Versatility. That is what I strive for.
Three weeks ago I bought my bike. And since then it’s opened up a new outlet for me. All of a sudden I can go out and not have my limited budget in mind. Though I spent a hefty chunk of money for it ($400+), a lot has opened up. It gave me the ability to explore the city without a car. I can relate to Amy (as well as my TKD colleagues) in a new way. I also look at bicyclists in a new light of reverence.
It’s quite something to be exercising again. This is something where it’s 95% injury-friendly, vs. the 75% rating I get from jogging. Plus, unlike jogging, I can traverse longer distances. And I’m getting used to riding it like a car (that is, moving to the left turn lane). At first I was timid, but after a bit of practice (not to mention driving down El Camino), I’m getting used to cutting in between waves of cars—not perfect yet, but getting there.
So what makes bicycling so versatile? Well…
For one, I’m able to use virtually all types of ground—everything short of stairs and highways. I can ride on the roads for the long haul, skip to sidewalks when I want a break, ride through parks, even park my bike inside a building if duly necessary. For the first time I rode down a bike trail—it was fucking amazing. I rode all the way past Shoreline Amphitheatre to the lake at the end. Through straightaways, over bridges and under expressways, and finally arriving at nature—the journey itself was the most rewarding.
Yesterday, during the lost cellphone debacle, I drove over to the post office to check on its status. After all, I was under the impression it should’ve arrived already, but I had to fetch the tracking code. Jr’s (mortal) dad had the code and wasn’t there yet, so I had to wait. Two hours later (4:30-ish) I get a note that the mailman had my package but no one answered the door (Typical, actually) and that the package is at the post office. Without a moment to spare, I headed there on bike (since they close at 5). I make it before closing time and wait in line. Once I got up to the line, they said they didn’t have my package—a mailman from the ‘other’ office made the note and that it’ll be held there. Oh, and also they close at 5:30. Said office is in the north end of the city, so I darted out immediately. My body worked against me though—I was in regular jeans and flip-flops—sweat city along with the leg cuffs hitting against the main gears—oh, and I ate just a while before w/o water. Not just that, nature also worked against me with a strong southerly wind as I biked north. Despite ‘altering’ it, it remained constant throughout my tenure. Also, the other post office was a lot farther than I had imagined—4 miles away according to Google Maps. Despite my own thoughts of giving up and thinking it was pointless; with the long string of red lights; I snapped out of it and pressed on—definitely the one shining moment where I ignore such thoughts. I gave it all I could—mind body and spirit—and it paid off. No sooner than I parked my bike inside and waited in line, the guy closed the front doors. I was elated, but exhausted. My lungs had the feeling of resting for a long time, then spastically working at full capacity—then lingering like I’ll catch asthma. Blegh. But I stabilized with some water and a well-deserved breather. Most importantly I got my cell back. Finally! I cycled through 20 messages left during the week, then took my 'victory lap' back home.
Fetching my cell proved an interesting insight. How do you solve a problem? Replace it with a bigger problem! Before I was moping about not having the phone and wondering how to replace it. The problem was trumped by mailman’s note, which then was trumped by the closing post office—both of them—and finally the grueling bike trek to the second post office in tandem with the unreasonably short time required to make it.
All in all, a test. It was all or nothing—a make or break. And I made it with flying colors. Which goes to show when I ignore the superficial crap going on in my head and think straight, I can do wonders.
Gimme a V! Gimme an O! Gimme an X! What's that spell? VOX!
What better way to tell the world how much you love Vox than to announce it on Facebook? That's right: Vox now has an official Facebook page! Become a fan of Vox.com on Facebook and let your friends know what you really care about: staying connected with friends and family through blog posts, photos, videos and comments.
Once you're a fan, you can also add photos and videos to the page, write on the wall, and connect with other Voxers in ways you may not have previously. Plus, it's a great opportunity to let people know about your Vox blog, or start discussion topics. To become a fan, just visit the official Vox.com Facebook page and click the "Become a Fan" button in the upper right hand corner.
Once you've joined, why not post a response to the current discussion topic? Just post a link (and a brief description, if you'd like) to what you consider one of your all-time best Vox posts.
What are you waiting for? Become a Vox.com fan on Facebook today!
