Yinka Shonibare Art Opening and a Fun Filled Day in Brooklyn
09 Sep 2009, written by Riz 2 Comments
This past Friday our amazing CEO decided that for all of the hard work that we do in the publishing industry, we deserved a little reward, so he shut down the office at noon. Instead of rushing out the door to the nearest bar, some friends and I decided that we would educate ourselves for a bit at the Brooklyn Museum…and then run to the bar. Mia was super stoked to take the water ferry, which she has never taken before. 10 years in NYC and no water ferry? We couldn’t let her keep living on as a New Yorker without the ferry experience, so we bought our $5 one way tickets and took to the sea! Or the river, whatever. Our excitement was soon slammed to the ground when we realized the upper deck was closed, and the ride was about 30 seconds. Oh well, at least she got it out of her system.
We arrived in Brooklyn and the opening that we went to see was Yinka Shonibare, Mother and Father Worked Hard So I can Play. I have to say that as soon as we entered the exhibit, we were all blow away. The colors, subject matter, photographs, and installations were all breath taking. The presentation was laid out like a treasure hunt. In each room their were youthful and playful pieces of art that introduced a sense of imagination and beauty. As in much of Shonibare’s work, the figures were headless and dressed in Victorian costumes made from bright and colorful fabrics. The first thing we saw was about 20 figures, with no heads and bright color outfits getting it on. These things were in every position imaginable, and we even saw some threesomes going on. Good times!
There was also this really cool wall with some graffiti type paint going on, mixed with some shapes and designs that were covered in the same fabric that the models were wearing. Very cool.
This was one of my favorites. Maybe the thought of these beastly cats RAWR’ing while wearing diamond collars was funny to me.
We saw a few more of Yinka’s works and then decided that it was way too nice of a day to be walking around inside a museum, so Mia promised us the most amazing pizza we had ever tasted. Apparently this place Franny’s has the best pizza in ALL of NYC, but when we arrived, it was closed. We were too hungry to really care, and we quickly agreed on Taro Sushi around the corner. Apparently they sell two “peaces” of Mochi for 3 dollars.
After we ate, we did some cruising around BK and stopped in a few of the local shops. We hit up The Gate for a beer and gave ourselves a minute to digest our food over some great draft beers. I was loving the day so far, but it wasn’t complete. I was waiting for something special. I was waiting for the Super Hero Store. Yes, you read that correct. A super hero store, that sold actual super hero apparel and gear. Holy shit. Someone please hold my money and credit cards because I am about to bankrupt myself in this damn place. But surprise surprise, it was CLOSED. What a rip. I was pissed, but at least I got some funny pictures.
After the super hero store disappointment, we decided it was in our best interest to buy a bottle of liquor and just go to Prospect Park to relax and drink. If you have never been to Prospect Park, pick a nice day and go. There are people all over the place walking their dogs, playing frisbee, and just lounging around. We had some drinks, traded stories, and discussed the meaning of “Zoot”. We even watched a bee kill a dragon fly. This was no joke. It was right out of Planet Earth, and I’m sure Sigourney Weaver would have been proud of the commentating we were doing while this battle raged on.
We drank the Invisible juice from the super hero store and this is what happened.
R.I.P. Henny.
This was a great day in Brooklyn, minus everything being closed! We got the chance to see some great art, check out a actual super hero supply store, and take advantage of the beautiful Prospect Park. What more could you ask for on a half day of work?
How Much Testosterone Can You Fit in One Room? – A Meatheads Paradise
30 Aug 2009, written by Riz 0 Comments
Your gonna die, weight.
This weekend the Zoot team traveled to Atlantic City in support of one of our best friends to cheer him on in the first annual SJ Sports Extravaganza at the Atlantic City Convention Center. This event was like nothing any of us had ever been to before. Karate, MMA, Arm Wrestling, Body Building, and Strong Man all crammed into one room, so we were amped up to say the least. Our good friend Zach has been training Strong Man for a while now, and this was his second taste of what to expect on his way to the pro level. The competition was broken down into two weight classes, and Zach of course stepped up and went toe to toe with the big dog heavy weights. He performed awesome, and came in 7th out of 13 strong men. Not bad for his second time out. Good job Zach!
In between watching Zach impersonate Super Man (which seemed like forever because they only were doing one event at a time) we wandered around and checked out the other events. Have you ever been to an arm wrestling match? It was awesome! Picture Over The Top minus Bull Hurley and all the baby mamma drama. These dudes were serious, and some were even sporting their state arm wrestling league polos. Official.
We watched that, and then decided we would give the women’s fitness competition a try. It was everything you would expect, some hot girls, some not so hot girls, a lot of toned bodies, and even more fake tanning oil. Once the mens body building began, we took that as our Q to go check out something else, so we took a front row seat at the Brazilian JuJitsu demonstration.
I wish we could have seen these guys really go at it. They were showing techniques and defense moves, which was informative, but not really what we had in mind. We expected this to be like the All Vally Tournament from Karate Kid. I wanted to see Daniel Son getting whooped on by some Cobra Kai members, only to totally redeem himself with the crane. We weren’t so lucky but it was still something cool to see. Along with all of the action, there were the usual vendors trying to sell every type of supplement in the world which wasn’t all that annoying because they had the hottest most fit girls working these tables. ESPN radio was even covering the event, and they were broadcasting live from the middle of the convention center.
It was a great day, and an even better experience. We we able to check out some sports that we hadn’t ever had the chance to see live, and our good friend Zach really performed well. We aren’t too sure when his next competition will be, but when we find out, we will be sure to let everyone know. Honestly, what can be better then watching some super strong dudes throw 350lbs weights through the floor? (That actually almost happened. Pictured here).
