Window Shopping

Fashion Watch: North Park Market San Diego, Ca

2012-02-01T09:31:00.000-08:00

Meeting nice people

Today's Fashion Watch highlights a young lady I met while snapping pics at The North Park Farmers Market. Although I cannot remember the young lady's name, I liked her carefree style and accessories. The bandanna and glasses are great, but it is her smile that tops everything off. In all, it was nice to meet and take her picture.

*Check her out rocking the Ipad.

On the town: North Park Farmers Market San Diego, Ca

2012-01-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

The harvest is plentiful

My life is always full of projects: writing, taking pictures, traveling, and becoming the artist that I have always wanted to be. For my next project, I am going to be visiting all of the farmers markets around the city, snapping flicks, checking the vibe, and most importantly, eating the food. Come on, that is the most important aspect of the farmers markets, duh. The first stop is North Park. Walking around and perusing all of the vendors, I got a strong feeling of organic and everything being local. From learning about what organic really means (I was truly blown away, we have to start eating better, seriously), what goes in a great green shake, to sampling cheese curds, I had a great time. The North Park market is small and intimate, but it is full of great food. I would definitely recommend it. Check out the pics after the jump.

Rihanna For Armani - Awesome choice..........

2012-01-26T12:08:00.000-08:00

Such a good choice, don't you think

Every so often Armani in all of their infinite wisdom chooses a beautiful woman to showcase its underwear line. Last woman to do hold this position was Megan Fox, and now Ms.Rihanna gets her shot at the job. RiRi, or Ms. Rihanna if your nasty, looks gorgeous in these black and white photos. Besides the incy whincy clothes, these pictures make Rihanna's eyes pop. I never realized that she had beautiful eyes. I know that comment sounds similar to one saying, "I like Playboy for the articles," but seriously, they are wonderful. Score another one for Armani and check out the pics.

On the town: 57 Degees Food Truck Gathering San Diego, Ca

2012-01-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Serving goodness........

Every third Friday, 57 Degrees, a wine bar in Mission Hills San Diego hosts a food truck gathering. What is a food truck gathering you may ask? An event where many mobile restaruants get together to serve you great food. Now you maybe thinking, "Why would I want to buy food from a greasy food truck?" Well these trucks have moved beyond the roach coach moniker to offer almost gourmet meals. In fact, some of these food trucks server better meals than what you would find in your fancy-smancy restaraunts. Your boy was able eat and eat and eat. Great tacos, BBQ, and a fantastic organic cupcake truck were abound and I had a great time. I will definitely make this a regular event that I attend. Check out my photos.

Greatest Songs of All Time: Etta James - At Last

2012-01-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Eternally Beautiful

Today marks the passing of legendary jazz and R&B singer Etta James. I am not going to eulogize her like everyone else, I will just say that she was truly an amazing singer, paving the way for many vocalists after her. The ballad At Last, displays Etta's power and emotion, proving that it is not only an enduring song, but arguably one the greatest of the past 100 years. Listen to it and just give someone a hug you love today and let them know, because we are only promised one life.

RIP Jamesetta "Etta James" Hawkins January 25, 1938 to January 20, 2012

On the town: Kettner Nights Friday Jan 13, 2012

2012-01-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

Mother, won't you tell your children to walk my way.... (I had to*)

Every couple of months The Little Italy neighborhood in San Diego, Ca hosts, "Kettner Nights," an art walk that showcases local artists and music. After several missed opportunities, the kid was finally able to take part in all the fun. Kettner Nights in all honesty can be described as a night out for monied folks living in the suburbs hoping to get a good (and safe) taste of what urban life is all about. And thats cool with me, nothing wrong with it. Hey, if you like art, can dig good music and want to get out of your comfort zone, who am I to argue? One of the highlights of the night was visiting the new 98 degrees wine bar and checking out the music inspired exhibits in the "Back Room" (it just sounds cool). After that, I walked to the Harley Davidson store and watched a very hard rockin band and felt old as adults 10+ years my senior banged heads harder than I could - talk about humbling. Anyway, a pretty good night, something that I would forward to in the future.
Here are my pics after the jump.

* Did you all catch my Danzig reference? Yeah I am so cool.......

My thoughts

2012-01-14T22:11:00.000-08:00

Life is really good.......

Today, I was inspired by an interview with the great writer Paulo Coelho by The Guardian UK. In the interview, The Alchemist author gets pretty personal talking about his family life, music tastes, and how he loves archery (who would have thought?) So being a fan and loving these types of pieces, I decided to answer the questions myself. Check 'em out after the jump to get to know the kid a little bit more.

