recent weeks that are experiencing problems and challenges will likely feel the same with time.
They say that "time heals all wounds", and while I would tend to agree with that statement, I think it leaves out one key component. Us. We need to be aware of our attitude, our mentality, and while keeping our eyes ahead and remaining positive, let time slowly do it's thing. It literally cannot be rushed. In fact, while time may indeed "heal all wounds", there is another quote I much prefer...
"Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional."
Too often we choose to suffer. It's the easy road. The approach that requires no confidence or effort. So, keep that in mind, because regardless of the circumstance, we do in fact retain our free will, and whether or not we choose to suffer our lot in life will go a long way in determining our personal futures.
And that's just it. Although the "Summer of George" didn't turn out quite like he'd expected, it still was, in every way, the "Summer of George". So, my friends, I miss you all dearly. Some of you I hope to see soon, some of you I may never see again. But regardless, enjoy your "summer".
bg/ish: "I was punched in the face. What's your excuse?"
I don't have an excuse. I wish I did. I wish I could blame this all on something wildly out of my control. I can't. I wasn't punched in the face. It only feels like it.
Who the fuck is this guy anyways?
Somebody wipe that fucking naive grin off his face.
Punch him while you're at it...
I don't have an excuse. I wish I did. I wish I could blame this all on something wildly out of my control. I can't. I wasn't punched in the face. It only feels like it.
Who the fuck is this guy anyways?
Somebody wipe that fucking naive grin off his face.
Punch him while you're at it...
bg/ish: Misheard Words - Confusions of a Free Man
As a writer/blogger/malcontent it's always nice when people take the time to comment on something you've written, or make it a point to tell you personally, "I can dig it."
Well, my buddy, the Wolfman (not to be confused with The Lone Wolf) has started what looks to be a promising blog called "Misheard Words", and has claimed Tha Pub to be his inspiration. While I'm flattered, our lawyers are already busy checking to make sure there isn't too much "inspiration" (see plagiarism) going on in his blog. Patent pending bitches!
Seriously though, I'm proud of him and hope that you'll all take a few minutes to check it out whilst in it's infancy. Good start homeboy, there's only room to grow!
Misheard Words - Confusions of a Free Man
As a writer/blogger/malcontent it's always nice when people take the time to comment on something you've written, or make it a point to tell you personally, "I can dig it."
Well, my buddy, the Wolfman (not to be confused with The Lone Wolf) has started what looks to be a promising blog called "Misheard Words", and has claimed Tha Pub to be his inspiration. While I'm flattered, our lawyers are already busy checking to make sure there isn't too much "inspiration" (see plagiarism) going on in his blog. Patent pending bitches!
Seriously though, I'm proud of him and hope that you'll all take a few minutes to check it out whilst in it's infancy. Good start homeboy, there's only room to grow!
Misheard Words - Confusions of a Free Man
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
bg/ish: The Streets - On The Edge of a Cliff
"For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors survived
Every single person on your mum and dad's sides successfully looked after and passed onto you life
What are the chances of that like?
It comes to me once in a while
And everywhere I tell folk it gets the best smile"
"For billions of years since the outset of time
Every single one of your ancestors survived
Every single person on your mum and dad's sides successfully looked after and passed onto you life
What are the chances of that like?
It comes to me once in a while
And everywhere I tell folk it gets the best smile"
Monday, June 22, 2009
bg/ish: More Megapixels Than You Can Shake A Stick At
A couple weeks ago my buddy came up to SF for the weekend with his brand new Cannon EOS 50D in tow. 15 megapixels of badassery. It's always good to get in a warm, sunny day at the park when company is in town, and it was really perfect weather this particular weekend. We snapped a bunch of pics, but here are a few, scaled down shots of us taking in the sun and sights at Dolores Park...
(click images for large size)
A couple weeks ago my buddy came up to SF for the weekend with his brand new Cannon EOS 50D in tow. 15 megapixels of badassery. It's always good to get in a warm, sunny day at the park when company is in town, and it was really perfect weather this particular weekend. We snapped a bunch of pics, but here are a few, scaled down shots of us taking in the sun and sights at Dolores Park...
(click images for large size)
bg/ish: "Kif, I'm feeling the Captain's Itch."
I haven't written anything for this blog in a few weeks. I've had the itch to, but just can't seem to find any focus or subject matter that motivates me enough to actually do something about it. There are, as always, factors.
A few weeks ago, around the time of my birthday, based on some things I'd read that lead to a conversation on life perception, I started writing about our daily lives and how more than any of our surroundings or activities, people can have the most profound and noticeable affect on our perceptions.
The thing about people is, they can affect you as much by their absence as they can with their presence. Lately, I've been thinking about the people that I want in my life that just aren't there, for whatever reasons, and it gets me down. Granted, there are some pretty amazing people in my life, and I'm truly grateful for those I count amongst my friends. There are some, though, I miss dearly.
