Ah, if it weren't poor form in the extreme to air my family's laundry in public (so to speak), the tales I could unfold... or rather, my "side" of the tales I could unfold... my house... has come... unglued...
*sigh*
Well, only one thing to do! Yep... Art Night!
First is a Portuguese artist named Alexandre F. who goes by the street moniker Vhils... he does a type of street art I haven't seen before. He goes to brick walls that have been either painted over or covered in... what? Like a plaster coating of some kind? Anyway, he chips away at the paint/plaster to reveal the brick beneath, in ways that look like portraits, etc.
Well, here, take a look... click to see better!
Here's a close-up....
How cool is that? Here's the link to his website, with more galleries, if this piques your interest...
Next, we have a series of shots similar to the optical illusion 3D sidewalk chalk art I post pics of now and then... only the artist has drawn onto facing pages of spiral sketchbooks, such that when they're propped open at the right angle, it looks... well... awesome...
Please click to enlarge, so you can see the detail better. Haven't been able to track down the artist yet... if I do, I'll edit it in here.
Next is a cool piece of graffiti art by a NY street artist (of some renown) named "Cope"...
Hmm... I was trolling images looking for more work by this guy, since that portrait of Bruce Lee is amazing... and I find hundreds of photos of Cope's artwork... and all of it is just of his name sprayed on various walls, all cool and cartoony like that... which makes me wonder if he even did the portrait part, or if it is a collaboration of some kind...
Ah, well, in any case, it's awesome, I think...
Here's another cool bit of Graffiti before I move on...
So there's this whole subculture of art that revolves around carving books into sculptures of different kinds. It's a surprisingly diverse artform, and some of the results are spectacular...
And this next artist is a bit more abstract in his approach. His name is Brian Dettmer...
His website is fun to browse through, if this floats yer boat...
I better bring this to a close... I could post sand sculptures, ice sculptures, sidewalk art, bonsai trees, glassworks, cool steampunk stuff, and I'd be going all night...
I'll just post a way-cool comic strip drawn by a five-year-old and be done with it...
Quite a bit happening this past couple days. Will any of it be even remotely interesting? We shall see! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
First, I saw the new Amazing Spiderman movie on Friday night, with my friend Carey and his brother Kelly (whom I haven't seen in, like, forever). Carey slept through most of it, which is what I should have done as well. I'm not saying it wasn't worth watching... it's worth watching one time, in 3D if you can. But the pacing is slow, it's full of campy dialog and acting, the casting is missed across the board, and it is predictable, as well as full (and I mean FULL) of moments where you go, "wait... what?"
Martin Sheen and Sally Field are cast as Uncle Ben and Aunt May... sounds good on paper, right? I've heard of actors trying to upstage and one-up each other...what would the opposite of that be called? One-down? Each scene they were in, it's like they were battling to see who could be more awkward. I don't blame them - I don't think either of them were right for the roles. And then there's the new Peter Parker, also reeking of "square peg, round hole". And the platinum blonde love interest. The whole cast was awkward.
But there were good things about it. Some cool visuals, some cool concepts. At one point, Spidey is crawling around on the big lizard villain, wrapping it up in web like a real spider would, instead of just shooting the webbing at it like in the other movies. Like, up and over the shoulder, down his back, under the legs, around the tail, real fast, wrapping him up in web... it was pretty cool. But really, those moments were outnumbered 50-to-1 by scenes that were just overdone, including (especially?) the retarded climax. I'd blame the director, but his name is Marc Webb - I kid you not. I mean, who else could they have got to direct that film? Nobody.
Bottom line, it brings nothing new to the table, as far as the franchise, and thus is a completely pointless movie. It didn't need to be made. I'd give it a 6 out of 10. The movie's tagline is "The Untold Story". It should have remained untold...
Next, our business websites were hacked and infected with virussy nastiness! Our main business site, my sister's rug blog and her new site she put up for her new business venture. What a mess. There's a solution, but it isn't cheap... but hopefully, we'll be back up and running again soon, and with stronger security measures in place. It's an odd feeling... like being violated or robbed or something... anyway, all three sites were built using the WordPress platform, which apparently is open-source, so vulnerabilities are hiding in there, for those that know where to look.
