... a wedding that we attended last week. A cousin of mine finally - finally - decided to make an honest man out of her honest boyfriend. (Ok, it must be said that they've had an apparently wonderful relationship for many years - some wondered why they would risk that by tying the knot, but, oh, well.....).
Said cousin not only has some reknown for being an accomplished worm rancher *, but has two wonderful children who managed to blow into town long enough to pay their respects (and create some extra fun for the event!)
When we arrived at the church in downtown Napa, we were greeted by a member of the wedding party, who was wearing a brilliant multi-colored tutu and carrying a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers. (It's ok, it was Cousin's daughter, a social worker currently working socially in San Francisco.) As I leaned in to offer my greetings, a strange sensation overcame me: the bouquet was vigorously licking my hand ! Imagine my relief when I ascertained that, built into the bouquet was her pet chihuahua, Chula! (I had secretly feared that some of the flowers in the bouquet might have been carnivorous - ya never know with this bunch!)
The service itself was mellowly punctuated by the Bonner Bell Choir, and raucously punctuated by laughter, most of it coming from the Bride and Groom. (Hecksakes, considering how long they've known each other, they likely have more fodder for laughter about the whole thing than anybody else in attendance.)
The reception was held, at great personal risk, at their house out in the Napa Valey countryside, and it was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with some family members that we don't often see, many from far out of town (and some just plain far out.) The food was a real highlight, creatively prepared by a Brazilian chef, a friend of the bride. (more on this to follow.) The wine was strictly local stuff. (Remember, this is the heart of America's premier wine country, so exactly none of it is swill. If you want to dispute this last statement, click here.)
Simply put, it was a wonderful, inspiring day, and we wish the happy couple many years of continued bliss!

Not bloody likely!
I can still remember the last time that I was bored. I was about 14*, and sitting there with my chin in my hands and obvious facial signs of adolescent intellectual funk, when my father came into the room and asked me what the problem was.

"I'm bored," said I, committing probably the biggest mistake of that year.

"Oh, bored, are ya? Follow me," he commanded, and I did.

Although it probably didn't, it seemed like it took the rest of that summer to finish prepping and painting that fence.

And I haven't been bored for as much as a nanosecond since then.

Happy Father's Day, Pop! (and thanks!)

* the hike is named after Pedro Fages, a member of the Portola expeditions of 1769 and 1770 (and later explored the SF Bay region himself), and is faithfully held the first saturday of every June.
If you decide to Google his name, be extra careful in your spelling, and beware of spellingso-called 'help.' Setting the filter to 'Safe' might even be a good idea. You have been warned.

Not that the Maker Faire is that tough, it's just that we love it so much and want to see all of it and do all of it all at once all the time! (and while trying to demo glass beadmaking all the while...)
And, despite what you might have heard, for a while many of the people there were convinced that The Rapture actually had happened as predicted, and that we actually were in heaven after all! (and, to further enhance the experience, late in the afternoon of saturday, some joker laid out some empty clothes, socks and shoes in the middle of the concourse, as though they had ben recently vacated.)
Ok, so maybe it sounds like we're overselling it (but we're not) but Maker is about our favorite show of the year. Following our usual appearance demonstrating for throngs of interested students on about the wildest field trip that one can imagine (aka Education Day - and we got two Education Day Awards, including an Editor's Choice!) we found ourselves in a new location - a glass community: A Real Home! We were neighbors with our ol' pal Jenine Bressner and Dave Nutty, he of the vitrigraph (and other crazy things) reputation.
As always, there were any number or strange vehicles zooming about, including a small house, complete with pink lawn flamingo and a "Foreclosure Sale' sign, and the perennial favorites, the Muffin Cars. Our neighborhood was located just outside the TechShop barn, and right next to the radio controlled warship society's Battle Pond. (and, cruelly, just downwind from some scrumptious barbecue....)
Our Nightside Studio colleague Casey Storm accompanied us, and gave the whole show a 'thumbs up.'

Far too much else to go into in this tiny space, but, as alwas, we can't wait until next year's Faire!

... is because I don't need one of these.
We're talking about Hangover Cures - what well-recognized authority W.C. Fields called "The Dread 11 O'clock Menace."
Lou Grant (of television fame) described a hangover as a situation where "you would have to rally in order to die."
Knowledgeable parties have also referred to it as "when the moonshine meets the sunshine."

