Another Skanky Christmas Card

Click Me to Go To The Shop

"Is That A Yule Log In Your Pocket?

That is right, another skanky Christmas Card just for you all!  Click on the skank to go to the shop and buy some cards.  "Yule" be helping me out this fine Christmas Holiday by spending your hard earned money on my Christmas products.

Pinup Christmas Cards and More

Click Image to Visit the Shop

This is based off of a very old vintage Pinup.  I have put the design on a few items including T-shirts, Cards, Christmas ornaments and more.  Have a look at the shop by clicking the picture.  I will have more designs coming soon.  Some of you may remember my old T-Shirt shop Rockabilly Tees.  I used to do a lot of Oldskool designs.

Skanky Christmas Cards

Click Me To Go To The Shop

"Yeah, I'm Naked... I Couldn't Figure Out How To Wrap Herpes."

This is one of the Skanky Christmas Cards I designed.   I had a little help from Babs on the "message" on the cover.  Click the card to go to the shop.  I am having a lot of fun creating cards and ornaments this year.  Please feel free to let me know what you think.

Christmas Cards Part 1

Christmas is not far off and it is time to start thinking about sending out your cards for this year. I have designed a few cards just for the occasion.  Let me know what you think about them.  I will have some more items up in the weeks to come.

 

Click Me To Go To The Shop

Click Me To Go To The Shop

Black Friday

I am on my way to Walmart to buy a few items in the Black Friday sale.  I plan to get a couple of Christmas gifts, a few movies and maybe a few articles of clothing.  I decided to not buy any high end items this year.  Partially because I don't really need to spend the money on items I already have and partially because I don't want to get up at 4:00 a.m. to go stand in line for anything.

I may have previously stated that my girlfriend might have said something to me about spending money at Black Friday but let me clear that up.  She did not have any say in my decision.  She may have helped me to see the error of my ways but she did not tell me how to spend my money.  She is a wonderful woman and I want the world to know that I was just kidding in my disclaimer from earlier this week.



Anyhow, for those who are about to brave the lines for 10 more inches of flatscreen TV, maybe you should just rearrange the furniture and move the Lazyboy 10 inches closer to your existing Flatscreen.  You know, just sayin'.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I hope that your day is filled with food, fun and family.  I am very thankful this year.  I have a wonderful daughter.  I have a wonderful family.  I have a wonderful girlfriend.  I love them all very much.

Holiday Traditions

Years ago my brother-in-law and I had a Thanksgiving tradition.  We used to spend Thanksgiving day exploring caves in the nearby hills of the Ozark Mountains.  We would recruit a couple of friends to go with us.  This tradition was started because neither one of us are the football watching type and we didn't feel like being in the house while the cooking was going on.

We would leave relatively early in the morning and go to whatever cave we had chosen for that year.  Many of the caves in the Ozark Mountains can only be found by word of mouth.  Most cavers in the area choose not to mark caves on maps.  This is because many of the caves that are marked on maps around here are trashed by party goers.  True cavers have respect for caves. 

But I digress.  These caving trips were before my nieces and nephews came along.  My daughter was just a baby.  There were not that many kids to keep an eye on.  Now my brother-in-law has five beautiful kids with my sister.  They range in age from 6 to 13 years old.  We do not leave them to get underfoot while we go out caving.  Now the tradition is to take the kids on a hike while the cooks cook.

The hikes are fun and we have been doing them for a few years now.  There is a nice valley behind the houses and we usually find our way down there looking at bluffs and trees and nature in general.  Traditions tend to change over the years.  What kind of traditions do you have?

My 1951 Nash

This is me admiring my 1951 Nash Ambassador Custom.  Yes, she has some issues.  (Her name is Penelope, by the way.)  Her floorboards have seen better days.  Her chrome isn't as shiny as it used to be.  Her engine is inoperable.  But I love her just the same.  I see the potential.  Her beauty shines in my mind.

Penelope was on her way to be removed from the face of the earth.  She was to become something else.  She was on the way to the graveyard to await to be crushed.  This is the way of many great cars with potential today.  The cost of scrap metal has made it easier to haul a car to the crusher than to put it back on the road.

This is not the case with newer cars because they have very little wight to them, but these older bigger cars weigh a lot and bring a fair price at the crusher.  This car would have brought $700+ for scrap weight because she is so big.  It does not seem to matter to some that there are very few dents or damage in the body.  It mattered to me and that is why I saved her from death.

Thanksgiving Duck

A few years ago I developed an allergy to something that they give commercial chickens and turkeys.  I have never figured out what exactly it is that I am allergic to but let me just say I do not eat commercial chicken or turkey any more.  I have found that all natural, minimally processed and free range poultry does not affect me.

Sometimes the price for minimally processed poultry is a bit expensive, especially when you are buying a turkey.  Last year I paid about $75 for a free range organic turkey that weighed about 18 pounds.    It was dry and not as good as I remembered turkey to be.  This year I have decided to smoke a duck.  Average price for a duck is about $6 a pound.

Some people think that duck is greasy and not so tasty.  I however love the taste of a slow smoked duck.  If cooked properly the duck will lose much of the fat that gives it the greasy taste.  Be cautious if you are planning to smoke a duck and make sure your drip pan never runs dry.  I am not saying that I made a flaming.... okay yes, I am saying I caught a duck on fire.

