Deck the Walls

Apologies for the post title, I've heard much more Christmas music already this year than I would like to have, by virtue of it being on in every gosh darn store already, and I can't help myself and just automatically start singing along. Which leads to a nice little rotation of the classics playing non-stop in my noggin.  

Anywho, since I posted this initial before and after of the living room, I've filled a couple of the big blank spots (at least partially in the case of one) on the walls with two pieces by yours truly, the first being this engineering print from Photojojo. Or rather Parabo Press as it is now known since the company separated their print business from their phone photography gadget business (still Photojojo) a couple of months ago. I had seen the whole engineering-print-for-large-affordable-art thing before, but found Parabo and got the general display idea via this tutorial.

Instead of furring strips as in the link I used much thinner strips (somewhere around 1/8 x 1 1/2 inches) from the small projects lumber section of the big box store which I painted gold before stapling the print on. Now Parabo offers these handy dandy magnetic poster rails which make print and mounting infinitely reusable instead of full of holes should you want to swap out. Perhaps I just completely missed them on their website when I ordered the print, however I am pretty sure they did not have them at the time. But ah well, maybe next time.

By the way, the photo was taken with my iPhone from Hamilton Viewpoint Park in North Admiral (our old neighborhood) in West Seattle looking across Elliot Bay to downtown and Queen Anne. And if you squint hard you might be able to see Mount Baker there behind the Space Needle. I chose it to print because with the ferry in the foreground, it looks so very quintessentially Seattle and is a nice reminder of those views we left behind.

The inspiration for the second piece requires a little explanation. I am a HUGE Beastie Boys fan. I grew up knowing those Beastie Boys songs that everyone knows, Girls, Fight for Your Right, Brass Monkey. The party songs from License to Ill. I remember watching the video for Intergalactic on MTV with odd fascination when Hello Nasty came out my senior year of high school. But then when I was in my early 20s Greg and I went on vacation with a good friend who at that moment was really into Ill Communication. We listened to it over and over on the trip and when we got home we went to the store and bought the cd. (Because this was so long ago, that's actually how you acquired music back then.) That led to In Sounds From the Way Out. Then there was a few year hiatus in exploration of their catalog, but in the meantime, those two got a lot of play. Then a few years ago, we lost that really good friend who turned us on to Ill Communication very unexpectedly. I can't remember exactly when or why, I suppose at some point in trying to cope I went looking for something upbeat, I downloaded the entirety of License to Ill, then Paul's Boutique and on and on. And I read anything and everything I could dig up online about the band. 

And I discovered that far from remaining uncouth, streetwise, hard partying playboys, the three quickly grew tired of that act and evolved into human rights activists, feminists, philanthropists, yogis, husbands and fathers among lots of other things. And the more I listened the more I found this evolution reflected in their lyrics and sounds, though both always seemed to remain true to their unique style. This commitment to change for the better while still being the Beastie Boys inspired and comforted me. So thus this lyric from Sure Shot on License to Ill (I made the poster in Photoshop and had it printed and delivered via the Staples website.) Life keeps going, it is what you make of it and you are what you make of you. Use what you've got, add layers and keep mixing it up so each version sounds better and better. And with that analogy, I best be going.