John Beck

Went to Wegman’s Wine & Spirits yesterday, this is what I got:

Yards – Brawler Pugilist Style Ale – 6 pack bottles
Brooklyn – Lager – 6 pack bottles
Dogfish Head – Palo Santo Marron – 4 pack bottles
Chimay Red – 1 350ml bottle

Laird’s Applejack – 1 bottle
Francis Ford Coppola’s Claret – 2 bottles
Francis Ford Coppola’s Rosso – 1 bottle

A little over a month ago I bought my first bicycle. I’ve ridden many bikes as a kid but this one is mine! For almost 2 years I’ve had my eyes on the bikes from Bowery Lane Bicycles. Not sure what took me so long to get one. They’re incredible bikes, excellent design and handmade in NYC using American steel. I’ve been following them on Twitter and saw that they were heading to Philadelphia. I asked them if they would drop me off a bike while I was working at DeLorenzo’s and they agreed. I offered them some pizza but unfortunately they arrived during the off hours (I still owe you guys). So, the 2 owners of the company, Mike and Patrick, hand delivered the bike to me at work. These guys are the coolest, we chatted for a bit and then they headed back to NYC.

Bowery Lane Bicycles offers 3 bikes, all single speed cruisers. I chose the Bronks Raw. I love the raw steel look and the visible welding plus it comes with a bell. I upgraded my seat to a Brooks B67 saddle. I got a Bern Macon bike helmet. I got the Beamer 3 headlight and the Superflash taillight both from Planet Bike. I also got the Kryptonite Series 2 KryptoLok U-Lock bicycle lock. I threw a cheap handlebar iPhone mount in there also, mainly for tracking my bike rides. I’m looking for a way to transport the bike in my little Honda Civic. Any suggestions? Here’s a picture of my bike, that’s my portable radio in the crate:

So, if you see me out on the roadways give me a friendly wave!

I had posted this picture of my desk space on Facebook recently asking what other people’s desk spaces look like. What’s yours look like?

To the left of my desk (not pictured, left of my headphones) is a small table that houses my scanner and other light gear. Above my desk is a shelf with my large format printer and negative/slide scanner.

Went to Wegman’s Wine & Spirits today, this is what I got:

Yards – Brawler Pugilist Style Ale – 6 pack bottles
Weyerbacher – Double Simcoe IPA – 4 pack bottles
Tröegs – Hopback Amber Ale – 6 pack bottles
Smuttynose IPA – 6 pack bottles
Victory – Prima Pils – 6 pack bottles
Dogfish Head – Palo Santo Marron – 4 pack bottles
Brooklyn Local 2 – 1 750ml bottle

Happy New Year! 2010 was a great year and here’s a few of my favorite things that were released in movies, television and music!

I haven’t seen many new films this year. I still haven’t seen Tron: Legacy which I have been wanting to see. My three favorites were Enter the Void, Black Swan and Toy Story 3. Enter the Void was fantastic, but it’s not something I would recommend to everyone (anyone?). Visually and aurally amazing though. The opening credits were amongst the best all time. Black Swan was excellent although I feel like they could have pushed it more. Very good film but I just felt like there could have been more. Still, some scenes gave me chills. Toy Story 3 was just nearly perfect. Enough said. Some other films I really liked that were released this year were Life During Wartime, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Animal Kingdom, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Social Network.

As always I watch a whole lot of television. I don’t really have a favorite this year but I’d like to say good by to one of my favorites which had it’s final season this year, 24. 24 completed an excellent series on a great note. However, I have a feeling that he’ll be back! Of course one of my favorite shows every year is Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe. Funny, entertaining, educational, the show has everything! Some other TV shows that I loved this year were It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Parenthood (that pilot episode was amazing), Fringe, The Office, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Eastbound & Down and Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

A great year for new music from new bands and established ones. My favorite album of the year is “Teen Dream” by Beach House. Absolutely love it. Much more complex than their previous 2 albums. After that I would have to say “High Violet” by the National and “Odd Blood” by Yeasayer. 2 fantastic albums.

Some other great albums that were released in 2010, “Strange Weather, Isn’t It?” by !!!, “Stridulum” by Zola Jesus, “Contra” by Vampire Weekend, “My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky” by Swans, oOoOO, “Returnal” by Oneohtrix Point Never, “Am I Real?” by Nite Jewel, “Tomorrow, In A Year” by The Knife, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” by Kanye West, “CMYK” by James Blake, “Love Remains” by How To Dress Well, “That We Can Play” by Games, “There Is Love In You” by Four Tet, “Dagger Paths” by Forest Swords, “Does It Look Like I’m Here?” by Emeralds, “Hide” by Foetus, “Baalstorm, Sing Omega” by Current 93, Crystal Castles, “Jet Set Siempre 1°” by Clive Tanaka y su orquestra, Broken Bells, “The Effective Discontent” by Brian McBride, Autre Ne Veut, “See Birds” by Balam Acab, “Before Today” by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti and “The Suburbs” by Arcade Fire. I also love the Tron: Legacy soundtrack by Daft Punk and the Social Network soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

According to my Last.Fm account. My top 5 most listened to artists of the year were; Arcade Fire (259 plays), Beach House (239 plays), Animal Collective (175 plays), The Knife (161 plays) and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (146 plays).

Have a happy and safe 2011.