Are you lonely? Are you once again dreading the onset of the 14th of February, otherwise known as Russell Stover’s Eve? Do you want to know if someone–anyone–out there cares about you?
Well, at least one person cares. This woman cares. She cares a lot, actually, and all she asks is that you leave your “email ID” for future electronic correspondence.
The sea is always beautiful, sigh.
Baubles. Tchotchkes. “Family heirlooms.” Whatever you call ’em, we’ve all got ’em in our bedrooms, parents’ living rooms, basements, backyards, and bathrooms. You pretty much take them for granted until you’re older, about to move, and out of boxes. We’re all hoarders on the inside, and that’s what makes us special.
So for this week’s Photo Phriday, SHOW US YOUR KNICK-KNACKS! What sort of crazy crap is cluttering your nightstand (or desk, or dresser, or kitchen table, or spooky attic, wherever)??
Of course, for many of us, this is our first week at this ol’ WordPress here, and unfortunately, there’s no “insert photo” button in the comments. But don’t worry! It’s so easy, you guys, it’s just the simplest thing in the whole wide world, to upload these photos and share your kickshaw. Just follow these helpful tips:
<img src=”http://www.stepdadsgettingitonwitheachother.com/passed-out/shirt_unbuttoned.jpg“>
I’ll go first. What you’re looking at (above) is a fake-gold genie lamp. My grandma owned two antique stores once upon a time, so when I was younger I’d sometimes hang out there for hours, just gazing upon all the brooches and vintage pins, examining Depression-era dolls, flipping through first-edition Mark Twain paperbacks, and other stuff like that. It was all very cute and lovely and, now that I think about it, maybe the first clear sign that I was gay. My grandma gave this to me one Passover, and it’s been in my bedroom ever since.
GOT JUNK??? Maybe it’s not junk, maybe it’s a cherished heirloom or a valuable antique. Or maybe it’s just a bunch of plastic necklaces and bracelets from your otherwise lost-in-a-closet Pretty Pretty Princess board game.
So take a picture of your favorite (or weirdest, most disturbing, etc.) tchotchkes and get ready to show ’em to us starting at 8pm EST.
Please do not post any pictures of your genitalia. Perv.
To our left is not one of my tchotchkes. That’ll come at 8. But this lil ‘guy gives you the general idea.
Hey guys! So I’ve climbed aboard this rusty, noble vessel of a blog as we sail into uncharted waters. It’s been a hectic week, so we could all probably use an audio chill pill, right?
Accordingly, I made a lil’ playlist that just scrapes the surface of the vast, soothing, tropical, haunted world of ambient, electronic, and “h-pop” (hypnagogic pop) music. All sorts of moods, seasons, and eras are used as inspiration, but they all share a submerged, Dad’s-old-VHS quality. The magic of these songs lies not so much in their ability to recapture a specific moment in time (i.e. mom’s old workout tapes, early software infomercials, TV theme song intro music) but rather in the ways they evoke our spiritual nostalgia of the half-remembered past–and the ones who do it best make music that’s never boring and clear of schlock (unless they’re incorporating kitsch into their overall sound, but I’d like to think it’s done artfully). In fact, unless you’re predisposed to disliking this sort of abstraction, I’d say it’s pretty damn beautiful.
Anyway, here’s where you download. Some of these tracks are weirder than others. Playlist below, if you’re curious ahead of time.
It’s not like I’m am “ambient music expert” or anything–there’s just so much out there that few people have heard. So go on, give it a whirl. Who knows, maybe there’s a musical secret waiting to be discovered by you in this playlist! I’ll make more if there’s any interest, and please please please make recommendations if you have. Sharing is caring, etc.
ETA: If you want a preview of general aesthetic at work here:
JAMES FERRARO – LAST AMERICAN HERO, Pt. 3 from OLDE ENGLISH SPELLING BEE on Vimeo.