Real Japan Blues 105BSP Jeans

A few months ago I was willing and ready to pull the trigger on some Momotaro 1005SP jeans, but couldn't decide (with 100% certainty) on the size. Moreover, I couldn't find any reputable domestic vendors, and wasn't too keen on the idea of buying them from a random Japanese website. As a result, I put those Momotaros on my wish list and moved on.<br /><br />A few weeks after NOT acquiring the Momotaros (No-motaros?), I "coincidentally" found myself randomly wandering into a brick and mortar <a href="http://www.selfedge.com/" target="_blank">Self Edge</a> store. I wasn't really looking to buy anything in particular, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to try some different jeans on to see if anything fit well. I tried on several different jeans, and decided buy the 105BSP jeans from Real Japan Blues (tagged size 30).<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQBPmd5p6sLoKRbMNnSeIY0rI8yuJUBNfdbwDQttIfOYeHVVWEp6nETk_pq8hMF_a6uh_1ubbvlUSAbynqrGK2rF3rh7FAIRMEE8ls7SOTOuHX3iAOp5C-8gmUEwtfmDuPrZM3u0EFyE/s1600/IMG_5897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjQBPmd5p6sLoKRbMNnSeIY0rI8yuJUBNfdbwDQttIfOYeHVVWEp6nETk_pq8hMF_a6uh_1ubbvlUSAbynqrGK2rF3rh7FAIRMEE8ls7SOTOuHX3iAOp5C-8gmUEwtfmDuPrZM3u0EFyE/s320/IMG_5897.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brand New! No Soak, No Wash, No Nothing</td></tr></tbody></table>I like the cut of these jeans because the legs are far from skinny and because the all-important rise measurement is somewhat generous relative to my Roy jeans. The jeans have some cool details, too . . . super important features such as: different colored stitching on the back pockets; a sewn-in red "tag" on the back pocket; an extra deep knife/coin pocket; and doubled denim material along the front pocket openings. The as-new inseam measured 38 inches long! I had Self Edge cut off about five inches and hem them with the goal of having a 30 to 31 inch inseam after shrinking. Self Edge does a great job at hemming jeans, and they even use a vintage Union Special chainstitching machine to do the job right.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWUWnZ5VAroWz7wlu50wpvOkdJn2c7FuiCvWSPwGZuAS2MWko0QvUHu61li_Etj8OOxpqCbtKgufxP2xW6P0SUgRLNoIvPSLe5-WjPCSmFnMIPKRGSJSYEYjYU6XMv5G7sB2s_v9hkuc/s1600/IMG_5899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWUWnZ5VAroWz7wlu50wpvOkdJn2c7FuiCvWSPwGZuAS2MWko0QvUHu61li_Etj8OOxpqCbtKgufxP2xW6P0SUgRLNoIvPSLe5-WjPCSmFnMIPKRGSJSYEYjYU6XMv5G7sB2s_v9hkuc/s200/IMG_5899.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Like These Arcuates</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GLwrpaW4wtFPz0GovlcjRlGVwRLIgPOK-3KZyHMuFbYrn0fTte2llq79AkKJQFN4z5Y9jLhMMmUgnYqqDszFEK4tOpI7yqfoS78ZP77ZYuH335pr9vUmP1MEqJ-YKVO4LNK_nQjPdTg/s1600/IMG_5898.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GLwrpaW4wtFPz0GovlcjRlGVwRLIgPOK-3KZyHMuFbYrn0fTte2llq79AkKJQFN4z5Y9jLhMMmUgnYqqDszFEK4tOpI7yqfoS78ZP77ZYuH335pr9vUmP1MEqJ-YKVO4LNK_nQjPdTg/s200/IMG_5898.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red "Tag"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL33iscOO5FxhmAvTDf39HqEf7JRE5s1dWP2LP1h2cE5XwBZKpLFOiABgwbX5yO1_nV7lDTcRcJ9wGZ0miZRE4Xxor7nDwy1yjL2BpXg9s5J9KgmDJT9s-AVpjcfYMkny09nbquSpsmc/s1600/IMG_5901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEL33iscOO5FxhmAvTDf39HqEf7JRE5s1dWP2LP1h2cE5XwBZKpLFOiABgwbX5yO1_nV7lDTcRcJ9wGZ0miZRE4Xxor7nDwy1yjL2BpXg9s5J9KgmDJT9s-AVpjcfYMkny09nbquSpsmc/s200/IMG_5901.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep Coin Pocket<br />Doubled Front Pocket Material</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the initial soak/shrink in the bathtub and hang dry, the 105BSPs were slightly on the stiff and crusty side. My understanding is that the post-soak stiffness is caused by the starch that is used during the manufacturing process. I wore them for the first time on January 1, 2013, and they broke in quickly after several wearings. If I'm honest, they were less than comfortable on the first day due to the stiffness.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWMuM7NVIbCyBCiJLjeb250S3s77z2w8l0fadEsJtyKjvGgi_rqxg-TseQtgRXwlrlgMhNMVtxYqXPeLPcXgpVjW4Pei6orBJKHjDcqEmJNyvJEQHTn8Gm-GSu5RcvCYUH2FVcUgfU3I/s1600/IMG_5905.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHWMuM7NVIbCyBCiJLjeb250S3s77z2w8l0fadEsJtyKjvGgi_rqxg-TseQtgRXwlrlgMhNMVtxYqXPeLPcXgpVjW4Pei6orBJKHjDcqEmJNyvJEQHTn8Gm-GSu5RcvCYUH2FVcUgfU3I/s200/IMG_5905.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-Soak Magic Pants!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been wearing these jeans at least a couple times per week, and they have become quite comfortable. I haven't washed them yet, and they haven't developed any distinctive fading effects or unique wear patterns yet. The sizing is very good, and Self Edge did a great job with the hemming by estimating and compensating for shrinkage of the inseam - the length is spot on. That said, the rise might be a little short, which means they are not a perfect fit. Oh well, I still have the Momotaros on my wish list.</div>

