You go to Sonoma County. You are going to take your lady or fella out to a nice lunch, a little R & R, perhaps a drink at the Hotel Healdsburg, a massage, some book shopping, coffee drinking, wine, antiques, and then you get to the Elvis Presley section (yes, section, as in a whole area) of said antique store and your whole world flips upside down and around because you realize not only sheer amount of Elvis  crap/gold that was made in the various body weight eras of the King of Rock n' Roll, but the sheer amount of Elvis crap/gold that you may actually want to buy.  

And this is just the start... antique stores provide most Americans with the ability to see how much waste we can pawn off to others as treasures. Like Star Trek plates, and Eagles' albums,  and Elvis lamps, and old Playboys, and on and on. Its magical really. 

Over the past month, Rene Almanza, whom I'm working on a piece for an upcoming issue of the print Juxtapoz, was staying at this apartment near where I was moving into, and was painting this piece to be used in a store window display. I got to spend a lot of time with him, talking about art, life, philosophy; great talks, and  I got to watch him paint and evolve this piece into something that looks nothing like the pieces you see here. You don't normally get weeks to spend with a subject, sometimes you get a day and sometimes only a few hours, and I really got a full experience. I think we went to Rene's first Thai food meal, so you know you got a friend for life when you are doing a new cuisine tour together... 

Finally got a chance to look through my camera from a couple Fridays ago at the Thrasher Skater of the Year party, as I am in the process of moving apartments and I put the thing at the bottom of some unnamed box. Anyway, well, there is Tony Hawk. I tried to get a picture with him, but no dice, people were clamoring for a shot, much like this. So, I live vicariously through this guy...  

 There is a place in Oakland, California, called the Nordic House. It is the location of all things Scandinavia (including Finland, even though that distinction can go either way). I went there after Thanksgiving to get myself some good Scandinavian grub, coffee, and of course, my yearly supply of Glögg (mulled wine for you non-Scandinavian folk). 

I am going to just say this place is one of the coolest places in all the Bay Area. Where else can you get a Danish Santa, or a Finnish children's books, or a Norwegian license plate holder, or a Swedish candy bar? Nowhere. Nowhere else. That is why the Nordic House is so fresh.

This came into our offices this week, a gift from the Carhartt Europe team. Its their new book. Skateboarding.3D, featuring Sebastian Denz' photos of the Carhartt skate team, and hence the name, everything is in 3D. As in, you have to use the 3D glasses given to you with the book to get the full experience. A nice coffee table book, that is interactive. Plus, there are 120 pages, so its meaty, and has a suave, clean look and that really good thick paper. Europeans don't play. 

By the way, next time you are in London, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, Rome, hit up a Carhartt store. The jackets are second to none... I have invested some Euros and Pounds over the years, definitely worth it.