Music Test Here. Testing a new audio plug in
It seems to be working.

Black Flag playing a show at San Pedro High School, probably in 1981 (the year Rollins joined the band).

San Pedro is working class part of Los Angeles, home to the the main port of L.A. (and thus to dockworkers, stevedores, teamsters, sailors and seafaring men of every stripe).  San Pedro High School boasts a number of notable alumni, though none are as important as Mike Watt, D. Boon and George Hurley, who graduated in 1976 and went on to form the seminal punk rock trio Minutemen.  Fans of 1980s teen dramas may recognize the high school as the setting of 1987′s Some Kind of Wonderful, with Eric Stoltz and Lea Thompson.

As D. Boon sang on History Lesson Part 2, “our band could be your life.”

If I were to buy a motorcycle it would be a mid-70s Honda from the CB line.  The bike picture above happens to be a 1975 CB550F, which was part of Honda’s “Super Sport” range.  The 544cc air-cooled 8-valve engine made 50 bhps with a top speed of 102 mph.  They were competent bikes that handled well and rode smoothly for short to middle distance highway rides.  You weren’t going to win any quarter mile races, but you’d likely to live to talk about the adventure.

For me it’s the aesthetics that make them so compelling.  The simple bench seat, the graceful gas tank, the flat bars, the 4-into-1 exhaust, the chrome finishes, and, of course, those 70s color schemes!  Candy Garnet Brown. Polynesian Blue. Starlight Gold. Jet Green.  And, of course, Candy Jade Green, which is what the bike pictured above features.

Someday…

Here’s to living life, taking chances and conquering fears in the new year.

This is where my head is at today, thanks to a bit of overindulgence at an office holiday party last night.  I’m far too old to be out carousing until witching hours these days, especially when the next morning finds me jarred awake by a bouncing three year old boy.  Fatherhood and hangovers are a terrible mix.

“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never–this is my symphony.”

-William Henry Channing

Or maybe it’s their gun in the barrel of a soldier’s gun iconic moment?

This graffito is written on one of the steel girders in the Bowery Street J subway station.  The suggestion it’s making is unclear. It may be saying do not, under any circumstances, acquire anything at all.  Alternatively, it could be read as saying that when one does buy items, one should only buy quality merchandise (i.e. things that are not “shit”).

The former rule, while admirable, is nearly impossible to adhere to.  I have no choice but to buy stuff.  I’d like to think I could move to a cabin and live off the land, but the truth is I’m not capable of that level of Thoreau-esque commitment.  (If I did go for the off the grid lifestyle I’d no doubt want an old International Harvester truck or at least some vintage Carharrt gear). I’m an urbanite living in the early part of the 21st century, and buying stuff is part of the bargain. But I do try to buy things that will last, which means I ultimately buy fewer things.