If you don’t know what a tintype picture is, think of those olde-time-y pictures of outlaws like Billy the Kid. Unless you’re thinking of a modern movie still, you’re thinking of something that looks like a tintype. I think I first fell in love with the modern way of making "old" pictures when I saw … Continue reading On Tintypes
We're in Denny’s, because Roadtrip Rules are still in force, and because there's one just across the parking lot from our delightfully clean and anonymous hotel. At the table next to ours, two African American bikers sit down. They’re older guys, with some impressive looking patches on their biker vests. I imagine they’re business professionals … Continue reading #Illinois2018 – Fairs and Parades
We’re heading up to Hillsboro, IL, for the Old Settlers Festival, which I imagine beforehand will be seven old people and a one-eyed boy pushing a dog in a buggy around the streets while a man holding a kitten waves an American flag behind a barricade. OK, the kitten is also waving a flag. To … Continue reading On Preparing for a Road Trip: #Hillsboro2018
I’m at “that age”, especially when it comes to music. I listen to almost zero new music. I don’t know who’s cool now, unless they’re also famous for something else. I know Kanye West, for example, but I have no idea if I’ve ever heard any of his music. I am, in musical terms, an … Continue reading On Unsuitable Songs
Nostalgia is both a feeling and a retail pattern. I’ve noticed that it seems to increase as a person (this person) gets older. In my early life, remembering the past took a very specific form. When I was growing up, there was no choice for me or my brothers: we had to be collectors. I … Continue reading On Nostalgia
It turns out that I completely missed the 80s slasher-movie craze. I wasn't even 10 years old when it started, and too busy watching Purple Rain to pay much attention to anything more grown-up (apparently). Eventually, I did see Halloween, but the other two of the holy trinity - Friday 13th and A Nightmare on … Continue reading A Nightmare on Elm Street: For the Kids