Some folks claim that the "hair of the dog that bit you" is the best bet, altho, frankly, I've never much cared for a mouthful of hair when feeling a bit peaked. My dear bride's aunt used to serve her husband a breakfast of "two aspirins and a beer" on those "special mornings" that seemed to only come around about seven times a week.

A San Francisco socialite (whose name escapes me right now) claimed that his favorite remedy was to "walk neck deep into the surf while wearing a tuxedo," altho he admitted that it really didn't do much more than give you something to do while you're trying not to die.
Broadway Danny Rose's (of the Woody Allen movie renown) recipe for a sure-fire hangover cure has never really been deciphered, altho it has been noted to contain goat cheese and chicken fat." The remainder remains a mystery, perhaps for the better.
Personally, being able to weakly sip some V8 juice along about sundown has been a lifesaver more than once.

If you have a favorite lifesaver as above, be sure to let us know. we'd love to try an alternative (especially if it really works!)

Meanwhile, here's something that we're pretty sure Jeeves whipped up for Bertie:

A Pick Me Up

In a wine glass, Old Fashioned glass, or any container suitable for human use, place 1 raw egg yolk *.
Add to this about 1 tablespoon (yes, that much!) of Worcestershire sauce (we use the low-sodium version) and add a few grinds of fresh black pepper, if the noise isn't too dreadful.
Top this up with about an ounce of Port wine (even a cheap one will do; maybe it's even preferable.) Popular lore suggests downing this all at once, without breaking the yolk, but a broken yolk is better than no yolk at all, and can even taste good.
Anyway, once you have managed to get this down, grit your teeth and let out a suitable unintelligible noise. At this point, you can sit back down with a cool cloth over your eyes until the unpleasantness goes away. Even if that takes until next year.

Wow, what's going on Down There?

Just as I finished listening to another wonderful Bill Bryson book, "Down Under" (the first of his books about Australia) I started getting a lot of eyeball orders from the Other Side Of The World. (Ok, in fairness, from Australia's point of view we're the Other Side of the World, if slightly inside of it.) Sweden, too, altho I can't think of any catchy term for that corner of the planet. Readers?
Well, anyway, "Down Under" is, as usual, an entertaining look at being a tourist adrift in an interesting country / continent / whatever. Much in the vein of Mark Twain's "Innocents Abroad," Bryson's tome* is a light-hearted and rather affectionately presented account of a land far too huge for taking in in just one gulp.
My one gripe: no mention whatsoever of opal mining. Next time, maybe.
Nevertheless, I heartily recommend it, unless you have fresh stitches that might blow apart from laughter.
(and we'll be checking for opals in his followup "In A Sunburned Country.")

Meanwhile, we're getting fired up for the upcoming Maker Faire in just a couple of weeks, yipes! Hope to see ya there!

Looks like (even more) fun ahead.....

....and who could expect that, with all of the hot jazz, hokum and hilarity * that we have experienced of late....?

April has been awash with teaching gigs (at the Crucible), testing gigs at the Med school, family get-togethers, ISGB NorCal meetings, prepping for the Maker Faire, and that annual rite of passage for Boy Scouts of all ages: Camporee!
As has been the case for several years now, the MDSC Herms District has graciously been allowed to use the Lake Berryessa Oak Shores facility by the Bureau of Reclamation. (Now, who says that your tax dollars don't getcha anything....?) Of course, the Scouts are always good for some service projects, and this year the BoR got quite a bit of trash cleanup and non-native vegetation removal in the bargain. Way to go, Scouts! With Star Wars as its theme, the competitive events covered all of the usual scout stuff, but with an intergalactic twist (and the Cord On Blue (sic) competitive cook-off dishes were decidedly out of this world!)

And now, this: the annual Saw Players Picnic (and Musical Saw World Championship!) has the date set for this year! Huzzah! I will be there in my usual capacity as official photographer. Dunt esk how I happened to wind up in this role....just click on the image above to find out how to get there & don't miss it!

* which just happens to also be the title of a terrific Jellyroll Morton album - don't miss Wilton Crawley's clarinet solos!

Wow, three wild shows in one week! (Luckily we were only working one of them.)

The first one was the Nova Albion steampunk show in Santa Clara. Quite a treat for the eyes, and still gave your mind a few hearty things to chew on.
If you're not familiar with the Steampunk genre, go ahead and Google it, I Dare You!

