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This image passed my desktop today… and somehow it resonated. They say that “Good fences make good neighbors…” and perhaps this speaks to that in some way? I’m certainly no fan of barbed wire—but fences do have their time and place, at times, in certain places…
(original image source unknown)
Frankfurt, Germany
One of my colleagues at Circle mentioned this morning that her daughter was off to school for her first day of Grade One. I then brought up the tradition I knew from growing up in Germany—upon entering first grade, parents and/or grandparents present the child with a “Schultüte“ or Zuckertüte (literally School Cone or Sugar Bag); a decorated cardboard cone filled with chocolate, candy, toys, school supplies, and other goodies. The idea is to make the anxiously awaited first day of school a little bit sweeter…
I came across this old photo of my Mom and me (at the age of 5) on my first day of school… with my Schultüte.
Karlsruhe/Munich, Germany
Stuhlhockerbank is a series of seating for public spaces that approach users and viewers in an extraordinary way… more here.
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David is back in Italy… after a two-year trip to the United States—corporate sponsors are acknowledged. For comparison, see a photo of David taken just over two years ago, here.
(This was sent to me individually by several friends in Europe, so I know it really must be true (-: Le David de Michelangelo est de retour en Italie après 2 années passées aux USA—merci aux sponsors…
This is rich indeed… holiness has its own simplicity!
(original source unknown)
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Pen & Ink was created by Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton as a place for those with body art to share the stories behind it. It features each person’s name and occupation, a fun sketch of each tattoo diagramming where it is on the body, and, of course, the reasoning for it. Leo, one of the tattooists quoted in Margo DeMello’s Bodies of Inscription asserts:
[A] genuine tattoo…. tells a story. I like stories and tattoos, no matter how well done, and if they don’t tell a story that involves you emotionally, then they’re just there for decoration, then they’re not a valid tattoo. There has to be some emotional appeal or they’re not, to my way of thinking, a real tattoo. It tells people what you are and what you believe in, so there’s no mistakes.
Vancouver, BC
I bought a new pair of shoes last week—an event so momentous that my colleagues at Circle insisted I write a post about this (admittedly, I rarely buy shoes—in fact, the last pair I bought was in Chicago, four years ago to the day [I was there giving a talk as part of FITC Chicago]). I’m a tall guy, and I have big feet… size 14 (48-1/2), 320mm long to be precise (12.6″ for those who still measure in inches). Frankly, it’s damn hard to find footware of any kind, never mind anything stylish…
Well, “The Keith,” as the Fluevog footware that I now own is called (first time I’ve ever bought a shoe with its own name) is described as a “knuckledustin’, swaggerin’ shoe that is the perfect attitude accompaniment for all rockin’ rebels and outlaws. Featuring a stitched leather sole with a rubber topy and heel lift, 1.25″ stacked leather Cuban heels, and a strong shark-nose silhouette, the Keith shoe might be the actual epitome of cool… it will take wild horses to drag you away from The Keith Shoe! All you need is a silk scarf and a Telecaster, and the rest is history (mullet and black eyeliner not included).”
Fluevog shoes are designed by the Vancouver-based firm’s founder, John Fluevog, who creates and produces shoes using traditional methods and eco-friendly materials. My “Keiths” are made in a small family-owned factory in Portugal. Due to the fact that they’re made in a traditional method, any cobbler is able to work with them in the future to fix up everything from stitching and resoling to heel lifts. Something tells me that “The Keith” and I will walk a long and winding road together…
—Hunter S. Thompson
London, England
“Anyone strolling through Canonbury Square in Islington recently might have noticed this interesting graffiti around some particularly pubic foliage. T’was rather a lovely bush. Sadly it was painted over and now remains only in ghostly shadow of its former glory…”
Thanks to my friend Matt Warburton… (source).