Real Japan Blues 105BSP Jeans

A few months ago I was willing and ready to pull the trigger on some Momotaro 1005SP jeans, but couldn't decide (with 100% certainty) on...

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Dan Brown | Inferno

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0" height="480" id="msnbc1ca12c" width="853"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" /><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=51876160&width=853&height=480" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed name="msnbc1ca12c" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="853" height="480" FlashVars="launch=51876160&width=853&height=480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object> <p></p><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/05/14/18236528-in-dan-browns-inferno-numeric-riddles-and-controversial-science-mix?lite">NBC</a></span></b> <p></p><span style="font-size: large;">D</span><b>an Brown's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inferno-Novel-Robert-Langdon-ebook/dp/B00AXIZ4TQ?ie=UTF8&tag=inforfarm-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="blank">Inferno</a></i> is another globe-trotting, world-saving adventure — and a chance for readers to ponder a new set of mathematical and scientific puzzles.</b> <p></p>The Italian poet Dante Alighieri was, if anything, more of a numbers freak than Dan Brown: Who else would write a three-book masterwork consisting entirely of three-line stanzas? Each book is divided into 33 cantos — plus an extra one in Dante's Inferno, to make 100 cantos in all. The verses are riddled with references to threes, sevens, nines and other numbers with mystical meanings. <p></p>Numbers and codes have played a part as well in the buildup to the release of <i>Inferno</i>. Even the publication date is a puzzle: Greg Taylor, author of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Dan-Browns-Inferno-ebook/dp/B00BIFZK9C">Inside Dan Brown’s Inferno</a>,” noticed that if you reverse the American date notation, 5-14-13, you come up with the first five digits of pi (3.1415). Brown’s publishers later confirmed that the date was chosen for just that reason. </div>

Dan Brown | Inferno

NBC D an Brown's Inferno is another globe-trotting, world-saving adventure — and a chance for readers to ponder a new set of mathemat...

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Pizza Box Lamp

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uZnI5ojBRNg?rel=0" width="853"></iframe><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span> <div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.fattelo.com/en/#close1" target="blank">Fattelo</a></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">F</span><b>our Italian designers created the 01LAMP desk lamp from an old folded pizza box. <a href="http://www.fattelo.com/en/#close1" target="blank">Visit their website</a> and download a free PDF file to print, trace, cut, lock and make your own pizza box desk lamp.</b></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V4LVSvp1ABIEA4IpFeNuWF7HDnA5O-myGX6cHYu_MM-xXV-9eRxBGRNV6Slq47mM6qs5Y6Y73vY8vKr5V8R67QeDPOv9MOYn9ZUDYGS9uQRL3raYdPKZYs8bLYKBzg3jH_2o5Q9cRGs/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V4LVSvp1ABIEA4IpFeNuWF7HDnA5O-myGX6cHYu_MM-xXV-9eRxBGRNV6Slq47mM6qs5Y6Y73vY8vKr5V8R67QeDPOv9MOYn9ZUDYGS9uQRL3raYdPKZYs8bLYKBzg3jH_2o5Q9cRGs/s1600/1.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKN_ndTHtLrOKjOTBap6vqWMGx_xREeK_DcqBj3Dif6xxhpp-9KwGoHIn5moxyw5_kHX5bHR19UCOFNHWpbvv9s4dvV93i7RpYHOPzY6QfrqNiRQjextHqIJSy-31caj6kWYqGKKcJyI/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKN_ndTHtLrOKjOTBap6vqWMGx_xREeK_DcqBj3Dif6xxhpp-9KwGoHIn5moxyw5_kHX5bHR19UCOFNHWpbvv9s4dvV93i7RpYHOPzY6QfrqNiRQjextHqIJSy-31caj6kWYqGKKcJyI/s1600/2.jpg" /></a></div><br />