Although we typically post on Team Vox to let you know about things that are going on with Vox (to, uh, state the obvious), once in a while, we like to let you know about other cool things that are happening around the blogosphere. And we think the idea of four hilarious mommy bloggers traveling across the U.S. on their way to the BlogHer '08 conference - all the while blogging and video blogging the journey - is one trip you will not want to miss.
Four adventurous bloggers from the Silicon Valley Moms Group were selected to participate in the Summer Road Trip '08 and blog about their travels, hotel stays, media appearances, time away from their families, and life on the road. Six Apart helped them partner up with General Motors, who provided the blogging mommies with a Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV to help make their journey comfy, safe, and a little more green.
In case you're not familiar with them, SV Moms is a group of over 200 bloggers who showcase the ups, downs, outrages, struggles, victories, and everyday humor of motherhood. There are currently nine regional and demographically tailored sites that give mothers from D.C., New Jersey, the Deep South, Rocky Mountains, L.A., and Silicon Valley a powerful voice and sense of camaraderie across the country. Whether you're a mother, a child, or just a person who enjoys a good blog, you'll really love reading the words of these amazing women.
The moms buckled into their Chevy Tahoe Hybrid SUV on July 11th and even got an encouraging message from Katie Couric to kick things off! They are currently somewhere in the middle of America making their way to San Francisco where they'll attend an SV Moms Group Party, as well as BlogHer '08.
You do not want to miss these entertaining and irreverent bloggers -- or their spontaneous contest giveaways! -- as they blog from the road. Experience the journey at MomRoadTrip.com.
And let us know about your summer road trip - or plane/boat/bus trip - in the comments! (I like to live vicariously.)
Do you live in or around Cincinnati, Ohio? If so, you're in luck because Scott and the Queen City Voxers Group have organized a Vox user meetup!
WHERE: Ault Park Playground. 3600 Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45208. "We'll look for each other at the playground marked by the red X below. If it's raining, head for the shelter to the north of the [red] X."
To RSVP (which is not essential, but is appreciated), reply to Scott's announcement or send him a private message. All Voxers, as well as their friends and family, are welcome to attend.
If you do attend the meetup, have a great time and please take lots of pictures and send them to me so I can post them in Team Vox for everyone to see!
Thank you so much to Scott for organizing this meetup. Wish I could be there!
Painting the shell of a model car is probably one of the most taxing
things to do. It's the first thing people see so if it's a bad paint
job, it doesn't matter how much time, work or detail you've done to the
interior, engine bay, undercarriage, or wheels. That body better be
glass-like (unless its a flat color, carbon fiber or laden with
sponsors), or the car will just look like poo.
Bask in its glory, ye unaware yet of the Skyline beautifulness. For soon you all shall know and weep
CUSTOM PSEUDO-TINT or NEGATINT (I coined it, it's mine)
Being of the mindset that a car needs to stand out, it is a good
idea to on occasion, break away from conventional colors. I'm going
with a Blood Red / Rust Orange "negatint". I call it negatint
because on a 3 axis rotation, the orange really comes into view from
negative sight angles and the red comes through on the positive ones.
To put it more simply, if you view the car at X0 and Y-5, you'll see
the orange on raised areas because the light bounces off of the orange,
but if you look at a section of the car that is above Y0, you see the
blood red because of the orange being clear and the black base
absorbing light. It's almost a flip paint, but it's far less extreme
and doesn't completely shift from one color to the next, mostly becuase
the colors are monochromatic. Orange to red is not a drastic step in
colors.
To get this effect we have to understand how unique paints such as flip, candy, and pearl paints work. These paints work primarily off of the base coat.
Flip paints need a black base - to work, they require a dark base to absorb the light. Flip paints rarely switch colors in a monochromatic fashion. You will usually see red to green, blue to red, orange or purple, etc. You will at times see the blue to purple or red to yellow but they are not as flashy so not as common.
Pearl paints do a hue shift and require a white base coat. Pearl paints are 'fluffy' and look soft and therefore have aesthetic class. These paints are semi-transparent with just enough pigment to give them color (rich color), but let light pass through to show the white base coat. They also contain tiny flakes of metal, usually nickel and silver or other metals (real pearl paint is extremely expensive if it contains real pearl so most cars have the metal flakes instead of the real pearl, cultured or otherwise)
Candy paints are the most transparent paints. They have a base coat of silver for the reflective property and also contain lots of tiny silver flakes to give the sparkle. Candy paints also usually look wet, like gooey candy hence the name "candy".
