Sunday, March 09, 2008

Buy My Ugly Tie ...
and sponsor a skater from the Triangle Special Hockey Association



Once upon a time I was contractually obligated to attend a dinner function. The primary invitee, who was very uptight due to the prestige of the event, requested/required that my attire be formal.

I don't mind dressing up but I do mind being forced into the prefab solution that society has (for some reason that escapes me) deemed formal wear for men. There are primarily two choices, dark blue suit with tie, black suit with tie. I picked the later.

A new tie was even purchased for me, a nice green one, and since my old tie wasn't going to be worn, I decided to do what I do best, draw turtles on it.

Then the misunderstanding occurred. The person whom I was contractually obligated to attend said function with thought I was going to wear the turtle tie. Due to the stress and pressure brought on by the fact that society wouldn't approve such a tie, instructions were clearly given that I would not being wearing the turtle tie.

I was slightly offended that my turtle tie was deemed contractually-obligated-function inappropriate. An argument ensued, my premise being that there is something wrong with a society that decides the appropriateness of a tie... especially if it is solely based on a predetermined value. For if my tie had been hand drawn by Picasso, Warhol or Haring, it would surely be deemed appropriate.

Now, I understand that I'm not any of the for-mentioned artist. But I still believe my turtle tie holds value. That is why I plan to sell my tie on Ebay to the highest bidder. All proceeds from the sale of the tie will go to sponsor a skater from the Triangle Special Hockey Association.

I hope you will consider buying my ugly tie. And also get the word out to other people that might want to buy my ugly tie. The tie will go on sale next week. I'll keep you posted!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Jeepalishus!

Today, I took a break from my usually artsy stuff to do real man's work (insert grunt sounds here).

Not long ago I purchased a new jeep... well, new to me. A 2006 with 8,400 miles. A good deal but it was lacking the style and manliness my other jeep had.

For example, my other jeep had a lift and 17 inch tires. My new jeep only has 16 inch tires. I inquired at the dealership as to the cost of adding the extra inches... $2,300... I'm trying to live with my less manly tires.

So in order to raise my jeeps manliness, without deflating my wallet, I ordered parts online and they arrived today. So this afternoon, using my new tools I installed my new parts.

Here are the results:



This is my new jeep before installing the new manly bumper.



and this is after with the new manly bumper installed. I think it looks pretty cool. Ooohhh, Aaahhh...



this is my jeep before adding the side steps.



and this is after with the side steps installed. I would like to point out that although the front bumper was pure vanity, the side steps are not. Though I do think they look cool, they are actually quite functional for the shorter riders.