San Jose: Night Life

After all the fun and games at John's apartment, it was time to loosen the reigns and let ourselves into the wild. We were trying to get a hold of the other gents but they decided to hole themselves up in their hotel room and nurse their wounds from the evening previous. My memory of this night is rather fuzzy; I don't recall the drive to downtown San Jose but apparently we hopped into a cab and our first stop of the evening was some punk show. It's helpful having a camera. Imagine how unfunny and short the movie The Hangover would have been if they found their camera from the start.

We didn't stay too long and opted for the club across the street. We walked from the frot to the back and noticed the over abundance of angry cholos so we left immediately. Down the street we went where Donny found us another spot.

Cheers!

Henry needed one twice as big to cover his genitals. Now where to?

Not sure what this is about and I'm out of clever commentary.

Pit stop. One thing the angry cholo bar had going for it was a taco stand. I don't remember if they were good or not but Donny enthusiastically approves.

Things get a little sloppy from here on. Of course, we have the crazy ass groom to thank for getting the crazy started.

This photo is the only evidence we have about the whereabouts of Henry's glasses. RIP.

We caught a cab from downtown and I'm not sure where we were headed? Strippers perhaps? In any case, Donny and I were fighting in the back and if anyone is familiar with wrestling, Donny managed to give me a "Mr Socko" when I wasn't looking. We got kicked out of the cab in the middle of no where. Tony doesn't seem phased, as he flashes his best Sinatra pose.

We ended up at some hotel that looked a lot like the one we were staying at. Donny tried to cut us a wicked deal while the rest of us just shook our heads. We needed a cab.

To pass the time Henry and Donny had a little red flower eating contest. Fun, right?

Eventually we caught a cab and made a run for Carl's Jr. We ordered extra sodium as a joke and I think they held that request against us. Most places close early in San Jose on a Thursday night and the crowds are a little off, but, with the right people you can still have a good time while spending less than a total of 30 minutes in all bar establishments.

stv

San Jose: The Prequel

I'm sorry for the recent absence. Things have been a little weird lately, especially with work and the job hunt. I kinda shelved the blog for a bit as I have been reconsidering what direction I want to go with my art. After careful consideration, the blog is still important to me and the Small Time Visionary "brand". Even though I'm still not sure what direction I want to go, I will continue to blog and share my photos for others enjoyment.

Anyways, on with the show!


I knew what kind of trouble I was in for when I arrived to San Jose for John and Mell's wedding. Considering the company I had the pleasure to be with, calling it a potential shit show is a major understatement. I normally reserve myself for the yearly Donny Wong Birthday Blow Out but now I was in line for a weekend's worth of the same debauchery in a different city with a whole new set of laws that none of us were really familiar with. I wondered how much bail for a misdemeanor is in the state of California.

These photos are from the pre-game session of my first night in San Jose. A few old friends came out for the evening; Sailor Jerry brought a litre and a half of his 92 proof spiced rum and Senor Petron brought his silver tequila. Gentleman Jack made a brief cameo as well. The camera was passed around quite a bit so some photo credit goes out to Donny and Henry; especially the ones out of focus¹ *wink*. You can credit me for the "photo magic" *double wink*. Enjoy!


¹Actually, the amount of focus in the shot is directly related to the level of inebriation of the man behind the camera. The further you go in the set, the less focused things get. Just wait until you see the photos of us in town! Stay tuned...



The Groom. We were trying to get info for a gym so we could play some ball. Instead, we bought 3 litres of liquor and got mashed up.

The Best Man. If your sneaker game ain't on point, you're lookin' real dull.

Bartender Extraordinaire. What swill am I serving you ask? One part Sailor Jerry's and one part Dr. Pepper. Seriously smooth. Seriously dangerous. Let's Go!

I told John to pose like he was Al Pacino in Scarface. Not bad.

The Groomsman. Official job description: Get this shit poppin'.

Taking it to Mell & John's condo. First thing's first; Street Fighter!

A glance into the masterpiece Henry calls The Faces of Street Fighter.

Beware of what lurks behind every corner, Cat.

The Other Best Man. Most would pay top dollar for this man's good looks. Bryan just found a suitable donor and with a steady hand, surgically removed said donors face and had it attatched to his own mug. Paramount heard about the story and had a movie made out of it. Now everytime Face/Off is on tv Bryan makes $50,000. Syndicated!

The Character.

North East Set.

Salute.

The Budding Bride. She laughs at what you call a devistating right hook.

Note to self: If you are allergic to cats, don't rub your eyes no matter how good it feels at the time. You're going to regret it later.

