New Computer, New Year, New Painted Utility Boxes

After just over a month away from SD for business (what kind of business, you may ask?  The exciting kind.  The kind where you get paid so you can fly places to visit family.  That kind.) I returned to a veritable smörgåsbord of good things.  Not only did we just get an awesome hand-me-down laptop to replace the old hand-me-down laptop that committed a slow and dramatic electric and electronic suicide therefore rendering Far Flung updating impossible, but I ALSO found a bevy of previously unphotographed utility boxes.  What a delight!!!

All utility boxes were in North Park and photographed at night while IQ patiently accompanied me while I ran block to block squealing with glee upon discovering each new utility box.  Just try to diagram THAT sentence.  I dare you.  Hope you enjoy these latest additions to the collection as much as I do.

This one is super'80's boom-box retro.  I love the cassette motif.  I wish that they had painted the adjacent utility box to look like a huge boom-box, but no such luck.

This one combines the city's seaside identity with some excellent bold color and simple graphic repetition.  Well done!

This one was probably better left as a doodle on a teenage girl's trapper keeper.

The side shows a weird lack of continuity in style and theme.  Only the colors used in the piece tie the two sides together.

Very cool color wash under intricate pen and ink style outlines.  I love the shape repetitions and loose geometry of the constituent patterns.

Another Miro-esque theme.  This town loves it some Miro.

This one shows a San Diego landmark: the water/gravy tower in North Park (reputed to be the gravy receptacle for Chicken Pot Pie shop which is just across the street).  In my imagination, the fish in the bottom of the painting are worshiping the water tower full of gravy.  I love how this utility box has faded and peeled.  The resulting texture is striking and lovely.

Mountain scene.  Maybe Provence, maybe Poway.  Wherever the inspiration for the scene, taggers could not leave well enough lone.  Savages.  Miscreants.  Teenagers.

Kind of a blurry photo, but cartoonish and funky representation of SD.  The bridge is probably the bridge to Coronado.

Saxophone is not shown to scale.

This one pays homage to Bird Park, a sweet little neighborhood patch of greenery and fun in North Park that hosts summer concerts.  Bird Park also has some really really fat squirrels that are not portrayed on this utility box.

Bold florals are a pretty safe bet.  Kind of a loose nod to Warhol's flowers.

This was a very large utility box.  And yes, that is a purple fake fur jacket I am wearing. It actually dropped below 70 degrees here.

A+ for theme.  C for execution.  Bowling is a pretty great theme.  There is no Bowling Alley called Aztec bowl that we know of, but I think this was a play on the SDSU Viejas Arena also called the Aztec Bowl.  No bowling happens there, but you could see a basket ball game or a Judas Priest concert (not shown on utility box).

Starry, starry starry box.

Scientist added for scale.

Even the inner faces of the cooling fins on the back of the starry starry utility box were painted.  I love a thorough job.











Happy New Year!!

what I love today

http://www.amazon.com/Mobile-Office-WM-01-Laptop-Steering/dp/B000IZGIA8/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Read the comments.

Excellent Costumes

OK, ok, ok.  So I am a week behind. 

These are some costumes we saw in our neighborhood last week.

Nun with a a case of beer.  Always good.  Especially if the nun is a dude.

Classic.  I asked him where his Meatwad was, and he looked a little offended.  Turns out he just liked the costume and is not an Aqua Teen Hunger Force fan at all.  

Nice yard decorations.  Not very energy efficient; there was no Energy Star sticker on it.  Californians prove to be all talk and no rock once again.

She said she was dressed as "Inner Beauty", which is a lovely concept.  I don't quite get the costume representation, but do love the idea and her attitude was bubbly and hilarious. 

This guy had an interesting concept.  On the outside he looks like a Tibetan Monk/ SoCal dude.  Then, his robe slips off and his "true" role is revealed. . .

Turns out he is in the creepiest panty- hose suit of all time.  He is dressed as a a  ridiculously well endowed porn dude.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  Out with the Tibetan Monk; that was just the set-up. 

I think it is funny how he drew on pectoral muscles, and they end far below his actual pecs, making him look a little droopy.

Pirates are big this year.

  This is our neighborhood buddy, Puppy, who dressed as a SWAT team cop. 

That's not light beer he's packing.  Watch out. 

Whole family trick-or-treating on Newport Ave. . .

. . . at the body piercing shop

The bee and the Pope are hanging out on the porch. . .

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat.

IQ waiting for our table at Hodad's

Dead Elvis.

Son of God.

SoCal lady with HUUUUUGE fake breasts. Hilarious!

 Dirty Martini.

Count Dracula and his hippy dippy consort.  They seem to have the biting thing backwards. 

 Super Awesome Robot!!!  Bike reflectors for the eyes has a smashing effect in flash pics.  Well done, robot dude!

This was our waiter.  He made quite a show of dropping of our ticket.

Magnum PI.

 Possibly the most clever costume of the evening.

Nice Package.

Self portrait, the Ape and the Cheerleader.  It is a match made in heaven.

A Christmas tree!

Is the dude next to the Jolly Green Giant in costume?

Santa and Ms. Claus. 

These guys look JUST LIKE Hare Krishnas!!  They even have the harmonium, and were chanting and handing out little pamphlets.  They stayed in character ALL NIGHT, and even stay in character at other times during the week.  I'm all for stretching the taffy on a holiday, but guys, come on.