Time flies with you

Funny how time flies. Even when you are.
NYC was great. Nice to have such a central base to call home (along with the 5 billion or so cockroaches, rats and other less welcome neighbours). This will have to be a highlights show, I'm afraid. So many little details went un-recorded, but it felt appropriate at the time.
Overall impression of the city: more friendly than last time (10 yrs ago)
Overall impression of the people: loud.
Actually (honk) I'll have to add that (honk) of all the (honkhonk) places I have ever been none (honkcrash) have ever been as noisy (bang) as Manhattan (honk). 24/7. Whether it is the roar of the air conditioners at 3am or the power tools destroying the roads and snarling up the traffic causing everyone within 3ft of a horn to feel an unshakable urge to lean on it, you are constantly being assaulted by noise after noise after noise.
That aside there was time for reflection. Actually what I really want to share is the very cool invention/art piece Ummit and I stumbled across. It is called The Lonely Jacket. Made of Velcro© this hooded jacket is designed to change the way we interact with strangers (or to be more specific, strangers also wearing the same jacket). It was a laugh putting it on and pratting about in the gallery, and as a conceptual piece well worth the entry fee (actually it was free but you catch my drift).
Strolling over the Brooklyn Bridge was more interesting than you might expect too.
Boozing on the roof terrace of a bar with a million dollar view; the Chrysler and the Empire States, lit up with their own colour codes, incomprehensible to me but stunning nonetheless.
A home game at Yankee Stadium in the sun, where the chants have a long way to go before they can compete in the international chanting championships.

This is federal law

Claims that 'this is federal law' are beginning to bug me. It seems like overkill, after all why not just tell people what you are allowed to do, and what you aren't, and leave it at that. If you're one of those disobedient buggers then 'federal law' or not I very much doubt it makes the slightest difference, and just makes them look like officious arses. Admittedly air travel is getting weirder every day (save for San Francisco, where they managed to mix it up a little and have a bit of a comedy routine: "no waters, gels, toothpaste; ladies, you are allowed your lipstick, guys, this is San Francisco, you are also allowed your lipstick…") and one feels less and less welcome, despite ever increasing travel prices.
Still, welcome to New York! Will let you know what it does.

The You-Knighted-States...

It's interesting to be back, even if only for a short while, to have a first hand experience of what is really going on behind all the smoke and mirrors. And what have I found out? Not much. My most significant impression is that although there are more BlackBerrys than in a pot of homemade jam I have a suspicion that the integration of technology with modern life is very superficial. Maybe I've got it wrong and it is so seamlessly integrated that people don't even realise it's there anymore. At least baseball is still baseball, and the chillidogs still smell better than they taste, afterall this is the real undercoat of America, glossed over with their wifi Starbucks and casual internet connecions at $6 a pop. There are 313 Starbucks in Colorado alone (and I've seen 2 more being built this week). "It has 7,950 U.S. stores — plus 3,275 elsewhere — and an average of five opening every day worldwide. Its long-term goal is 15,000 U.S. stores, 30,000 globally. By contrast, McDonald's has 13,700 U.S. stores, 31,000 globally. It's hard to be an American without stepping in one. Some do every day. And 24% of Starbucks' customers visit 16 times per month. No other fast-food chain posts numbers even close." Source:USA TODAY Personally I am a bit sickened by it. I miss the real NZ cafe experience, with it's real food and real coffee and real people, and I don't even drink coffee. Go figure.

Industry Advice

I have been asked to be part of the Industry Advisory Group for the Design & Arts College of New Zealand. How could I refuse such an offer?

Munuit Rules

Minuit rules. Paul and I got down on the good foot last weekend and this is what we saw.

and, Autumn/winter photos here. It's been a while but you know me. Getting all distracted n'stuff.

Officially Kiwi

Kia ora. Official. Ka kite ano.

How was it for you

Never a dull moment: 4.30pm. Just felt the earth shift. The thrill of living on a fault line where the next big one is over due.
Last night the ever brilliant Minuit brought the house down with a monster set at Ministry, followed by Concord Dawn kicking me in the guts with some of the thickest Drum N Bass I've heard in a while.

Got Wood

Super-stoked with the result of a wee typographic project that I've just finished. Lasers are not just for Dr Evil after all. Got wood?

Flip Grater

Last night I went to the very talented Flip Grater's Cage for a Song album launch. Super-stoked she signed my cd. I see big things ahead for her.

Link

This why I learnt French at school. Who ever you are, thanks.