#i made a little video for instagram too but it's not flashy or particularly well edited bc i am just editing on the app

[haichengtual]

being an artist is so fun actually

[segenassefa]

6: Brand Focus: Los Angeles Apparel

September – the season of changing leaves, pumpkin spice lattes (those are nasty but if I speak…), and – usually – back to school shopping.

However, now that life has transitioned online, there is no reason to wear anything that is uncomfortable or at least two sizes oversized on a day-to-day basis. But – and don’t fight me on this - there is nothing more satifying than new and quality loungewear.

This is where Los Angeles Apparel comes in.

The brand formerly known as American Apparel rebranded as Los Angeles Apparel – the same basics brand, full of heavyweight cotton, styles ranging from classic to contemporary, and a wide range of colours, everything from neutrals to neon colours.

After bankrupting twice, American Apparel was purchased by Canadian manufacturer, Gildan, in 2017. Gildan went on to rebrand and remove the more notable points of the company’s marketing strategy – namely, the borderline pornographic advertising and sinfully high price range (some AA products can now be purchased on websites such as Wordans and Amazon).

Founder and Montreal native Dov Charney (who has his own demons, including accusations of sexual harassment and mismanagement of funds when he ran American Apparel in 2014*) then decided to take his ideas elsewhere, introducing Los Angeles Apparel.

Now operating out of a south Los Angeles warehouse, LAA poses itself as an ethical, basics, brand, paying workers between $15-$20 USD, as well as overtime pay and benefits, and varies from other fashion retailers in the amount of transparency to behind the scenes of their warehouse and in the production process – many of the brand’s Instagram stories include shots of models, posing outside and throughout the warehouse, and well as videos of various garment and production workers at their daily dyeing, stitching, and cutting tasks. Another plus of this brand is the composition of the garments, specifically their sweatshirts and sweatpants, tops, and bodysuits. Most places do not manufacture goods with 100% cotton - traditional brands either use a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, or an 80/20 blend for goods in the heavyweight category. Using 100% cotton leads to a garment that looks even better with wear and tear, as well as prevents pilling, worn out elastic cuffs and hems, as well as less discolouration. Lastly, LAA is mostly devoid of branding – their clothing has no flashy logos or tags, no awkward stitching or excessive distressing, product styles, and unsavoury colour combinations – likely stemming from their roots as a wholesale blanks company. There is a bit of 90’s flavour to the styles shown on the website, included oversized sweats and t-shirts, lots and lots of pleats (pants, skirts, shorts, everything), as well as having more fresh-faced models, both men and women.

I’ve never personally been a huge American Apparel shopper – the original brand was not the most inclusive in terms of sizing as most of their items run on the smaller size (even to this day – their 2XL fits more like a very roomy XL) or were the dreaded “slim fit” (the ugliest cut of clothing to touch down on this face of the Earth, please don’t argue with me). However, since rebranding, Charney and the rest of the LAA team began to embrace more true-to-size and oversized fits. After rebuilding my wardrobe with quality basics, I can say about 80% of my wardrobe is from LAA – the pieces are good quality, minimal, and tasteful. Also, as a person who tries to be as ethical with my spending practices as possible and invest in quality clothing, I feel a bit better knowing the $40 t-shirt won’t be falling apart in the wash or after a few wears. For anyone who has considered dipping their toe into LAA or has been looking for other basics to add to their collection, here is a listed review of my favourite items from Los Angeles Apparel**.

HF09GD Unisex - Garment Dye 14oz. Heavy Fleece Hooded Pullover Sweatshirt

If I had the power to get rid of all of the hoodies in the world and replace them with only one, this would be it. This hoodie is thick as hell to the point where sometimes it feels like canvas, but not in an uncomfortable way. The colours are also super rich – my favourite one is Chocolate (one day we will talk about how brown is the supreme neutral for its ability to be and blend with both warm and cool tone colours, but I digress). Another interesting thing about these hoodies is that they don’t hold smell the way I’ve found polyester blends do and when washed, literally smell like an entirely new garment. This is also one of the products that I found is actually more of an oversized fit, and as with most cotton goods – stretch (but not unreasonably) with wear. It comes in a huge selection of colours as well and the sizing is fairly unisex, as both me and my boyfriend have worn this hoodie and have marveled at the quality. While it is an investment ($100 CAD per hoodie, about double that for the whole set), it is truly the hooded sweatshirt I’ve ever owned.

Size: XL, Colour: Chocolate, Price: $100 CAD

3380GD - Heavy 2x1 Rib Crop Tank

As our beautiful friend who was floating around Twitter not too long ago said, “Get into eeeeet!”. And she was absolutely right. This tank top is made for the people who want to get into the w*fe-beater/undershirt-as-a-shirt trend but don’t particularly enjoy the length or thinness of those traditional tops. This cropped tank is a racerback, but not to the point where it is completely unwearable without a bra, provided you have a convertible bra. This top is also 5% elastane as opposed to polyester (for those who are curious, elastane is a member of the Lycra and Spandex family, so the stretch in this top will also provide some shaping benefits). While it does only come in two colours for the time being, I’m one of those people who owns everything in my closet in both black and white, so this was perfect for me. Another thing to note, all my BBWs, this top does not roll up or require too much adjusting throughout the day, and sits just above the belly button for a cropped look without making you look like Roger the Alien (you know what I’m talking about….). This tank top is relatively affordable, considering the wearability, and the ribbing isn’t too noticeable so if you wanted a nice cropped but semi conservative top, this just might be it.

Size: L, Colour: Black, Price: $30 CAD

1215GD - Heavy Jersey Garment Dye Casual Pants

Ok, you know when you want to wear sweatpants, but you also realize that maybe the occasion is not appropriate, or you just need a little bit of pizzazz without all of the frump? This is these pants. When I first read the reviews, I was skeptical, but after realizing all I own are jeans and sweatpants, I copped a pair. I wore these in 75-degree weather, walked a good three or four miles, and was comfortable all day. Plus, unlike most traditional womenswear pants, these pockets are DEEP. Like Mariana Trench deep, which I love because one thing about me – I’m going to use a damn pocket. I would say to avoid these if you aren’t into the straight leg look because with a t-shirt, they do give very public-school art teacher vibes, but they also come in a huge range of colours. A lot of people complain about the elastic band for a lot of their products (too tight), but personally I prefer that – it provides a longer wear time before you have to wash (since it takes longer for the garment to stretch out) and keeps everything cute and covered. These pants are also a nice alternative to jeans, and even come in the couple shades of blue to mimic the idea of dark/light wash. The price is a little obscene for some casual pants, but I think you’re someone who usually wears pants from Urban Planet, H&M, or even Zara, these will be a nice upgrade, sure to last a very, very long time.