The second was The Crucible's Open House just this last saturday. Amid a crowd of about 700 people (word is getting out, folks, so don't miss out!) were Fire Dancers, Aerialists, Jugglers and the usual assortment of Flameworkers, Hot Shop Glass Blowers, Jewelers, Blacksmiths, Welders and the always-dazzling, spark-filled Foundry Pour, this time creating a bronze bell before one's wondering eyes.
There is still time to sign up for classes taught by Yours Truly, including our once-a-semester workshop, Finding Your Inner Monster (for intermediate torch workers.)

Lastly (and most exhaustingly)was Wondercon at San Francisco's Moscone Center, a comicsandfantasyandwhoknowswhatall agglomeration of collectibles, costumes, parts, freaks, fans and a chance to mingle with just-yer-average Imperial Storm Trooper Next Door.
We had been told for several years that we should exhibit at this show, I'm I'm now convinced that they were right! Look for us there next year at about this same time (we hope.)
Some of the things that were witnessed:

• an outfit called "Pendragon Costume", selling, well, outfits, mostly of the Steampunk style, particularly corsets. When we strolled past, attempting unsuccessfully to look nonchalant, we saw a fairly hirsute guy getting cinched up in some of their finery.
• Action figures of just about every stripe. The one that stood out to my eye was of "Josh Randall, Wanted Dead or Alive." It did look a lot like Steve McQueen, too (as it should)
• Hundreds of comic book titles that had been lost for years in the dusty corners of my mind. Titles that came to represent a warm and satisfying saturday afternoon spent under a tree at my grandparents' house: "Mystery In Space," for instance. Didn't see anything with one of the weirder comic characters that still has a place in my heart (or is it just that last quesadilla?): Herbie
• I learned that, had I not read it until the cover fell off, my copy of "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #2" would be worth $575. (I'm sure that I read it at least $600 worth, tho, and loved every panel of it. Heck, Fury's "Death Ray of Dr. Zemo" turns out to be worth about a C-note. Hmmmmm.... I'm going to dig through the closet just as soon as I'm done here...)
• A T-shirt emblazoned with the oft-spotted "I'm With Stupid" notation, but with the arrow pointing straight down
• At the end of each aisle there was plenty of room for the many, many folks who came in costumes of their own making, some absolutely indecipherable, to mingle, pose for pictures and do quickie improvisational bits, some quite heroic. It should be noted that no one in attendance was dressed any weirder than the Rolling Stones did on their "Tumbling Dice" Tour.
• One of the aisles seemed to be devoted to actors to pose for pix and give autographs. A brief roster:
  • Cindy Morgan ("Tron" - the original)
  • Jim Kelly ("Black Samurai")
  • Malachi Throne ("Star Trek" and much more)
  • hardworking Barbara Luna ("Star Trek" and a helluva lot of others)
  • Peter Mayhew ("Chewbacca")
  • Richard Kiel ("Jaws" in that awful Roger Moore James Bond film) whose table was across the aisle from
  • Lou Ferrigno ("Incredible Hulk") you could have your picture taken with him for a mere $40
  • Kathy Garvan ( tv's "Family Affair")
• Had an opportunity to speak with William Stout, an artist of great ability, that I didn't even know how familiar I was with his work. Not only has he done a great deal of art direction for Hollywood (two Conan movies, f'r'instance) but has done most of the album covers for the Firesign Theatre, a fact that I didn't connect with him until I returned home. This was immediately followed by a frantic dive into my piles of vinyl to confirm. Yup, right there on the cover of "In The Next World You're On Your Own." And many, many others. My lack of knowledge was voted a good thing, too, as, had I known, I would probably still be licking his boots and muttering "We're Not Worthy."
• There were a lot of people in costumes that could probably best be described as "Zombie Princess / Ballerina"
• Zombies were really big that day
• A Claw machine full of Tribbles, in a booth that also featured some Giant stuffed Microbes (the Chlamydia and Herpes were particularly cute)
• I pitched a fin into a jar to benefit underground comic artist S. Clay Wilson. I hope that he recovers soon.
• There were sure a lot of R2D2 units running around there, always a big hit with kids no taller than they.
• I was also there to visit with a collaborator, Casey Storm. Check out her work in her Etsy shop.

Next year should be a lot of fun, too!

The Invisible Killer

As we do every year along about this time, Nightside Studios hopes to demonstrate to the world that we do have a public safety-minded side. Please take a moment to read (and hopefully join the struggle) about this most dangerous, pervasive substance:

Dihydrogen monoxiode is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there.
Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage.
Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance.
For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

• is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
• contributes to the "greenhouse effect."
• may cause severe burns.
• contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
• accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
• may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
• has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the US.
It is now found for miles around the area of the disabled nuclear power plants in Japan.

