Kevin's Watch

Years ago, I read the National Geographic issue that centered on Vikings and became fascinated. I found a large piece of homespun cloth at a yardsale and wanted to make a Viking woman's costume. But, what would I do with it, where would I wear it? I ended up giving the cloth away to a friend.

Ten years later, she gave it back. Our school has Multicultural Day every year when everyone can dress up to represent their heritage. The Americans always end up in jeans and a flag T (one very creative teacher had a prairie pioneer outfit she would wear). I was thinking that I was bored with that and why not dress up as something from my mixed cultural heritage? Also, I got into the Vikings TV series (although they play fairly loosely with the historicity of everything). Although mostly my heritage is British Isles, all my life I have received comments about my "Nordic" appearance; and we know the Northmen shared their DNA freely amongst those they raided.

So I'm web surfing and reading books about Vikings lately, and related cultures (Rus, Karelian, Finnish, etc), listening to Nordic music... and I will make that costume, complete with brooches and beads.

So whatcha geeking on lately?

I have a complete glass studio now, so what happens??? I fall in love with the PMC (precious metal clay) medium. I am like a little kid with ADD. So what I'm trying to do is combine the two mediums. Metal clay is just amazing. You work it, you build it and then you kiln it and poof, you have a solid pure metal. Right now I'm learning on copper and bronze because silver is so expensive. Problem is, for various reason you can't mix glass with copper or bronze in the kiln, only silver. Does this qualify as geekish?

I don't really.

(Read Bernard Cornwall's Saxon Chronicles for a more historically accurate version.)

--A

Avatar wrote:I don't really.

(Read Bernard Cornwall's Saxon Chronicles for a more historically accurate version.)

--A

You Kevin's Watch, therefore you geek. Just accept it.

deer of the dawn wrote: You Kevin's Watch, therefore you geek.

Needs to be a T-shirt. Or a bumper sticker.

deer of the dawn wrote: You Kevin's Watch, therefore you geek. Just accept it.

Well, you seemed to be talking more about sudden obsession with obscure topics.

Can we get a definition of "geeking" then?

--A

Steam Powered Giraffe

a steampunk band who are releasing their newest album this month.

The Vice Quadrant: A Space Opera

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_Powered_Giraffe their history.

a few favorite songs of mine for you to enjoy...

Honeybee

Fire, Fire (live)

Starlight Star-Shine

I was geek before it was fashionable.

So there!
:peels wedgie from body part.

sgt.null wrote:Steam Powered Giraffe

a steampunk band who are releasing their newest album this month.

New album? Awesome.

Do you like Abney Park? They're in the same genre.

Building Steam

Throw Them Overboard

The Story That Never Starts

That last one is basically my anthem right now.

If you wait for it to start, you might miss it.

--A

Sorus wrote:

sgt.null wrote:Steam Powered Giraffe

a steampunk band who are releasing their newest album this month.

New album? Awesome.

Do you like Abney Park? They're in the same genre.

Building Steam

Throw Them Overboard

The Story That Never Starts

That last one is basically my anthem right now.

Sorus - thank you! had not heard of ABney Park before, enjoying them right now. the Story has a gypsy feel?

Avatar wrote:

deer of the dawn wrote: You Kevin's Watch, therefore you geek. Just accept it.

Well, you seemed to be talking more about sudden obsession with obscure topics.

Can we get a definition of "geeking" then?

--A

I wouldn't say it has to be obscure topics. If you're geeking on Star Wars along with half the Western world right now, it counts.

sgt.null wrote:
Sorus - thank you! had not heard of ABney Park before, enjoying them right now. the Story has a gypsy feel?

Most of their music follows a steampunk rock opera story. That particular song is part of the Neobedouin cycle, and the Neobedouins could be described as post-apocalyptic gypsies. Their official website has the band's full origin story if you're into that sort of thing. And if you're really into that sort of thing, they also wrote a couple of books. I read the first one, and was a little disappointed - they could use a better editor and more conflict/less focus on being the squeaky-clean heroes of the story. (Then again, I may be a biased Gap fangirl, as I like tarnished heroes, and villains with redeeming qualities.)

deer of the dawn wrote:I wouldn't say it has to be obscure topics. If you're geeking on Star Wars along with half the Western world right now, it counts.

Traditionally niche topics/whatever?

--A

Sorus - a bit too much to take on about now. I still have to get all of SPG's albums. and Brave Saint Saturn for that matter.

Fair enough. If/when you're in the mood, I recommend starting with Æther Shanties.

I am quite enjoying The Vice Quadrant - thanks for the tip on that. I had also missed their cover of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, mainly because I wasn't all that into the original version, but their version and the accompanying video are pretty awesome.

Sorus wrote:Fair enough. If/when you're in the mood, I recommend starting with Æther Shanties.

I am quite enjoying The Vice Quadrant - thanks for the tip on that. I had also missed their cover of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, mainly because I wasn't all that into the original version, but their version and the accompanying video are pretty awesome.

amazing work. now if i can just find the albums.

It looks like most of their albums are available on their website. If you're determined to track them down in a physical store, that might be a more difficult quest.

I'm geeking out on the Mel Gibson (Braveheart), audio commentry.
At 177 minutes running time I'll pick up where I left off afterward.

Perhaps geeking should by definition include a "next step". A few years ago i binge-watched the entire X-Files series. But I did not put up an "I Want To Believe" poster, or start eating David salted sunflower seeds (although my daughter did, lol!), or go to a Con. But as far as the Viking thing, i am making a costume and want to learn a couple of songs and maybe find a Viking fest to attend next time I am in the states. Or maybe travel in Scandinavia.

Does my guitar playing count? I have been playing and learning new songs since (gulp) 1975. I've forgotten more songs than most people ever knew. I realized I would need at least 2 1/2 hours of practice a day to be the musician I want to be (morning hours when I am fresh and energetic, not worn out after a day of speaking and working!). Does that make me a guitar geek, or is it just a hobby??