Size: L, Colour: Black, Price: $52 CAD

1406GD - Long Sleeve Garment Dye Mockneck T-Shirt

Another one of my favourite things about LAA is the fact that a lot of their products are unisex (while not explicitly labelled as such, you will see a lot of the same items in both the men and women tabs on their website). I love a good long sleeve shirt, but my proportions were never too forgiving to pull it off without looking like a 1960’s ghost, or like I had gotten dressed in the tent section of Home Depot. This top is more of a boxy fit, but the bottom is cropped enough to make it hit just above the thighs for a nice, slouchy look. The colours in these are also super nice, veering more towards neutrals and pastels. This shirt looks good with bike shorts and tucked into jeans, and (the best part) the white is not see-through at all, which was one of my biggest complaints when buying shirts from brands like Hanes, Gildan, Fruit of the Loom, and Keya. The neckline is a lot higher than most traditional crew necks, but I’m a fan. Plus, I feel like it looks a lot better when you layer jewelry over it. If you’re springing to get a basic colour, I’d say it’s totally worth it, at $41 a pop, considering that it’ll last damn near forever.

Size: XL, Colour: White, Price: $52 CAD

B128CF - Long Sleeve Crossfront Bodysuit

The bodysuit that started it all. Y’all. The number of compliments I get whenever I wear this top is insane, not to mention of all the bodysuits I have purchased from this brand, this one is the most flattering, the most versatile, and the most forgiving, in terms of sizing. The cross-front bodysuit is a happy medium for people who want to get into the criss-cross top look without the hassle of strings and shit like that. Not to mention, many bodysuits in this style tend to be ribbed – and not the good kind of ribbing either *retches*. I own this bodysuit in both a medium and a large, and my advice would be to size down, especially if you’re planning on wearing it without a bra (not much of a choice considering this bodysuit has a deep, deep, V neck) and will definitely add to the effortless look of the whole ensemble. This bodysuit can be dressed up and dressed down, but my favourite way to wear this is with some slouchy ass sweatpants, white sneakers (preferably a little beat up) and a small shoulder bag – ad square or transparent sunglasses for some big 90s energy, like you just left a Bikram yoga class or something. The colours on this could be better – aside from the white, black, and flesh toned colour, I really don’t see a purpose for the coral or blue shade, but I may be biased considering I do avoid bright colours like that. Now, it may seem a little overpriced for what it is, but I promise you – in my years of bodysuit research, the only brand that’s coming close to this, especially for larger chested laydeez, is Capezio, and that’s literally dancewear. Like, industrial ass dancewear. Regardless, this bodysuit is top 2 and it’s not 2.

Size: M, Colour: White, Price: $49 CAD

BD12 - Bull Denim Oversized Bag

If I had to give a name to my aesthetic – particularly when it comes to accessories – I’d say I’m somewhere in between “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu and first year art student in the Midwest working part time at a dusty bookstore. This bag is more of the latter. For reference on size, it’s about as big, laid flat, as my large Telfar, but when on, doesn’t have the same structure, thus keeping it from looking like a burlap sack (or keeping you from looking like Santa on December 24th). The material is bull denim, which is similar in texture and style to regular denim, however, dyed to give it a rich and uniform colour. Also this bag comes in literally all of the ROYGBIV colours, plus black and white, and in a variety of styles and closures (they have one with a zipper for people who are diligent about things like that, as well as a more standard tote size and shape). This bag is perfect for literally everything – I like it when I go grocery shopping, or even getting from A to B when I have to carry a million things. Another bonus is the construction of the strap is thick without being comical, meaning that you won’t have those nasty lines in your shoulder after a long day, and you won’t have to worry about a strap busting and embarrazzzzing you (Nella Rose voice) when you’re out. In terms of pricing, you could get a little pleather number from H&M for the same price, but if you don’t take yourself seriously, then just say that (kidding!). as someone who loves the look of a good canvas tote, without wanting to look too much like a crunchy granola kinda person, this bag is lowkey one of my favourites (sorry, Mr. Clemens!).

Size: OS, Colour: Navy, Price: $58

Notes:

*= We do not condone predatory behaviour from anyone, but it is important to highlight that just because you love something doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Part of being a responsible consumer is also knowing about who you purchase from, not just what and how things are made. I am aware of this and am taking accountability for not knowing this information sooner.

**= All of these opinions are my own and not sponsored. Product codes will be listed in the title, and sizing, colour purchased, as well as CAD pricing will be listed at the end of each review.

[djsinquarantine]

UNITED WE STAND. TOGETHER WE RISE! A session of tribute, support, strength, and uplift., By Team Awesome

Basic Details: This stream was live on June 9th, 2020. It was live on Twitch at: https://www.twitch.tv/dj_spen/. During our study of it, viewership peaked at around 110 viewers. The full title of the stream was: ”UNITED WE STAND. TOGETHER WE RISE! A session of tribute, support, strength, and uplift”.

During the stream, promotions were put out in the chat for a United We Stream t-shirt whose proceeds were going to be completely donated to the George Floyd Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. The stream was broadcast from Baltimore, US. 

Visual Experience: DJ Spen performs a live set from a room in his home in tribute to the BLM Movement. One camera was positioned behind him while the other was situated in front of him. The name of his record label, Quantize recordings is on a sign in front of him. In the room, the audience can see the artwork and photographs of Black musicians and collectable records framed behind him as a disco ball hangs in the background. DJ Spen was very animated during his set. He would dance, jump and bob along to the music as he played, while still remaining pretty focused on the mixing work he had to do for nearly each track. At times, he would approach the camera situated behind him to sing and dance in front of it. Occasionally, a woman, his spouse or partner perhaps, (MrsDJSpen) would join him in the frame and dance along with him. Although there were no flashy digital graphics or inventive angles like we’ve seen in other streams, DJ Spen’s boundless energy helped keep the stream visually interesting and the audience engaged. Below the video were a few extensions, including links to his Instagram, Soundcloud, and merchandise store. All of his merchandise had the slogan, “DJ SPEN’s Pandemic Praise Party,” with an image of praying hands. A relatively new feature in Twitch was the Hearts Deluxe button on the screen that listeners could click to send hearts (like Facebook Live). However, it was not as active and most audience engagement was spent on the chat. At the very end of the livestream, DJ Spen signed off with an image of George Floyd, to which the chat responded with hearts and “Rest in Peace.”

Sonic Experience: According to an ad from DJ Spen’s Facebook account, multiple djs played with a variety of styles during the stream, although we only caught DJ Spen. Spen’s style was very derivative of black gospel, funk, and disco music. DJ Spen incorporated these styles into house mixes that included elements of soul house, funky house, and R&B. In one track, he overlayed high-powered house beats with Martin Luther King’s “We Shall Overcome” speech, a testament to the Black Lives Matter movement and decades of Black activism that has gained international traction. He played some of his own personal mixes, as indicated below, mixes that he came up with on the spot, and some songs that were more quintessential and easily recognizable. He also made frequent use of loops, and would beat match multiple tracks at the same time to create a new mix. The mixes sounded balanced, with no instances of clipping or peaking and the sound quality through the streaming platform was good. DJ Spen also spoke during his set, often echoing messages presented in the tracks he played, which mixed seamlessly into the music. He said “there is power in a teeny word called US” while he played The Power of Us, one of his own remixes, and “brothers and sisters, no matter what color you are, you are a star,” which added to the strength and solidarity I felt during this livestream.

