Rick Astley should be shot...

If I fall for this one more time I am going to seek mental help, or at least get an MRI to check for brain damage... here you go, suckers: 

http://smouch.net/lol

I may be the only person who would wear these, either way- I LOVE THEM!

The best thing about these hoops is that they are fully customizable. Each hoop depicts a small scene of a graffiti writer tagging the side of a train. The best part: He is there to paint whatever you want! Your name, your man's name (which I personally would caution against...) or whatever else you want! They're going to run you about $200 are 1 5/8 in diameter, made of sterling silver and can be found at: Etsy.com 

So, I'm sick for the first time in over 6 months. I haven't left my bed in over 24 hours and while it's beginning to make me a little crazy it has also left me with some extra time to cruise the internet for weird shit; long story short...I decided maybe it was time to update my blog... 

Underground Hip Hop's Unlikely Genius

Yes, a genius- and believe me, that is not a word you will hear me use loosely. I discovered Grieves at an Atmosphere show at The Metro in Chicago in 2007, he was touring with the slightly abrasive, sometimes corny, yet always entertaining opening act Mac Lethal. This skinny, scrappy, disarming little boy appeared on stage momentarily posing as Mac's little brother, he chugged a 40 oz, did the superman dance and disappeared backstage. I later discovered that he was Ben Grieves, a Seattle based rapper signed with Black Clover Records- I was interested to hear exactly what kind of talent Mac Lethal had signed to his label and to say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Grieves has a very unique sound. A full, seasoned voice, one you would never assume could come out of a skinny white boy. Lyrics that not only conjure emotions, paint pictures but also challenge listeners minds, and a generally dark, yet undeniably brilliant and complex vibe and sound.  Grieves first album Irreversible (2007) is one that can be listened all the way through, non surprising content covering subjects such as girls and booze but not in any typical way. Second album, which was recently released, 88 Keys and Counting (2008) is in my opinion even better than the first. While most of his music is dark, and teetering on the edge of emo, he also has a fairly obvious sense of humor, with tracks like "My Girlfriend Beats Me" and "Capital Hill Girls." Personally, I believe he has twice the talent and lyrical intelligence of anyone in his category, including his "big brother" Mac Lethal. In my opinion, if this twiggy, unassuming artisan continues on the path he is currently on, with the deserved amount of exposure and proper connections he is sure to be just as big as he wants. 

He is more than worth checking out: myspace.com/grieves 

"You are a tree hugging hippie!"

On January 5th, 2009 I decided to go Vegan. This was somewhat of an experimental decision. I was inspired after reading The New York Times Bestseller: Skinny Bitch. I had no idea how long this motivation would last but what I did know was that I needed to try it. It has been 20 days and I am going strong. I have to say, I realize that I may sound a little crazy, believe me; I used to roll my eyes at Vegetarians, however; I needed to jump start my weight loss and wanted to see if it was really possible to notice a change in my energy and mood by changing my diet- and it was. I would never suggest this lifestyle change to anyone who wasn't already considering it, and I have met my fair share of hecklers, but I will share with you some of my favorite recipes and other interesting things I believe to be true since doing some research on this topic. 

Alife: Kickin' Ass

While these wonderfully neon sneakers (Alife Everybody Mid Parachute) may be old news (released Spring 2008), I just can not seem to get over them. I love everything about them. They are not as easy to find anymore, but can still be purchased some places on the web and directly from alife nyc. 

MacBook BLING BLING...

I am completely amazed, and somewhat troubled by this obnoxious gold MacBook that I have recently discovered at: computer-choppers.com . My first reaction was to shutter and click on the tiny arrow at the top of the page to take me to the next ridiculous product, however- something wouldn't let me. Usually, I lust after most things gold and sparkly, in this case I am just simply amused. All personal opinions aside, these suckers run anywhere between $1,500 for a gold plated version all the way up to $9,000 for a 24 karat gold and diamond encrusted version!! I suppose if I had $9,000 to spend on something as ridiculous as this I would go to Europe, get blacked out drunk for 3 months and come home. Thoughts?

Let the games begin...

I figure I should jump on the bandwagon like the rest of the world and begin blogging... So, here goes nothing- and everything...