That's all I have to say about that though. I'm shedding the weight of philisophical pondering and looking ahead, somewhat confident, mildly hopeful, and generally confused.
On a different note, I received some truly amazing, wonderful and generally good news this morning, although, at the moment, I'm not at liberty to discuss it! Ha HA! Your boy bg has the upper hand once more! So, out of respect for the wishes of others, I will not at this time divulge the nature of this good news, although I will say, I'm quite giddy.
Seriously, I'm fucking stoked.
So that's it, big announcement that's not really an announcement, and a little bit of self therapy is all you're getting from your boy bg on this day. Ah, but summer is upon us and as the days get longer the nights only get more cutty. Shooting for regular updates from here on out. Break, over.
bg, out.
I haven't written anything for this blog in a few weeks. I've had the itch to, but just can't seem to find any focus or subject matter that motivates me enough to actually do something about it. There are, as always, factors.
A few weeks ago, around the time of my birthday, based on some things I'd read that lead to a conversation on life perception, I started writing about our daily lives and how more than any of our surroundings or activities, people can have the most profound and noticeable affect on our perceptions.
The thing about people is, they can affect you as much by their absence as they can with their presence. Lately, I've been thinking about the people that I want in my life that just aren't there, for whatever reasons, and it gets me down. Granted, there are some pretty amazing people in my life, and I'm truly grateful for those I count amongst my friends. There are some, though, I miss dearly.
That's all I have to say about that though. I'm shedding the weight of philisophical pondering and looking ahead, somewhat confident, mildly hopeful, and generally confused.
On a different note, I received some truly amazing, wonderful and generally good news this morning, although, at the moment, I'm not at liberty to discuss it! Ha HA! Your boy bg has the upper hand once more! So, out of respect for the wishes of others, I will not at this time divulge the nature of this good news, although I will say, I'm quite giddy.
Seriously, I'm fucking stoked.
So that's it, big announcement that's not really an announcement, and a little bit of self therapy is all you're getting from your boy bg on this day. Ah, but summer is upon us and as the days get longer the nights only get more cutty. Shooting for regular updates from here on out. Break, over.
bg, out.
Friday, June 05, 2009
bg/ish: "I did do the nasty in the past-y."
While working on the new banner for the blog today I initially pulled the year 2003 out of my head for the tagline. After discussions with ag, we realized that we had been working on some form of the bg/ag publishing site long before that. I think that year stuck out in my head as possibly when we first bought the domain, bgagpublishing.com.
Turns out, through researching years of e-mail correspondance, we were working on Tha Pub as early as 1999. Thus the corrected tagline.
Our e-mail digging also led me to find two of our earliest site banners. This one, I don't recall ever going live, but it was a nice idea we were working with back when, as ag put it, we were "really into subtlety."
Also found the following one, which as far as we were concerned, made our early site the shit! Ironically, we had no idea we'd used the Castro Theater marquee for our splash page antics, thus giving our non-existent readers the impression that we were degenerate homosexuals.
In another instance of irony, I realized today while shoddily crafting our current banner, that there used to be a time when we refused to show our faces on the site at all. But as you can see, years of your boy bg lusting for self-promotion have finally led us to our current sorry state. Clearly though, at one point, we considered head shots for our articles. I stumbled across these lovely nuggets that were fully intended for use on our site.
ag had hair and your boy bg had a thug style so clearly something in the world was amiss!
Digging yet deeper, ag sent along one of my favorite pics from the earlier era. Seen here is your boy bg at the the former bg/ish offices.
For those of you who don't know, ag has a knack for sneaking into people's photographs. I found this one that he sent me several years back.
It was a hilarious reminder that only recently, he sent me, what may very well be considered his best work ever. Or at least until he gets his cock in someone's shot.
Long live Tha Pub!
While working on the new banner for the blog today I initially pulled the year 2003 out of my head for the tagline. After discussions with ag, we realized that we had been working on some form of the bg/ag publishing site long before that. I think that year stuck out in my head as possibly when we first bought the domain, bgagpublishing.com.
Turns out, through researching years of e-mail correspondance, we were working on Tha Pub as early as 1999. Thus the corrected tagline.
Our e-mail digging also led me to find two of our earliest site banners. This one, I don't recall ever going live, but it was a nice idea we were working with back when, as ag put it, we were "really into subtlety."
Also found the following one, which as far as we were concerned, made our early site the shit! Ironically, we had no idea we'd used the Castro Theater marquee for our splash page antics, thus giving our non-existent readers the impression that we were degenerate homosexuals.
In another instance of irony, I realized today while shoddily crafting our current banner, that there used to be a time when we refused to show our faces on the site at all. But as you can see, years of your boy bg lusting for self-promotion have finally led us to our current sorry state. Clearly though, at one point, we considered head shots for our articles. I stumbled across these lovely nuggets that were fully intended for use on our site.
ag had hair and your boy bg had a thug style so clearly something in the world was amiss!