Some tracks included:

Bad Luck - DJ Spen Bootleg Mix

Funky People - Lissat & Richard Grey

I Can’t Breathe - Roland Clark

Rolling Down A Mountainside - The Main Ingredient

Technology: This stream seemed to be set up in DJ Spen’s living room or personal studio. DJ Spen had a setup that included 4 CDJs, a keyboard, mixer, loop mixer, a microphone and a multi-speaker setup. He would mostly utilize the CDJ and mixer, but on some tracks, made heavy use of the loop mixer to add complexity and rhythm to a track by looping certain phrases or beats. He would also at times speak into the microphone to give statements of unity, peace and justice for George Floyd. There were two different camera angles set up for the stream with one capturing DJ Spen’s back with his elaborate set up in front of him and the other capturing DJ Spen’s front and his decorated wall in the background. In terms of technical difficulties, all three of us experienced a network error and had to refresh the feed and the feed would sometimes stop and buffer before continuing. It is unclear whether this was a problem with DJ Spen, Twitch or ourselves. One other user from the UK experienced constant buffering during the stream as well, but said that it did not take away from the experience overall. 

Social Experience: Viewers in the chat were highly supportive of the stream’s cause. They regularly ‘sang’ along to music (such as when a particular track regularly repeated the word ‘yeah’ to which the chat responded with ‘yeah’ emojis), and also repeated and/or encouraged messages of solidarity and love put out by DJ Spen and his music. Although the chat rules asked that users avoid being critical of both the DJ and the music or else they’d be banned, there doesn’t seem to have been a single instance of someone breaking these rules during our study which speaks to the level of support in the chat. Another interesting moment occurred when DJ Spen’s wife, who was also active in the chat under the handle of ‘MrsDJSpen’, came into the frame to dance along with her husband. When this happened, the chat sent many loving messages such as “YALL ARE TOO CUTE!! <3 <3” and “Go Mrs Spen”. Some people in the chat seemed to know one another with one user by the name of ‘lexie2408’ asking three other users in the chat if their little sister could ‘be added to our group’. It’s unclear what group they were referring to. The mods of the stream were also very welcoming and cooperative with us. Not only did they allow us to post our survey link in the chat, but they also would go on to post it for us near the end of the stream as well when Frank’s stupid ass began having difficulties. There seemed to have been a lot of cell phone emojis in the chat which means a large portion of the viewers may have been watching on their mobile devices.

Liveness: One aspect of the performance that felt particularly rooted in the sense of “liveness” was DJ Specs spontaneous mixes. As a DJ, I understand that to a certain extent, the way a track is played can be planned, but a great deal of experimentation and improvisation happens during a performance, and that was certainly the case in DJ Specs set. Because each configuration of a mix is unique, the ones DJ Spec created by layering multiple tracks and adding / removing certain effects is anchored in that particular place and moment in this particular livestream. Even though the performance is digitally replicable, the stream we attended cannot be 100% replicated by DJ Spec or anyone else in another live streaming situation. In supporting the steam as much as they did, the viewers in the chat created a dynamic between the stream and the viewers’ responses. This, in particular, is a special aspect of personal interaction that wouldn’t be reproduced in recordings of the streams.

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[inyournightmares97]

GOT7 AS: Managers in a Company

Just a few thoughts about what GOT7 would be like if they were managers/Head of Department in a company. Totally inspired by the fact that I’ve been watching the kdrama Chief Kim lately and corporate politics fascinates me. 

Mark

Mr. Tuan is the head of the IT Department. 

He works with computers and is the acknowledged technological genius of the company. It takes Mark Tuan exactly two minutes to scan a software and he can suddenly use it as though he designed it himself. 

At the insistence of the employees from other departments, he regularly conducts tutorials and FAQ sessions to help employees better utilize the office software but nobody ever attends those. Instead, they just summon the IT Department to their desks whenever they can’t figure out something. 

It makes Mark furious. 

Sometimes there isn’t even any problem with the software. It’s just the female employees who have nothing better to do and want the chance to flirt with the cute guy from IT. 

He was even slipped a man’s number once. 

Mark finally ended up going to the CEO and making his tutorial sessions mandatory for all employees, So now on the first Tuesday of every month, all the employees have to gather in the auditorium for an hour and listen to Mr. Tuan give a lecture on the latest updates to the office Intranet and  explain how to use the software. 

He knows it’s a waste of his time since people will keep calling the IT Department for help anyway, but Mark figures the least he can do is waste some of their time in exchange. It gives him a small sense of achievement to look at all their bored and miserable faces.

Mark is a silent genius when it comes to IT, but his managerial skills are... non-existent.

The IT Department essentially does whatever they feel like because Mark has never scolded his employees or even told them to get back to work.

His only strategy is non-interference. He doesn’t care if the employees are playing games during office hours (he often does so himself, with the door to his office locked and his secretary warned to send all visitors away) and even if he catches them in the act he never says a word. 

But the employees know better than to completely neglect their work, because if they do, somebody from another department might file a complaint about them and that complaint would get forwarded to Mr. Tuan. 

Complaints = Paperwork

There is nothing Mr. Tuan hates more than paperwork. The only time his smiling and handsome face turns dangerous is when somebody comes up to him with paperwork. He would rather install the intranet software into a hundred office computers than file a single report. 

Mark doesn’t even remember the names of all the people who work underneath him in the department. So during performance reviews, everyone just gets a good/decent review because who knows how much work is being done by each employee? Certainly not Mark Tuan. He couldn’t care less. 

Mr. Tuan has never worked a minute of overtime in his life. 

He leaves the office at 5 pm sharp, every single day and he does not come in on weekends under any circumstances. I’m sorry, the company is about to fall to pieces and you need someone to fix the software? Sure, remind me first thing on Monday morning. 

Orders pizza and coke for the entire Department whenever it’s somebody’s birthday (his secretary slides him a note to remind him whenever that is the case). 

He’s a little absent-minded and clueless at times, but the entire IT department agrees that they pretty much lucked out getting Mark Tuan as a manager. They wouldn’t exchange him for the world. 

Jaebum

Mr. Im Jaebum manages the Production Department

Production and manufacturing isn’t easy work. There are deadlines to meet and quality standards to maintain. Production is the lifeblood of the corporation. 

The quality of the products is extremely important to the company’s reputation and Im Jaebum does not compromise on anything. Everything has to be done perfectly and he expects his employees to come up with flawless results. He comes up with numbers and his employees have to bring them into existence. 

But his expectations come with a responsibility of his own.

Jaebum takes excellent care of his employees. Even though the production goals he sets seem a little high at times, he also makes sure that every single employee, right down to the lowest factory worker is well-taken care of. 

The company hasn’t faced a single worker’s strike since Mr. Im took over the Production Department. He can often be found arguing with the Directors and higher-ups to ensure better working conditions and benefits for his employees. A healthy workforce makes for a healthy company. He genuinely believes that his workers need to be happy for the department to function efficiently. 

Mr. Im is both feared and respected. 