My parents were.......... very intent on me getting a good education and learning, They both went to college, so they were not about to accept me not doing anything with my life.

The household I grew up in..... encouraged free thought. We constantly talked about politics, sports, and the arts.

When I was a child I wanted to be.... a stuntman

You may not know it but I am very good at.... cooking. I love it. Cooking is one of those things that it truly creative and that you can express yourself. I love creating dishes, its a good time. I always think of the scene in Donnie Brasco when Al Pacino is cooking and says, "Not a pinch, but a punch."

You may not know it but I am no good at.... singing. I wish I could, but I am no Al Green.

At night I dream of....... how to make my life and others in the world a better place

I wish I never wore...... overalls. What was I thinking?

My Mother.... is the best communicator I know. When talking with her, you cannot go away and not know where she stands. I love how clear she is.

When I look in the mirror.... I see someone who likes who he is.

My favorite item of clothing........ right now are my TOMS that my homegirl Reni got me (whats up girl!). When I first wore them on my birthday, my feet huuuuurrrrtttt. Now after breaking them in, they are super duper comfortable. Besides the TOMS, my black blazer I got from a thrift store.

My best friend is..... my Brother Brent. Always was, is, and will be.

It is not fashionable, but I like..... my old sweats I wear around the house.

My favorite work of art......... I don't have one. I have seen a lot of great art though.

My favorite building........ is the Sagrada Familia. It is the most beautiful structure I have ever seen.

Movie heaven is..... Enter The Dragon. That movie is incredible.

The book that changed my life..... is The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to by Alex Haley. I cannot tell you how much of an impact that book had on my life. I look at things and think totally different. It should be required reading for all young black males. Fiction would be Portrait of an Artist by James Joyce. His form and character development are unbeatable.

The last album I bought......... is Snoop Dogg's Doggumentary. I am a big fan.

My greatest regret... I don't know? I guess trying harder in school........

My secret crush......... well it would not be a secret if I told you huh?

My real life villian......... are the Right who want to strip this country of rights such as Gay Marriage and whom promote racist xenophobic views.

The last time I cried.... (oh boy, do we have to go here??) was when I spoke with my (very recent) ex-gf. Yeah, it was tough.

My five year plan.... is to be two to three books deep and keep living and having a wonderful time.

Politics... are a good thing, but can mask a lot of bs. It is up to you to see through the crap to get to the real.

What I would tell the 25 year old me is......... to slow down. You don't have to have it all now and that everything is going to be alright.

My life in six words....... smart, writer, curious, impatient, traveler, resilient.

Suspenders are the shh............

2012-01-12T09:33:00.000-08:00

The Clash were such fashion innovators............

For 2012, my accessory pick are suspenders. Even though people have been rocking those for minute, I feel that they are going to make an impact this year. Like, ties, hats, and glasses, suspenders can spice an otherwise boring and plain outfit. You can wear the braces with a business suit, slacks, collar shirt, and even t-shirts and shorts. My fave suspenders moment was seeing 2pac wear them in Gridlock'd with a simple T-Shirt and blazer. I will definetly picking up a pair very soon. Check out the looks below.

*Even though I am not the biggest Beyonce fan, she has style and looks great. But you already knew that.

Ill Photo of the day

2012-01-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

So wonderful out here

In an attempt to get better and actually learn how to use my camera, I have been shooting with different modes and playing with the lighting. This picture was taken at Pacific Beach last week. I wanted to shoot the sunlight and the beach coming together. I liked this shot, what do you think?

What I want for this year's Christmas

2012-01-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

Just so beautiful.........

Dear Santa,

My name is LeRon and even though I have not written to you in a couple (try 25) years, I wanted to get an early start on Christmas 2012. The gift I want are the limited edition Nike Mag. These are the shoes straight from the Back to the Future movies. You remember, the shoes that laced themselves and glow in the dark? Well Nike released them last year and they are sooooo hard to find, but as a shoe guy like myself who has also been a good boy (90% of the time) last year and will be trying super hard this year, I thought that I would let you know what I want now. Plus, every purchase goes towards Michael J Fox's Parkinsons Disease Foundation, so we will be doing a good thing too. So what do you say Santa?

Thank you,

LeRon

P.S. I left some more pictures below to make sure you get the right shoe!