So, what happens when you wrap 500 rubber bands around a watermelon?
Melon shrapnel everywhere!!!1!
Next, my Oldest Daughter and her new husband had a reception-type party at the church today, so her friends, co-workers and various relatives could come and wish them well on their future together. We fed everyone lasagna, pizza and salad, played some oldies, and basically made it comfortable for everyone to visit for a couple hours... until the bat showed up! Yes, our church has been battling a bat infestation for the past couple months... they keep finding ways into the attic, and then into the sanctuary. One made an appearance, flying around the sanctuary and freaking people out... but Tony D. and Lisa J. teamed up to corral it out the back door (mostly using a broom and luck), and the festivities continued. There had been an exterminator out earlier in the day today, and killed/captured about 20 or so of the little buggers. He's coming again tomorrow, to get any stragglers, so they don't show up during the church service! As we cleaned the church up after the party, three more made an appearance... bats... *shudder*
Lastly, I'm reading a book called "Chosen" by an author named Jolea Harrison... it's another author whose career has been given a boost by the digital publishing boom... it's an interesting mix of Fantasy and Sci-Fi that I haven't run across before. I know I haven't read everything out there, but I have read quite a bit over the past few years. Haven't seen anything quite like it. The story is good, and is well-written to boot. It has its share of tropes, but they're handled well -- nothing wince-inducing (yet). I'm about 60% through it at the moment - look for a review from me soon. Here is the author's site, and here is the related GoodReads page. And actually, it's free at Amazon at the moment...
One more video and I'm out. This has been making the rounds the past two days. If you've seen it already, I'm sorry for being a band-wagoner. If you haven't seen it, it's very cool. This guy filmed himself talking to his "future self" back when he was a kid (20 years earlier), and now has recorded himself answering/interacting with himself, editing them together to make a conversation out of it. It's very cool. (One quick little s-bomb at the 0:40 mark)
That's quite creative. Me likey.
OK, that's enough nonsense for now. I hope your weekend is going well (or went well, depending on when you read this).
Tonight's post is brought to you by the phrase "Awwww!"
Yes, I'm playing the "cute" card for this post... I will post content that shamelessly plucks your heartstrings! Prepare for blatant emotional manipulation!
Hey, at least I'm warning you ahead of time!
First, a candid snapshot of a US Soldier reading a kids' book to his child via a webcam in an airport somewhere...
Come on... how awesome is that? If that isn't the coolest picture you've seen all week, I'll eat my mouse. Simultaneously heart-warming and heart-breaking. It rates a full 10 on the Awww Scale.
Next, we combine a cute kid, a cute cat and a swing...
Admit it... when you saw it, you said "awww", right? Come on, admit it... How heartless of me to so shamelessly maneuver you like that! It borders on the criminal! Rates a 9 on the Aww Scale, I think...
OK, next, a video....
Of course, there are very few things cuter than Maru jumping into and out of a box. You know this, I know this... we all know this...
As much as I love Maru, I'd say that video rates about a 7.5 on the Awww Scale...
Next, the written prayers of young kids! I'll post two batches for you, since one isn't enough...
I have two more pages... I'll save them for another post, otherwise you might be overwhelmed by the sheer Awww of it all. How cool are those prayers? Kids are awesome.
I'd rate those a full 10 on the Awww Scale.
OK, before your hearts are full to capacity, I have one more quick video to make the experience complete...
Cue the iguana!
Come on, you had to know this whole post was a set-up for the iguana fart clip... you know me better than that by now...
I'd give that clip a 1.75 on the Awww Scale...
Well, I suppose you all hate me now... first, for the excessive Awww-ness... then for pulling the rug out... ah, well, we do what we do because we must....
OK, we've covered how to make all of the more common mixed drinks and cocktails, so now we transition into a few of the more obscure ones. This one is called a "Well-Worn Path". So, on that rare occasion when one of Dave's fans comes into the pub and orders this, here's what you do.