Of these three I applied the theories of both Pearl and Flip paints to
get a unique paint finish. To start I applied my white primer and
sanded it down to an ultra smooth finish (so that the paint went on
without later creating "orange peel" (the consequence of paint droplet
hitting a surface and drying are varying rates due to hitting a rigid
or uneven surface). Then I applied a flat black. Now, flat paints are
not smooth, which is why they are flat. They do not reflect light like
a gloss paint will mainly because there is an additive in the paint
that makes the paint surface semi-rigid. I have to sand this down. I
could use a gloss paint, but gloss paints have an additive to make them
glossy and are therefore much thicker and take longer to dry than a
flat or semi-gloss. Semi-gloss paints are what paints are naturally
(usually) but are thicker than a flat so again, are writ out of my
options.
Having laid and sanded my flat black base, I then take a Mica Red (Mica is just another term for pearl, but denotes more clearly the use of metal flake instead of actual pearl - the effects are identical). The mica red is semi-transparent, high gloss (so it's thicker) and is applied in one solid even coat to the entire body of the car where the flat black was laid. Usually one is supposed to let each coat of lacquer dry completely to reduce the bleeding between layers, however there is a neat trick that can be done with being 'impatient'.
Lacquer has a vehicle in it that as it dries, it evaporates causing the
paint layer to shrink ever so slightly. Enamels simply harden so if you
put too thick a coat of enamel down, you lose surface details (same
with acrylic paint which dries hard and is basically liquid plastic, though you can think it considerably and it makes a terrific wash). Lacquers also do not peel as do enamel and acrylic - they chip and can scratch due to their dry nature. If Lacquer 'peels' it is becuase the primer peels or becuase they paint did not stick to the surface.
Another aspect of lacquer is that paint applied under the layer of
lacquer will be absorbed into the top layer. This is especially true if
the bottom layer is not completely dry yet. Having waited 20 minutes
for the black base to dry (I can touch it, but its not 'dry' dry) I
then apply the Mica Red in a thin even coat. The Mica Red paint will be
very subdued and only subtly tint the panel lines (the detail lines
scribed into the car body to outline doors, fenders, etc.) because the
black base is condensed in those lines. At the same time, the Mica Red
being wet, will re-wet the black and absorb some of the 'blackness'
making the two layers of paint just one slightly thicker layer of
paint. By the time it dries (ideally 48 hours later) it will just be
one normal layer of paint and be semi-gloss becuase the flat and gloss
nature of both paints will also mix.
After letting the black and red paints dry completely for about 2 days (24 hours is usually okay, but it's not good to chance anything you've got a single shot to get right), we apply the Clear Orange. Clear Orange is not a special paint at all. It contains no flakes or special additive - it is simply a transparent lacquer paint. I apply this in a very conservative thin but even coat. Since the previous paint layers are completely dry and since this layer is very thin, it should dry before the paint vehicles re-wet the previous ayers. It also gains the ability to only bee seen from certain angles since it is a lighter color (and being transparent helps).
Again, waiting a considerable amount of time (about 24 hours), I apply an even Clear coat. This is just a high gloss fully transparent, un-tinted or pigmented layer of paint. When it dries, it will have deepened and enriched the color as well as provide a protective layer that I can polish and wax.
Now as I said earlier, lacquer will blend the previous layers of paint, or simply 'marry' them. Because clear coat has the most vehicle of any lacquer it will almost always 'burn' through all previous layers. This is an effect we want because it will subdue the orange and bring forward the red to give us that 'more red than orange' look. The result is a sort of rust color. Trust me, it looks better than it sounds.
WHEELS AND RIMS
Lacquer is my paint of choice. It's versatile and very easy to work with. It however is not a forgiving paint and if you make a mistake you usually have to dip your part in degreaser to strip off all remnants of paint to fix it (due to the marrying property of lacquer). Enamels and Acrylics are forgiving in that once they dry, you can just paint over it (but suffer loss of detail). One of the things that can ruin a great paint job is your environment. No, I don't mean sunlight or high wind (though without a good clear coat the sun CAN bleach the decals and paint on a model). I'm talking about humidity and temperature.