Ill Song of the Day: St. Vincent Surgeon

2011-12-31T19:39:00.000-08:00

Wonder what she is looking at?

Today's Ill Song Of The Day (and just in time for the New Year) is St. Vincent's Surgeon. I knew of St.Vincent due to her beautiful face, but never heard her music until recently while checking out Pitchfork's year end list. Surgeon is a major accomplishment, sounding like a David Bowie/electronica/breathy/acoustic mash-up. It is heaven and shows St. Vincents airy vocals and dope song writing. It ended up on my year end list (which I will reveal soon). Check it out and have a great New Year.

Window Shopping 2011 Fashion Hero: Matthew Bomer

2011-12-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

The winner is.....

One of my main passions in life (recently) has been fashion. Up until about 10 years ago, I really didn't care about how I looked. I mean I was not trying to look messy or bummy, but I did not get how clothes can transform the way you look, the way you feel, and the way you present yourself until then. Fashion for me is the greatest way to present yourself without opening your mouth. You can tell so many different things about a person from how they dress. More than anything, fashion is about expression. It isn't about labels, trends, sizes, etc, etc. Fashion is about you and having fun.I love how I or someone else can take an article of clothing and match it with something totally different and make it their own.Fashion is about creating your own look. You can tell when someone is having fun with the way they look, how confident they are, rather it be in a T-Shirt, or a slamming suit, like Mr. Bomer is rocking. Speaking of Matt, duke is the MVP this year because he owns his look. Yeah he wears a suit like no other, but he looks like he enjoys it and feels as natural in a three piece as he does in a tank. Plus, Matt rocks the most effective accessories - the pocket square, the glasses, and the tie bar. He makes me want to step my game up and not leave the crib looking less than spectacular. Salute the inaugural Window Shopping 2011 Fashion Hero - Matthew Bomer.

Dark Knight Rises Teaser Poster

2011-12-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

It's coming.............

July 20, 2012..... I cannot wait.

Greatest Songs of All Time: Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg - Still D.R.E.

2011-12-07T20:39:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to go back to work

Great, awesome, amazing, iconic, classic, dope. These are a few of the words to describe the musical output of Dr.Dre and Snoop (Doggy) Dogg. In all of hiphop, there is no collaboration that is better. I cannot even begin to count how many songs these cats have brought out together that at worst they were great and at best, they were the greatest. There is something about the chemistry between these two. No one sounds better over Dr. Dre's beats than Snoop and S N Double has never worked with a producer that can bring out the best in him like the doctor. Need an example, check out Still D.R.E. below. The strings, the hook, and the line that I constantly repeat - "I break ya neck, damn near put ya face in ya lap..... try to be the king but the ace is back. Just great great hiphop.

Love is............

2011-12-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

to hold tight with your love one when things get a little tough.

Donatella and B.I.G.

2011-11-29T21:58:00.000-08:00

Two of the best....

Throughout BIG's masterful rhymes, he constantly referenced the haute couture line, Versace. Even though he even admitted that he could not fit into the wardrobe, BIG still recognized great fashion. In a recent issue of Interview, speaking with style warrior Nicki Minaj, Donatella reflected on meeting BIG and what he meant to the line. Check it out.

I think Biggie was amazing. He came to my shows in Paris many times, and we’d see each other often. He always used to talk so nicely about my family. I think he was so smart, so intelligent. He had such a mind. So I loved what he was doing and how he was giving people a way to know about Versace—I do think he was giving people a way to know about Versace—I do think a lot of people started to know about Versace because of him.

And as a bonus, here is one of the late great Francis MH White's records

If you don't know, now you know.

I Heart San Francsico: The Mural Edition

2011-11-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

Full of culture

Ahh San Fran, so many great memories. For a budding photog like myself, San Francisco is a gold mine. Many amazing sites and things to see, I could be shooting pics prob forever. In this post, I wanted to highlight all of the wonderful murals I saw. There are sooooo many that I just kept snapping. Check me out.

*If your wondering who the lovely lady is, it's the gf.

Ill Song of the day - Uncle Murda Warning

2011-11-12T10:31:00.000-08:00

If I was posing with Mariah, I'd have a smile

Today's ill song of the day is Uncle Murda's Warning. Comin out of East New Yawk, Murda brings a true underground banger. Warning has a mix of a West Indies flavor with Uncle spitting witty lines about rappers being afraid and comparing them to chihuahuas and throwing a "Oooh" in every line (my fave is, "They be sayin, Murda you too hard. You NWA, these rappers Chico Debarge - Pow!). This is exactly what New York music should sound like.