He sometimes goes down the factories himself and conducts surprise inspections, so the warehouses and production facilities are always on high alert. But if the inspection goes well, then he treats all the workers to drinks after working hours end. 

Jaebum sometimes gets a little drunk himself and does a really good impression of the CEO which gets everyone cracking up. But if anyone tries to take a video of him doing it, they’re going to be treated to a death glare. 

Jaebum also secretly really adores kids, even though he doesn’t have any of his own. So he organizes a ‘bring-your-kids-to-work’ day twice a year. All the employees of his department can bring their kids to work to see what their parents do. Jaebum places a huge jar of candy on his desk and blushes whenever the kids come up to him. He’s too awkward to actually entertain them but he thinks they’re really cute. 

He even let a particularly adorable five-year-old girl sit in his large, swirly leather office chair and wheeled her around like a rocket until he noticed the other employees were looking at him weirdly. 

Even though Jaebum works them hard and enforces a lot of strict rules, everyone in the Production Department agrees that you can never find a manager more fair or just than Mr. Im Jaebum. 

Jackson

Mr. Jackson Wang is head of the PR Department: Public Relations is his natural calling.

Jackson is that guy who constantly has a little Bluetooth mic in his ear; it’s really hard to tell whether he’s addressing you in front of him or he’s just talking to somebody through the Bluetooth. He likes to pace up and down the main office while taking calls in a loud voice. It makes him feel important. 

Jackson takes a lot of phone calls. Most of them aren’t even work related, he’s just chatting with people in high positions but he claims that “maintaining contacts” is what he’s getting paid for.

Mr. Wang also uses the company card a lot. He submits receipts for various clubs and restaurants that he took some big politician or journalist to. Jackson can often be found in the Finance Manager, Park Jinyoung’s office towards the end of the month, begging him to clear all sorts of absurd expenses made in the company’s name. They usually have an hour-long meeting in Mr. Park’s office and Jackson ends up paying for the events by himself. 

He’s not the best problem-solver. Jackson’s solution to just about any problem is “let’s call for a press conference.”

- “Mr. Wang, it’s actually very important that we keep this information away from the press for the time being-”

- “Yeah, yeah, I get that. But don’t you think we should hold a press conference? I’ll set one up right away!”

Somehow, he’s extremely hurt and surprised whenever he finds out that he’s been kept in the dark about confidential company matters. 

Whenever there is a press conference though, Jackson makes it the most flashy and extravagant event possible. He hands out imported care packages to all the journalists and gives them free hampers with company products.

Every minuscule charitable contribution the company makes is on international headlines the next day. Pictures of the CEO visiting orphanages and making donations to starving children in poor countries can be found all over the internet. Jackson put them there. 

He has a special team of people dedicated to leaving nice comments about the company on all sorts of internet fora. Sometimes he logs on himself and responds to haters just for the hell of it. He also manages the company’s social media presence; they have an Instagram page, a Twitter page, a Facebook page and exist on pretty much every social media platform ever. 

Jackson has an excellent employee incentive scheme. Friday mornings are brainstorming sessions and anybody who comes up with a good idea to boost the company’s image gets a special gift; usually an expensive bottle of wine Jackson scored from a guy he knows, or a little bonus. The Finance Department severely disapproves of this scheme, so the funds come directly from Jackson’s own pocket. 

He also likes a comfortable and bright environment. The PR Department’s office spaces are all painted in colorful shades, with beanbags and funny-looking chairs and fluffy rugs. He tried to get a cafe installed but the Finance Department put an end to that nonsense very quickly. 

Although Jackson can be a little wild and loud at times, everyone agrees that the PR Department is undoubtedly the most fun department to work in. 

Jinyoung

Mr. Park Jinyoung manages the Finance Department.

Before he turned up, the department was a corrupt mess. There were accounting scams everywhere, people at all levels of the corporate structure were siphoning off money whenever they pleased. Jinyoung personally tracked every single one of these people down and found proof that they’d been embezzling company funds. 

Let’s just say that a lot of employees got arrested during the first two months of Mr. Park’s appointment. The PR Department was in panic (the only time Jackson Wang was forced to actually work overtime to ensure the entire company wasn’t labelled as corrupt by the media), but it worked out in the long run. Now the company is clean and Mr. Park does not compromise on integrity. 

Jinyoung has one golden rule, which is written in bold letters and pasted on his office for everyone to see as they arrive. The sign reads ‘No Wasteful Expenditure’. There is nothing Jinyoung hates more than useless expenditure. Every penny spent must bring in some solid, traceable returns and that is how he runs the finances of the company.

He can regularly be seen arguing with Mr. Wang of the PR Department in his office. “Taking the journalists to a strip club is NOT a business expense! I refuse to sanction your reimbursements! Pay for your own entertainment!”

Jinyoung is also extremely stingy about allocating budgets to the Research and Development team. Kim Yugyeom can often be found in Mr. Park’s office as well, pleading for more funds while Jinyoung ignores him completely. “When is the last time your Department ever designed anything worth selling? All the money we’ve allocated you in the past is a sunk cost. Do you know what that means, Mr. Kim? It means it’s sunk to the bottom of the fucking ocean and we’re never getting that money back!”

Mr. Kim Yugyeom doesn’t ask for money anymore. R&D make do with what they have. 

Jinyoung is extremely anal about his office space. The entire Finance Department is stuck with posters like “Reuse and Recycle” and there are reminders to turn off the lights when not in use. Jinyoung also insists that the air-conditioning be switched off for at least two hours every day. Even in summer. Sweating is good for your body. 

The prevailing system is tough love. Jinyoung is harsh with employee performance reviews and getting a bonus is not easy if you work for the Finance Department. He’s also a micro-manager, requiring that every small thing be passed through him for approval. 

Delegation is not a term well-respected in Mr. Park’s vocabulary. He doesn’t trust people to do things themselves. Sometimes he wanders around the employee’s desks for no reason, hovering over them like a schoolteacher trying to make sure the students aren’t cheating on an exam. 

Whenever the auditing season is over, though, Jinyoung makes sure to throw a huge party for the accounting branch and invites the entire Finance Department. Work outings aren’t often but when they do take place, they get wild. 

Overall, the employees of the Finance Department work hard and long hours, but they can’t really complain because Mr. Park works just as hard as them and he never sets any standards that he doesn’t follow himself. 

Youngjae

Mr. Choi Youngjae is the friendly Human Resources manager. 

The HR Department is a very calm and peaceful place. Youngjae has strategically placed potpourri all over the Department office to disseminate calming fragrances and he keeps scented candles in his own office. It’s his way of relieving stress after a long day of dealing with people screaming at him. 

“Yes, sir, I understand that you booked the conference room in advance and that the PR Department should not be allowed to play loud music and disturb your meeting. Yes, I’ll have a talk with Mr. Wang about this.”

“It does make sense that an executive of your level should be allowed to travel in business class, but it’s up to the Finance Department to allocate budget and sanction your... yes, I understand. I’ll talk to Mr. Park.”

The HR Department is essentially the anger management center for all the other employees. Many of the managers like to come and walk into Mr. Choi’s office at all times of the day to vent their problems to him. He’s often dealing with noise complaints filed against the PR Department and the Marketing Department. 

