Union of One

SALE!! We are moving...

2008-05-27T15:50:00.009-07:00

Here are a number of items we are selling before we move into our new place...

(click on any image for larger view)

Speakers. Polk Audio R30 Two-Way Floor-Standing Loudspeakers (over $500 brand new) Selling for $275 (a pair on Craigslist is selling for $350). They sound and look great. Perfect condition.

Here is our side table/coffee table. Its technically a coffee table but we use it as a modern side table. It's from Ikea and is no longer available. We paid $99 but are parting with it for $60. Its in PERFECT condition.

And for the piece de jour (or however you spell that). This is our beloved sectional couch. Microfibre removeable covers. It is a quality built sofa with iron feet. We sit on it far too much and there is no wear. Super modern, super comfy. We have been couch shopping and haven't seen anything this nice (unless you go to Inform). You can buy a sectional that is half the size and half the quality at EQ3 for $1200 or you can buy this one for $1000 (firm).
Check it out...

Signage for West

2007-06-06T12:18:00.001-07:00

Here are my latest designs for a Construction site in West Point Grey. It turned out even better than i expected!

The Private Jet Experience

2007-05-10T13:27:00.000-07:00

Canucks Road Trip 2

2007-03-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

The boys and I flew back from our 2nd annual Canucks road trip last Monday. Here are some of our stories and photos:

DAY ONE (Friday March 9th)

Last night Dave informed us that he could not find his passport...”ANYWHERE!” Weeks ago, Seann had called each of the guys to be sure that they had a passport and that it was valid. Dave, being a true man's man, brushes Seann off with a "ya, ya Shithead." So, after the panic and constant razzing by the boys, Dave books a one way ticket from Bellingham to Seattle, then to San Francisco where we would all meet up and head straight to an Alcatraz tour. Sheri and Dave left this next morning at around 4am and arrived in Bellingham only to find out that his plane had mechanical problems and would be delayed "indefinitely."

Meanwhile, Seann, Jared, Rich and I all met at the airport at around 6am still shaking our heads and laughing at Dave for being so stupid, and red. We sat down at our gate only to hear over the speaker that our flight would be delayed 2 hours due to mechanical problems! So, after many hands of Big 2 we find out Dave has finally left his airport and is on route to San Jose where we would all eventually meet, since our Alcatraz tour was no longer possible. Oh well, more time to drink. The four of us guys are all flying on Seann’s standby passes. Our flight was quite full so we were upgraded to first class! Free alcohol, free food, large seats, TV, hot hand towels, hot flight attendants, the works. Dave on the other hand, is sitting in his $300 US one-way Economy class seat next to a fat manwoman with bad BO (that’s what we were picturing…and hoping). I, at least, had the decency to take a picture of the seat Dave would have been relaxing in if he wasn’t dumb and red enough to lose his passport. That’s what you GIT!

I also decided to take pics of us boys to show Dave that he really didn’t miss much (ya, right).

After these pictures were taken, Seann cracked a joke about it looking like this flight was a “Make-A-Wish Foundation plane trip” because of the shaved heads. Lil’ Richy, poor kid didn’t have a chance.

There are the “special little ones” at Avis picking up our minivan. Some might say they look ridiculous, I say it’s just sad, really.

Before we were even out of the parking spot at Avis, Seann claimed that he would “turn this car around right now” if we didn’t shut up.

Our first and only (and most important) stop before driving from San Fran to San Jose would be Costco for “Family-sized” portions of alcohol. We found these bottles for a mere $16.99!! I love Costco!

Since Dave had arrived at the hotel early (sucker even had to pay for his cab ride from the airport) he decided to have a little nap. Seann finally woke his sorry ass up at around 5pm. Here is the first we saw of Dave since the trip started:

Drinking and Big 2 started immediately.

Jared and his incoherent, jumbled stories (paired with mimed actions of picking apples) were a highlight of our trip:

Just before getting ready to go to the Canucks game, Jared and Dave took some time out to be gay.

Here we all are with our new Canuck jerseys GO CANUCKS!

For what we could remember, the game was good! I actually saw the breakaway by Sedin AND the goal! Canucks won 2-1 in overtime. After we scored, we started chanting GO CANUCKS GO and before we knew it, Canucks fans were gathering in our section chanting along with us. We proceeded out to the concourse with chants of SHARK FIN SOUP (really lame now that I think about it, but very fun at the time). It was so loud and there were so many Canucks fans in the building.

That’s me behind the jackass with the phone.

Anyways, after the game, we walked along a street that had quite a few bars and clubs to choose from so we picked the one with the most Canucks Jerseys.
At one point in the night, Rich nudges me and points out that Seann has a new boyfriend. I look over and see some guy hugging Seann while Seann was nestling in his neck. I laughed. 10 minutes later I look over and the scene is still playing out. So I took this picture so Seann would remember what his one-night stand had looked like.

