the prince avalanche soundtrack came out today with new music from david wingo (aka ola podrida) & explosions in the sky. for those interested, you can find a limited white vinyl version of the soundtrack at your local independent record store (ie. criminal records & decatur cd). it comes in a gatefold sleeve and features a pretty sweet design from temporary residence. the LP also includes the digital download and a sticker!

– ryan

i was in condesa coffee not too long ago and took a liking to the artwork on display by sunflowerman. they were just small watercolor paintings on torn out pages from books, but i liked the style quite a bit.

after a little more research, i learned sunflowerman is actually a design agency, not just one artist. they are based out of atlanta and focus on men’s fashion illustration. (i kept picturing the j peterman catalog when reading their bio!) you can order custom paintings and view more artwork on their website.

in case you’ve never been, condesa is another local option for coffee in atlanta. they are known for handbrewing coffee with chemex coffeepots, and also for serving beer and wine. i’d say condesa isn’t as good as dancing goats, but they are still a great local place for coffee treats!

– ryan

condesa coffee

480 john wesley dobbs avenue ne #100
atlanta, ga 30312
404-524-5054

here are a couple of interesting covers worth checking out! the first is jessica jalbert’s rendition of the replacements song swingin’ party. it was my top jam last year! you can listen to it below or download the track here.

next up is damien jurado’s version of vince guarldi’s classic christmas time is here from a charlie brown christmas. this one definitely made my christmas mix! you can listen to it below or download the song from aquarium drunkard.

– ryan

damien jurado – christmas time is here

i have officially been in atlanta for ten years now. this fresh young face moved to town in july 2003 to start working on homestar runner with some friends.

– ryan

i had a nice birthday this year. gub and i went to the grant park six feet under for some seafood and cocktails. we ate on their upstairs patio overlooking historic oakland cemetery. it’s definitely one of the better patio views in the city!

after eating, we went for a stroll through oakland cemetery. somehow neither one of us had been to this beautiful atlanta landmark. as we went leave though, we discovered we were locked inside. fortunately we were able to find our way out, otherwise we would have been scaling a fence!

i also hit up the grand slam golf & baseball on my birthday. as the name implies, they have both batting cages (baseball & softball) and a double decker driving range. it was some good ole’ fashioned fun!

– ryan

six feet under grant park

437 memorial drive se
atlanta, ga 30312
404-523-6664

historic oakland cemetery

248 oakland avenue se
atlanta, ga 30312
404-249-5000

grand slam golf & baseball

3352 north druid hills road
decatur, ga 30033
404-636-0406

over the last year or so we’ve tried quite a few of batdorf & bronson’s locally-roasted coffees. we tend to stick with single-origin, central & south american beans for their crisp and fruity flavors. these coffees also brew really well in our chemex setup, so it’s fun sampling new varieties!

here are the beans we tried along with their batdorf & bronson descriptions:
costa rica: cerro del fuego – crisp & fruity; pineapple, honey, macadamia nut
mexico: organic el triunfo – creamy & bright; orange blossom, caramel, chocolate
nicaragua: isabelia – balanced & sweet; black cherry, cocoa, cinnamon
guatemala: antigua – elegant & intense; chocolate, rum raisin, caramel
columbia: estrella del sur – citrus blossom; vanilla, almonds, dried fruit
columbia: monserrate – gala apples, blood oranges
dancing goats blend – bold & toasty; almond, chocolate, and spice
skye’s mountain blend – velvety & lush; raspberry, herbs, sugar
nicaragua: finca san jose – tropical & jasmine; lush body, hints of fruit punch sweetness

our favorites were the monserrate, which was one of their voyager coffees, the finca san jose, and the el triunfo. none of these are available regularly though, so we tend to go with the cerro del fuego and estrella del sur when we buy batdorf & bronson beans.

you can find these delicious coffees at the dancing goats in decatur or the new dancing goats in ponce city market. the decatur location has a wider selection of beans however.

– ryan

dancing goats decatur (better selection)

419 west ponce de leon ave
decatur, ga 30030
404-687-1100

dancing goats ponce city market

675 north avenue
atlanta, ga 30308
404-874-0370

i recently discovered this great blog by australian illustrator james gulliver hancock. hancock set out on the ambitious goal of hand-drawing every building in new york in 2010. he still has a lot of buildings to go, however you can now purchase a book featuring every drawing he’s done so far.

here is a new york times interview with james from a few months ago.

– ryan

my dad and i were able to score tickets to the ncaa men’s basketball championship game this year in atlanta! it was last minute, but well worth the effort. the key was buying tickets from fans who were disappointed their team lost in the elite 8. and even though there wasn’t any booze available, it was still a ton of fun!

i have to admit, the ticketless flash seats process was the smoothest large event i’ve ever attended. with over 75,000 people in attendance, we didn’t have to wait in any sort of line while entering the arena. they just swiped your credit card at the door and you were good to go, your ticket was printed right then and there for you. you could also resell your tickets fairly easily through their website.

be sure to check out the louisville fan sporting a cardinals hat and glove while texting!

– ryan

clementine and i both wore our chucks today!

– ryan

check out this great ikea commercial!

– ryan