Pizza Box Lamp

Fattelo F our Italian designers created the 01LAMP desk lamp from an old folded pizza box. Visit their website and download a free PDF fil...

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Phillip Patterson Writes Every Word in the Bible

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5TxRWjdEDi0?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/unlikely-ny-scribe-handwrites-good-book-4-years" target="blank">Associated Press</a></span></b><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span><b>lthough rare now, hand-crafted Bibles were common before the invention of the printing press. In those times, monks who made ornate copies of the Bible saw it as part of their sacred calling.</b></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoV9UHTI7z83g4CCIm1YS53e0X0MZmuHg7qM5pGd7UPc_EUCU6wilX4TruOZ7n3xT2c0DcBMfMNxNr0t_DwBpEuCgnWLADM__cwgF87giyXTFrLhGb3mflxssnE4wJ9NYMekHJigWxIk/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxoV9UHTI7z83g4CCIm1YS53e0X0MZmuHg7qM5pGd7UPc_EUCU6wilX4TruOZ7n3xT2c0DcBMfMNxNr0t_DwBpEuCgnWLADM__cwgF87giyXTFrLhGb3mflxssnE4wJ9NYMekHJigWxIk/s400/3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photos: Laura Glazer</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Four years ago <a href="http://serenityofknowing.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Phillip Patterson</a>, a retired interior designer, began transcribing the King James Bible. 2,400 pages and a multitude of pens later, as he copies the last words of the last book, Patterson sees all that he has created.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-fuAXNQJyq30bqAlPOOO-8zXzw8CyYN7i6OgwqZI2lCdzUfnMk2H8fNOcknOaCjXVG9lMrf6ZhA1Jj8zr9zz22Z3I1wHvUglGyU9yhbBpJ36i467kK2F0EZ5Gpa1H6C3vzG9EWhOjDQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" heigh="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-fuAXNQJyq30bqAlPOOO-8zXzw8CyYN7i6OgwqZI2lCdzUfnMk2H8fNOcknOaCjXVG9lMrf6ZhA1Jj8zr9zz22Z3I1wHvUglGyU9yhbBpJ36i467kK2F0EZ5Gpa1H6C3vzG9EWhOjDQ/s1600/2.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">In the beginning (2007), Patterson copied the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. Work on this “prototype” allowed him to figure out technique, layout and technical details like the type of paper (19-by-13-inch watercolor) and writing instruments (felt-tip pens). He pencils in ruled lines on the sheets to guide his writing and erases them when he is done, leaving black ink on creamy white pages.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="font-size: large;">“…I came to discover there was more in the bible than I had been told. The only way to find out what was in it was to sit down and write it.”</span></blockquote><br />Patterson does not see any kinship to those long-ago scribes, seeing himself merely as a regular guy who ended up learning something.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecuIQhXv5AMIgr_5tf09ONn462nPFwuvAlB1P01zhi4H8EPzo50bInnhvnAw4JlFxsZwM_J8x1gG_A56olQEu7GjMA7xD4xsibLxrAunxayYXLzE7UqclkRepMNiXFlz29eU1IkDaWw8/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" heigh="704" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecuIQhXv5AMIgr_5tf09ONn462nPFwuvAlB1P01zhi4H8EPzo50bInnhvnAw4JlFxsZwM_J8x1gG_A56olQEu7GjMA7xD4xsibLxrAunxayYXLzE7UqclkRepMNiXFlz29eU1IkDaWw8/s1600/1.jpg" width="853" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: AP</td></tr></tbody></table>

Phillip Patterson Writes Every Word in the Bible

Associated Press A lthough rare now, hand-crafted Bibles were common before the invention of the printing press. In those times, monks who m...

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Taylor Swift | 60 Minutes & 2020

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Taylor Swift | 60 Minutes & 2020

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