Odd Redneck.

"I wanna black coffee, with chocolate, and room on top for two shots of espresso."
He strutted around the counter, waiting for his drink to be made. He noticed my companion, and greeted her enthusiastically. I gathered, from their conversation that he is a painter, on his way to the art studio located below the coffee shop.
"My mom has a photo of me next to Janice Joplin. She says she's gonna take it to a film store an' get it blown up real big. I can't hang it in here – it needs barb-wire, an' rope, an' alarms," he said, waving his arms.
"Maybe you should keep it downstairs, in the studio, and don't let anyone see it, or know it's there," my friend suggested.
"Nah, I'd hang it up, so people could see it. I'd put it right up there," he said, pointing just above the counter, "real high, so no one could reach it. But I'm layin' with my head in her lap, and she's runnin' her fingers through my hair. It was on my mom's front porch."
"Write your book, Bubba," my friend said, repeating a suggestion made many times before. He said he was working on it.
I marveled at his stories, wondering how much of what he said might be based on fact.
He rocked back and forth as he spoke, and wore a raggedy, black polyester coat riddled with tears and leaking stuffing, and an equally damaged knit stocking cap. His hands were calloused, rough, and stained. He wore a silver ring on his third finger of his right hand, and two, on with an oversized blue stone, on the third and fourth fingers of his left. His smile was jagged, and one of his teeth, rotted.
"I got one leanin' up on Jimi Hendrix too." I shook my head in awe. "Yup, right on my mom's front porch. The town I grew up in lots a' artist would stop in. Even Jerry Garcia, an' his Dead Heads came to the farm a few times. I remember, he showed up with two busses one time," he continued, even including the year, as he had for both Ms. Joplin, and Mr. Hendrix. "Jerry Garcia wrote one quarter of his songs on my mom's farm. Yup, on his banjo. He wrote everything on banjo. That's why all the Grateful Dead songs have that rhythmic, folky style. I remember one day, no one could find him, an' I said 'Oh! he's down by the crick with his banjo!' An' that's where he wrote Sugar Magnolia," citing the year, once again.
He walked away to pay for his drink, and we shared speculation as to the truth of his tales, and whether they were exaggerations, or delusions.
"Hey!" he said to my friend, "if I throw you a few buckies, would you edit my book? 'Cause my spellin' is shot!"
"Tell you what," she responded, "you get me your book, and I'll see what I can do. I know some people who are really good at that kind of thing, so I might get them to do it instead, because my spelling isn't any good either."
"Did you graduate highschool?" he asked, leaning in.
"Yes I did."
"Then you're better than me. I quit school at ten years old, 'cause I thought I was cool, sittin' on my John Deere tractor, watchin' my brothers an' sisters go to school. 'See ya!'" He laughed. "My brother told me I would regret it, an' he was right."
He proceeded to tell us about all the jobs he couldn't get because he didn't have a highschool level education.
Eventually, he came to telling us that he's a redneck.
"But I'm an odd redneck."
"That's what you should call your book."
"Maybe I will. 'Odd Redneck.'"

I walked down the hall to the sound of a piano, hearing a beautiful, unfamiliar tune. I turned the corner to see an old man in a cowboy hat, absentmindedly, flawlessly playing this cheerful melody with twisted, arthritis riddled fingers. He finished the tune, completely unaware of my presence at the end of his piano, and slowly, achingly forced his way to his feet and walked away.

"Rock & roll is dying...

because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world, So they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be [trash] – therefore you should never try to be the biggest rock band in the world. F[orget] that! Rock & roll is the music I feel the most passionately about, and I don't like to see it f[rea]king ruined and spoon-fed down our throats in this watered-down, post-grunge crap, horrendous [trash]."

– Patrick Carney; drummer, The Black Keys

a) "Some of Nickelback's songs are really good!" Are you kidding me?! Every song is virtually identical, they just change the tempo, and rearrange the lyrics! "Well, obviously, people listen to them for their lyrics." You're not understanding me. Almost every song is about the same thing: drugs, sex, drinking, and being a superstar. They just re-state how awesome they are because they get laid, get free booze, and are given free drugs simply because they're rock stars. Occasionally they toss in a song about world peace or something, just for some variety.

b) Beck uses widely various influences in his music, and very few of his songs ever sound the same, or are the same style, but I haven't heard a single song that sounds anything like The Offspring – especially not the song Loser.

c) There is not much rap-rock that I enjoy, and to be perfectly honest, Rage Against the Machine is no exception. But that's really a matter of preference, not a matter of quality of music. In fact, I think RAtM is made up of outstanding musicians, and I think Tom Morello is one of the most unbelievable guitarists I've ever heard, and I love the music. I just don't like the rap part of "Rage."
That being said, "Hollywood Undead is a lot like Rage Against the Machine" is an unacceptable statement. Stylistically, sure, they both perform rock music with rap vocals, but that's like saying that Nickelback and Led Zeppelin are alike, or that Green Day and the Ramones are alike, or that the Black Eyed Peas and the Wu-Tang Clan are alike, or that John Mayer and Eric Clapton are alike. They just aren't.

