Found Note: Fuck You and Fuck Love

Note found in a public library:

Fuck you and fuck love.

Live Forever!

Official logo of my 50th birthday, 2019. 

Drawing by Kate. 

How Now?

One of many treasures Ericka has collected over the years is her set of "Colonial Cats," a set of cat dolls released when she was a little girl. Each cat doll represents one of the original 13 American colonies. 

 RE: post title - “How Now?” is one way colonial Americans greeted each other.

I'm Awesome

Ericka got me this awesome card. I love it.

Text inside reads, "You're Awesome!"

Yes!

Shriner Autograph Collection

In 1988, I attended the annual Tarzan Zerbini Circus in Fort Wayne, Indiana, an event hosted by the Mizpah Indiana Shriners. Upon entering the arena, each attendee received a program filled with advertisements and information about the circus. The opening pages featured yearbook-style photographs of various Shriner officials, many of whom were present at the event that evening.

After the circus ended, I decided to stick around, program in hand, hoping to collect their autographs:

As esoteric as they may appear, the Shriners were all pretty down to earth guys...not very mysterious or confounding at all.

 

The only autograph missing from my collection is Mick Ulmer, "Oriental Guide;" so if anybody knows him, hook me up.

Comments from original post on I'm Nacho Steppinstone:

"And they really DO look all mysterious and oriental!!! Absolutely NOT like average office guys only with stupid hats on,nooooo." - Sandra

"Hey, Jonnie- Mick Ulmer lives right here in Bluffton, Indiana. That is, he used to." - Andi

"WOW!!! I should've called him while I was down there! Does he live in a castle?" - Jonnie

Bonus:  A few more photos from that evening:

1. Jon Sr. in the parking lot, braving the sub-zero cold.

2. Me trying to hang with the Shriners.

3. Me and Sylvia Zerbini, accomplished aerialist & acrobat; daughter of Tarzan Zerbini himself.

4. The fantastically robust-looking fish sandwich Laura purchased at Azar's afterward.

Jonnie Leggings

I bought these leggings for Ericka with my face on them and was a little bit surprised she actually wore them out in public, but she is cool like that. 

It got chilly later, so she wore my Misfits hoody too. Looking Good!

Locked Out

The time I locked myself out of the house while sweeping and raking the back patio.

Midwestern Working Class Badasses

This was taken in a restaurant/bar where I used to work in the late 1980s, I was taking a picture of something and the guy in the middle goes, "Hey - take a picture of me and my brothers."

Midwestern Working Class Badasses.

I don't know why he directed me to take their photo. This was before digital cameras and email. There was no photographic instant gratification. Film had to be developed before you could see the pictures. So there was no way the photo was intended for their personal viewing. I guess he just wanted a record of their "brotherhood."  So, I'm posting it here for posterity.  

This is kind of how I imagine everybody looking in the old west. Then, they may have been heroes, or would have at least had a lot more influence, good or bad, in a less civilized era.

Note: The guy on the right is flipping the bird with both hands. "Fuck the World." haha

Jah Love

Wall art in Los Angeles, CA.

The Plaid Brothers

 Jonnie and Todd Gilliom: The Plaid Brothers.

“We’re on a mission from mom.”

Willow Weaving

When you're making rustic furniture, it's a fine line between looking really good and looking really crappy.

                                                           - Rustic willow-weaving instructor 

Ours both looked really good.

Glorious Green Urinals

Breathtaking green urinals at the Los Angeles Theater. 

They don’t make them like this anymore. 

Bozeman Radiator Disaster

Here's a good radiator disaster pic:

Catching our antifreeze leakage in cooking pans.

It was in Bozeman, Montana, during our 1994 drive from Indiana to Alaska, when we sprang a radiator leak. We managed to limp into a Napa auto parts parking lot just before the engine overheated completely. We parked and let everything cool down, catching the leaking antifreeze in pans because we were afraid Napa might kick us off their lot if we flooded it with coolant.

As bad as that seemed, things only got worse from there. Among other disasters, our camp stove decided to give up on us too.

Laura with our faulty camp stove.

Things escalated fast after that. I was trying to help Laura with the stove when I managed to set a can of kerosene on fire. I looked down and saw the fluid around the spout starting to ignite. Without thinking, I hurled the can—straight at the Napa store building. It exploded almost immediately on impact.

Here's the result:

Fire at the Napa store.

I guess I was just thinking in terms of throwing it AWAY from the van and opposite of the van was Napa.

That got the store staff riled up more than antifreeze in their parking lot ever could have. Multiple staff members immediately came pouring out of the building wielding fire extinguishers. My first thought was to take a picture (above).

When brother Todd saw the explosion in his rear-view mirror, he just threw the van in neutral - coasted right over all those pans of antifreeze.

Laura fell down and peed her pants from laughing so hard.

It was freaking hilarious.

[Originally posted on I'm Nacho Steppinstone, Feb. 10, 2004]

Life, Jim Thompson

 “Life is a bucket of shit with a barbed wire handle.”

– Jim Thompson, Texas By The Tail

Jonnie the Clever Child

In 1970, I got my hand stuck in a chair and couldn't figure out how to pull it out. Instead of helping me, my parents took a picture and captioned it, “Jonnie the clever child." wtf.

Jonnie the clever child.

Nuclear Explosion or Ice Cream?

I ai-generated some images that were both nuclear explosions and ice cream cones. I also had chatgpt write some text for a blog post about them:

Introducing "Nuclear Explosion or Ice Cream," a mesmerizing series of images that will have you doing a double take. The series features a diverse range of images, from swirling, colorful clouds to billowing smoke to luscious scoops of ice cream. At first glance, it's hard to tell whether you're looking at the aftermath of a catastrophic event or a delicious dessert. Some of the images are more obviously one or the other, while others will leave you scratching your head.

What makes this series so captivating is the way it blurs the line between two seemingly opposite things. On the one hand, nuclear explosions are destructive, dangerous, and frightening. On the other hand, ice cream is sweet, delightful, and comforting. By combining these two disparate elements, the images force us to confront the tension between fear and pleasure, destruction and creation.

Of course, it's worth noting that these images were created by a machine, not a human artist. While the algorithms used to generate them are incredibly sophisticated, they are still based on mathematical calculations and rules, not the nuanced and intuitive decision-making of a human mind. This raises questions about the role of AI in art and creativity, and whether machines can truly replace human artists.

Regardless of these philosophical debates, "Nuclear Explosion or Ice Cream" is a stunning series that will leave you marveling at the possibilities of AI-generated art. Each image is a testament to the power of technology to create something that is both beautiful and thought-provoking. Whether you're a fan of nuclear explosions, ice cream, or both, you won't want to miss this series.