bicycle paintings / taliah lempert

Starting Tuesday, I’ll be living in Fort Greene in Brooklyn, before moving overseas to live in Munich for an indefinite amount of time. Bless my boyfriend, who is a benevolent supporter of my independence and suggested that I explore NYC by bike. This may seem like a perfectly sane idea, except for that I selfishly cherish the continuous breath that circulates my body.

Maybe I’m being unreasonably paranoid, but from my experience as a self-righteous pedestrian, my impulsive maneuvering quirks would probably get me killed. I need practice on sympathetic streets, and promise to be less of a pussy in Germany.

For now, I’ll reserve the risk by simply staring at these ghetto gorgeous bicycle paintings by Taliah Lempert. All paintings and prints feature bikes that have been worn in by a constant presence of place.

a tribute to trousers / old town clothing

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Let me get geeky on the appropriate terminology on trousers for a moment. They generally mean “pants” in the UK and in North America, are referred to in the traditional sense, as tailored pants, with belt-loops and a fly-front. Old Town Clothing designs their trousers so that they charter the characteristics of both definitions: clean, classic and yet still casual.

For no other reason than to publish two examples of product design, the Lightweight Denim Orford’s and the Tan Medium Weight Drill’s are trousers that I adore.

What? Models are just hangers of which clothes are hung from. Hangers with fine English buttocks.

poppy hill cabernet sauvignon 2005

Without diving too deeply into the political dramatics of the wine industry in British Columbia, our wines are savagely subjected to a 126% tax. This makes it difficult for me to justify the forking over of dollars without the following guilt of doing so thereafter. I use to live my life by sitting in the shallow gut of the gluttonous moment, but now not only does my conscience not allow for such hedonism, but I can’t fathom to financially forfeit my palate to the mercy of our province.

When in New York last fall, I felt a heavy sense of injustice when comparing their prices with ours of the same bottles. I laughed it off and carried on but the feeling of betrayal remained. It’s at least comforting to know that there is a collective group of passionate people in BC who are attempting to motivate change within the system. Our audacious prices certainly don’t mean that I’m brimming my basket with 2L bottles of barely BBQ worthy wine, but have instead altered my behavior by adjusting my budget creatively. My monetary goal is to hover beneath the $25 mark.

Last week, I craved a browbeater and so drove through the rural roads of South Point to visit Liberty, a wine shop on 152nd Street. I was drawn to an ‘05 Poppy Hill Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley, despite the associate describing it as drab by stating it as being solely balanced. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the contrary. I kid you not, I tasted peat. Although I commonly taste smoke in wine, never have I had something that was so reminiscent of scotch. It was full-bodied and also carried charatertistics of chocolate, cassis and hay.

You know what? I loved it. At $24.99, it barely broke even, but it ignited my interest and left me to ponder it for some time thereafter.

nouvelle cabinet / lima de lezando

German-born Lima de Lezando is a multi-disciplinary designer, dabbling in industrial, furniture and graphic design. Lima describes himself as a “creator of emotions”, and his designs reflect that of today’s present world. Within his presence, he observes an integration of modern design and classicism.

Being that he’s only 24, it’s humbling to realize that age is nothing but the result of time of which is not applicable to talent.

With my recent decision to leave Vancouver for not one, but two countries, I have sold off or left behind all of my furniture, décor and electronics. As an advocate of constant change, to be cleansed of your materialistic clutter is nothing short of liberating. I also now have the opportunity to seek objects that resonate with me instinctively, and am grateful to be with Tom, who trusts my taste and shares in my love of design.

These Nouvelle stereo cabinets are a refined reflection of the 50’s, and showcase a style similar to what I’ll be searching for to adorn our flat in Munich.

treasures & pleasures

Located on 2nd Avenue in NY, Treasures & Pleasures specializes in sourcing and selling estate, costume, and fine jewelry, along with vintage watches and purses. You can also find them at the Brooklyn Flea, which is a market that, amongst other things, I fell madly in love with when I was in NYC this last November, (see: apples & americanos).

Hierarchically, it’s clear that I’m crushing on the Koret Black Calfskin Umbrella Handle Purse. I can’t say that I’ve seen one quite like it before, and am immediately visualizing myself walking across a street of grey, broken brick, en route to a café in London. I have a silly and yet sweet imagination. Don’t laugh, though, as I’m rather skilled at constructing my visions into realities.

chris dent / illustrator

Love, American Style

Chris Dent has a talent for visually lifting a city’s skeleton, and then applying a depth of detail in his illustrations to reveal its suggestive soul.

Captivating his love of architecture, metropolitan cityscapes and environments, his precise pen work showcases a style solitary to his own.

Busy, beautiful and refreshing.

époisses

The first thing I’m going to do when I get to Paris this spring, is look for a poplar of unpasteurized Époisses. With the banned importation of its raw version in North America, there remain only a select few who carry the certification to produce it and sell it to cheese shops in Paris, the south of France and to Holland.

The ban is unjustified and motivated by a bureaucratic rivalry. The batch of Époisses that had caused the 1999 outbreak of listeria, was pasteurized and came from La fromagerie de l’Armançon, a factory that had already been condemned in a court in Dijon for producing counterfit Époisses under unsanitary conditions. It’s also been rumored that the Health Ministry had acted opportunistically in a play for power, in competing with the Veterinary Services for control of France’s Food Safety Association.

The most viable source of information on Époisses and its current standing in the marketplace, can be found in Taras Grescoe’s book, The Devil’s Picnic.

When I finally find this cheese, I’m not going to humiliate its complex characteristics of rich, salty meatiness and offending odor by throwing it into a quiche or a pie with apples, but plan to respect its strength by pairing it simply, with a baguette and a beer.

alex & chloe / bauhaus rings

Although I’m not drawn to diamonds within a solely classic ring design, I do love when classicism mingles with obscure design elements.

These Bauhaus rings from the ‘Black Diamonds’ Collection by Alex & Chloe, rebel against the standard rock by striking a sombre and yet stunning chord.

The sterling silver is oxidized by hand, producing each piece distinct from the one before it, and revealing a reflection of the incomparable individual and the relationship that it is made to represent.

a sweet swell of time

Our lives dilate daily, stitching stories through time in between. And within it all, we carry on as creatures of compassion, despite how difficult and complex we may often times be.

Our definition of love is subjective, but our desire for it inhabits us collectively. Through our vigilant layers and the harsh hesitancies that can often times hold us back, when love seeks us out, we surrender.

Without love, life lingers in limbo, desperate for a distraction.

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Happy Birthday, Tom. My love always.