d) It's "Smashing Pumpkins," not "The Smashing Pumpkins." And "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" is not their only album.

e) Eddie Vedder rocks. Yeah, in the '90s, he sang using the some of the most ridiculous grunge vocals of any grunge singer, but his lyrics are outstanding, Pearl Jam's music is awesome, and his solo work is amazing (partially because he toned down the grunginess in his vocals). Even in PJ's latest album "Backspacer," the grunge factor was significantly reduced.

f) Please stop trying to convince me to like Foo Fighters, or Green Day. I recognize their music shares many similarities with the stuff I do enjoy, but they both just irritate me.

g) Stop calling yourself a fan if you do not own two or more of a given artist's albums (unless they only have one so far). This is not a statement of purchase vs. bootleg. I don't really care how it is acquired, but you're not a fan of an artist if you only listen to, or enjoy one album. You can say "I really like them," or maybe even "I love them," but if you only like/listen to/know one album, you can call yourself a fan of that album. But a fan of that artist, you are not.

h) Folk/bluegrass music and country music are not the same. There are many differences, but the biggest is content. The only people I've ever met who really think they're the same, are people who don't listen to either. You can't say to a bluegrass fan "Hey, you would really like Carrie Underwood, because you like bluegrass," and you can't say to a country fan "Hey, you would really like Old Crow Medicine Show, because you like country." It just doesn't work that way.

i) Electronica is a legitimate form of music. Simply because you've heard nothing but obnoxious, repetitive, dance-club techno, doesn't mean that's all there is. Really. Give it a chance.

j) "Indie" is not a genre. "Indie" is short for independent. "Indie" artists, are either self recorded and unsigned, or are signed to an independent record label. "Indie" can refer to any genre, whether it be rock, hip-hop, folk, blues, metal, or even country. "Indie" does not even refer to the popularity of an artist; an artist can be "indie" no matter the popularity, as long as they are unsigned, or signed to an independent label.

k) I know I tease people pretty severely about their musical taste, but mostly it's just teasing, and I recognize that people's taste is mostly a matter of preference, and I'm rarely serious when I say that a person's tastes destroy their musical credibility – yes, even my friends who like Owl City, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Tom Petty, or even country music, are still my friends, and good people in spite of their terrible taste (again: joking... sort of) – unless I'm referring to Nickelback, Katy Perry, or some other horrendous, shallow drivel.

*Deep breath*

Oh! One more thing: the vinyl format is not obsolete.

Musical rant ended (for now).

Polska Bigos

I really like polish food.

A couple of years ago, as part of a graphic design project, I discovered that I like polish food, and I found this recipe for "Bigos," or Hunter's stew.
Several weeks ago (perhaps even a couple of months, or so), it was suggested that we have a "Russian potluck" for our New Year's eve celebration. I mentioned that I have a Polish stew recipe, so it became more of a Slavic themed meal (Rob made borscht, and it was delicious).

The recipe I found online is as follows:        

• One 33 ounce jar of Sauerkraut
• One Savoy Cabbage
• Two pounds beef
• Two pounds pork
• One pound of breakfast sausage
• ½ pound smoked bacon
• One pound Kielbasa
• One onion
• One SMALL can of Tomato paste or sauce*
• 3 to 5 Bay Leaves
• salt, pepper, oil

I modified it a little, and this is what I put in the pot in the end:

• 12 ounces smoked, thick sliced bacon
• 28 ounces kielbasa
• Two pounds beef
• Two pounds pork
• One 32 ounce jar of sauerkraut
• One cabbage
• Three onions
• Two potatoes
• Two cups pearled barley
• 3 to 5 Bay Leaves
• 2-3 cups Vodka

I eyeballed how much water I would need (sorry, didn't think to take a pic of that), added the vodka, brought it to a boil, and threw in the potatoes. After trimming as much of the fat as I could from the beef and pork (I made sure I bought enough that it would still be around two pounds of meat after trimming), I browned all the meat (browning the kielbasa is very important; without this the slices would dissolve into the stew), seasoning the pork and beef with sea salt, black pepper, dill weed (lots of this), rosemary, and a little basil. Then I sautéed the onions in the leftover grease from the meats, seasoning it in the same way, and threw it all in the pot, with the cabbage and sauerkraut.

Kielbasa

Beef  [Sorry, I forgot to take shots of the pork and bacon]

Onion

I put about a teaspoon of fennel seeds in a tea ball, and tossed that too. Then I threw in the barley, and let it simmer on the lowest heat possible for six to seven hours.

Bigos

Bigos should be served with a dollop of sour cream. I apologize for not getting a photo of the presentation, but I was a little too busy eating this delicious meal.


*The absence of tomato paste in my recipe was entirely accidental, and I would have added it right after the onions, if I had remembered. Next time I try it, I'll have to remember to add the tomato paste, and let you know how it turns out.

