Conspiratorial Fashionware: The Revolution Will Be Overpriced

2006 is the New 1984. Big Brother has arrived, just a little late. Love the shirt, hate the price... $23. Too much, even if a buck goes to the ACLU.

Other shirts that for the fashionably paranoid...





This one posits the believe that black helocopters are actual creatures, menacing the psyches and bodies of people in the mid-west and occasionally Canada. I like this one. It sets the bar high for delusional creativity.

High-Lighting The Sexy Mind: Folk Art In Atlanta and Modern Elsewhere

The nude and the erotic have been subjects of artist since the dawn of time. And while recent times have most thinking that sensual and sexual is mainly the topic of modern/urban artists working in the accepted styles of mainstream art, outsider and self-taught artists have been touching the topic as well.

(Image from Orange Hill Folk Art)

Just such artists are being shown at the Orange Hill Folk Art Gallery and Outsider Art Gallery (Google Map), on the southern tip of Freedom Parkway. We attempted to visit the gallery Tuesday, but it was not meant to be.

1) The website was broken, just kept showing server gibberish.
2) The phone number listed was the fax machine, squealed in my ear.
3) The gallery was closed despite arriving during the hours listed as open, lights off.

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Smutty folk art reminded me of the first show I worked when hired by the New Orleans Museum of Art. Passionate Visions of the American South: Self-Taught Artists from 1940 to the Present was a huge folk/outsider art show, and most of the pieces warranted nothing but appreciation. But one work really bothered a security guard. "Adam and Eve" was a graphic sculpture of what they learned once eating the apple, with Adam behind Eve and his "snake" in between. Strangely, based on the complaint from the guard the museum changed the location of the piece from a pedestal to wall-mounted shelf above a door-way.

Our lighting-guy Greg got the last laugh and lit the piece with a very-narrow spotlight that made the Adam's johnson the brightest thing on the wall. Nothing like a bunch of smart-assed art installers.

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(Image from Sperone Westwater Gallery)

I love this piece of Wim Delvoye's (and this one) would look to buy them if it didn't clash so much with what my wife likes (and doesn't like). Search the site for more sexual x-ray images. On a much more mild style, his gothic construction equipment pieces (Dump Truck Scale Model, Cement Truck Scale Model, and Caterpillar Fullsize)

One of the best sites for historical erotica is the NSFW Rare Erotica. It covers a huge range of time, and the works are often striking for their graphic nature and very contemporary appearance. I make it a frequent visit.

The Weekend in Review: Clothes and Kangaroos

Over the weekend, there was the plan to visit;

The Georgia Premium Outlet Mall
Helen, GA
The Kangaroo Conservation Center
and the Georgia Guidestones.

3 out of 4 wasn't bad.

First, the mall. After moaning about not having nice clothes, I finally got to buy some decent dress shirts and socks. Total cost for 3 shirts and 4 pairs of socks... less then $90. Nice.

After that, Helen, where we planned on staying the night. Funny thing, I forgot the suitcase. So, after a short debate we drove back to Atlanta, grabbed the suitcase, headed back, stopped at Steak and Shake, arrived at Helen and all was well. With meal it was a 4 hour roundtrip and actually a fun one, so mark one up to an awesome wife and patience.

Helen, GA decided to adopt a Bavarian/Alpine appearance for itself in 1969. Yup, it did that. Wouldn't say it's worth visiting for that sole reason alone, but now we can say we did. An hour driving in the morning around town was all the time we needed to spend to soak up the "atmosphere". I did miss an opportunity to take a picture of a restaurant named "Cannibal".

The last day was spent at the Kangaroo Conservation Center and Dahlonega, Georgia. The conservation center was great and Dahlonega was a cute little community that we had lunch in. After that it was an end to our roadtrip.

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Before the trip, I was trolling the Internet looking for a map to the The Georgia Guidestones, I found that Amber had not only gone but taken pictures.

Which led me to tell my wife and without any input from Amber, "You know if things were different, Amber could be my girlfriend." I think Rusty would disagree and the point is moot, but I like the way she thinks about places worth visiting. I've been compiling a list of Georgia roadside attractions, oddities and places of interest. Of the few that I have located on the map, Amber has been to two. The following pictures come from her site.



The guidestones are in Elberton, Georgia (Google Local Map). Georgia is also home to the now-closed United Nuwaubian Nation Of Moors. Can you be ununited if there is only a single nation? Hmmm.





