S. showed me this internet meme and it's so feel good. I noticed it's inspired others to make their own versions, like these guys, but honestly it all pales in comparison.
I also love the trend of fan made music videos, like this one of Justice's Genesis (not actually a Thriller remix, in spite of the title). It takes a certain brilliance and determination to find two unrelated pieces of culture and smash 'em together so perfectly.
Someone put a skate park underneath this overpass in Vancouver. It never existed when I was a skateboarding teen in the late 90s. Good thing too, because I probably would have smashed my face in.
I know Canada legalized medical marijuana, but I was still surprised to see an actual storefront like this one! Nothing to see here, just a typical weed store in a busy neighborhood.
Yes, there really is a grocery store chain called the Real Canadian Superstore! To unlock a shopping cart, you have to insert a Loonie (Canadian dollar coin). You get your dollar back when you return the cart. I've never seen this feature at any other grocery store. It is quite annoying!
I was waiting for a connecting flight to Vancouver the other day at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston. It's not exceptionally remarkable as far as large airports go. But hey, it has a bunch of Texas kitsch, and it's named after Dubya's daddy!
Cacti grow naturally in this part of the world, but I never thought of them as a target for vandals. This cactus, at P. Terry's Burger Stand in South Austin, has tags scratched all over it. Kind of reminds me how some teens would do this on trees or picnic tables in my hometown Nelson.
This is a video of my dad, my sister, and me lip syncing the popular Bon Jovi song in the West Edmonton Mall in the late 80s. It's this place called Stars on Video. You pick a cool song. (Not the original version, a cover band recording.) Then they set you up with guitars, drums, and essential rock n roll accessories (i.e. my wicked fingerless leather gloves). You go into this green room and rock out!
This tape languished on VHS for years and years until I finally took it to this local business called DubKing last week where they convert it to a DVD. Now the memories will last as long as the internets!
In a city where tacos are as common as burgers, this fast food chain offers an edge over its competitors: frozen margaritas with real Tequila and Triple Sec! I know fast food chains serve booze in other countries, but in Texas, this is the only one I know of that lets you walk out the door with an open container of alcohol. Hurrah!
I've been drooling over the Akai APC40 midi controller for awhile now, and the good dudes over at SonicState.com got their grubby little hands on one. In this video, they spend 20 minutes flaunting it in front of our faces. If you're not familiar with the Akai APC40, it's a controller specifically designed for the most amazing music production software ever created, Ableton Live.
Update: I was listening to this episode of the Sonic Talk podcast yesterday, and the host (whose name I don't know because he never introduces himself -- Radio 101, buddy!) said an insider at Akai told him the APC40 was back ordered in the quadruple digits! That means at least 1,000 on back order. He was also told that three out of every five calls they get are asking about the APC40. It certainly explains the shortage.
Clearly, this product landed at the right place at the right time at the right price. Take a listen to the Sonic State podcast to hear their thoughts about the APC40. The discussion starts at 31:55.