Fourth Season

Mamiya/Sekor 500DTL, with original
Mamiya/Sekor 50mm 1:2 lens, Tamron Adaptall
80-210mm 1:3.8 tele/macro lens, Asahi Pentax
accessory shoe, and Minolta Auto 28 flash

All of the photos in this album were taken using the Mamiya/Sekor 500DTL and accessories pictured. With this batch, I started experimenting with lower speed film. Some of the shots taken with 200ASA film are fairly obvious, and I believe for the time being, I'm going to return to 400-800ASA, because most of the photos I take are either lower light, or action, and a higher ASA is needed.
Despite the grainier quality in many of these, I think this is my favourite batch of film yet, including the album, "Emery's First."
Please view the full albums below. I'd love to hear your feeback.

Fourth Season.

Emery's First.

Also, please take a look at my other albums, and tell me what you think:

First Fruits.

Second Crop.

Third String.

Doomsday.

“We are living in a day when one problem follows another. And when it comes to trying to recognize the truth of prophesy, we’re finding that it is very, very difficult. Why didn’t Christ return on October 21? It seems embarrassing for Family Radio. But God was in charge of everything. We came to that conclusion after quite careful study of the Bible. He allowed everything to happen the way it did without correction. He could have stopped everything if He had wanted to. I am very encouraged by letters that I have received, and am receiving at this time concerning this matter. Amongst other things, I have been checking my own notes more carefully than ever, and I do find that there is other language in the Bible, that we still have to look at very carefully, and will impinge upon this question very definitely, and we should be very patient about this matter; at least in a minimum way, we are learning to walk more and more humbly before God. We’re ready to cry out and weep before God, ‘Oh Lord! you have the truth, we don’t have it! You have the truth!’ And… this is another place, where we have to cry out for this.

There’s one thing that we must remember: God is in charge of this whole business and we are not. What God wants to tell us is His business. When he wants to tell us is His business. In the meanwhile, God is allowing us to continue to cry to him for mercy – Oh, my! how we need his mercy! – and to continue to wait on Him. God has not left us. God is still God. But we have to be very careful that we don’t dictate to God what he should do. In our search in the Bible we must continue to look to the Bible, look to the Bible, because that is where Truth comes from, and God, in his own time table, and in his own purposes, will reveal truth to us when it’s His time to do it.

In any case, we do not have to have a feeling of calamity, or a feeling that God has abandoned us; we are simply learning – and sometimes it’s painful to learn. We are learning how God brings his messages to mankind, and my, my, we have claimed to be children of God, and therefore we, as we search the Bible, are bound to feel the darts of the Lord, as sometimes he gives us the truth, and sometimes he gives us something that causes us to wait further upon him.

Whatever we do, we must not feel for a moment that we have been abandoned by God, that He is no longer helping us or interested in us. Oh, my! what an encouragement it is to be able to go to the Lord again and again: ‘Oh Lord, I don’t know anything! Lord, You teach me!’ And that’s the attitude that has to be part of each one of us. And God will not abandon us. He will provide. But, we have to be just very careful that we don’t dictate to him when that has to happen.

Incidentally, I have been told that I had said back in May that people who did not believe that May 21 should be the Rapture date probably had not become saved. I should not have said that, and I apologize for that. One thing we know for certain, that God is merciful – merciful beyond anything that we would ever expect – and so we can pray constantly, and should be praying constantly, ‘Oh Lord, we look to thee for thy mercy, and we’re so thankful that we know that thou art so merciful!’ How wonderful to know that God is still on the throne, that He is king of kings and lord of lords, and that He hears every one of our prayers. And let’s not hesitate. Let’s be, if anything, let’s be praying more than ever for God’s mercy and keep praying and God will provide. But, God is in charge and we must always keep that in mind."

– Harold Camping

October 28, 2011

What then shall we say?

That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Third String

Left: Mamiya ZE-2 Quartz, c1980; Mamiya/Sekor 500DTL, c1968

The following photos were taken using the Mamiya/Sekor 500DTL, using an original Mamiya/Sekor 50mm 1:2 lens, and a Tamron Adaptall 80-210mm 1:3.8 tele/macro lens, and the Mamiya ZE-2, using an original Mamiya/Sekor E 50mm 1:2 lens, and an Osawa MC 80-205mm 1:4.5 tele/macro lens.
Both lenses for the ZE-2 have some dirt inside them, which I knew when I bought it, but I wanted to see how they would turn out, thinking it might add an interesting effect to the exposure. This was true with a few of them, but for the most part, the shots were either cloudy, under-exposed, or even un-exposed. These will, therefore, be easily singled out. I have temporarily stopped using the ZE-2, until I can get the lens cleaned (if at all possible).
I have fallen in love with the 500DTL. The lenses are clear, sharp, and the shutter and aperture are perfect. My only complaint is that the lenses are attached using a screw-mount. This makes changing lenses with speed almost impossible. But otherwise, it is nearly perfect.
Please follow the link(s) at the bottom, to see more, and – as always – please leave feedback, either here, or in the albums themselves.

First-Fruits

Second Crop

Third String

-zh