12.19.13

We are getting mighty close to the Christian holiday so I will try to keep the blog on the up and up. I could go to my snarky default setting but don't think that I am much in the mood. How does neutral plus sound?

I am awash in an eighty year old tie collection that I purchased from the sister of an old deceased friend. His father worked at Marston's and started the collection in the thirties and forties. The man had some sartorial splendor.

I've got wide, skinny, mod, leather, paisleys, hand painted silks, novelty ties, bow ties, the whole panoply of the neck ware spectrum.


Mushrooms and stooges, grouses and beach blankets, cowboys and fish. Red power ties and ties that expertly say absolutely nothing.

Major design house ties, Burberry, Wembley, Talbott, Zegna, Hermes, YSL even Mr. Blackwell, a tie which is actually very cool. Tons of french, english, italian. Some of the fine men's shops I grew up with in San Diego.

I made a favorite off limits pile that my clients are bee lining for and buying anyway. Leslie made a pile. I have to put some up on ebay. Many hundreds of ties and I haven't worn one in years. Timing. Everything. Come by the gallery and take a look, maybe buy a tie, cheap to not very expensive.

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There is a lot of talk going around about tolerance. The head duck down at the dynasty up and said his piece. Doesn't bother me but it is really quite ignorant. Well, the part about never seeing blacks mistreated down in the south pre civil rights anyway. Watch those Bull Connor dog videos again or the nasty white kids screaming at the poor kids trying to enter the segregated school. Rosa Parks, back of the bus.

There wasn't a problem if the blacks knew their place.

Personally I think any way two people figure out is the best way to love each other is fine with me as long is doesn't inflict lasting scars on each other and doesn't impact the rest of us too badly. I respect that some people feel that there is a biblical mandate against homosexuality. They have a right to that belief. The question is where does that right stop? Can they refuse to rent to them, teach them, serve them in their restaurant? And if they do have that right to refuse to serve blacks, gays, jews, aliens, whatever, is it not my right to consider them neanderthal assholes?

Which one of us is intolerant again or is it both of us? So tricky these days, tolerating people's intolerance.

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I don't have a problem with crosses on hillsides or in cemeteries. Many of my close associates do. Feel we need symbols from every creed and persuasion. I hate to sound too conservative but christianity, with both its contributions and ills (see Spanish missionaries subjugation of ipa, San Diego) is an essential part of the landscape and historical timestream of California.

I think that missions are beautiful, crosses and all. Used to live under the cross on Mt. Helix. Never bothered me a bit. Unnecessary battle to wage. Religious symbols don't threaten in the least, actually I think that the rather catholic spanish architectural style of the Presidio, Park and Missions is by far the most outstanding design motif in Southern California. Get over it already.

Having said all that I still have to fight off the compulsion to stick an area 51 alien or ET figure in the manger thingy down in front of Denny's.

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A lot of people kicking of late, Billy Jack, Al Goldstein, Peter O'Toole, Walt Bellamy. Sorry you guys couldn't stick it out to the end of the year but thanks for your many contributions anyway.

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I may have aztec tickets for saturday night I can't use. Third row, basketball. Killer. Call me.

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I am going to be showing at the Los Angeles Art Show in early January. The very expensive biggy. Hope I don't fall on my face. Have eaten a lot of my seed corn. Perhaps I can resonate with the Los Angeles public once again. Showing with buddy Steve, Stevens Fine Art.

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We will not be doing christmas dim sum this year. Sorry.

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Michael and his family are back in Thailand, taking care of business. He sends a picture of a protest rally and his wife and young daughter at a meal.

 

The family is dining on garlic encrusted fish, BBQ pork, Som tom, yum is right.

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My 3 to 5 months of shoulder rehab somehow morphed into 3 to 5 days. And I feel wonderful.