Bicycle Build circa 2008

I moved to Seattle in 2008. At a garage sale I found a nice set of Ritchey Wheels I stole for $35.


I found a Nashbar frame on eBay and gave it a paint job complete with hipster stars.



Caveat emptor! After painting the frame I realized it was cracked and consequently scrapped it.



With the next frame I opted to buy a new one. Interesting fact: A handful of companies make many of world's bike frames. Different brands buy these frames from the same manufacturers and slap their logos on them, and build them up with their choice components (Shimano, SRAM, Campagnalo). So, many mid-tier bike manufacturers act as assemblers and you're dealing with very comparable bikes. You really are paying for the name. Motobecane, once a great French manufacturer, is now Le Taiwanese.



Recycled Cycles supplied all the used components and saved me some serious cash.


Something I've learned: Any do-it-yourself project will invariable take twice as long and cost twice as much as you plan. Several thousand miles later this project is still worth it.

Freshman Composition: Tom's Toothpaste

These were some of my earliest creations. I still love them. Sure, they use puns and wordplay, but you'll notice I did not once refer to poop or the male penis. Oh, and I laid the type out by hand myself.

Polish History Lesson circa 2005

I like to write to my brother from places I visit. I also enjoy making up history about these places.





Czesc,
The sword-bearing mermaid is one of the oldest symbols of Polish mythology. This bare-chested beauty is a symbol of Warsaw, as she is its protector. Warsaw was once an underwater metropolis hidden from the rest of Europe. It was the Germans with their advanced U-boats who were able to conquer the submerged city in WWII. Scholars often debate on the demise of the great mermaid. Legend has it that she died in a great underwater battle, her sword and shield being no match for German torpedoes. Recent photographs and journals of fisherman tell a different story. The Roman Polska Tuna Company is believed to have caught and processed the great mermaid, mistaking her for a mere dolphin, to only later realize their great mistake. We may never know the real story. So, whether or not she resided in the stomachs of our Polish grandfathers, the great mermaid certainly lives on in our hearts. PETA has demanded a written apology from the Roman Polska Tuna Company. Since then PETA has realized that they only matter to high-school dropouts in Hollywood and will never receive such an apology.
Czesc,
Matt

Caring for Your New Smoking Aparatus

I love a good deal, and this is one of my favorites. I call it...The MacArthur. I got this pipe for $4 at an antique dealer in Illinois. I soaked in in whiskey for about a week to clean it out and cure it. Whiskey gives the wood a nice flavor. If you're working with a pipe you have to keep in mind anything that goes into the pipe will eventually go into you. So the whiskey is a no-brainer, but that also goes for any stains or varnishes--they all need to be alcohol based. I went to a local woodworking shop in Atlanta, told the guy what I was doing, and he let me just borrow a bottle of stain and bring it back when I was done. Free is even better than $4.

The results were great but I still needed something to make it shine. You can buy wax and buff it hot enough to melt the wax and give it a nice shiny coating, or you can do it by hand for free. My new friend at the wood shop showed me just rubbing the pipe with your bare hands gives the wood enough oil to shine. Someone also told me that Native Americans would rub their pipes with their oily noses to get the same effect. That's gross, but just as effective.

Builder's Tea

Here's a campaign I did recently for the D&AD Awards in London. I did the writing and art direction. I hope that impresses you.

A real ad for a change.

I did this with my buddy Ben to promote him at the Amarillo Addy Awards in the program.

Fun with Photoshop

Saw an ad on the train for a couple of Joel Osteen books the other day. Apparently this guy is into You.