Belgium is the New Black!

Why Belgium? Why Not!

6 reasons to hop on a flight today and enjoy the weekend in Belgium:

1) Moules Frites
2) Belgian Waffles
3) Mary's Chocolates at 73 Rue Royal
4) Brugge!
5) 450 different varieties of beer
6) To celebrate your 1 year anniversary!

Interview on The Jim Richards Show

One of P.T. Barnum's best known quotes: I don't care what you say about me, just spell my name right!

I think "Strokes" is close enough to Stoakes, don't you?...Click here for the Jim Richards interview.

How To Hire A Shoe Cobbler

Ok, here goes. Here are the 3 fool-proof tips you need to know when hiring a shoe cobbler.

1) Does the cobbler's shop look like it has been in business for more than 100 years?

2) Does the hunched over man behind the counter have white hair and look like he has been working in the shop for 150 years?

3) Are the cobbler's hands nubbed to the bone and blackened past his wrists?

If you answered yes to all three of these questions then you found yourself a damn good cobbler and you should do everything in your power to keep this man and his family in business. They are a dying breed to be treasured. And I fear most won't take notice until the best are gone...

Joe Apology

Check out my friend's new site: JoeApology.com. It's an anonymous site where you can let it all out. Some posts are sad, others hilarious. Have fun...Go to http://www.joeapology.com.

Graffiti Project Featured On ABC News

ROSE PALAZZOLO from ABC News wrote an article featuring The Bathroom Graffiti Project yesterday. So many people have been visiting the site that the servers crashed today. We will get the site up as soon as possible! Thanks for your support...read the article here: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=1728528&page=1

Poem: Butterfly

Butterfly on the window sill
carry me away
lift me to places I can not see
hold me tight
show me the stars and the moon
carry me away
but be careful not to let me burn by the sun
I don't want to ride into the Sun

[I wrote this poem on June 17th 2002; I just came across it so I thought I would publish it on Stoaked!]

Journeying Through Life

Don't worry, you're not alone! Thought this was a fun look at the fun journey called life...

Faucet or Drain?

Question of the day...are you a faucet or a drain?

Think about it for awhile and then let me know. I'll be posting much more about the topic in the future, so this random question is just a little teaser.

Feel free to post which you are in the comments section below.

Snowy Day in New York City

 
 My brother Cayenne took this picture yesterday during the blizzard of 2006. It was a fun Sunday Snow Day in New York City. If you haven't been to NYC when it is snowing, there's nothing quite like being here during the first 12 hours of a big snow. The city seems to take on a collective soul for a few hours as everything slows down. As the snow melts today however, everything is pretty much back to normal. The City's calm has already started to transform back to its frenetic pace and the hustle and bustle of everyone and everything is starting to come back with each thawing inch.

Note To Grandma Charlotte

One year ago today you moved on to a greater place. The Stoakes boys and Mom and Pop want to let you know that we miss you dearly, but we also know that you must be enjoying yourself greatly with Grandpa Harold now.

In your memory, the holiday board game tradition lives on as we continue to play Triominoes and Scrabble. Unfortunately, none of us seem to be able to beat your high-scores.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you always. We know you are happy and well.

The Stoakes-Hughes Family.

Last years' In Memory Note and pictures...(click here)

The Cedar Bar

 
 

Click Here For More Of My Pictures

 
I have finally gotten around to uploading some of my favorite pictures from our recent holiday in the British Virgin Islands. Click here for more pictures. I also just tested the Flickr/Qoop photo book service and it is pretty incredible. The print quality could use some improvement, however, the book I had made looks amazing. The price was right and they delivered it in only a couple of days. I highly recommend the service. And I highly recommend My Mary Jean.

Buy Future Shop

Facinating book, by a good friend of mine Daniel Nissanoff. It is a compelling read and a bold forecast of how the online auction culture revolution is radically transforming what, how, and why we buy. Buy it via my Amazon link to the right and I get credit!

FEDEX GROUND Sucks!

I rarely post negative feedback on my blog, but as a result of my recent experience with FedEX Ground I just can't help it.

WHAT EVER YOU DO, DO NOT EVER USE FedEx Ground. You'd think they are dependable like their sister company that specializes in overnight delivery. Nope. FedEX Ground is a completely different company and they suck.

Why? My ongoing experience with them: I'm still waiting for a small package sent from California to NYC on January 5th. It's now February 2nd and the package is still in California. And this is after calling their customer service team 5 times! Oh, I forgot to mention the package has already been back and forth across the country at least once stopping briefly in NYC.

Anyway, do your self a favor and use UPS or the USPS instead. FedEX Ground is a total nightmare.

American Movie = American Masterpiece

American Movie: The Making of Northwestern (1999) is one of the best documentaries I have seen in some time...while the film making and editing are quite good, it is the real-life characters that make this film amazing. While Mark Borchadt, whose story the film chronicles, is quite bizarre and probably missing a chromosome, he perfectly defines all that is great in the human spirit: a never ending passion to succeed and go on, no matter what.

You just have to see this one to understand. Your first inclination will be to write off Mark as an insane dweeb, perhaps a little off his rocker. But anyone who doesn't respect Mark's drive and determination needs to reassess their life.

Too bad more people don't push forward through life this dramatically!