Ideally lacquer should be applied at room temperature in low humidity. This keeps the paint from hardening too fast (too cold) and leaving a rigid finish, running and leaving drip marks (too hot and holding the dispenser too close to the surface), or hazing (too humid).
I'm going to exploit the hazing here. Hazing strips the gloss shine from paint when it is applied because moisture collects on the surface and reacts with the evaporating vehicle in the lacquer. Too much hazing will take the lacquer from flat to looking like someone spilled milk on it and let it dry (a white rough reside). Lacquer is oil based (generally) and we shoudl know by now that water is less dense than oil so the water microdroplets that catch and form on drying lacquer will sit on top and ruin it. This is where timing comes into play with what I'm' about to do, and normally, I'd strongly suggest NOT doing this becuase if you do it too long it's ruined and too short, you don't get the effect.
What effect am I talking about? powder coating.
To make these rims look powder coated, I applied the gun metal
lacquer just after a summer rain. It was VERY humid. I applied the
paint, waited exactly 10 minutes and then took it inside to a room with
a fan (that was turned on) and was about 75 degrees to finish drying
(about 45 minutes). What happens is that there is enough humidity to
sap the gloss finish and create a rough finish. The finish is not as
rough as a flat coat, but it is as dull. If I were to apply a flat coat
on gloss rims, the lacquer would simply be semi-gloss and I'd need two
coats, running the risk of losing detail. Also, the flat base would be
TOO rough to the touch (and sight), and given that the spokes of the
rims were gun metal, a metallic paint, I did not want to lose the tiny
mimi-pop of the metal flakes contained within.
Gun metal rims are kind of boring, especially on a car that has such a unique finish, so to liven them up I used the Mica Red on the wheels to give the inner lip a pearl red stand-out. The inner lip and wheel are gloss Mica Red and the spokes are powder coat gun metal. They are set off by each other and bring out the metallic brown Brembo Brake Calibers and real aluminum brake discs.
Of course this isn't dictating what colors you can or should use for either of these effects. Choose your own. I'm about to redo a Nissan 350Z NISMO in Blue using the same process for the body as described above, except this time I'm going to mask out two flat black racing stripes and add some custom decals (which I might cover next time around).
Feel free to pass this information on to anyone who wants it. Thanks for reading and I hope this helps you out some.
I wondered what all those days of despair had been for.
My muddy soul rose from the depths of the bogs...
came in contact with clean air and light...
and for the first time, I knew what it meant to live.
(Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei)
Now that I've effectively killed off 80% of my readership... I can move on to the main point of my return:
I've thrown away my past.
And now I'm working towards my future.
Though I must say, ignorance was bliss. I lived in a constant state of powerlessness and fear. A tiresome routine of hope and bullshit. I've feared the past and dwelt on all types of failures: from groundbreaking all the way to self-contrived. I considered my dad the bane of all existence--I've blamed the world on him; feared of becoming him. I've kept a very small circle of friends--compatriots if you will--that I could depend on and relate to the most--as well as a handful of examples of failures of life to scoff at, just so I can look good in front of people. For what? Just to be 'accepted' into some set of unspoken standard of society. And there was a failing relationship without any resolve to end it. A tight network of reasons and excuses connected all these facets of living together, forming a 'safety web' if you will.
And then I was subjected to a series of epiphanies. These epiphanies were small and brief, but incurred a direct and lasting impact. Little-by-little. My past unearthed and exposed. All the crap I dealt stared at my face. Worse yet, I held on to shit that happened years before and in turn, ran my life, affecting things that have yet to be. So I started to come to terms with 'that past'.
I've let go of the death grip of hate over my dad. And all of a sudden we can talk to each other. Normally. Yeah there's some intermittent yelling from time to time, but now it doesn't get to me. We can sit in the same car and not irritate each other. Hell, we were fixing tires together.
I've started to open myself to regular people and disclose things that'd normally be reserved to my closest of friends. From then, a world of possibilities have opened up. For once I realized the ability to befriend anyone. I've stopped thinking that I'm not good enough to relate.