And before I continue, may I point out the fact that Dave is completely smashed at this point in the night? Notice Dave in the picture above? I know Dave. He saw me getting ready to take a picture so he held his hand up, but by the time I took the picture, his eyes had wandered and couldn’t find where I was again. Dave was DONE! Stumbling, mumbling. If he wanted you to follow him or even just tell you something, he would shiftily look at you in the chest, think hard, and do a quick hop/shuffle backwards like a drunk retarded 2-footed moonwalk. You just had to ignore him and he would stop. He also claimed that he had no cash. He would order himself a drink and look at you when the bartender told him the price. There is also a story floating around that since he had no money and was unable to bum a drink, he looked the bar up and down and claimed the half-full drink next to him as his own. It belonged to some random guy on the dance floor. Ah Dave.

When we got back to the hotel room (oh, by the way/gay, we all shared one room), we all claimed a bed, except Dave. So the drunkard decided to attack. It had no effect and he ended up sleeping on the floor, but not before Jared had given him the worst wedgie I had seen in years!

Everyone fell asleep quite quickly except Seann and I as we were too busy laughing (there were tears) at the whistling sound coming from Make A Wish Rich's nose. We finally had to wake him to make it stop. The whistling was then followed by a strange clicking sound coming from either his nose or throat. Weird, but tolerable. All in all, a GREAT start to the road trip. Tomorrow, its off to Hollywood!

Another missed Erickson home!

2007-02-23T17:05:00.000-08:00

Well, as the title says, we missed out on another home designed by Arthur Erickson (read about the previous loss here).

Zara and i have passed this set of three condos on many of our neighborhood walks. We always thought we should keep an eye out in case one went up for sale. Well, we went on vacation and i guess it was sold while we were gone. Again, so close!

It was listed at $1,699,000. Steep i know, but hey, its our DREAM home! There is no price you can put on that! None.

So enjoy... (warning: it hurts a little)

Priia Pyrrha The Precious

2007-01-15T15:05:00.000-08:00

"Of all God's creatures, there is only one that cannot be made slave of the leash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat." -Mark Twain

Destruction Construction

2007-01-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

The shockwave that the falling concrete produced nearly shattered our windows (and my eardrums) and yet is barely audible in the video!

Vancouver

2006-12-06T10:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pics of Vancouver. Just cause...

Business=Work

2006-10-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to say starting another business, the proper way, is a lot more work than I expected! There are so many forms to create, processes to develop, and rules to follow all while trying to bring in jobs and send creative out the door. I am learning so much and I have never had this thirst for knowledge. I have never been so excited to read new business books, view a website about business development or ask advice from other business people. There are so many goals I want to achieve with Living System Creative, all the while sticking to my personal and business values. I am not really sure why I am blogging this. I really have nothing cohesive to say, but I figured I should blog something, as I haven't for many weeks now. We are getting close now to be able to really launch our business the way it should be. I have updated our logo with new colors and some every slight spacing changes and this is now our final logo...for now!

So, until we have ourselves an official launch party where we can hand you our business cards and portfolio samples, you can check us out at www.livingsystem.ca
It is just our splash page and just briefly explains what we are about and who we are working with.

livingSystem

2006-09-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

So there it is. More tweaking to come, I am sure, but that's it. The logo for livingSystem. Comments are welcome. If you don't like it, tell me. Tell me why. Of course, you are viewing it in the wrong context. You don't even know what our company is about, but maybe that is best. When you see this logo, what do you think? What type of company do you think it would be? The company's clients? How about what the company stands for? What livingSystem's values are? I would love to hear your answers. So please leave a comment. Thanks!

2006-08-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate enough to join my Sister, Billy, my Mom and others out on the boat for a sunny Saturday afternoon. Brett, cute as ever, was still crying but had a few breaks for us to snap a few of pictures. Ya, I think I could get used to this life...

My favorite boat in Vancouver (for sale...$3.7million)

Mom and I

Insects

2006-08-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

Pretty fly for a white guy. It's best if you click on these images to see them larger.

Arthur Erickson

2006-07-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

Here is an Arthur Erickson-designed home just a few doors down from our place in Kelowna. It just sold for $2.7 million. DAMN! We should sell our place in Burnaby and make an offer on this. Anyways, I love how sympathetic it is to it's natural and rugged environment. It blend seemlessly into the landscape which is rare for the type of properties on Okanagan Lake. Sorry for the crappy photos, but I had to sneak onto the propery next door, run down some dirt hills and take some quick shots without looking like a stalker!

