This recent snow storm reminded me of the last severe winter weather that we had, four years ago this month. I was living way out in B.F.E., an hour from Asheville and 15 minutes from the closest store of any kind. I purposely stayed put and enjoyed the quiet of being thrust off the grid for a few days. Sure it was cold, sure the plumbing didn’t work and the power was out, but remembering that when it comes down to it you’ve got to rely on yourself is an invaluable lesson that is too rarely taught in our modern times. I shot these pictures on the first day, when the entire world seemed to be made of diamonds. Everything sparkled and leaned, the sum of the weight of ice and the light that it spread thickly in the air. Chiaroscuro faded from the blinding new world, and the places I knew so well became palatial and regal, a Fortress of Solitude that made me feel like Superman. The photos don’t do it justice at all, but I had to try. I’ve never seen anything like it. Have you?
In the cold and the dark, alone.
4th of July from John Carl on Vimeo. Music: The Guest Room “When Might Makes Right”
Back in early July, @bentmatches and I were standing at the Skybar a little after a beautiful sunset when our friend @AVLSkylie introduced us to three people looking for an adventure to film. Being expert adventurers, we shared a knowing glance and smile and set to work. Here is what they said about that night:
We went on a road trip for 30 days to 30 cities filming one story each day of people around America. This day we were in downtown Asheville, NC for the 4th of July celebration. We didn’t know a soul but by the end of the night we found ourselves in a parking lot with new-found friends setting off fireworks illegally. And we got there in a convertible driven by a friend who looked like he fronted a 50’s rockabilly band. All in all, an amazing night and one of the more meaningful videos we made.
This night was one of the best of my life. To be young, in love, and feel like the king of town in a hot red convertible surrounded by the talented and beautiful — I know of little better. It doesn’t matter how old I get, I’ll always want to go back to that day. I’d like to go back right now.
The folks we met were an artist collective (The Duck Duck Collective) and were filming a series of short spots all over the Eastern US for a really hip Levi-Strauss ad campaign. They had awesome equipment and great personalities and threw themselves into the fun of the evening. We went to the Admiral first and danced, then went to that abandoned parking lot off Merrimon where we lit all the fireworks. You can see me driving the convertible and vaulting through the fireworks at the end. I’m so glad there is footage of this day of my life.
Last year, not long after I got to Asheville, I went to this little music festival, POPAsheville, that was held downtown. I had a lot of fun last year; I even blogged about it. Serendipity abounded and I surfed the weekend wave to completion, but not exhaustion. Musical highlights at the festival included Nerd Parade (they gave out condoms in awesome containers), Mad Tea Party and Heypenny. Heypenny is kicking ass — they sound great and they have a new album that I’m desperate to get my hands on. Their last album has been a constant favorite over the past year.
I had countless memorable conversations.
- Sally, thanks for the encouragement. Best of luck with your girlfriend from Alabama. I hope you made it home ok.
- Mark, you’re very well read. Now, just one more day!
- Good luck with that iBook, Siobhan. Hope Z’s advice helped.
After a short day of Saturday work at the office I had an awesome dinner at Nine Mile with colleague Sensible Kitty. Have to make this a routine.Then I returned to work only to find the place surrounded by firefighters. Turns out our landlords and owners of the building, Glazer Architecture, didn’t follow their own advice and they let their office get too cold and the pipes to the sprinkler system burst, but didn’t leak until the ice thawed hours later. Only the fire department can turn that off I’m told, but it was not before water damaged the Jerusalem Garden restaurant and the dance studio below. Thankfully, I had slept in the office and ran space heaters to keep it warm and I woke up to a balmy 68° that morning. So not only did I not have to drive home (thankfully) but I also kept the office safe.
There was so much more; maybe I’ll get to it later today.
That constant source of awesomeness and unabashed yet non-sexist masculinity in blog form The Art of Manliness ran this excellent post recently. I need adventure. And a motorcycle.
Wake up. Head to work. Work. Head Home. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Head to work. Work. Head Home. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat.
Wake up. Head to work. Work. Head H……time out. Is this as good as it gets?
What happened to living life to the fullest? Where is the daring adventure that we dreamed about as a kid? Many of us have lost the passion for adventure that filled our childhood, and as real men we should struggle to regain it. For in true adventure we find much more than the cheap thrill of adrenaline, we find ourselves. Adventure is the element of a full life that is perhaps most neglected in modern society, and it is one of the most crucial. To have grand adventures and be able to tell tales of them is central to manliness. The problem is that in our age of technological revolution we have written off adventure and exploration as things of the past, no longer necessary thanks to our newfound, ever evolving capabilities. Although true exploration, in the sense of discovering new things, is now mostly the realm of astronauts and deep sea divers, adventure is available to anyone. What we need to realize is that it is not the discovery of new things that is important for the average man, but the understanding of ourselves which we often acquire through high adventure. Perhaps it is best to look to an old pro in the art of adventure for some insight into the true reasoning behind it.
Come. Be the DEATH of the PARTY.
I’m leaving right now to get these babies printed up. More later, word on the street is this party is gonna be rocking. Late-night House party!
So, I’m going to Mississippi right now to deliver my friend and his Victrola to visit a wealthy, beautiful sculptor in her Victorian mansion. I’ll be back Monday I think.
It was 5am, and I was about to fall asleep in the bed of a ’77 Chevy pick-up. For a few minutes I was content to look up and watch the stars spin. But instead, I convinced everyone to go to the Waffle House. Five miles, a hamburger, double plate hashbrowns scattered-covered-and-smothered, and one sunrise later, we made it back.
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