Finding 7

Who thought this up, I'm curious to know. What a clever way to portray a Converse sneaker. There's the green, and then someone broke through the leather soles to see the opening of an alligator's trap. It's weird, kind of eerie, and fantastic. I think it might peak the interest of any teenage boy on the fence about buying a pair of the 70's most iconic shoe- and the 21st century's most retro one. Sold. 

Rut #5 Brady Edwards

This is something I wrote recently, when my grandfather had his heart attack while driving and crashed his car. He held on for a couple of weeks, trying to get stable and recover. His condition progressively got worse until he passed away in the middle of the night. It gave me a lot to think about, and a lot to write about. After my parents got divorced and my dad seized the house, my family was homeless for a time. They moved up here to Utah and stayed with my grandfather. He took them in while I was on my mission and helped raise my family while I was gone. I meant a great deal to my family, and so losing him evoked a lot of emotion and feeling from us and the extended family. Family as far as hawaii and Germany came into town to see him, saying their piece and grieving. I turned to a notepad and started writing this, and have since finished it for this assignment.



The Patriarch

So you find yourself in a car crash, breathing "save me from this."
Between the lines and compressions
we realize what we've missed.

With broken ribs and breaking heart, oil pools all over the floor;

Horizon's rim, the Far Lands,

as we pry open the car door.

They call it a sore chest, a saved life.
But was it only meant to be for a night,

were we not supposed to save his life?

Raise our hopes just to say goodbye,

Oh why?
Did we not break his ribs hard enough?
Is this karma calling out our bluff?
Leaving him by himself for so long,
one with a heart so soft, eyes so worn, hands that were firm but never felt too rough.

How could you say he's meant to die?
That mask's what's keeping him alive!

The tender feelings, their youngest cries.

How can you say he's no longer there, when he just held my hand and looked me in the eyes!

You've got it all wrong, listen to me!
He needs us like he needs that IV
Drip hooked up to his swollen hands,
We sit and talk and fight and walk
and cry and pray and finally stand
Circled around the man meant to die;
But what if he pulls through again tonight? 

Hands to head, her last goodbye.
Stony confessions, oh, now she cries, because she thinks he sees a white light.

So last night, my cries mingled with his flat line
I lie flat, lying about the divine
I know he got there, I just don't know at what time
Unpaved roads, the bumpy car ride
HOME.

I've never seen a snow like this.
Lapels pinned with a bloom that winter's mist
Can't touch or wear out. On the surface
   the season's defied, but her beat isn't missed.
I carry my patriarch. I carry my patriarch.
When a role model becomes an ancestor.. Your paradigm is inclement as weather.
Now he's watching, it's time to do better.
Cuz now my role model has become my predecessor. 

I learned the power of words, and how they can take you back to a place, make you re-feel a feeling, and experience what we often have a hard time recalling. It was interesting, finishing this song. I've come up with a tune for it, but haven't transcribed it or written it out, though its sound will match the content. I envision it being more of a heavy, fast paced song, harsh but orchestrated. The whole ordeal felt the same way, so it only seems fitting.

Hopefully the sorrowful nature of the situation isn't what you hold onto, having read this. I'm doing great, the family's better, things have calmed down and returned back to normal. The imagery and word choice of the song is meant to make a person feel something, provoke thought and gratitude for what you have, then keep going.

Finding 6

Whoa. Written in the body:
Like an old Western your Khakis have now been colorized.
Having the Grandfather I do, I can't help but think I know what this ad is talking about. Hahah, and love every second of it. Everyone respected a good pair of khakis, but that was more like between 2002 and 2006. The majority have rolled with the wardrobe punches and realized that color is the new khaki--- integration is also the new racism. Haha, A very clever version of what I believe? would be a Gestalt piece of work.
The pose works nicely as well, and everything ties well in to the only color of the picture. Great ad.

Rut #4 New Food - Gabe McFadden

So this one was actually kind of hard for me-- growing up in California with a mom who runs a relatively successful food blog means I have been exposed to most types of food. I couldn't really find a cuisine that was offered here in Provo or SLC that I hadn't had already. However, late Friday night I got a call from a friend asking to go with her to Black Sheep Cafe. I have wanted to try it, but have been reluctant to because it is one of the "trendy upscale" restaurants here in Provo and after trying and being EXTREMELY disappointed with Communal (great atmosphere, cool space, attractive staff, innovative ideas--but poor execution. In any other city, Communal would be a massie flop. But I digress).