Amber Rhea's Gallery :: Georgia Guidestones, etc. - 12.30.03
Amber Rhea's Gallery :: Nuwaubian Nation of Moors, etc. - 01.08.05

Flickr Pix: See Kangaroos & Many Other Photogenic Things

Because a well-placed google search can answer any question, I finally found out how to put my Flickr pix into my blog. Controls at the top and bottom of the Flickr frame allow for navagation.



I had hoped to showcase just shots taken at the Kangaroo Conservation Center this weekend, but the sideshow will go on with all my pix. An hour and 15 minutes north of Atlanta, the center is the only one of its kind. Good fun, and I will post more about this trip, including the forgetting THE thing you never forget to bring on a trip.

Let's say its good that my wife is so forgiving.

Socks, Shoes, Shirts: Fashionably Frugal While Staying Put

Being cheap is good.
Spending less then you earn is better.
Debt is bad.

It's within those three comments that my wife and I live, and thank god for that. The income of a former-art major and a college professor isn't all that. But not only have we managed to make a decent living, we do make the occasional splurges now and again. And while we haven't managed any international travel recently, we are always looking for that cheap flight that cries out, "Why not Iceland?" Or some other locale that we wouldn't have thought of going to. Before 9-11, we were seriously thinking about a trip to Marrakesh, Morocco. We gave that up, despite that country being a moderate Islamic country. Maybe we will reconsider.

For now, it's cheap clothes and a roadtrip starting tomorrow. At Threadless T-Shirts, a $10 t-shirt sale combined with a reissue of a favorite design meant buying this t-shirt...


The Loch Ness Impostor. Sweet.

Now if they would only reissue the Communist Party one...



Just today I was reading Cool Hunting when they featured Stroke Socks, makers of striped socks ( I like the Greyscale, Mud Stream, and Saville Reds). In my search for good socks I have bought women's socks because they were more interesting then anything else in the men's section. I'm loath to spend $10 bucks on socks, but the way I buy things a small splurge means not buying additional ones for ages. I still wear the 3 pairs of shoes I spent $360 7 years ago.

While the available online, the sock site says that Young Blood Gallery and Boutique carries their products, so I may shop locally instead.

Hopefully, I will get out of jury duty in April so I can bust my ass working and not feel guilty for upgrading the wardrobe. Keeping the fingers crossed.

Roadtrip! North Georgia Here We Come...

... in a couple days.

In celebration of my sweetie not getting jury duty on Thursday, we're planning a roadtrip.

The sights to be seen include:

The Georgia Guidestones, America's Stonehenge


Either a new-age celebration of man's better angels or a monument to the soul-crushing goals of the new world order. Either way I want a picture of myself next to it.

Bavarian Helen, GA

Take a normal little town. Now add a Baravian facade to every building you can get your hands on. Helen did, and we're hoping to see for ourselves.

Kangaroo Conservation Center

And now, I must surf some more in hopes of finding even more strange places to visit.

Music that Lives on My Computer: Last.fm

After seeing that Mr. P'body posted some of his musical tastes using his account at Last.fm and some of their tools, I had to do the same.

Artists most played overall:

Click the chart to see the remaining 40 bands that made the top 50.

Songs most recently played this week:

I find that I like Radiohead songs when performed by other groups. The Mark Ronson song is a great cover of their song "Just". The funk-filled song has loads of horn section, great beat and a sweet video (Quicktime Video).

For another great Radiohead cover check out the 2003 MP3 of "Paranoid Android" played by the UMass Front Percussion Ensemble.

For those looking to get exposed to lots of great music, I would highly recommend the Not Your Usual Bollocks podcast.

"NYUB was created to provide on-demand refuge from main-stream radio. NYUB harnesses podcasting technology to bring direct to you, the best independent and unsigned artists from the rock and electronic music genres. It's not your usual bollocks.....because mainstream radio is shit."

Check his site for podcasts, playlists, and band links.

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Related Posts:

Neon Poisoning: Back in the Day: Junior High DJ
UMass Drumline 2005
stereogum: Mark's Ronson's "Just": The Bootleg Video

Apocalyptic Optimism: Thinking about J.G. Ballard

There''s a lot of talk about how the President and his administration are disconnected from the harsh truths of the world. But while I have always been liberal in my thinking, I've never believed that people with liberal ideal have a greater insight into the true workings of the world and people. Strong ideals have the capacity to hide as well as discover the truth.

...blah, blah, blah. The inspiration for this entry has faded. But the following links will give a great taste of the writer J.G. Ballard. It was these sites that got me thinking, and while I can't turn the thoughts into words, don't let that stop you from reading about this great, apocalyptic, technological writer.