His only friend in the office is Jaebum, who often comes to talk to him about employee benefits and payroll issues. Youngjae admires how passionate Jaebum is about worker’s rights and he generally backs him when trying to beg the Board to allow for an increase in wages or additional holiday bonuses for the employees. It’s the only time Youngjae’s job feels worthwhile. 

Youngjae is also required to hold seminars and training courses on conflict resolution and workplace ethics every quarter. The sessions are largely pointless because they usually just end in Jinyoung making snarky remarks about how all of the other departments waste the company’s money and Jackson’s cellphone goes off every five minutes because he refuses to keep it on silent. Bambam and Yugyeom are usually entirely absent from the seminars completely; they translate seminar day to mean holiday. 

Youngjae is extremely grateful to Mark and Jaebum for being the only two people who actually pay attention to his seminars, but they’re never involved in any conflict anyway so it makes no sense. 

Youngjae also regularly has to talk to Bambam about taking too many vacations days. Somehow, the man turns up with perfectly valid medical certificates stating that he was ill even though everyone knows he went on a trip to Bangkok with his new girlfriend. Youngjae doesn’t really know how to deal with the problem. He chooses to ignore it. 

On slow days, Youngjae brings his dog into work and spends the afternoon playing with Coco. 

Overall, he’s an extremely sweet HR manager who secretly hates his job but puts up with it because he doesn’t know what else he would do. Also leaves work at exactly 5 pm sharp and sometimes runs into Mark in the parking lot. 

Bambam

Bambam runs the Marketing Department.

The Department is largely a mess. It’s meant to be a hub of creativity, and the office is filled with drawing boards and sticky notes and all sorts of scribbles all over the place. 

A clean environment does not get one’s creative juices flowing. 

Bambam also has dartboards with pictures of their major competitors set up all over the office. Employees are encouraged to use them often. 

The job of marketing is to get products to sell and Bambam firmly believes that there is one foolproof way to do that; glamour. 

He makes the company sign endorsement deals with almost every single famous celebrity in town; actresses, sports-persons, singers... Bambam knows them all and they’re all endorsing his products. If his team can’t come up with a good enough marketing strategy then they can just take their pick of all the celebrities Bambam has signed deals with and use one of them to endorse the product.

It’s not easy convincing Jinyoung to part with millions so that he can pay some famous actress to advertise their cosmetics line, but Bambam is better at wearing Jinyoung down than the other managers. Also, sales figures have been skyrocketing ever since Bambam took over so Jinyoung has a soft spot for him. At least he brings in results, unlike the R&D team. 

Bambam maintains a very casual work environment with his employees. The moment their workload decreases, he’s usually off visiting some exotic foreign country. It’s surprising how he manages to get work done despite almost never being in his office; but Bambam parties hard and works harder. 

He probably would have been fired by now if he hadn’t been bringing in so many sales, and if Youngjae hadn’t been too soft to bring up the matter of him overstepping his allocated vacation days.  

All the same, all his employees love him. 

Yugyeom

Mr. Kim Yugyeom manages the Research and Development team

The R&D team was one of the biggest spenders in the company until Mr. Park Jinyoung was hired and slashed their budget in half. They’ve been struggling to operate since then, but their productivity hasn’t increased much. They still produce next to nothing. 

Yugyeom always encourages his employees to share their wild and insane product ideas. Since the R&D department don’t actually have to show any concrete results, they can often be seen slacking off. Most of their ideas are insane from the start and could never have been implemented anyway.

The only productive research that was taking place through the R&D Department was in the cosmetics line, but Yugyeom had that research shut down after he found out that they were testing the cosmetics on little bunnies and mice. He spent the rest of the day locked up in his office watching PETA videos on the horrors of animal testing and crying himself to sleep. 

It took the combined efforts of Youngjae and Bambam to reassure Yugyeom that he wasn’t responsible for the deaths of hundreds of animals and that he should just shift his focus to products which didn’t need to be tested on living things. 

The biggest achievement of Mr. Kim’s career was convincing the company to start a line of chocolate milk-based products. It was a line of research that Jinyoung firmly refused to fund but that didn’t matter because Yugyeom and his employees were fully willing to test the product on themselves. They drank nothing but chocolate milk for an entire month before the product was finally approved for sale. 

Nobody complained because Yugyeom looked so hopeful. 

Bambam was so proud of his friend for having finally developed a successful product that he hired one of the most popular actresses to endorse it and the chocolate milk sold like hotcakes. It’s still one of the most popular milk brands. 

On days when they don’t need to work because Youngjae is holding one of his workplace ethics seminars, he and Bambam go to the amusement park or the bowling alley and have the time of their lives. 

Most of the employees in the R&D team love Yugyeom because, well, nobody every really does any work there and he doesn’t care either. Who wouldn’t love a manager like that? 

[mara-twins]

3 Years - Part One

Author: @weird-sensation

 3 years. You have known these 7 wonderful guys for 3 whole years. To be quite honest, it didn’t even feel like that long. You used to be a waitress at a restaurant downtown, and it was actually your last week there, when they all had piled in. The hostess sat them in your section, and told you it was a group of 7. You rolled your eyes, not really caring for groups larger than 4. They tend to be louder and not tip very well. Pulling the strings on your apron a bit tighter, you walked over to their table and low and behold, there they were. On the outside you were calm and collected (you were still at work, so you had to be professional), but on the inside, holy cookies and cream ice cream you were a wreck. This was your first encounter with someone famous, and it wasn’t just one, IT WAS ALL SEVEN OF THEM AT YOUR TABLE. Long story short, you got along nicely with them. Anytime you walked away to visit other tables, and go put orders in, you’d take a quick sneak peek at them, still dazed by the fact that your favorite male group was here. They stayed longer than most groups, just having a good relaxing time and truthfully, you didn’t want them to leave yet. By the end of the night, they were ready to head back to their hotel and prepare for a photo shoot they had the next morning. Everyone of them was so kind, they even wanted to hang out with you outside of your workplace. Thus, began a friendship that changed your life, obviously for the better.

 3 years ago, you met them. You had accumulated a bunch of vacation days at your job, and decided you wanted to use most of them to go visit your seven lovely friends. It clearly wasn’t the first time you had flown out to see them, and it wasn’t going to be your last either. Getting off the plane and navigating through the airport seemed all too familiar, seeing as you’ve done this same routine every time you visit. They’d always tell you they want to pick you up and drive you to your hotel, but you’d always decline, knowing how crazy it’d be if someone spots them. Each time you visit, you stay at the same hotel, and ironically enough, the same room. You were always curious how that room was always available when you were here. Unpacking your clothes and hopping into a shower was the first things you did when you arrived. That long plane ride always wore you out, even if you were sleeping for most of the flight. Stepping out of the almost boiling hot water made you feel like a whole new person. It was already cold in Seoul, so the hot shower really livened you up after freezing your butt off at the airport. You never told them how long you’d wait for a ride, especially when it was cold out, because knowing them they’d rush to where you were to pick you up. You would always meet up on your second day, giving yourself ample time to rest and relax before you become face to face with a bunch of hyper crazed boys.

