$1 Neck tie

Excuse the HORRIBLENESS of these pictures, lighting was not agreeing with me in the apartment, so I gave up. Anyway: silk/wool blend , those most definitely are pheasants and hunting dogs. Best of all....$1!

J'adore Bluegrass!

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band- Will the Circle Be Unbroken. I keep telling people about this record, mostly for the bizarre cover and the odd productions aspects (Wikipedia informs me that most songs were recorded either on the first or second take direct to master). Seriously awesome album though. More info here.

If anyone knows who is on the cover let me know, I think its Ulysses S. Grant, but not sure.

A la St. John

Best meal ever. Raw oysters to start. Followed by roasted veal bone marrow on toast. Organic sea salt, parley, capers and shallots with a lemon vinaigrette on top. I think Mr. Kent said it the best, "it's like butter made out of beef!" Bottle of Prince Philippe Bourgogne Aligoté to drink. Unexpectedly, Shucking oysters is the easiest most overrated thing I have yet to do.


This recipe is stolen from a staple dish at St. John Restaurant in London. It is widely available online, but Fergus also has an excellent book out with this dish and many more of equal awesomeness inside. Shitty presentation, I know. I don't have any good plates in Montreal yet, and our table is very late 80's early 90's throwaway.

Bike Build

Needed a bike for MTL. Get healthy, don't pay Metro fare etc. Got what you see here for $50. Very solid frame, fairly light, and a surprisingly nice DIY paintjob.


Finding cheap wheels was another issue, thankfully I had these gems in Calgary. 27" on what should be a 700c frame. Seemed to work out.Just worked out. Really happy with the way this looks
Chiseled off the inner chain ring to I wouldn't have to space my crankset. Definitely cleaned up the whole look of the bike!
I don't have a finished pic because its dark out now, but I'm sure you all get the idea. Overall really happy. I went single speed and am able to tackle most hills on my route. Feel way healthier with the amount of riding I'm doing, and am even continplating riding this winter!

Let's try this one more time!

This is my third blog attempt. I embark on bloging about once every 4 months with the aspiration of writing and photographing about something I am passionate about at that point in time. Unfortunately, what usually ends up happening is my current interest is put on the back burner due to another, or many, interesting project(s) taking over. So, I think perhaps the best way for me to approach this is by simply blogging about whatever is of interest to me at any particular time. I know it seems slightly misguided and random, however, I am confident that three things will happen: I will improve my writing skills outside of a academic context; I will improve my photography skills outside of an eBay context; and I will eventually and naturally move towards some sort of theme for my blog.

So, here it goes.

I have merged a couple articles from past blogs and hopefully it will get the ball rolling!

Blanket Carrier

Fantastic Man now takes the cake as my favorite fashion magazine. Printed on thick semi-gloss, textured paper it is as enjoyable to read as it is to hold. The fashion component of the magazine is bordering on runway only pieces, however it is kept down to earth enough to focus on styling anyone could pull-off: and make a definite statement doing so. Articles are written as if almost exclusively from an aesthetic standpoint, as opposed to a consumers(as is seen in many of the common menswear maagazines).

The suggestion of a leather blanket carrier was mentioned in there 9th issue, citing examples from classic high end companies, but focusing on a stunning piece from the English gun maker Purdey. Even when looking at a hunting company the carrier can be prohibitively expensive. After a long search I have found a variety of alternatives, some vintage military and very interesting, however I have settled on a carrier sold by Driving Essentials inc. (a carriage equipment company). It does not come with a blanket, and I think that this is best. The variety of camp stlye blankets is emmense and should be to your personal tastes (see: vintage HBC point blanket).

Leather Side Bag

Reading the winter edition of DVMAN, a Swedish men's fashion magazine that arrives about two seasons too late here in Canada, I was struck by a spread of must-have accessories beautifully laid out across five full glossy pages, complete various plaid backgrounds to complement. One of these pieces was a stunning black leather messenger bag by Swedish brand Rahnsäter. Further research showed similar bags from luxury manufacturers world wide, with price tags averaging around the $600 USD mark.

Then Suddenly it came to me why I was so interested in the style of bag (besides my soft spot for accessories in general). I had seen one very similar to it, years before, in a local army surplus store!

They are called Map cases, and are generally available for between $20-$50 at any army surplus store or on eBay. What is even more exciting is if you are not a 100% leather fanatic, synthetics or hybrids were also available.

I would expect these to become perhaps more expensive and en vogue as time goes on, as I am not the first to realize this connection. As well, I have been told by a gentleman in the surplus business that most of the worlds militaries are now using only non-leather goods!

Thank you to the Stylish Gent for the image. Another great blog with some excellent ideas!