Monday, December 30, 2013

Forever Cool LA

Scene 1:

THE SUNSET STRIP, HOLLYWOOD. 1961.
I'm walking west past a building housing a detective agency, on my way to Garfield park. I'm wearing tight blue jeans, white tennis shoes and a turquoise shirt and carrying my spanish guitar in its pasteboard case. I'm the ultimate twenty-something beatnik. I am wearing my shades. Some kids roll by in a '58 Impala with the roof down. "Hey," yells one of them, "dig that crazy cat!"  I'm so cool I don't even turn around.

CUT.

While it is not quite true that kids in California are born with sunglasses, they do tend to acquire them about the same time they graduate from booties to shoes that have a rubber grip. Shades are like umbrellas: specific to certain exterior conditions (your occasional nighttime shade-wearing aside), they go from being essential to being sort of in the way. 

There are hundreds and hundreds–maybe thousands–of different kinds of shades at any time in America, in emporiums from the Price Club to Bijan. Sunglass specialists sort them according to lens type, lens colour, light transmittance, frame type, frame color, temple size, lens size and intended use–you want different ones for sailing, than for driving your Rolls or for walking on Sunset Strip at night. Some are durable classics–"aviator" glasses, for instance have wire frames and lenses shaped like slightly lopsided pears, and Ray-Ban's famous Wayfarers with their '50s-look molded black plastic frames and half-orb lenses, are so emblematic of Southern California beach life that Don Henley sang about them as a veritable icon of summer and they also made Tom Cruise into a movie-star in Risky Business.

Sunglasses are about image, of course, so it's hardly surprising what shades are called seems to have become important. The people who buy Revo's Napa glasses or Ray-Ban's Bohemians, for instance, probably shouldn't be caught dead purchasing Ray-Ban's Predator 1s or Predator 2s, the Killer Loop brand's Xtreme Pros or Reebok's Schwarzeneggerian-sounding Nazi models, the Eliminator and the Intimidator, and vice versa.

The very fact that Reebok, best-known for athletic shoes, even makes or lends its logo to sunglasses bespeaks another sunglass phenomenon: they now carry names of fashion designers from Saint Laurent to Armani but also of expensive stuff that the vast majority of sunglass wearers may never afford. If you want to own a Porsche, a Hobie or a Harley you can do it with shades. They may not be cars or surfboards or motorcycles, but–hey–they're cool.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Fade Into Yellow: Kiss Me Again

Celebrating 12 years of wedded bliss with my gorgeous wife–whom I met 14 years ago rowing. My beloved rowed varsity for John Hopkins and Stanford prior to attending University of California Boalt Law School and I rowed for Ridley College, the University of Toronto and briefly the Canadian National Team before going to Advertising school. We met at a boathouse in Oakland when I was writing fat bursting alien campaigns for an ad agency in SF. I am still in advertising, photography, filmmaking, sexing and creating. The most precious gift we can offer anyone is attention. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they bloom like flowers in sunshine.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Exercise Your Energy: Running The Perfect 13.1 Miler

Very exciting to be in Monterey with my wife, son and the Big Sur Marathoners. This vibrant group of runners spans the globe (fastest Africans, Brits, Aussies and Americans) and varies in age from pimply teenagers to some truly remarkable beings who have not aged. One of the greatest joys I have is participating in this race for the last ten years with some extremely fit athletes and some magnificent young-elders. I wish to be that fit when I am in my 70s, 80s, 90s, 100s, 110s... and running as some of these lovely, vibrant people here at Big Sur.

Today, I train for two major races each year: the Big Sur 1/2 Marathon and the Bay2Breakers in San Francisco. Both of these races are an integral part of my tradition. Occasionally, my wife, son and I participate in a 3 mile fun run to support local charities but those are not my thing because three miles to me is a warm-up, a run for novices. My times for the Big Sur 1/2 Marathon are 1 hour 30 minutes (7 minutes per mile for 13.1 miles) and around 52 minutes for the Bay2Breakers 7.5 miler. I am very happy with these times. My life expectancy is to be at least 298 years old.
 

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Elegant, Sporty, Fast–In, Porsche 911: On The Roadster Again

Sleek, beautiful, fast and all as a matter of principle. The Porsche 911's light weight and low drag coefficient produces excellent acceleration times and maximum agility. The density of thought in the Porsche 911's engine layout has evolved to enhance its character and drivability. If you can immerse yourself into these pictures long enough, automobile magic happens. Perhaps it's the yellow exterior soaking up the California sun or maybe it's the sinister laugh from the engine. Or is it just this interpretation of the iconic Porsche shape? Living the dream takes everything one step further.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

City Of Creativity: Opulent San Francisco

All of the Blah, Blah, Blah and none of the BLAHS. October is one of the warmest months to be in San Francisco–you get to enjoy the newly renovated waterfront and experience the many splendors of the culturally diverse and vibrant museum scene. The city as canvas, San Francisco has countless offerings from de Young's astonishing golden age of Italian style–art of Bulgari and much more. The city is filled with life and vitality.