 3 years of jokes, laughter, late nights, and take-out. You couldn’t have asked for better friends. They were always there for you, even if they had their own problems to deal with. At first, you never wanted to talk about things going wrong, always thinking your ‘normal people’ problems would be boring to them, even if they asked. Yet soon enough, you would all cram together in their dorm living room and vent. Obviously, their problems reside with; being sore from practice, jet-lagged from all the flights they take, missing home, and not getting enough sleep or enough to eat. Ah, the idol lifestyle. Your problems were more mundane; people in your classes were annoying to be around, professors giving way too many essays to count, rude and obnoxious customers at work, and not getting enough sleep some nights because you procrastinated on a project and need to get it done in the next 24 hours or you fail that class for the semester and then you’ll have to take it again which is a waste of money and time. You know, the ‘normal people’ lifestyle. They encouraged you to talk to them, even if they couldn’t give you a solution, just wanted you to know that all of them were there to listen and help any way they could. You did the exact same thing with them. Knowing some of them weren’t the type to express their problems or what they’re stressed about, you’d continuously tell them that you were always available to listen and help if you could. Even though it was normally just Jackson, Bambam, and Yugyeom who would talk about what was causing them to stress out so much, you still felt as if you were the happiest person alive. Yes, the things they’re expressing to you may not exactly be in your ball park, but you were always willing to listen and help, and they appreciated that. Sometimes, they would be missing their families while they were away, and they would send you a quick text saying how they were feeling particularly down that day, and you would drop whatever it is you were doing and send them the longest text you could. Explaining how you understood how they were feeling, and that their schedules would clear up soon, so they can go back home and spend time with their parents and siblings. You’d explain how you felt for them, but let them know that there are so many people out there right now who are eagerly waiting for their next concert, vlive, a video from their YouTube channel, or even simply a tweet or post on Instagram. You’d tell them that they are making so many people happy, by doing what they’re doing, and no matter what, they’d always have the love and support of their fans. After a while, they would thank you for the kind words you said, and tell you that they appreciate you as a friend. You would always be there to listen, even if it is Bambam texting you at 3am letting you know that he just picked out his flashy outfit for tomorrow, which would include 17 pictures of him in it from every different angle you could imagine.

  Plopping yourself down onto the bed, you pull out your phone and post a new picture on Instagram. Nothing special, just the TV in the background and a thumbs up. You wrote a caption to go along with it,

“Made it. Flight was long as always, but I’m used to it. Got the same room as I always do, not sure how that happens, but I’m not complaining. Feels good, feels familiar. Ready for a great vaca. Get to see my fave boys tomorrow.”

Not even ten minutes later, you’re getting notifications.

‘333cyj333 liked your post and commented, jacksonwang852g7 liked your post and commented, mark_tuan liked your post and commented, bambam1a liked your post and commented, prdsdef liked your post, yu_gyeom liked your post and commented, pepi_jy_ liked your post.’

Looking at what they had commented, you smile at their dorkiness and sweetness. Your friendship with them wasn’t a secret, you had posted pictures with them all the time, and they did the same. One time, you had tagged along on one of their filming’s of Weekly Idol and you stood behind the cameras watching them dance around like idiots the entire time. On their breaks from filming, you’d sit next to them talking about whatever was coming to mind at that moment. Their crew knew you were friends, the filming crew knew you were friends, and now the hosts did too. They even came around and asked how you all met. You would laugh and explain to them how they walked into the restaurant where you worked and practically spent the whole night there, eating and talking to their hearts content, just having a good time off. You liked thinking back on all these memories you shared with them, it always made your heart swell with the love you have for the seven of them.

 The next morning, you woke up to knocking on your door. You weren’t even awake when you dragged yourself up and out of the bed to answer the constant bumping of knuckles on wood. Slowly opening the door with hooded eyes that were ever so slightly closing with every breath you took, you see Mark and Youngjae beaming at you. Blinking once more, you turn away from the door and walk back over to the bed and crawl back under the covers, mumbling very quiet profanities the entire time. Hiding in your cocoon of blankets, you hear a door close and feet walking towards you. The pillow you had your head rested on gets yanked out from underneath you, and starts hitting your coma-like-state body. You didn’t need to see who it was, because you already knew. Youngjae always seemed the most excited when you visited, and you were the closest to him out of all the guys, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for him to act like this.

“Isn’t it 8am? Why are you here? Why are you up?”

You groaned, rolling onto your other side,

“Who cares? We need to get an early start. You’re here now, so get up.”

Youngjae spoke, a little too enthusiastically for this hour,

“Youngjae, get off the bed and let her wake up properly.”

You hear Mark say as he pulls the younger one by his arm. Slowly emerging from the bedding, your rub you face, staring at the two, who were now sitting on the nearby chairs.

“Let me get ready, I guess. You two are buying me coffee...waking me up this early. Youngjae doesn’t even wake up until noon on your days off, so why are you this chipper?”

“You’re here! We haven’t seen you in almost 7 months.”

It was true, it has been awhile since you last got together, and you did miss them, so you couldn’t be mad at the kid. Walking over to the dresser, you grab the clothes you planned on wearing, and headed off to the bathroom to get ready.

After you finished, you open the door and see them watching TV waiting for you. It had only been around 30 minutes, but they got bored quite fast. Grabbing your bag, you nod your head to the door to let them know you were ready.

  20 minutes later you arrive at their dorm, and you were mentally preparing yourself for the wave of excitement you were about to receive. Mark went in first, followed by you and Youngjae. You barely got your shoes off when you were hit by an over-excited Jackson. Screeching and high-pitched laughs were all you could hear coming out of that boy’s mouth, you could only just make out an

“You’re here!”

Making it past the entrance was when the others had begun greeting you, expressing how they missed you after all these months. It was always fun when they were all together like this, it made everything feel more relaxed and comfortable. Walking over to the couch, you all started talking, laughing until everyone’s stomach was in pain, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

  The day had gone by as fast as it had arrived, you all ordered take-out and didn’t even leave the living room the entire day. Stories of their concerts and their meet-and-greets were shared with you, and you told them stories of your school days and funny customers at work. It was around 10:30pm when you were saying your goodbyes. You would normally stay longer, but they had an early meeting in the morning, that you didn’t want them to be too tired for. You all had made plans to go out and do something tomorrow, maybe bowling or an amusement park. You loved going on the rollercoasters, but sometimes Jackson wouldn’t want to go on, so you always opted to hang back with him and gossip about the other guys while they were away. He’d enjoy the time it was just the two of you, because you both had a very bubbly personality. You never minded not going on certain coasters, Jackson would make up for it by being his usual extra af self, which would make you laugh your butt off.

