Westward Ho

Yeah, we are pulling stakes again.

Taking the Oregon Trail.
Not right this minute, but soon enough.


So, the posting will be a little light for a bit.


Maybe I will use some of those mobile options more...

Important

Minimalism

Talking about the interior design form of minimalism.

Not the artistic movement, or genre, or whatever the heck you care to classify thusly.

No, I am getting at the whole "simplify your life" jumbo.
Declutter, pare down, yadda yadda...

Big picture, modern vernacular "minimal" lifestyle stuff, I guess is what we are hashing over in this post.

I think all of that is fine for some folks, but it also has always had a false ring.
Couldn't quite figure out why.

Then, I spot this piece from the Guardian, which got right to it with this statement:

Because let’s be clear about what the minimalist aesthetic, at least as a personal style choice, actually is: it’s a way of aping the connotations of simplicity and even, to a degree, asceticism, without actually having to give up those sweet, sweet class signifiers.

I usually don't post/link things I think aren't worth your time, as a read.
If nobody in your circle has busted out "minimal" jargon in casual conversation, you can probably skip this link and go dust your collection of knik-knaks.


There has been some purging going on around here, with the impending move.
It is a strange thing, as a person who covets odd objects.
Bits of ephemera that conjure memories or thoughts.
Trinkets that have been deemed "art" because of some random doodle.
I have piles of that around.

Yet I love a clean, minimal aesthetic, in my head.


Probably two decades ago, I declared that I could never live with my minimal intentions.

At this point, I don't know if I want to...

Gixxer

Well, power plant part, at least...
Is Gixxer.


That looks like a lot of fun.

Fun in both the garage tinkering and road riding categories...

That Time of Year

Happy 327.

Right

Cool Pool

Yeah, this is a random thing I just found interesting.

All of those stairs captured my imagination.
The effort involved, the math, all of that...


So I did the reverse image search and it turns out the premise is pretty interesting as well.

You can get the highlights here.

Believe

You know you want to...

Hi

Cool

Cool, or rather, ice cold...

Blarney

Changes

So, yeah, my own changes have occupied my mind lately...
Blocking out some other news.

But I just read that Local 121 is closing.

It's the first place I ate a meal in the Ocean State.
And it was a fine meal...


I suppose, perhaps, it ran it's course?
The food there was great.
Lovely as a venue, either for dining...
Or the music, or finding a cocktail to cap an evening.

Really, just look at that bar...

Admittedly, we tapered off on it as a destination.
The chef changed and with it the menu.
Still a great menu, just not always the right stuff for us, maybe.


Anyway, a salute to this establishment...

If you missed it, it seems you have missed out.

Here

This is important, you should see it.

Turn

Withe

Just putting this out there...

I think "withe" should be an acceptable substitute for "with the"


That is what comes from my fingers, nearly every time I type "with the" and I think you should just go along with it.

Time

These guys have a new album dropping, I guess.


Thinking about that, about this band, it occurs to me that the first time I saw these guys was nearly thirty years ago.

Cripes man...

Landscape

Well, that is pretty genius,




More here.

Death Panels

You know, after all these years with the GOP trashing the Affordable Care Act, railing about how broken it is...

Pointing out that Obamacare has Death Panels.
Death Panels who will decide when the health care for your grandparents costs too much...
Death Panels that will force you to pull the plug on loved ones...

I am kinda surprised that the newly announced replacement for the ACA does not include any mention of the repeal of that whole Death Panel enterprise.
That seems like something Republicans would talk about getting rid of, after so many years talking it up.


Does that mean that the Death Panels are actually OK, after all...

Or does that mean that they never existed in the first place?

Low

How about an Impala pic?

43

So this actually exists...

W's book of portraits he painted of 9/11 era veterans.


Let's just skip the political aspects of this whole situation for moment, huh...


I actually kinda like these.
I will admit it...
The use of light and the strange way the visual plane seems to twist.
Sort of an expressionists, fun house mirror thing going on.


Anyway, you can get it here.

Proceeds go to help vets, so there is that.

Wieners

Tired of thinking about, well, whatever?

Need a mental break?


How about an article on the history of the chili dog?

The chili dog’s story is actually many stories: not only one about American fast food and appetites, but also about American industrialization, immigration, and regionalism. And each component—the hot dog, the chili, even where we eat chili dogs—adds another twist.

This could actually some melange of thinking about American ideals, as well.
If you think about it...
Only with some chili dog history as background.

Maybe.



Another link.

Go West

It is that season, again...


We are pulling stakes and following the Oregon trail westward.

This time to the middle of that state.

Anyway...

Wish us luck.