The 30 Year Old Remembers Learning to Ride a Bike

When I learned to ride my bike, I had to go through two sets of training wheels, which I guess means I was a ridiculously slow learner. I remember finally getting to the point where I thought I didn't need them anymore...I could feel myself balancing on just the bike wheels as I rode down the street in front of my house. I must have been five or so, which is a testament to how excited I was that I could remember so clearly how I finally learned how to balance on a bike.

When it happened, I ran inside and yelled excitedly for my Pop to remove the training wheels, and after he put the nuts back on that back tire I didn't hesitate...I jumped on that red bicycle and rode it like I was doing it since I was old enough to walk.

That was back around 1985. Apparently kids in the year 2010 get to have battery powered gyroscopes encased in their front tire.

Which is why kids in the year 2010 suck.

How the hell can they have a memorable childhood experience about finally realizing when they no longer needed to use the gyroscope? Never mind that I would gladly have used one of these things when I was five, because let's face it - they're bleeping awesome. No, this is downright unfair for five year old Ian.

On the other hand, they do cost $100 bucks. If I had asked my parents back then for anything over $5 they would have told me to build it myself from household materials. I imagine my duct tape, kite string, and used egg beater gyroscope wouldn't have worked as well, let alone held a three hour charge.

For those parents who do have $100 bucks and a child who sucks, I suggest checking out the Gyrobike website. Meanwhile my inner child will stubbornly remember the joy of the cheap, $3 dollar training wheels.

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Originally linked on FreshArrival

Portfolio Updated!

Well it's certainly been a very busy month for me, but December usually is!

One of the things I'm most proud to report on is that OnePoint once again kindly asked me to design a holiday card for them this year, and the image you see is the result of my labors. I'm very thankful for all the help that OnePoint offered to let me get this done, including volunteering models and the time necessary to help me have fantastic references!

I've put the image up on iancastruita.com for any who'd like to see it. I may also use the image for a "Behind the Front Lines" series on watercolor, but with any luck I'll have plenty of watercolor projects to pick from.

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Makes Sense To Me!

And here I thought I just needed an oil change!

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Originally linked by Kevin Rose on Twitter

Holiday Gift Idea - Toys and Books

Since I only have a couple hours left in November, I didn't want to ignore two categories of gifts that are regular staples in my holiday gift suggestions - toys and books.

Lego Millennium Falcon
As the largest Lego set you can get your nerd paws on, this thing is the current holy grail of all inner children.

The Limited Edition Lego Millennium Falcon has over 5,000 pieces and is built to Lego figure scale. The detail is absolutely crazy, and so am I for wanting this. I mean, it costs $500 dollars, takes about a week to put together, and isn't exactly "storage friendly". I would probably have to rededicate a guest room to house this thing along with any other Lego Star Wars sets that I'd want to buy...and you know you'd want to buy more after getting an injection of geek this huge.

Let's be frank, you want this, you know you do. You just aren't 12 anymore, you'd spend your month's rent or car payment on it, and the last time you played with Legos you were making light saber and droid sound effects in your pajamas when your girlfriend walked in on you...it didn't help the relationship at that point.

Ah hell, buy it.

13 Things That Don't Make Sense
I listened to the audio book version of Michael Brooks 13 Things That Don't Make Sense and immediately bought a copy for my kindle afterward because I was so captivated with the ideas it presented, I knew I wanted to refer back to them later on. Here's an excerpt from the book's website:

Spanning disciplines from biology to cosmology, chemistry to psychology to physics, Brooks thrillingly captures the excitement, messiness and controversy of the battle over where science is headed. "In science", he writes, "being stuck can be a sign that you are about to make a great leap forward. The things that don’t make sense are, in some ways, the only things that matter."

The book starts out with some very big cosmic conundrums, like the expansion of the universe and whether or not laws of physics have always been the way they are now, and then works its way to things that puzzle us more closer to home, such as death, life, sex and health.

Being simply a lowly artist, I found the book to be very easy to follow, and incredibly thought provoking. I plan on reading it again, but hopefully you can find it a place on your gift list for that curious minded friend or family member, but don't shy away from getting a copy for yourself if you're intrigued!

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I'd actually like to see what happens if my girlfriend caught me in my pajamas playing with Legos, so I'm going to make a habit of it. Buh-shooo! Zzzipp! Vrrooooosh!

Holiday Gift Idea - Traveling?

One of the things that goes hand in hand with the holidays is traveling, so I figured I'd throw out a few ideas for the savy airport traveler.

Burton Sleeper Hoodie
My brother just scored one of these awesome Burton hoodies that are designed with an integrated removable/inflatable neck pillow and port for your headphone cable from a pocket specially designed for music players like your iPhone or Zune. It also has a "light shield" which is a mesh veil you pull out over your face to block out the light, plus plenty of pockets perfect for tickets and passports. I tried this guy on and I'm telling you right now - it's comfortable. At $99 bucks, it's not a bad deal for the frequent traveler who's stuck on long haul flights and less than exciting layovers this winter.

Originally linked to on Uncrate

Wilderness Frequent Flyer Belt
I actually use this as my main belt of choice since it's ridiculously easy to put on and is very sturdy to boot. What is great about the Wilderness Frequent Flyer Belt for travelers is that its construction has no metal parts - just thick plastic rings and Velcro, making it unnecessary to remove when going through security checkpoints. I'm telling you right now though, as far as construction and durability goes this thing is top notch*.