And thanks to the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System's website, I'll be getting some of the books talked about.

"Apocalyptic Optimism?" It comes from the fact that the terrible things that happen to society in his books are so interesting to read about

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Guardian Unlimited Books | By genre | Age of unreason

Ballardian: The World of J.G. Ballard - Child of the Diaspora: Sterling on Ballard

The Porn that Lives in the Hallway & Yadda Yadda

With my wife's mom getting married for the third time, I have the apartment to myself until she returns. This mean reverting back to bachelor ways like eating Chinese takeout from Chinese Buddha and peanut-butter and potato-chip sandwiches (healthy and crunchy!)

But what does it really mean to be alone in the apartment?... watching porn. I see it every day, just waiting for me when I come home from work. But then I go inside my apartment and it stays outside. You see, my apartment building's hallways have been a strange repository of things. The coffee maker and fondue set have disappeared, leaving the bread-maker and coffee table to keep each other company. The newest addition was a DVD that appeared a few days ago under an endtable next to our door. Now living next to us, "Suga Bush vol. 5" When ever I come home, miniature pornstars peek at me underneath that little table.

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With my sweetie being away, I've got a list of tasks to work on in her absence. $20 in quarters are ready for laundry, which has been neglected because of a busy work schedule on our part. Fortunately, it's calming down for the both. G-Tech's spring break is coming up this week and we hope to do a roadtrip at the end of the week. We had hoped to do the trip earlier in the week, but a jury-duty summons ruined those plans. The court system has decided that both of us need to do our duty and I got a summons for April, which had been shaping up to be one of my busiest months work-wise. Now that is all up in the air as well.

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Random link: "Cénotaphe de Newton" a never-built memorial to Newton. A huge,round sphere with holes pierced throughout forming stars and constellations.

Found on BLDGBLOG, a new favorite site.

No Handicap Tags: Fat Cats at Play

I saw this while working last weekend.



And laughed.

Spring is Keeping Me Up: I Miss Sleep

The nice weather is getting our neighborhood blooming. I can't see the pollen and spores but I can feel them doing their evil deeds. It could be worse, just a simple cough. Maybe once every couple of minutes, all the time, around the clock. Sleep has been escaping me.

I'm trying to use my waking hours either continually cruising the internet or watching tv, all in hopes of exhausting my mind. Its not working. Come Thursday, I'll be working 9 days straight. I wish I could get some rest before those days.

I'll try to post something worth reading while I'm up.

More Things to Be Included in The Dreamhouse: Secret Passages

When you see the videos, you'll want to want a Hidden Passageway of your own.



It's just a shame that the Batman Shakespeare Bust Switch is no longer being made.

They Like Me, They Really Do...

... but, who are you, and why would I want to spend Sunday with you?



In other words, today is the day we let the populist riffraff (with nice clothes) mingle with us. I think I'll watch Jon Stewart do his thing and hang with my wife at home. Thanks, though for your thoughtful bulk email.

Found Weirdness: At Home and in Town

Weirdness, it's all around.

A few days after Valentines day I ran up the stairs heading towards the 3rd floor laundry room of our apartment building. At the top of the stairs was this collection of items...



Leather jacket
stuffed rose (just like a stuffed animal)
woman's bracelet
creative loafing
and a paperback book



On closer examination, the book turns out to be the "South Beach Diet".

It's like a presentation that CSI teachers would use to test their students, what can be deduced by looking at the items left at the top of the stairs. Caroline's deduction was that a breakup had taken place and that items had been chucked out of the apartment. My take on the situation was that a stakeout had taken place, and the object of ones affection had not come up the stairs. The reading material and the leftover token of affection is what seals it for me.

Second strange apartment collection #2, this time right outside our door...





Our hallway is taking on the appearance of a rather nice thrift store. A coffee table, with a collection of small kitchen appliances appeared a little while ago. This evening, new items were added to the small shelf unit that had always lived out there. Tonight's finds: coffee pot, a bread maker and a fondue set. We cherry picked the fondue set. It's not as exciting as the strangely large and appealing bird cage that we grabbed and brought inside.



Every day is an opening day and our hallway is adding new stock all the time.

Lastly, for those with a love of breath-takingly bad taste, I offer up this rust-colored, suede covered bedroom set, with built-in lights, and mirror-covered tops. It is in amazingly good shape and the best part is the bed's built-in AM/FM radio. Could be 8-track, but I can't be sure.





The bed and dresser were found at 14th Street Antiques (Google Map).