I Heart San Franciso!!!!!

2011-11-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

My heart really is in San Fran.........

San Francisco in a word is amazing. I have been wanting to visit for the past five years to check it out and to see if I could live there. Mission accomplished. San Fran is pretty much the city that I have always wanted to live in. It has culture, weather, shopping, walking areas, public transportation, and food. Ah yes, San Francisco has great food. Along with my lovely gf, I checked out The Wharf, downtown, The Mission (where we ate at this awesome Mexican Vegan restaraunt called Gracias Madre), North Beach, Chinatown, and of course The Haight. There was a certain feel being at one of the most notorious neighborhoods of the counter culture. You could just feel it. In all, I had a wonderful time and will definitely be moving there next year. Until then, lets reminisce over the photos.

I heart the 70's

2011-10-25T23:01:00.000-07:00

So wonderful, the look, the hats, everything..

My two fave decades have always been the 70's and 90's. The 90's because thats when my music and artistic tastes formed. The 70's more so because I can identify and feel the energy, the love, and excitement that was happening. Coming out of the turbulent 60's, folks wanted to get down, shed all of the negativity of fighting the man and get together. Many different movements sprung up, different sounds, visuals, fashions, thoughts, and people traveling from foreign lands to the big cities to express themselves and live. Parties galore, lights, energy, and endless nights.... but unfortunately due to the excess and irresponsibility led to a darker climate in the next decade (AIDS, the crack epidemic). Nevertheless, it was fun I hear.....

Ill Song of the day - T-Pain f/ Lily Allen & Wiz Khalifa 5 O'Clock

2011-10-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

Three the hard way

My fave song right now is a surprising pick. I have never really been a T-Pain fan. Not too big on the slightly saccarine songs and the auto except for Roger Troutman (RIP). Well, I happy to say that 5'O Clock has put me on the road to being a fan. While anything with Lily Allen will make me take a listen and I think Wiz is cool, what makes 5'O Clock so dope is that it is so sweet and nice. What turns me off about most R&B is that it is too raunchy and explicit. There is absolutely no tact nowadays and most R&B is just in your face, so it is refreshing to hear a song that makes you go "awhhhh". Matter of fact, I think I had a couple of nights where the girl(s) were waiting for your boy. I'm sayin.

* There are very few things sexier than a woman wearing a mens tank top.

On the town: Sunday Funday Sunday Oct 16, 2011 San Diego, Ca

2011-10-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

Every cool guy I know wears a hat.........

Sunday Funday.... I cannot describe life without it. Now add the wonderful San Diego weather, awesome folks, good drinks, beautiful women, crowd raising football games ('9ers won - yeah!), with an overall super dope vibe and you have a great great great time. Shout out to everyone who showed the kid loved from DT to Hillcrest. I am going to have to make this a regular on Window Shopping.

On the town: AIDS Walk 2011 San Diego, Ca

2011-10-14T13:57:00.000-07:00

Off to the race.........

For the past five years, I have been participating/walking in the San Diego AIDS Walk. If you did not know, this cause is near and dear to my heart. I am not going to go into it deeply, I'll just say that whenever it is going on, I will be there. Here are a couple of shots that I took at the walk. I love how it keeps growing in stature and seeing young people volunteering. It is just like what my Mother said, "If you are not helping out, you are not doing anything.

Ill Song of the day - Buddy Rich f/ Cathy Rich The Beat Goes On

2011-09-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Don't we all wish we were having as much fun as Buddy?

Ill Song Of The Day belongs to the great jazz drummer Buddy Rich. To celebrate his birthday, I decided to choose The Beat Goes On, an upbeat number featuring his daughter Sandy Rich. I love the whirlwind sound of the song and how Sandy's low, underwhelming vocals add charm to the song. If I could think of one word to describe, "The Beat Goes On," I would take language from it's era and say "groovy."

RIP Bernard "Buddy" Rich Sept 30, 1917 - April 2, 1987

NY Fashion Week 2011: Billy Reid

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

Is it the hair that is making this guy look cool?

Here are some pics of Window Shopping fave Billy Reid's spring 2010 collection. Looking at the selections, I liked that Billy used alot of tan and the pieces were steeped in a laid back classic sense of style. As always, I am pleased with what Mr. Reid brings to the forefront. Check them out......

Thanks GQ