Busier than hell today, underneath gray skies. Each summer day without sun is a bit of a treat for me. I like Fall. And today here in Portland, it’s 60 degrees out, and I feel like I’m getting away with something. Awesome.

Dale and I locked down a couple tickets for the Midwest last night. I’ve got a wedding that is “mandatory attendence” so I have to be back there, and well, we’ve got some other plans up our sleeves too. You know how we do it. The countdown starts very soon. You’ll see.

We’re flying in and out of Chicago, a town that rests on the southern Lake Michigan shoreline, known for luminaries like Mike Ditka, Steve Albini and, who I’m hoping is our next Commander in Chief, Barack Obama.

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THIS ONE IS FOR MY LADY LEIGH: A set of 53 Pin-Up Playing Cards on Flickr. Hubba hubba, girlie.

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AND, YOU SHOULD READ UP ON HER: Read about Leigh’s adventures around Oregon, with her little rugrat Ewan, and, well, the day-to-day capers with yours truly. Tough gal. Warmest heart going. Makes the meanest, coldest, grossest motherfuckers like myself melt right down to a big pile of mush.

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THE BEST PART OF YER CAR: Vin reminds us to dig on the “Gauge Clusters” over at the amazing CarType site. Wow. So good. I picked Big S solely on the fact that I was looking down at Futura while driving. Thank you, Volkswagen.

Those goddamned Germans know how to do it right: I ‘ve got no beef with Porsche’s gauge typography.

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SUMMER READING: The new Field Tested Books collection is out over at Coudal Partners, Chicago, Ill. You need one of these. Awesome cover, awesome insides too.

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GRAPH PAPER GALORE: Things have been heating up over at Field Notes. First, we’re crying our eyes out over the demise of the great “Bullet Pencils” of yesteryear, and second, we made it on the pages of Lego Magazine! Paper and staples, people, paper and staples. Proud as hell.