In turn the outset of what I've done yielded other unexpected results: I've accepted myself for who I am instead of living with all this self-doubt and remorse (Hell, I refer to myself by my entire first name, rather than just the shortened version). Why does that make any sense? Who knows--maybe all of my lies from trying to look good before affected my self-esteem that much. Also, I've noticed my voice has altered. It's hard to make out, but when I speak candidly, it's as if I'm speaking through someone else.
And granted I've gotten some backlash from telling the truth. One relationship and two friendships went to shit. But whatever--it's one of those "had it coming" moments--I've played the losing end of that long enough. Too much 'looking good' and 'hoping things would turn out for the best' killed anything of the sort.
Aside from the 'bump in the road', a lot of other things have come up. Before I would relentlessly bitch (mostly to myself) about the rising gas prices. But earlier this week I got out of my lazy ass and picked up a bicycle. And y'know what? It felt exhilarating. Goin' around the neighborhood, tackling the bike lanes, getting exercise, solving my gas issue. Getting a bike solved a lot of my issues single-handedly. Also, it's a lot of fucking fun. I have a new outlet to relate to people--more importantly my old co-workers/colleagues from TKD. (Oh, how time has passed)
On the other hand, few things still remain. My bruised ribs--now at 6 months and counting--have yet to fully heal. I wonder... has my injury gone past its mark? Am I faced with a chronic condition, or is it just incredibly stubborn? Also, can I accept that I like to flaunt my talents shamelessly at people? Sure there's Martial Arts and my other latent ability--but can I be myself without a need to censor or hide it?
Well I've gone this far, why stop now...
Although almost every day at Six Apart is Take Your Dog to Work Day, Friday was extra special because it was the official Take Your Dog to Work Day! Plus, as lovers of blogs and animals, we think it's great that active blogger and Human Society's President and CEO, Wayne Pacelle, thinks having dogs around the office is a good reminder of "who we're working for."
We realize some people have it ruff and aren't lucky enough to be able to bring their dog to work, but hopefully these pictures taken at Six Apart last Friday will get your tails wagging... And let me tell you, it's harder than it looks to get all the doggies and their fetching owners in one picture.
Look. I'm back with a real live site using traditional blog type software. I've been doing this for awhile so we'll fore go all the pleasantries and just reference a post I wrote on vox back in December. Speaking of vox, i'll probably keep it around when I want to write stuff that is for specific eyes only or if I want to post some random music in an easily playable format. I probably won't clutter up the sidebar with a bunch of links and things either. If you want to find me all over the web, check my friend feed.
But, for those of you looking for semi-regular ramblings from me, jasontoney.com is what's happening.
Oh, one more thing - the negroplease archives, after an 18 month hiatus, are live.
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the summer solstice. For ancient civilizations, this day was akin to our modern day New Year's Eve and was viewed as a time to reflect and renew. So why not kick off your summer celebration with a new theme?
See all of our themes in the Design Area.
Or choose from one of these brand-new themes. (Available under "New.")
A couple of months ago, we told you about Blog It powered by TypePad, the first cross-platform blogging application for Facebook the enables you to post to your Vox blog - and ALL your blogs - with a single click.
Within a week, Blog It had nearly 4,000 active users posting tweets and creating blog posts, as well as updating their status messages with the title and link to the published post. Today, Blog It's Facebook application has nearly 10,000 users. But here's the thing: You're not always sitting in front of the computer when the inspiration to blog strikes. And at Six Apart, it is our goal to provide you the tools you need need to blog where you want, and when you want.
Which is why this week we introduced Blog It for iPhone, a free web application just like the one we introduced for Facebook - only now - on your iPhone. Built specifically for iPhone's Safari browser, Blog It for iPhone enables you to post blog entries or status updates from wherever you are to more than a dozen different online services. And just like the original Facebook version, you can choose to share your posts with the people you know across various social networks.
To start blogging with Blog It for iPhone, go to http://blogit.typepad.com with your iPhone's Safari browser and install the Blog It icon onto your mobile desktop. Then, all you have to do is click the Blog It icon and start creating posts!
Whether you're riding the bus to work, cheering on your team courtside, or enjoying a picnic by the lake, now it's easier than ever to Blog It.
Links from my Neighborhood
Check out the RockMe. Schedule. I'm not sure if this is a...
All of us as Six Apart
Vox's parent company
Nobody Knows When You're Do...
Previously on Calliope No. 8