Kelowna 2006

2006-07-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight is mine and zara's last night up here in Kelowna. The weather for our first two days were incredible, but today the wind is really strong and the clouds have moved in. I have had the opportunity to spend time and "get to know" my new little Nephew, Brett. He is super cute, really, and he cries like a little baby...oh right, he is a little baby. But seriously, he cries A LOT! I feel so bad for Jody and Billy. It is so hard on them. I do have to say that I am more than proud of both of them, though, because they are dealing with it so well. They are patient, gentle. Benz is up here with us as well and he has been in the lake more times than all of us combined. Yesterday, Zara and I headed downtown and found a great store where we bought the perfect side table for our Barcelona chairs. I love it out here. I can't believe we drive for just over four and a half hours and we can be in a completely different environment, different climate. I love the heat and sun. I will definitely live somewhere hot before i am old. Anyways, below are some pics from the last few days. Enjoy, because I have.

Priia Pyrrha The Precious

2006-07-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, well im not her "REAL" dad, but she does call me Daddy.

You can check out Priias Blog here.

House Warming

2006-07-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

If you weren't at our house warming, you either weren't invited, or you flaked. So, here are some photos to show the great times you missed out on! You can see many more photos on Zara's blog

The West 10th Apartment

2006-07-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of our new apartment in South Granville. If you haven't come by for a visit yet, the offer is still open!

2005 Norco Frames for Sale

2006-06-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am selling my Norco Frames.

2005 Norco Shore: $700
2005 Norco Sasquatch: $225

These are both BRAND NEW and never ridden! They are in PERFECT condition. Leave me a comment or email me if you are interested. brandon@manicomiodesign.com

You stay Classy, San Diego!

2006-06-15T11:58:00.000-07:00

Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diago, which of course in German means a whale's vagina.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-06-13T22:55:00.000-07:00

The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to a close. In its place, we are entering a period of consequences.

-Winston Churchill

I want to buy that “long-lasting” light bulb that has been on my mind for years but I have found the price (ok, my impotent disposition) too “inconvenient.” I saw, no, I experienced the film “An Inconvenient Truth” tonight. It’s a film by Al Gore on Global Warming and the effects it has on the Earth. It was scary, emotional and inspiring. It was depressing, but also uplifting. I found myself still sitting in the theatre after the lights had come up not wanting to leave. Not because I enjoyed the film so much, which I did, but because I knew I would be leaving with an obligation to change the way I live my life. I didn’t know exactly what I would have to change but I still felt the anxiety that comes with accountability. When I did stand to leave, a rush of excitement and motivation took the place of anxiety, which, if you know me well, isn’t an easy emotion to displace! I want to do things differently. I visited the film’s official website climatecrisis.net and found a section named “Take Action.” Within are ways to reduce your impact “at home,” “on the move,” and simple, convenient tips that tell you the effect they have, rather than just telling you what to do.

No, I am not receiving any form of monetary payment for promoting this film and it’s advice. I really believe that we can stop and even reverse these global trends. Near the end of the movie there was a great diagram of what would happen if we followed through with just some of these initiatives. It left me feeling confident, and optimistic that people will see the truth, not as inconvenient, but as opportune.

So, tomorrow I will go buy those light bulbs. I will ride my bike to work and I will adjust my everyday thinking. Inconvenient? No, I don’t think so. Just different. Just change. Of course, anxiety will try and convince you change is inconvenient, but taking small steps, like just seeing this movie, can displace that anxiety with fervor and excitement that will lead to a life of less consequences and a more convenient way of living.

www.climatecrisis.net

New Nephew!!

2006-06-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well, my Sister had her baby earlier this week. His name is Brett William Thomas-Vandekerkhove. He already looks like a little man as you can see in one of the pics above. Anyways, welcome to the world, Brett!

July Moving

2006-06-08T23:56:00.000-07:00

Zara and I are moving in together on July 1st. We found a perfect place to rent while we wait to move into our condo in Burnaby (March 2008). It's a 1.5 year old, 4 story building in South Granville. Both Zara and I have lived in this area before and it's our favorite place to live in Vancouver. It's a one bedroom and den with 1.5 bathrooms, 900 sq ft with 9ft ceilings. Best of all: DISHWASHER!!

Anyways, we will be having a house warming party soon after we move in.

San Diego

2006-06-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

Zara and I headed down to San Diego to visit her Papa back in June. We drove down to La Jolla and took some photos of the Salk Institute (Medical research, Mr. Salk founded the Polio vaccination). It was designed by famous architect Louis Kahn. I saw a documentary film a couple of months earlier about Louis Kahn, directed by his son who was only 10 when Louis died. His son visited all his famous buildings around the world and the Salk Institute was my favorite. I found out it was located in La Jolla so we planned to take a day and shoot a bunch of photos. Here are just a few:

OMA 2, 2008

2006-06-08T21:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, Zara and I have bought a condo in Burnaby. It won't be ready until March 2008 but we are both very excited. It is named OMA (One Madison Avenue) and is themed after the famous avenue in New York. We snagged the 17th floor (North facing) one bedroom and den. 647 square feet plus a 107 sq ft balcony. We have 9ft ceilings, hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, fireplace, floor-to-ceiling windows, pool, gym, washer/dryer. etc. Check out the website under my "Links" section at the top for images and more info.

Our first investment!!