Nostalgia and Cassettes

There's something beautiful about vinyl albums.  There is an audible warmth that CD's never had.  You could experience the cover art- it is a photograph in your hands.  And big.  Everything bigger is more precious, right?  The process is there too.  Open the stereo lid.  Carefully remove the record and lay it on the turntable.  Gently apply the needle.  Effort was involved.  Senses were engaged.
Cassettes are a different matter.  The era of boom boxes, the walkman, and mixed tapes.  Music is suddenly portable and easy to use.  Not that it ever took a rocket scientist to operate a record player, but it did require a certain amount of finesse.  Even the 8 track wasn't as easily transportable.  The walkman fits in your hand.  You can even jog and listen to music with one!
Every now and then I buy a cassette at a yard sale.  Where did all of my tapes go?  I found Blondie tucked into the buffet at Grandma's house this summer.  Anyway, my car has a cassette and CD player, so it they are still functional.  Although the sound drives me a little kooky after a while and I switch back to CD.

cassette tape #2 by Joseph Von Stengel
Can't tell you how much I regret giving away all of the mixed tapes that friends and ex-boyfriends gave me.  It recorded an era of time, a moment of who they were with me.  That's more important than sound quality.

cassette tape #3 by Joseph Von Stengel



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Prints Now Available in Culturerecycling

Finally- Joseph Von Stengel's prints can easily be purchased online!   culturerecycling
Started adding prints over the weekend and will continue doing so over the next month, so keep checking in.  

Train no. 1



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The Poetry of Fall

Days are ending sooner and already I'm finding comfort in sweaters and steaming cups of tea.  Less time is spent outdoors enjoying the sun's warm rays, now I'm resting earlier in the evening.  My dog is more often found sleeping on the edge of my bed.  Poetry moves my soul and the loud music of summer becomes more subdued.  
The leaves are in the midst of changing and suddenly I'm nostalgic like Jacques Prevert when he wrote Barbara.  His poetry wistfully creating vignettes of the sadness inherent in war and love, ruminating on the past.  There's a sweet sorrow one participates in as candles are lit and shadows lengthen.  We consider longer, nurture our moodiness, become quiet.
Whereas I recite the early poetry of Yeats in the summer, the poems of his later years are relished.  Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven and Annabel Lee are annual autumnal favorites around the world and Robert Frost finds new followers.  Dickinson's sunnier poems are disregarded, seeming garish compared to her thoughtful ruminations on mortality.  And Li Po must not be forgotten- his musings on youth and the changing seasons are enjoyed with a glass of deep red wine.
Yes, fall is here.  A loneliness pervades the air, but I am not alone as I have poetry to warm my soul.

In Honor of Halloween...

 

Just posted Joe's 8 Bit Skeleton card in Blackbird and Peacock.  In the transition of moving all cards and journals from BBAC to the new shop.  Also have listed some skull journals, zombies and postcards.  Enjoying creating with the skull stamp- very inspiring.  My son likes that one.  Will be posting some Halloween cards, journals and postcards over the next couple of weeks.  Oh yeah!

It's Fall Already- You Know What That Means...Horror Films!

Summer is my favorite season, so I'm pretty stoked that it's still shorts and t-shirt weather here in the Catskills.  Every year I mourn the leaves falling from the trees, as much as I love that fall smell.  On the flip side, there's Halloween.
Every September I start loading my Netflix queue up with horror movies.  Some slashers, some kitsch.  Last year the rotation included watched Evil Dead 2, Ginger Snaps, Sleepy Hollow (a classic), Amityville Horror, House, and Rob Zombie's Halloween.  This year we're considering re-watching The X-Files- my son was too young the first time I saw it and at 14 years old, he'll probably appreciate it.  Will also watch Zombie's 2nd Halloween (although I've been told it is disappointing).
In a few more years, I'll be re-visiting Twin Peaks, which is all the eerier when there's a chill in the air.