tantramar

The Lives Of Others

This hand-painted bull and matador caught my attention (and earned my pound coin) the other week at a Dalston flee market. The vendor eyed me up curiously, thinking I suspect, that I was mad.

The painting resided on the cover of a photo album containing (mostly) what look to be the holiday snaps of a couple (in love) from I'm guessing around 1940. It's a charming collection of the things they saw and what they got up to in Spain.

It's a terrible shame that this album has strayed from the family that created it. Perhaps the relatives in question no longer care or perhaps it was lost in a move or house repossession. Anyhow, I have rescued it from a being a victim of landfill.

Looking though the pictures I couldn't help but imagine about who this couple were and what their lives might have been like. Plus the guy was a table tennis player, I think I we would've been buddies .

Where would we be without our imaginations? Such a powerful feature of the human mind. You can find all the pictures on my Flickr set, naturally.

Enjoy.

Empty

Things are slow on here right now. Sorry. I have just moved house and having no internet at home is like living in the dark ages...

Slow Progress

I had some posts planned but they required photos and my camera now only does this:

It may take me a minute to get a new camera! Does anyone have any camera recommendations? Somewhere between a compact and an SLR. I'd like the ability to add an external flash and lots of manual options...

Mine Enemy

I hate my bank, Barclays... a lot. Going into a branch as I have to every now and then is without contest my worst customer experience anywhere, anytime.

I'm also fundamentally against Usury and therefore banking as a concept. So after I had been queuing for 20 minutes (to pay a tax bill) can you imagine how I felt when I saw this:

The quote is by Barnum, the famous American showman and circus chap. After all the damage banking has done in this world it irks me that Barlclays joke about this. I hate Barclays.

Friday = Fun Stuff

Someone said recently they missed all the fluff on my blog. (There used to be more). So in the interest of people not doing any work on Friday here's some rad stuff I've stumbled across this week:

The biggest dog sculpture you ever saw by Yoshitomo Nara at the Aomori museum:

A permanently on Mexican toggle switch at the New York shop Kiosk and an awesome poster also at Kiosk:

A little beavering toy by Jeremy Fish:

I learned what a whatnot was; an extra in The Muppets and I discovered the genius of the make your own (Whatnot) Muppet kit:

And yes, Donkey Kong Jenga!!!

The Simonsound mix CD. It's a collection of tracks that inspired the group Simonsound, who apparently are about to release their debut record.

It's a great collection of obscure bleepy electro Moog sounds and 1960s & 70s psyche from France and Russia. You can hear a bit on the Phonica site.

I hope that distracted you from doing some work.

A Reason To Grow

Sometimes people ask me why I have mustache. I find this a stupid question but it annoys me further that I don't have an answer. But now I think I have one.

I greatly enjoy reading about various extreme elements of cultures. I find the fringes are where all the gold is, the most interesting cultural or behavioural activities lie for me in the unusual or the hardcore. The mainstream has never produced anything worthy after all, the source is always more fulfilling, before whatever it is has been watered down and its beauty destroyed.

And as such, I like reading about Samurai beliefs and culture. I've been dipping in and out of Hagakure (the book of the Samurai) for about 5 years now. Near the back there is a passage that caught my eye about mustaches:

The warriors of old cultivated mustaches, for as proof that a man had been slain in battle, his ears and nose would be cut off and brought to the enemy's camp.

So that there would be no mistake as to weather the person was a man or a woman, the mustache was also cut off with the nose. At such a time the head was thrown away if it had no mustache, for it might mistaken for that of a woman. Therefore, growing a mustache was one of the disciplines of a Samurai so that his head would not be thrown away upon his death.

So there you have it, I have a mustache so that when I'm slain in battle you'll know I was a man. I'd maybe hope there would be another way of knowing... but better to be safe than sorry.

A New Blog Design

 

Yup, this how I'm feeling about now

A Short Pause

Apologies for lack of activity, I'm knee deep in stuff, at the minute and we all know how time consuming stuff is.

Beyond The Guerilla Store

Beyond the Valley have rented this extra shop just behind Carnaby Street for 10 days. It's a sale shop as you can see. They have an interesting idea though. On the first day, this Friday (22nd August) everything will cost £30, then each day everything will drop by £5 per day until they run out of things.

Vacant Joy

I'm told by a friend of mine that there's quite a trend in Japan of taking pictures of empty buildings. There's a bunch of nice pictures on the site. There's something very intriguing about derelict buildings. I always find myself wondering what they were used for and who occupied them.

I like questions that I'll never know the answer to. It's an excuse for imagination to play more.

Calming Feeling

It's funny what can please you inadvertently.
I feel a calming force today, my Twitter account is perfectly balanced.
Suddenly everything is alright. And if it's not, listen to this track by Bonnie Prince Billy, then it will be...

'You Want That Picture'

A True Fashion Victim

Kids aren't the true fashion victims, it's little guys like this. He had no say over what colour co-ordination he was given. His owner liked pink and black check so he was then forced to wear it. I think he might have preferred paisley. Spare a thought today for the true victims of fashion.

Just A Little Kitty

Ok, so I'm a bit soppy and it is kinda cheesy but damn I loved this story.

Magic Buttons

I think all buttons are magic. You push a button, something happens, that's great. Simplicity rules.