Anyways-- we went and I had pork jowls for the first time and I also ate radishes, which I thought I hated and I'm sure I've eaten them before but not since I can remember so hopefully those count too. I also had cactus pear in my dessert which I had never had before.

$42 dollars each later I was finally satisfied with a Provo semi-high end eating establishment. The prices are high enough to keep out the rif-raff but not nearly as expensive as a meal in LA so I am content. I'm mostly joking-- I'm only pretentious for dramatic effect. But the food was good.

Rut 4 New Food--Nate

I went to Chick-Fil-A and tried their grilled chicken nuggets. I'm a big fan of chicken nuggets. The grilled nuggets were messy and had lots of juice/ water at the bottom of the container. I did feel much healthier after eating them though, which is definitely a benefit. I don't think I've really changed, I've always been one to try new foods. But I do think if a fast food chain is trying to go healthier than I should too.

Rut #4 Frankie FInan

So... Yesterday my wife and I decided that we wanted to go to the asian market on state street that is right across Fresh Market. We had never gone before and we wanted to see what they had. Well...when we first walked in the store smelled of fish and seaweed and then after a little while, you get used to the smell. We were perusing around and we didn't see anything that was of interest to us until we saw the frozen  and refrigerated section of food! They had so many things but most of them I had tried before either on sushi or some other asian form. Then I saw it, the thing that I had never tried before and had been scared to for the longest time. BALUT! Balut is a duck (or other bird) egg that has a semi formed duckling inside of it. I'm not going to lie...i'm not scared to be adventurous when it comes to food but this was different. I was just imagining how it tasted and what it would be like. We bought two to take home because we both had to try it. We got home and decided to prepare ourselves with water and puke buckets just in case.  Then it was time...we both bit into our Balut eggs and both looked at each other in such disgust! It was awful!!!!!!!! There was a nasty, rotten smell that accompanied the egg. Neither of us finished out eggs but we did swallow two bites of our eggs. Plus neither of us had to use the puke bucket. It was hands down the most disgusting things i've eaten and i've eaten MANY gross things before in my life. Heres a picture of what it looks like. These are  not the ones we got but same idea. 

Finding #5

Welcome to the world of Pryaniki. Once upon a time I spent some time in the Motherland. A roughly 18 month time period, Russia and me. Over the course of those months, I was exposed to a wide variety of exotic European treats and delicacies that seemed to cushion the blow of any stressful gospel lesson. Haha, cookies, chocolates, candies, all accompanied with scorching hot herbal tea.

My mission companion and I were able to have a mini reunion up in Salt Lake-- complete with our very own trip to a LEGITIMATE Russian GROCERY STORE.
There, among the array of sausages, breads, and ice creams, we cam across these little babies.
Pryaniki-- the firm, crunchy, soft, and sugar coated dreams come true. Apparently they're even more phenomenal when warmed and microwaved, but any form of glucose can send me reeling, honestly. SO GOOD! It's a temptation to not down the entire bag in a matter of seconds! They come in all varieties, some carmel-filled, and these happened to have  tint of cherry flavor.

My search for happiness ends here. I loved the blast from the past and trying priyanki, cherry flavored! It was neat to reach out and go above/beyond my usual Smith's run that involves few things outside of turkey, apples, and oatmeal.

Brady Edwards, Rut #4

A couple of days back, I went out on a limb and tried the dreaded food, caviar. I've always found the consumption of unborn fish eggs to be a little horrifying and have, thus far, passed on the opportunity. But I found myself sitting at a sushi restaurant with my girlfriend, and remembered the challenge to try something new. I ordered it, I ate it, I had tiny little explosions of strange juice go off inside my mouth, I accepted it.
   It wasn't fantastic, but it wasn't the big drummed up thing I'd made it out to be in my head. Often, I find that the bigger issue is more of getting around the big, bad thing my mind has conceived. I don't know what it is about people or why we assume the worst and catastrophize everything, but it's something I seem to have done for caviar. I thought I'd throw up, or at least hate fish for a good while. But nothing happened. I ate it. I moved on.
     I've learned that I probably need to be doing more new things, as I apparently have more reservations about it than I than I expected to. Though I can't say I've drastically changed in any particular way, I can say that trying new things is something I've been meaning to do. Maybe this will be a step in the right direction.

Brothel Poster, Brady Edwards

Brady Edwards.

Gabe McFadden Poster !

Born Into Brothels Poster--Nate Austin