While deciding the size you'd like, I suggest adding a few inches to give you the best fit with the Velcro, as my previous size was a bit too short and the Velcro only attached right at the tip. I have a size 4 inches longer than my jean size; it secures just under my right jean loop and is perfect for me.

At $30 - $35 bucks depending on the belt width, this is an easy gift for that frequent traveler, but like I mentioned before I pretty much use this belt all the time.

Gerber Shard
Another recommendation I came across on Uncrate is the Gerber Shard, an airline safe multi-tool you can fit on your key chain. Unfortunately this guy isn't available until next February, but I usually only recommend gifts once a year and this is an airline traveler gift list, so I couldn't omit the little guy.

One of the things I absolutely hate when traveling is having to stuff my Leatherman into my checked luggage. I'm one of those guys who always loses things in my luggage, and even if I don't, I usually forget to collect the stuff I put away in my luggage when I'm out and about around my destinations. Having reached into your pocket only to realize that you don't have a bottle opener sucks. Then I usually make a fool of myself trying to open my beer anyways, thereby resulting in sarcasm and social ostrasization.

Solution: Gerber Shard.

Humangear GoToob
Made from soft silicone, these bottles are perfect for toiletries like your shampoo, lotion or body wash. I usually go out and look for the travel sized bottles in the 99¢ aisle at Target, but I rarely find the products I regularly use, which is annoying to say the least. So GoToob bottles, which come in 3 sizes up to the TSA maximum 3 oz, are good enough for the job. Plus you can tell yourself that buying reusable bottles instead of the travel sized fellas is better for the environment (but really, I'd buy them just because they're cooler looking).

I know what you penny pinching punks are saying though - "Why can't I just buy a regular 3 oz bottle?" Well, for one, silicone is soft, durable and will probably outlast your flimsy dime store purchases. Two, these guys feature really cool dials near the caps that help indicate what the hell you put in them - imagine putting on shampoo when you're thinking it's sunblock. Three, the medium 2 oz sizes have suction cups to stick them to the shower wall for nice convenient use - no more dropping the bottle in the tub and then kicking it around until you accidentally knock yourself out against the shower head!

Look to spend $7 to $30 bucks on these guys depending on where and how many you get.

Happy Traveling!

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*Yay for unexpected belt puns!

Holiday Gift Idea - Sonos S5

When I moved into my current abode, it immediately occurred to me that it would be awesome to have a music system which would link to my iTunes library, and at the time Apple's AirPort Express seemed like the way to go - but the option still required having powered speakers. Plus I often don't listen to my iTunes - I'm checking out Pandora quite often, not to mention LastFM.

I'm really glad I've waited for better options to come out. The Sonos s5 is an awesome solution to having multi-room music, and you simply have to see all the features to realize how impressive it is.

1. It accesses your iTunes library, Pandora, LastFM, and hundreds of streaming radio stations (plus the subscription services like Napster and Sirius). And get this - if you have any song in mind - regardless if you own it or not - you can stream it to your Sonos s5.

2. Since the devices are wireless, you can plug the things in anywhere within range of the Sonos Zone Bridge's signal. Separate rooms can be playing different music feeds, or synchronized to play the same thing at the push of a button from your wireless remote.

3. Speaking of your wireless remote - it's the iPhone. But you don't need an iPhone to use it, they have a touch screen remote you can buy separately.

You really need to watch the demo to see how simple and clever this device truly is - click on this page and look on the right for the demo. I'm thinking that pretty much anyone with a house would love this - families, students, etc.

As one of my more pricier holiday gift suggestions, the s5 is going to run you $400 bones per unit, plus $99 for the zone bridge to connect it to your Internet connection. This also assumes you already have an Internet router. So yeah, you could run up a $900 bill to get two rooms covered in your house - not exactly a budget gift; but you'd be loved as a God for getting this*.

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*Godly Love isn't guaranteed, some consumers may simply experience gratitude. Even that I can't guarantee.

Original Fox Programming

Don't get me wrong - Family Guy is hilarious, but so is this! Hopefully they can figure out which Fox executive Seth MacFarlane has control of though, it is getting a bit out of hand.

Oh, and the crack on American Idol? Spot on.

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Originally seen on Drawn!

Holiday Gift Idea - Teavana

I consider myself an Earl Grey man, partly because that's the chosen drink of certain star ship captains, but mainly because I'm a creature of habit and don't really experiment. Tea is tea after all, right? I mean, trying different Earl Greys is like trying different types of rice or popcorn; sure you can tell the difference, but you're not really exploring too far out of your expectations.

Of course, as I wrote that last sentence I was reminded of the excellent Dale & Thomas brand of popcorn, which I featured in a past holiday gift post. So already I'm proven wrong.

Well, time to be proven wrong again. Last year my brother got a Teavana gift box set from our sister, and I've been enjoying the flavorful brews ever since. Teavana's particular version of Earl Grey is sweet and smooth - something I credit to the German Rock Sugar. But sweet and smooth is not how I would describe my typical Earl Grey experience; so I must warn the purists out there that this will challenge your expectations, but in a very good way.

If you check out the site, you'll see there is a huge variety of teas and sweeteners, as well as a plentiful amount of cups and brewers. The gift box set is a bit pricey for a gift to only one person, but if you wanted to hand a gift to a family I think it's well worth it. And check it out for yourself too!

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"Tea, Earl Grey, hot" - Jean-Luc Picard