  You said goodnight to everyone followed with a hug. Leaving their dorm and heading back to your hotel room, you’d peer into nearby store windows, even though the contents never really changed over the many visits you’ve had. You had gotten so used to walking this route, it felt like a second home. There was never a day where you didn’t look forward to the next time you’d fly out here and see them. Both parties were quite busy, so whenever they had time off, they’d let you know, so you can try and maneuver your schedule to match theirs. It was easier for you to plan out when you’d need time off, rather than them, because, well, they live the idol life. Cancelling a concert to hang out with a friend isn’t really appropriate.

 You had big plans for tomorrow once you guys came back from having your day of adventure. While you were still back home, you knew your 3 years of friendship was coming up soon, so you went shopping for the occasion. You knew almost everything about the seven of them, so you used your vast knowledge and your recollections from past conversations with them to your advantage. Of course, you weren’t worried about the price, because they were well worth every penny. Most of the things you purchased, you had to search long and hard for, scouring the internet to find exactly what you were looking for. Some of the items took months to find, but in the end, you had all seven gifts. Wanting to do something special, you got each of them the most meaningful present you could possibly think of. You wrapped each gift with different wrapping paper and wrote in a card specifically pertaining to that person. Pouring your heart out in each letter, you felt as if you were the lead role in a soap opera, saying your last goodbyes before you leave forever. That wasn’t the case though, you were just being over-dramatic, or should I say, being very Jackson? Planning on making an excuse to go back to your hotel room after you returned, you’d bring everything over, and hopefully see their faces light up. You went to bed, excited for tomorrow, marking your 3 years with the seven of them.

 The alarm you had set the night before had gone off, blasting music throughout the space of your room. Normally you’d have to throw yourself out of bed, but not today. NOPE. Today was a special and important day. Do they know its been exactly 3 years since they waltzed their beautiful faces into your restaurant? Probably not, but that doesn’t matter. As long as you remembered, and they didn’t laugh at you for making such a big deal of it, is just okay. Rushing into the bathroom to do everything you needed to do and quickly getting ready,

you sprinted out the door and made a bee-line towards their building. They offered to pick you up once they finished with their meeting, but you declined, knowing they would need time to change. Well, six of them would only need roughly 5 minutes, but Bambam would need to check the weather, how the moons are aligned, see the others’ outfits so he wouldn’t clash, check his horoscope to see if it read anything about a good color to wear that day, so on and so forth. He always needed to look 1000% fashionable or he wasn’t leaving his room and you’d constantly tease him for it, but when it came down to it he was the best person to go shopping with, and he never turned down a shopping spree with you. Knocking on the door, Mark opened it to see the huge smile plastered on your face,

“Hey.”

“Hey, you all ready?”

“We are…”

he gestured toward the five guys that were plastered on the couch,

“I knew Bambam would take a long time.”

You commented, walking into the entrance and slipping off your shoes.

  Headed straight for the lanky-legged boys room, you knocked a couple of times until he swung the door open as he was putting on what looked like the 5th shirt,

“Oh, hey, you’re here already?”

“Mhm, been here for about 30 minutes.”

You lied, just to see the reaction on his face,

“Really? Sorry, I’m almost done…I think.”

You walk in, to see the sprawled-out mess of clothes on his bed,

“I’m joking, I just got here. So, what do we plan on wearing today?”

You ask, looking through the many things he had hanging in his closet,

“I’m not sure, nothing is really standing out to me.”

A nod of your head was all the response you gave, as you still looked through his closet,

“Well, it’s cold outside, you need to remember that, so even if it looks good, you aren’t leaving this room unless you’re warm.”

“Yes mom.”

You shot a glare at him, but you both ended up laughing,

“Okay, what about this, it says ‘Chic but still fashionably warm’?”

You held up a black and gold patterned long sleeve, that you put inside one of the many black leather jackets he had.

“You can pair it with black jeans with a couple of rips, not too many though or else your legs will fall off, and maybe those black boots you have with the gold accents on the zippers?”

He squinted at you and shoved you out the door.

“It was just a suggestion!”

You shout at the now closed door. Queue your eye roll as you headed for the couch,

“You tried to help him, didn’t you?”

JB asks,

“Yeah, apparently that was a nono. Such a diva.”

The seven of you laughed, as you turned your attention to whatever was playing on the TV. JB had YouTube streaming and it was playing through a bunch of music videos,

“Oh oh! There was this amazing song that I had on yesterday, you mind if I show you guys?”

They shook their heads no, never minding if you wanted to play something in particular. You took the tablet off the table and began typing what you wanted them all to see. Pressing play, it was ‘You Are’ and they all fell back into the cushions with a collective sigh. You liked playing their songs around them, seeing their faces as they listen to themselves sing. When the chorus began, you started singing along, swaying side to side, linking your arms with Youngjae’s, getting him to join you. By the second round of the chorus, they all piped up and loudly scream-sang with the lyrics, and when it was winding down to the end, everyone turned their head to see a FINALLY dressed Bambam emerge from his room to scream the last couple of words.

“Glad you’re not a vocal.”

You said, shaking your head at the screechy sound emitting from his mouth,

“Oh. Look at you.”

A smile instantly found its way to your lips, as you saw what Bambam was wearing,

“You took my suggestion?”

He nodded his head,

“I tried it on, and it turns out it looked great. Good eye.”

You couldn’t help but smile even brighter, you always enjoyed when he took your fashion advice.

  All 8 of you climbed into a van, as JB drove you all to the nearest amusement park. Everybody was excited for today, getting to act like children was a fun time. The whole car ride there was filled with singing and laughter, you wouldn’t have guessed it took nearly an hour to get there. JB found a parking spot close to the entrance, which is great because toward the end of the day they’ll be tired from all the running around they’ll have to do. After purchasing an arm band each, you took a map and plotted out where you all wanted to start. Jinyoung made a point to start with the nearest attractions, and loop your way back around, so you’d end back at the entrance, leaving you all enough time to ride the first roller coaster one last time. Everyone agreed with his plan, and followed the leader. The first few coasters were fun, they weren’t too extreme, so Jackson also got on with no fussing, but once he was sat down and locked into his chair, is when the high pitch death scream shot out from his lungs. The third one is when you really felt sorry for Youngjae because he was the one who had to share the seat with him. No one realized that the coaster comes to an abrupt stop, as the track was ‘broken off’, then went backwards to land you right back at the beginning. As it was making its way to the ‘broken’ end of the track and suddenly stopped, you grabbed your seat partners hand is sheer terror. That hand just happened to be Mark’s. Once it halted and started its journey backwards, you let out a small yelp, clearly surprising you. He turned his head to look at you, then down to your clasped hands,

“You okay?”

One eye opened slightly, checking for any immediate danger, then the other followed suit.

“Hm? Oh, ha, yeah. I’m okay, just gave be a bit of shock, is all. Wasn’t expecting that…thought I was going to die a little.”

A breathy laugh escaped his throat as he took in your displeased state,

“They wouldn’t have let us on if it was actually broken.”

“Well pardon me for having a normal human reaction, mister ‘I fear nothing’.”

Both of you laughed, as the coaster pulled back into the starting position, getting ready for the next group of people. The bar that had been placed over your laps had lifted up, letting everyone out of their seats, that’s when the two of you realized your hands were still holding on to one another,

“Oh, I’m sorry. I think I grabbed it when the coaster stopped back there.”