The score from the previous night. Game, Groom.

stv

Bay or Bust

I'm sitting at gate B21 in YYC right now awaiting the boarding time for my flight to YVR, my eventual transfer to SFO and drive to The Silicone Valley (FALSE. I'm now actually in my hotel room in San Jose, but the entire post was written at the airport. The image above was also created while at the airport. I ran out of time to post it because I was boarding). Yessir, using airport codes rather than the actual names makes you sound both like you know what you're doing and a pompous ass! I just charged two hours of free wi-fi to a special someones Rogers phone account, so when you see something on your statement, surprise; you win! I'm pretty well versed in airport security so that was a breeze, but when did they stop instructing passengers to take their pants off prior to walking through the metal detector? I thought that was still common practice. Homeland is slippin'.

For those not in the know, my long-time friend from high school, John, is getting murde... I mean married. After three years of planning and civil matriarchy, John and Mell are finally making it honest in the house of God. Good times are certain. Following the wedding I'll be spending two nights in Frisco and enjoying the many fruits (no homo) the from which the city shall, allegedly (since I've never been), bore.

I want to apologize to you all for my lack of updates lately. I guess I haven't really given myself the time to blog and such lately. It's quite tragic and I really miss posting close to three times a week. Well comrades, I should have heaps of content from this trip so expects many updates to come.

Thanks again for following my blog and enjoying my photos. I think you guys are great and I'd be content if those sentiments were even slightly mutual.



Loves,

stv

Celebrity Sighting: Nicole Richie

It's a funny thing about having a girl friend. Some think "I don't want a girl friend. She'd only hold me back". I'm not one of those people. For one, a girl friend can open up a world of opportunities and secondly, my girl friend reads my blog so there's no way I'd write anything on here that will awaken her inner She-Hulk.

But really folks, with the 'Ol Lady working at Canada's Only Luxury Department Store, it gives me the opportunity to shoot photos of famous people that I otherwise wouldn't be able to or even care about...

Take Nicole Richie for example. I'm not a fan of anything she has accomplished but I do think her father is fantastic, however, it would be rather tasteless to ask her to autograph a copy of her fathers album. She was in town to promote her lines House of Harlow and Winter Kate at Holt. Of course, I caught word of the event from the gf. You don't get to see celebrities in Calgary very often so I figured what the hell, lets take some photos of The Other Richie.

Naturally, a few local celebrities were in attendance.

stv

Melancholy Bee

I doubt the franchise would be as successful with a name like Melancholy Bee. You can guaruntee that I'll be having some Chicken Joy with Palabok in SFO come late October!

stv

Rag & Bone

Over a month ago I received the opportunity to attend an exclusive party at Holt Renfrew to meet the creators of the designer label Rag & Bone. If you don't follow fashion, the words Rag & Bone should mean absolutely nothing to you. But if you do follow, then you should know that Rag & Bone is one of the fastest growing labels in North America. How excited are you to meet some of the biggest designers in New York City?

Ughhh, ok. I guess you're pretty psyched.

Buck up KSam! They have free cocktails in there!



We came into Holt expecting a swanky spread and we weren't disappointed. Free cocktails were flowing and there was a DJ on hand to keep the indie/electro/alternative music pumpin'. There was an abundance of h'orderves but I was saving my appetite for Jones Cream Soda & Vodka cocktails. Whoa!

Taken directly from their website; Rag & Bone was founded in 2002, with one very clear vision in mind: to make clothes that they and their friends would love to wear every day. With no formal fashion training, Marcus Wainwright & David Neville set about learning how to make jeans. Beginning in Kentucky, rag & bone surrounded themselves with people who had been making patterns, cutting fabric and sewing their whole lives. Working with these kinds of craftsmen taught them the importance of quality, craftsman-ship and attention to detail early on. These principles soon became the keystones of the rag & bone philosophy, the definition of what clothing can and should be. With these principles in mind, whenever possible rag & bone produces the majority of their garments in U.S. factories that still sew clothes the same way they did 50 years ago. In 2006, rag & bone was selected as a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award and won the 2007 Swarovski Award for emerging talent in menswear, after also being nominated for that same award in 2006. In 2010, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright were named Menswear Designers of the Year by the CFDA. Enough with the bio, if you want to read more click here. In the meantime, here are some photos of their Fall line:

A few of the usual suspects were on hand:

Aritzia in the house, What What! chloepenguin & KarleenSAMson

Kat, Christina, janeyfromtheblock, The FPOE and winFresh.

IYBC with his first lady and second lady.




When I met the designers I had no idea what to say to them. All I ended up doing was complementing them on their line of clothes and congratulating them on winning an award. David and Marcus were extremely polite and acted like complete gentleman in spite of my stupidity. I guess I forgot that these guys are normal blokes too who would rather talk about the weather, beer and sports then go on about themselves. Luckily, Chloe is very beautiful and they were more then glad to take a picture with her. Marcus is on the left, David on the right. David seems cheesed to meet Chloe. I can't blame him.

It was a great party and it was a pleasure to make an ass of myself in front of some famous designers. Keep posted for the next one!

stv