A few months ago I started collecting business cards. Not your run of the mill, vomit-inducing VistaPrint ones that every amateur photographer or web designer has, but really nice ones. I have dozens now from all over the world, including die-cut ones and even a wooden one from New Zealand! I will document them when I have time.
I guess, I have always been interested in business cards but admittedly, my interest originally peaked when I saw the infamous American Psycho scene where Patrick Bateman and his colleagues obsess over each other’s cards and try to one-up one another.
I recently had the pleasure of working with Ben (founder) at The Mandate Press in Salt Lake City. I submitted an idea and they were able to execute it flawlessly. One of the designers even decided to try rounding the corners and sent me an email to see what I thought. I decided the look was good (matches the die-cut O) and had her make over half of them rounded.
If I am correct, the paper is 110 lb weight Lethra, in the florescent white color – hence the blog title. The text is actually letterpressed, not printed. Click on one of the close-ups to see the indentation in the card. Amazing stuff.
I started buying and wearing fitted caps about two years ago. Since then, I have been tempted a few times to buy off-brands and each time I have been disappointed to some degree. There’s a reason why the top brands go to New Era for their collaborations. Simply put – they are the best. The only complaint I have is sometimes their sizes are inconsistent. I get the same model and size and depending on the designer, the cap may be slightly tight, just perfect, or loose.
Let’s look at one of the wannabe companies and examine why they make a good effort but fail to deliver. I was really excited when OFFICIAL was going to introduce their first cap, based on the British SAS Shemaghs design. Yes, they capitalize their brand, like they are yelling. After numerous email spams, sneak peaks, teaser posts, it finally comes out a three months later. When I got it, my draw dropped. It’s like someone took some thin cardboard and hand sewed fabric over it. The hat makes crunchy noises when you flex it. It sort of sounds like tissue paper (the kind you use for gift wrapping). The brim is ok and holds its shape well. The other thing that annoys me about OFFICIAL is it’s run by a white guy but the site and he act ghetto. I think there’s a way to be part of the street game and not be silly. Take Ricky Kim or Jeff Staple, for instance.
Another cap that fails to deliver is 3Sixteens wool cap. Though, I have to admit it’s pretty good for a first try and years ahead of OFFICIALS. I think it goes without saying that if you want to get a cap, you should stick with New Era. Everything else OFFICIALLY sucks.
When I read about a guest chef at Century City’s Breadbar, I was intrigued. They were featuring Chef Noriyuki Sugie and calling it Crudo Bar [PDF]. The website described it as “a fusion of Spanish and Japanese flavors” and they were to be served tapas style, meant to be shared.
At first, I was bummed when I found out that I was too late for Crudo Bar, then joyed when I found out that they were extending it to July 31st and I happen to be in LA on the weekend of the 26th. I invited Liz but she never replied. I was planning on going myself, which I dread but have done before. Later, I found out Clarissa didn’t have to attend a BBQ so I asked her to join me. Luckily, she agreed.
I originally made the reservation at 7PM then changed it to 8PM when I considered the late lunch we had. Both times, the people answering the phone had problems understanding me, especially my first and last name, neither of which I find that difficult. Parking proved to be a pain, which was to be expected at the Century City mall.
Continue reading ‘Crudo Bar’
Today’s public service announcement is about dim sum. The SGV has some of the best dim sum anywhere and since I haven’t had any for a long time, I convinced Claire to get some for lunch on Saturday. She convinced me that NBC (close by her house) was better than my favorite, 888. Fine, let’s go.
Here’s where the tip comes in – Do not get dim sum 20 minutes before closing. Withing 30 seconds of sitting down, we had like 5 dishes on our table. They were hurrying to get their carts unloaded. Everything was room temperature or cold and the flavors were very ho hum. We packed up at least half the food and we were out of there really quickly.
Published on
July 29, 2008 in
Celebrity, Events, News, Science and Travel.
Tags: Burt Rutan, Eve, LAX, Mojave, Scaled Composites, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin America, Virgin Galactic, WhiteKnight II.
Today marks the 50th anniversary of NASA and what a more fitting way to celebrate than to tell you about a historic event I took part in yesterday, out in the Mojave Desert. I stayed the night at the Embassy Suites at LAX and arrived at the Flight Path Learning Center (aka Imperial Highway Terminal) at 6 AM. The whole check in, breakfast, and lounging period took over an hour. The plane was full with press, VIP, and guests. We flew on the newest addition to the Virgin America fleet, an Airbus A-320 aptly named “My other ride’s a spaceship.” I am not joking!
Continue reading ‘Virgin Galactic: WhiteKnight II’
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