Digging yet deeper, ag sent along one of my favorite pics from the earlier era. Seen here is your boy bg at the the former bg/ish offices.
For those of you who don't know, ag has a knack for sneaking into people's photographs. I found this one that he sent me several years back.
It was a hilarious reminder that only recently, he sent me, what may very well be considered his best work ever. Or at least until he gets his cock in someone's shot.
Long live Tha Pub!
bg/ish: "The frenzy is over. How am I going to get rid of my male jelly now?"
I started writing a rather lengthy post last night. I had a birthday this past week, and it briefly put me in a reflective frame of mind. Made the mistake of going out to dinner before finishing it, had a couple of beers, and well, lost the motivation. Lightning struck, and I shrugged and said, "Meh".
So forget about all that. Let's address a couple site related topics.
New site header went up today. Like to keep that fresh and new from time to time.
For some reason I noticed our blogroll links have disappeared. This is a strange occurence. It confuses me, and we all know what happens when I get confused. I get scared. And when I get scared, I start stabbing people like Roberto!
At any rate, I hope to get that back up this weekend.
Also, we recently purchased www.bgagpublishing.com, but have been too lazy to point the blog to our new domain. This is a blast from the past, as our original Geocities site eventually found itself residing at that very same domain. Of course, we then got too lazy to maintain that, and thus it was eventually lost. And has now been found. It's a vicious cycle.
Alright then. Happy Friday kiddies. I'll leave you with the lovely sounds of Althea and Donna, "Uptown Top Ranking". I dare you not to dance...
I started writing a rather lengthy post last night. I had a birthday this past week, and it briefly put me in a reflective frame of mind. Made the mistake of going out to dinner before finishing it, had a couple of beers, and well, lost the motivation. Lightning struck, and I shrugged and said, "Meh".
So forget about all that. Let's address a couple site related topics.
New site header went up today. Like to keep that fresh and new from time to time.
For some reason I noticed our blogroll links have disappeared. This is a strange occurence. It confuses me, and we all know what happens when I get confused. I get scared. And when I get scared, I start stabbing people like Roberto!
At any rate, I hope to get that back up this weekend.
Also, we recently purchased www.bgagpublishing.com, but have been too lazy to point the blog to our new domain. This is a blast from the past, as our original Geocities site eventually found itself residing at that very same domain. Of course, we then got too lazy to maintain that, and thus it was eventually lost. And has now been found. It's a vicious cycle.
Alright then. Happy Friday kiddies. I'll leave you with the lovely sounds of Althea and Donna, "Uptown Top Ranking". I dare you not to dance...
Thursday, June 04, 2009
bg/ish: Kobe and the Lakers! It's the NBA Finals on ABC!
...from AIM
dw.bg: i see your boy Mamba has taken 30 shots
dw.bg: which is pretty disgusting
pr21: hahahah good thing i fell asleep
pr21: he has almost 40 points
dw.bg: nah i mean
dw.bg: he's shooting 50%
dw.bg: 15-30
dw.bg: 38 points
pr21: ya
pr21: the Lakers look like the Cavs basically with the addition of role players that don't look like they were taken from the hot dog stands
dw.bg: haha
dw.bg: but... fuck man... 30 shots
pr21: you have beef with that?
dw.bg: i'm just saying it's a lot of shots
dw.bg: they're up by 24
dw.bg: so i guess it's working tonight
pr21: yup
pr21: he looks all smug too
pr21: he looks like he's ready to rape all the bitches in Denver!
pr21: and he's not even playing there!
dw.bg: hahahaha
dw.bg: i wouldn't have my NBA commentary any other way man
...from AIM
dw.bg: i see your boy Mamba has taken 30 shots
dw.bg: which is pretty disgusting
pr21: hahahah good thing i fell asleep
pr21: he has almost 40 points
dw.bg: nah i mean
dw.bg: he's shooting 50%
dw.bg: 15-30
dw.bg: 38 points
pr21: ya
pr21: the Lakers look like the Cavs basically with the addition of role players that don't look like they were taken from the hot dog stands
dw.bg: haha
dw.bg: but... fuck man... 30 shots
pr21: you have beef with that?
dw.bg: i'm just saying it's a lot of shots
dw.bg: they're up by 24
dw.bg: so i guess it's working tonight
pr21: yup
pr21: he looks all smug too
pr21: he looks like he's ready to rape all the bitches in Denver!
pr21: and he's not even playing there!
dw.bg: hahahaha
dw.bg: i wouldn't have my NBA commentary any other way man
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
chair: drones
office work is the worst. but at least this dude made some cool art out of it --
via behance
office work is the worst. but at least this dude made some cool art out of it --
via behance
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