Discriminating Weirdos

Without a Face

Emily claims that the books I've been reading and the movies I've been watching are too dark.  She's probably right, although I'm not sure I can agree that it's possible to get too dark.  I have read and watched more horror than anyone I know, and I often find myself speaking in great length on subjects like Isolationism and American Horror of the 1970s and The Politics of Horror: How Ronald Reagan is Responsible for Jason, Freddy, and Michael.  And I don't just focus on the big stuff.  I read and watch the classics and the "should be" classics, and I'm at my happiest when a new English translation of an old Rampo story has been released.

In short, I'm a bit of a freak.  I'm the guy who knows which character in a Thai vampire flick is the most evil because I know that the most evil character usually has the biggest eyebrows.  I'm the nerd in the chat room who wants to talk about Steph Swainston, Mark Z. Danielewski, Ambrose Bierce, and Chuck Palahniuk when everyone else is yammering about Stephen King. The cult section in the film store seldom has anything I haven't seen, and I find Clive Barker's work a bit too tame.

So when Em told me my recent reading list has been too dark, I started thinking.  Why is it that I read these things?  It didn't take me long to realize that it isn't because of the plots or the violence.  I watch and read these things because horror is the only genre that can consistently surprise and challenge me with it's imagery.

Perhaps that's why I like Jane Tam's work so much.  Her photo/illustration pieces really caught me by surprise the first time I saw them.  I liked them, but I wasn't sure why.  But I kept going back to them for another look.  Then another.

Finally, I figured it out.  These pieces scare me.  Those faceless figures are like ghosts, anonymous and disconnected from even the simplest things in life -- washing dishes, visiting relatives, holding a dog.  They scare me, but not like the boogie man or a serial killer might scare me.  I am afraid because those figures seem to be alone in the world without even knowing it. Isn't that the basis of horror?

Visit Jane Tam's Etsy shop here.  You can see more of her work at janetam.com. (ADAM)

Rookie Error. Mistakes were made.

Grumpy Green Crap Bunny is available from Spidercamp on Etsy

Ok, so I had a really great post written this morning about SteamPunk clothing.  It was fairly long, had great items and photos.  I had everything complete, and was just pasting in all my links. 

And then I made a big mistake.  A big bad Rookie Error. 

I forgot to save, did a little navigation, and lost all my work. 

Bugger all.  Mother-humper.  Farging bustards. 

I said some other stuff too. 

I've decided that it would be best for me to walk away from that particular project for the moment, and do a quickie about how many mistakes I made this week. 

2. (because the lost post is #1) I made another monumental Rookie Error and forgot to write down the wireless key to our router ever so many moons ago when I set it up.  I am the de facto IT person for the home, so when Adam's PC laptop (a language I barely understand) decided not to go on-line anymore, it came to pass that it was my job to call tech support and reset the whole network. 

I said some things then too. 

3.  Nope.  There's only the two.  And both tech related, so that's not all that fun really.  But let's just say that I truly ought to know better. And do.  I will save this post right now, actually....

done.

and I also wrote down the wireless key and taped it to the router.  (emily. who is mightily ashamed of herself.)

Not Exactly Our Normal Post

Ladies and gentlemen, Discriminating Weirdos is NOT a blog about Hollywood stars and their problems.  Our blog is designed to give us a chance to share some of the things we like with people around the world who might care what we have to say.

But I'm afraid that today's post doesn't meet our original standards.  I've decided to feature a picture I found this afternoon while reading a Hollywood-powered blog that focuses on embarrassing things that happen to stars.  In my defense, there are some things that are too good to pass up.

I love Natalie Portman.  The second I saw her in Beautiful Girls I know she would be a big star.

The real reason I wanted to run the photo, and the reason it actually fits in our blog, is the dog.  That, my friends, is a Border Terrier, the same breed that Em and I have had for 13 years.  In a way, it could easily be a photo of Spoof peeing on Natalie Portman.

To avoid lawsuits, I should also mention that I'm not totally sure this is Natalie Portman.  The other blog claimed it was, and I, like any good American, believe  everything I read on the Web.  (ADAM)

 

Bread Relaxers

  No-knead bread 
  Originally uploaded by fuzuoko

I've gone all domestic again. 

Yesterday, my piano students had their annual spring recital.  This is a big, gigantic deal for them, and we spend a whole lot of time preparing.  Lots of time preparing pieces, and lots of time preparing for the emotional side of performance.  It takes a whole lot of energy to convince a 7 year old that they can do it, and do it in style! 