(Evidently the safest way to contain dihydrogen monoxide is in a difficult to produce, highly specialized container known as a 'Klein bottle.")

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

• as an industrial solvent and coolant.
• in nuclear power plants.
• in the production of styrofoam.
• as a fire retardant.
• in many forms of cruel animal research.
• in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
• as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation."
In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network.
Many store large quantities for later use.

The Horror Must Be Stopped!

For more information on what you can do about it click here

What's Bugging Us?

What's bugging us? I'll tell ya what's bugging us:
Bugs! That's what.
No, not the 'Wascawwy Wabbit' aka the Bane of Elmer Fudd, or any sort of eavesdropping devices, either. (at least we don't think so - hmmmm, maybe we'd better whisper from here on out.......) Ok, can you hear us now? Awright,forget that one.....
Yes, bugs. Ok, being the inclusive sort that we are, we'll include Insectia, Gastropoda and the odd Mollusca here and there. Heck, even the odd Arachnia can join in the fun if so inclined.
Ya just can't get much weirder than that, and weird is what we're about here, right? (well,sometimes, anyway.....)
Practically any really scary monster movie will have giant ants, praying mantises (mantisses? mongeese?) or a half-man, half-fly. (and why did the women in those flicks always fall down and scream into the back of their hand? Was that supposed to protect them somehow?)

Torching furiously, getting ready for this weekend's Bead Society of Northern California show at the Oakland Marriott. Most importantly, I've had my ear absolutely glued (ok, maybe just stuck with wax....) to the cd player, enjoying a long-overdue listen to Bill Bryson's hilarious memoir "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid."
Just about anybody who grew up (ok, that's too strong a term; let's try 'was around') in America in the '50s - and, let's face it, there are a lot us us - should appreciate the day-to-day detail that Bryson reanimates for us, and he does it deliciously. You can almost taste the quivering Jello at Bishop's in downtown Des Moines, where he grew up.
Bryson, who is one of the favorite authors down here among the stalactites, has entertained us with many other efforts, including "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (a really palatable science primer for most of us),"A Walk in the Woods,"(hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail with his buddy Katz),"In A Sunburned Country"(Australia) and about a million gazillion other titles (as the Thunderbolt Kid himself might describe.) "The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America " really helps put into perspective America's fascinating, if somewhat narrow and self-important, view of itself.
Can't wait to hear what the next all-too-easy-to-identify-with telling detail will pop up next...

The Deborah is speaking:

So we were watching the movie RED a few days ago, and, amid all the mayhem involving weapons and explosives, there was the lovely Dame Helen Mirren executing part of a plan to foil the bad guys, using a ... necklace! Too bad there's not an Oscar for Best Appearance by a Piece of Jewelry. If you haven't seen RED already, I won't spoil the outcome for you. The movie itself is a hoot -- way, way better than it needs to be, a big, comic book of a movie. Fun.

I couldn't tell what the necklace was made of, but apparently it is or was up for auction.
It's described only as: "Red - Victoria (Helen Mirren) screen worn, hero, shiny rock with wire chain one strand necklace." Can't tell from the photo what the stones are, though you can see that it has a toggle clasp. Also, I was sure it was a multistrand necklace in the movie. Hm. Maybe I need to watch it again.

It got me to thinking about other appearances by significant jewelry in movies. But my brain so far has only come up with the necklace worn by the Geraldine Chaplin as Queen Anna of Austria in The Three Musketeers (1973 -- really? that long ago?). A plot point involved two missing medallions on this bold piece -- and provided an opportunity for Frank Finlay to play a dual role: one as the vain Porthos and another as the Duke of Buckingham's jeweler.

I know there are movies named for jewelry: The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Necklace, (help, somebody, what are some others?).
And of course there are any number of styles of jewelry inspired by movies. The first major one I remember is the "Tin Cup necklace" worn by Renee Russo in, well, Tin Cup. No surprise that jewelry worn in the movies, from Twilight to Eat, Pray, Love, influences style outside the movies. There are well-paid and talented costume designers whose job it is to find pieces that are unique, memorable and reflect the character in the story.

We'd love to hear from anyone out there who has other thoughts about movie jewelry. After all, it is Oscar season.