You say, as you slowly released his hand and stepped out onto the platform.

“No, it’s okay. It happens.”

Little did you know, the moment your hand let go of his, he felt an instant rush of loneliness, already missing the contact of your smaller hand encased in his. The eldest member had developed a crush on you a year ago, when they had used some of their off time to go visit you. He hadn’t even truly realized it until he’d see you with the other members. You were close to all of them, but you and Youngjae were quite the duo, and normally when you and he would hang out, it was nothing to Mark. When he started feeling a sense of uneasiness when he’d see the two of you cling on to one another, is when he sat back and wondered when he began feeling this way about you. Turns out, it had been for a couple months, that’s when he came to the conclusion that he had a crush on one of his closest friends.

[theloudpedal]

Radwood: Hooptie-Con

(I apologize in advance for the lateness of this report.  This event was held on March 24th, but I'm just now reporting on it now, as we enter May.  This delay should not be construed as any slight on this event, it's just a reflection that life gets in the way sometimes.  As a testament to the awesomeness of the event, I have been telling anyone who will listen to me about it, and both the words "rad" and "dope" have reentered my lexicon after a multi-decade hiatus.)  

I'm a sentimental guy and a creature of habit.  Those of you who know me will attest to those facts.  I love the predictability and stability that only routine and regiment can provide.  I guess, like anyone else, I perceive my "normal" as somehow superior to the next person's.  I like my rock 'n' roll classic, I'm not flashy and honestly, my inclination is to observe, rather than participate.  I have my "thing," and that's the way I like it.  Now that I'm well and truly in my 40s, I am becoming a "man of a certain age," and in that mold, I've found myself muttering and/or grumbling about "kids these days," and about all things new and different that I really don't understand.

It's for this reason that I had a preconceived "take" on this thing called Radwood.  I became aware of Radwood mainly through traffic on our our Instagram pages and through some of the podcasts I listen to (the Smoking Tire's Matt Farah is a vocal proponent).  Radwood is generally the manifestation of a intense love of all things from the 1980s and 90s, expressed on a foundation (or delivery system) of the automobiles of the era.  Radwood events aren't annual like the Goodwood Revival, or the Monterey Historics...they're more of an irregular happening...and they happen when they happen. 

If my count is correct, the Hooptie-Con incarnation was the third Radwood event and it was sharing event billing with a 24 Hours of Lemons race and a couple of other car shows.  Couple that with the promised attendance of one of Bruce Canepa's 959's, and I figured we couldn't go too wrong. 

I want you all (both of you) to understand that despite growing up in the era, I am not particularly enamored of it.  Sure, I like some things about it, but those of you who know me, know that my tastes in music, cars and culture significantly predate it.  More than one person has told me that I was born 20 years too late.  Because I am who I am, and what I had heard/seen about this emerging happening, I thought (at most) I'd see some interesting cars at the expense of being reminded that I'm one of the few people I know who really doesn't long to bring back all the stuff of my youth.  I was prepared to like it a little, but certainly not to get into it...

My 11-year-old son and I arrived to find a small but steadily growing corral of cars and motorcycles.  There weren't a lot of people yet, but some pretty solid classics from back in the day.  Yeah, there were some high dollar icons of speed in the mix from Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW and that tasty Canepa 959...the stuff of dreams for a kid from that time.  You would expect that.  Hell, my son knew the names and designations of many of them.  But as we walked around, the corral and adjacent hillside began to fill with scores and scores of other "vintage" machines...foreign and domestic, shiny and dull, common and extraordinary (and I use this term somewhat loosely).

Along with the cars were their owners and the "stuff" of the owners.  A DJ began to pump out remixes of all the songs you'd expect to hear, and the genius of Radwood began to become apparent.    I started seeing things I hadn't seen for decades....walkmen, fanny packs, calculator watches, flammable plastic clothing, headbands and a Vaurnet sweatshirt....A VAURNET SWEATSHIRT!!!!  I could even swear I saw a VHS tape. 

Slowly, but surely, I was being drawn in.  

After a walk around, my son was magnetically pulled to some tables set up with tube TVs and old video game systems, so that was kinda neat.  (kids these days need to know how good they have it with their gaming systems)  After prying him away from an epic game of Sonic, we began another stroll around.  As luck would have it, we ran into some friends from Cars and Coffee Folsom, who were clad from head to toe in period correct threads (#plastic #neon #fannypack).  At this point, I was almost felt like an outsider (despite growing up during the same two decades) yet I still had no real desire to celebrate it by displaying any period flare. 

It was about this point that I felt things start to turn.  I was beginning to drop my resistance.  I began to embrace Radwood for the genius it is.  Sure, It wasn't the era of chrome and power, it was a time of electronic awakening and a redefining of cool.  It was a time for the world to make and promote ridiculous things and for no apparent reason.  Looking at the cars that had finally filled out the main corral and the field above it, I realized that my formative years really may have been cool and might even be worth celebrating.  Is a Nissan Pulsar Sportback really worth celebrating though?  Maybe not to everyone...but hell if I haven't seen one in a million years!  Hell if I know how or why I was so jazzed about a Chevy II Twin-Cam 16 Valve.  Really, my son was terribly confused why I was staring at a replica Monroney sticker in the window of a 1984 Jetta...and he had every right to be curious.

I've raised both of my kids on the best of the best of the automotive world.  Both of them know their classics, customs, musclecars, exotics and racers.  But now I realize that there is a huge hole in their education.  There are lots of machines out there they've never heard of or seen despite being the most ubiquitous cars and trucks of my youth.  Yeah, they're not really that well made or particularly reliable.  Almost all of them are pretty gutless and droopy and covered with lumpy plastic and rubber bits.  They were daily drivers or commuters or oddballs or "imports."  (Aside from the uber expensive euro equipment) They were more or less common and not all that remarkable.  If you saw most of them on the street in your neighborhood today, most people probably wouldn't even notice them...but maybe that's why they're worth looking at now.  Upon much reflection, and in in musical terms, they are the soundtrack of my youth...the landscape of the time. 

By the end of our afternoon, I'll admit that I'd come full circle on this thing called Radwood.  I'm not, by any means, ready to dawn the period garb and portend that I want to get into a time machine and get back to that time, but I am ready to proclaim that Radwood represents something that's good for the automotive world.   It is not polished or snobby, and it doesn't proclaim to be anything that it's not.  It simply opens a porthole into the past...just like Goodwood and the Monterey Historics.  It is absolutely worth your time and money to experience, and it worthy the notoriety that it is garnering in the automotive media universe right now.    We look forward to sharing more about the Radwood phenomenon as its franchise expands and as it spreads out from its Nor-Cal / Bay Area birthplace.  If you want more information about it, you can check their website, www.radwood.com and you should take a listen to a few podcasts by the minds behind (and promoters of) the phenomenon:  Driving While Awesome, Clutchkick and Cammed and Tubbed.

As always, our pictures are a better represnetation of things than our words, so please take a look at the gallery below for a taste of this thing called Radwood.

-Andrew