I also made my "dramatic" return to the stage after taking a couple of years off.  I completed my master's recital about two years ago and really didn't want to touch the piano for a while.  Now the break is officially over.  I played a Mozart violin sonata with my friend Dave.  Playing with someone was a great way to get going again.  Having a rehearsal scheduled made sure that I practiced! 

So anyway.  It's done.  It's all done.  Craftstravaganza is over.  Recital is over.  I'm on (relative) easy street.  Ok, so Adam's sick, and that's a bit of a buzzkill, but I'm not letting it pull me down. 

To celebrate, yesterday I baked.  I made smoky pork taco, and rum cake.  And bread.  MMMMMM homemade bread.  Nothing better in the world for heart and mind. 

I get very sentimental when it comes to baking, but considerably more so when it comes to bread (and pies, but that season hasn't started yet).  Baking connects me to my past.  It's the one time that I really wish I had children.  (but whatever you do, don't tell my mother that)

So today. Bread.  Every summer at about this time (and since the spring recital is over, it is officially summer in the Moe house), I make a promise to bake more bread.  One year, I just about made good on my promise to bake one loaf a week.  This year, I shall make the same promise.  Rising food costs... well it just makes good plain economic sense to make it myself.

I'm really fond of Cold Antler Farm's blog about having a small farm.  It helps me confront that particular fantasy I think many of us have about really going "off the grid" (though I think she has power).  I've lived in the north woods. I've hauled water.  I've tried really hard to be a gardener.  I just can't do it.  I'm a disaster.  But Jenna's really good at it.  She wrote a post a bit back about providing for oneself in these rough times.  I think that's part of what inspired my bread baking promise. 

Of course, I do make that promise to myself every summer.  So maybe it doesn't have anything to do with rough times! 

Ok.  Enough blather.  This is not a blog about omphalaskepsis.  It's a blog about making things. 

Here are some bread related things I really like. 

theScenicRoute has some Sourdough Starter for sale on Etsy that intrigues me.  I've not got a great track record with sourdough starter.  In the years when I thought I wanted to be a chef, I was once asked to clean out a refrigerator in the kitchen where I worked.  I pitched the ugliest, nastiest looking thing in the refrigerator.  The next day I was fired. This is a much longer story if you ever want to get me going. 

ANYWAY.  Yes, I would like to try sourdough bread.  I think it sounds magical.  The idea that some lovely people in Oregon are wishing yummy bread on me makes me happy. 

You could buy some of their starter too, and then we could all make bread together! Yay!

This cake tester from jstartworks is just plain cool. 

I'm always reaching for some sort of tool to test my cakes.  I never have the right thing.  I have no toothpicks.  And I certainly don't (yet) have one of these beautiful testers.  I generally use a knife or a chopstick, or just tap the tops and wing it.  One of these lovelies would do the job so much more accurately and with so very much more style.

I've told my sick husband (now diagnosed officially with strep) that I want a really cool apron for Mother's Day.  I'm hoping he remembers that I found one I really liked in a previous post.  I'm going to be needing that apron.  I feel a whole lotta baking coming on! (Emily)

Sick into Vintage Ceramics

I just reread the title of today's post, and I want to make something a little more clear.  I am sick, with a sore throat and wobbly joints.  Mostly I've been sleeping the day away under the influence of various drugs.  When I have been awake, I've been finding some really excellent pieces of vintage ceramics on Etsy.

So this will not be a post about throwing up into vintage ceramic frogs and elves, despite what the title says.

For some reason, I like vintage (and vintage-looking) ceramics.  They remind me of my grandma -- both grandmas, actually.  My mother's mother used to make and paint ceramic knick-knacks and give them to us as holiday gifts.  We had music boxes, Easter bunnies, Christmas trees, and tiny haunted houses stored all over the place, and when each holiday came around, the pieces would be ceremoniously displayed around the house.

My other grandma was a knitter, but I remember one specific ceramic piece that she owned.  It was on of those scrubby holders shaped like a frog.  It always sat at the edge of the sink, and for some reason I was always comforted knowing it was there.

Maybe that's why I decided to get one for my mom this Mother's Day.

I was hopping around Etsy looking for a gift when I stumbled on this little guy.  He, and others like him, can be found at Fruitflypie's shop.  Grandma's from was painted blacks and greens in a fairly realistic pattern, and even sported glass eyes.  But the shape is almost identical.  According to Fruitflypie's info, most of the stuff in the shop is made using vintage 1960s molds.  There's a lot to choose from, so give them a visit.

I also found this vintage ceramic planter this afternoon.  As a guy who is nursing some sort of flu bug, this sick puppy really spoke to me. The fine people at Mountain Vintage have it, as well as a few other vintage ceramic planters, for sale.  Visit them HERE.

(ADAM)