First, start with 20 ounces of Caramel Macchiato (2% milk, espresso, vanilla syrup and caramel). Pour it into the blender, like this. OK, now we need to toss in a barely-interesting personal observation, as a thickening agent... here, this one will work...
"Summertime! And today was Sunday. A summer Sunday! Plus, a nap! It was wonderful, every minute of it. Yes, I've said it before, but it bears repeating, if only to stress the legitimacy of the thought: my Sunday nap is quickly becoming the highlight of my week. I think it mostly stems from my inability to get to bed before 2am every night, then getting up at 8... string a few '5-to-6 hours of sleep' nights in a row and by Sunday, I need an hour or two to recoup. Man, getting a twin bed in my office was a great idea. We got it for Mother-In-Law's visit last December, and kept it in here after she returned home again. Good move. Yes, I realize that there is a never-ending stream of things to fret about, both in my personal life and out there in the scary, real world... but dadgummit, I love my nap time."
OK, I guess that will work. Not the best choice; it's a rather stale take, but for instructional purposes, it will serve. Now, add in two-to-three Funny Pictures. I keep them here, under the bar, near the extra bottles of gin. Go ahead, pick out a couple...
OK, a comic strip will work fine, I suppose. Not the ideal choice, but really, most people who order this drink won't care. It doesn't affect flavor too much, especially if you mix in a strong-enough video clip. But we need another pic. Grab another.
Hmm... I get it... Mr. T = Mr. Tea.... It's clever, sort of... but we might need something with a bit more of a kick...
Man, you like those comic strips, don't you... OK, no, that's fine. It certainly is funny enough, in an absurd way. I can see why Dave stashed that one; it fits his sense of humor perfectly.
OK, go ahead and blend those together with the nap story and the macchiato. Good, good. Now take the lid off and toss in a video clip. For best results, it needs to be amusing, or amazing.
Hmm... well, yeah, I can see the appeal... a mash-up of golf and military shooter video games, not bad. Has some good ideas and dialog.
Out of curiosity, what would your second choice be?
Gahh! Seriously? Naader consuming 6 pounds of nacho cheese sauce in under 4 minutes? Whoever gets this drink would be able to taste that, for sure. No, definitely, we'll use the golf clip.
OK, at this point you can either mix in ice, give it a final blend and serve, or you can sprinkle other things in. Well, like a random theological observation. I keep those there, in that drawer. Grab one off the top there. What? Oh yeah, I forgot I keep that drawer locked. Here, lemme unlock it. OK, go ahead and grab one.
"I've been wrestling with the idea of worship again. I mean, I understand the idea of being grateful to God for what He's done, for who He is and for what He's made available to us, as far as opportunities, etc., but I still have no idea why He'd want people (either masses of them or individual ones) to literally bow down and worship Him. I can't imagine wanting that kind of adoration. I certainly can't picture myself ever wanting another person to fall at my feet and worship me, going on and on about how awesome I am and how unworthy he/she is... granted, in my head, I know the answer is likely that God actually deserves it, so it's right to go that far with it... but it still doesn't make sense to me that He would not just appreciate but require that type of 'fall on your face before me and tell me how much you love me' type of adoration. Again, I'm not taking a shot at Him, or saying I don't love/appreciate Him... I just don't get the whole 'on your face, bowing and scraping' part."
Hmm. Yeah, that one might not go over too well. It seems to me it would be too easily misunderstood. Like it's a red flag that Dave's backsliding or something. It could ruin the flavor of the whole drink. Let's not put that in. Maybe get a book recommendation or a website to check out or something... yeah, like that Lifehacker article there. Throw that in...
Top Ten Clever Hacks For Things You Thought Were Trash
Good. OK, I think we're ready to blend and serve. There, taste that. What do you think? Yeah, well, some people really like it, for some reason. It's light, has an odd, nutty flavor, gives a quick buzz, and tastes good with beef jerky tacos. Why? Do you think it's missing something? Such as?
