Messenger Photoshoots

Saw this article earlier today and thought it was pretty funny/interesting. Plus these guys are dressed correct and rockin some fly bikes.

Bike couriers are the least glamorous and often hardest working people around. Photographer Ruud Baan and Holland’s JFK Magazine have teamed together for a ‘Bike Courier’ editorial that is turning that stereotype on its head.

Featuring smokin’ hot model Simon de Boekers, Baan, according to swipelife.com, thought “that courier companies should pay more attention to their employees and dress them in the most fashionable way, believing that image counts.” Using bicycle manufacturing firm Raar to get them moving, the ‘Bike Courier’ editorial turns couriers from drab to fab!

The Vasa!

Wednesday was dope.  Straight up! We went and looked at a boat that was built for the king of Sweden in the 17th century called the Vasa.  Huge boat with cannons and gold all over and detailed symbols of lore, mythology and old roman rulers.  The king had the boat pretty much "pimped out" so that he could look fashionable to the other rulers in Scandinavia and other countries.  Bunch of show offs.  This boat after being built sunk on its first voyage, didn't even make it out of Stockholm haha. Clownin! They pulled it out of the water in the 1960's, it was chillin under water for so long that the Swedes forgot where it sank, it took a guy fishing around for years to finally come across it!  I can't imagine how amazing it must have felt to dive down and realize you've found the long lost Vasa. Anyways here are some pictures.

Oh wait the pictures didn't come out good at all so I won't be able to post the whole boat. That museum was so dark!  Some amazing craftsmanship on some of these pieces.

  Throw up a fist for black power!

So that was pretty dope. There's something about the sea and these huge boats from the time of kings, queens and slaves thats always drawn me.  I'm amazed at what people could accomplish without the technology we have now.  I know the chinese have been sailing long before any of the european countries which is just insane to me how advanced they were. Luckily I got to see first hand how they made the boat via small plastic figures though I like to think that at night they come alive and are actually actively working to create that boat. Ben stiller is also in this fantasy of mine.

Before and after we spent the day biking around stockholm which is always the most fun you can have here.  The streets of stockholm makes way for thousands of bikers a day, the most bikers I've seen per road anywhere has been here. Good stuff all around.

Introspection speculation.

Peace

Raekwon, Andre and the Vma's

Everybodys got a take on Kanye's little outburst at the vma's the other night but Raekwon here put it exactly how I felt about the whole situation.



It's been a few days since I've posted anything. I've got some new pictures here too but its 2:35 in the AM and I'm not going through the exciting process of uploading thumbnails on here at the moment.  It'll happen though, someday. In fact I'll just save that for a whole new post.

Oh and if you haven't already, check out Alter Ego.

Street Justice

Wow just came across this video on Prolly Blog. Damn I'm always so paranoid about getting my bike stolen but it doesn't really seem like a problem here in stockholm as much as it is in the states.  A lot of the bikes I see aren't even locked up to begin with, just sitting outside leaning against a wall or tree or something.  I'm constantly amazed when I see this but I guess theft isn't so bad that people go out to buy 3 NY chains and a Ulock.  I would definitely teach anyone a lesson if I caught them trying to jack my bike.  Hopefully I'll have a few friends with me too though if it ever came down to it haha.

Also started reading Sex, drugs and Cocao Puffs today.  I've gone as far as the table of contents and so far thats been pretty good.  I sat in Svart Kaffe(not cafe) today studying, they have 2 rooms and in the second there is a small Hello Kitty shop.  One of the strangest things I've seen today.  They have a huge selection of sandwiches and bagels, Sara bought a bagel with cream cheese, chilli, red onions, sun dried tomatoes and alfalfa sprout. So delicious!  Damn I love food.  And free wifi, password is "hellokitty" and I laughed when the waitress told me and I got a bad look.  Really though, Svart Kaffe houses a cool and trendy feel to it with The Streets playing overhead and patrons dressed in leather, heels and red lipstick.  Then, all of a sudden, a glass door leading into a small room with a large Hello Kitty face.  I sat opposite of it the entire time there and had Hello Kitty look down on me and my earl grey.  Goddamn you Sanrio for making those eyes so beady..







Oh, I've been listening to Metal Fingers - Special Herbs box set all day.  Amazing stuff with instrumental extracts from Dooms Special Herbs series and some from KMD.

CANNOT SLEEP

Holy crap I just spent 3 hours laying in bed wide awake, are you kidding me!  I might as well blog about it and listen to The Who.  Love Reign O'er Me has been on repeat the whole night, such a good song! When he starts to scream LOOOOVVEEEE...damn gets me every time.  Spent the night watching freaks and geeks with Sara tonight, amazing show and we only have 2 more episodes till we're all out so we're kind of bummed about that.  I love little sam and his friends, we just saw the episode where they go to their first party and are nervous about kissing girls.  This show takes me back to middle/high school days and everything that came with that.  Oh and Daniel tries to fit into the punk scene and changes his look and goes to the show trying to be all hardcore, priceless!  Instantly made me think of Coffee Factory and all the shows I went to with friends, trying to fit that mold and connecting with people I've never met in my life outside in the cold parking lot.  This might sound silly but back then, and even now I guess, there was a sense of spiritual communion reaching out to these other kids and having them reach out to me in the same way, simply communicating and connecting.  I lived for those moments back then.  I still do I guess, just maybe not with that same intensity haha.

we had to spend at least some parts of our day studying.  This picture was taken at a point where it looked like I wasn't studying but I assure you I read or wrote or something.  We went to Jacobs Cafe, nice little place but kind of expensive.  I was surprised at how much I had to pay for a coffee and tea but they had this salad mixed with pesto pasta and chicken and tons of veggies. So good! Going back there tomorrow maybe to get some more work done.

we spent the rest of the day walking around Gamla Stan ducking into coffee shops and people watching. All around good day, except this part right now where I can't get any sleep.

Me right now. Going to sleep, or lay in bed for 3 more hours.  That way I can watch the sunlight slowly creep its way across the floor of my room till it reaches the bed and then ultimately my bare face.

Sick

The past week has been me laying around the house, blowing my nose into everything. My nose is as raw as its ever been and I think I even cut myself with the harsh toilet paper we have here. I guess you get what you pay for. Its alright though, I've been able to read some Roth in between my studies and trips to the kitchen to boil water for all this black tea I have. Ok this post is about as uneventful as my sick week has been.

-the incomprehensible way ones most banal, incidental, even comical choices achieve the most disproportionate results..

Tonight at strand.

Delicious Delicious Carrot Cake

We're running out of kona coffee fast in our house and mamasan only sent me one bag.  There is no way we're going back to the cheap stuff, puts me on the toilet all day afterwards (tmi?).  So in order to keep up with the finer things in life we headed to rosendals trädgård to get our coffee on. 100% organic little coffee beans.

We come here a few times a month if its sunny and chill out, awesome garden with apple trees everywhere to for snacking and/or shade.

This is us in the green house, obviously being enthusiastic about the "us" part.

Stockholm also had an outdoor gallery up along Strandvägen which is swedish for "beach street".  Last year they were showcasing photographs from around the world.  Now it is trees, grass, water and birds.  They're showing all the national parks here and Sara so delightfully pointed out all the places we didn't end up going but should have if only it were still summer.

Also my font changed. Weird.

Look! look! This beach, you're never going there ever in your life and its amazing!

Outdoor dancing lessons? I really had no idea what was going on here.

Wish i wasnt so lazy I would edit all those together, oh well. 

Night.