I may be the only one in my family to eat any duck this year and it has been suggested that perhaps I should get a Cornish Game Hen instead, but I am stubborn and refuse to do what is suggested to me sometimes.  That is part of the reason that I am known as Eric The Bastard.  I guess everyone will just have to continue to deal with my little idiosyncrasies.

Black Friday - The Death of a Paycheck

Ahh, Black Friday, the shopping event of the year, the best deals of the year, the death of a paycheck. Each year and every retailers try their best to get your hard earned dollars on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This event has become almost as big as Christmas itself.

Starting at 5 a.m. deals on just about everything you can think of cause millions of people to behave as little children in a candyshop giving away free candy. The only difference is there isn't free anything and the deals are usually a precursor to what the retailers think the average price will be for their products in the months to come.

So, if that 50 inch TV says it is only $499 from 5 a.n. until 11 a.m. chances are that it will be $499 regular price in the months to come. I am not saying don't buy it now, I am saying you don't have to buy it now. There are some good deals on non electronic stuff out there and those deals are rarely repeated throughout the year. Deals on bathroom, kitchen items and apparel are out there for the taking.

Walmart has some of the best deals around, and this year they got smart. They are just doing electronics from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. and starting most of their deals at 12:01 a.m. on Thusday night / Friday morning. I have a feeling this is a trend that a lot of retailers will be doing in the next few years. So what if you can't get your new Playstation or your X-Box 360 or your Guitar Hero, chances are you won't get tackled by anyone either!

I will be attending the Black Friday event at 12:01 a.m. this year, going back home and doing what everyone else should be doing Friday morning - sleeping in. You should try it, it might just be what the doctor ordered, literally. I am going to be happy with my less than industry standard TV size, my non-blu-ray DVD player, my less than 1000 watt surround sound player this year and settle for keeping my money in the bank. There will be no complete death to my paycheck this year, no sir.

*I in no way endorse any of the retailers for Black Friday and my girlfriend did not say I could not buy any electronics this year. This was completely my choice. My girlfriend also did not require me to make any disclaimers stating that she was not the driving factor in my choice to not go crazy and spend every cent of my paycheck on something that I don't need even though my best friend just bought the biggest TV known to man.

My Other Project- 1966 Ford Fairlane 500

I have always allowed myself no more than two project cars at any given time. This is my 1966 Ford Fairlane 500. I have had this car since 2002. I drove it for 4 years before I decided to take it apart to restore. This car came stock with a straight 6, 200c.i.d. engine and a 2 speed automatic transmission.

The original goal was to make a GT clone out of it. GTs had a 390c.i.d. with a 4 speed manual transmission. All original GTs are selling for $40k to $50k completely restored. GT clones are selling for $20k to 35K depending on the condition. I no longer have plans to build a GT clone as it would cost me around $15k to get it to that point. So, I am thinking about putting it back together and either driving it or selling it so that I can have another project.

I currently have not yet even worked on Penelope. For those of you who don't know Penelope, she is a 1951 Nash Ambassador Custom. The plans with her are to make her a Rat Sled. I will not be doing any kind of chop because her lines are just too beautiful. I plan to paint her up like an old cop car. Yes, the 51 Nash was used as a police car. on a side note, the 1966 Ford Fairlane 500's were also used as police cars.

I have actually owned several cars that were models that were used for police cars but that is a story for another time. Anyhow, I am hoping to find time this winter to put my Fairlane back together and get it running. Then, in the spring I will start working on Penelope. It is times like these that I wish I had a garage.

Five Myths about Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is the Red Headed Step Child of the Holiday Season. At most department stores the Christmas decorations are going up before they even have the Halloween stuff in the clearance section. thanksgiving just gets lost in the transition. It hasn't always been that way but at this rate Thanksgiving will only be around for a few more years. Here are some myths about Thanksgiving and the facts.

Myth number 1: Pilgrims started Thanksgiving

Nope. 100% untrue. Pilgrims were too busy building houses and fending off wild animals and killing the natives to have any kind of celebration! Thanksgiving started with the celebration of the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan de Onate landed in Texas near El Paso on the banks of the Rio Grande. It was more than two decades before the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving celebration.

Myth number 2: Thanksgiving is all about Family

Yeah right. The only Holiday where more people get arrested in a domestic dispute is Christmas! Thanksgiving was set up for communities to come together to celebrate the harvest. This gave people that would not normally have a chance to get together to meet. A lot of times it was more of a traders market with an evening feast.

Myth number 3: Thanksgiving was about religion

If by religion you mean thanking your lucky starts that that drought or too much rains or fires or animals didn't destroy your crops! Religion did not play a roll in thanksgiving back in the 1500's in early America. Like I mentioned earlier it was more about community and less about church.

Myth number 4: Thanksgiving is all about the Turkey

Alright, today it is called Turkey Day but back in the 1500's it was more "the kill of the day" not necessarily Turkey. Most animals start rutting when it gets cooler. You were as likely to have a deer on the plate as a Turkey back then. It wasn't until 1863, when Abe Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national Holiday. With a national Holiday you need a national emblem to make it official. The Victorians decided on a Turkey and Turkey-Day was born.

Myth number 5: Pilgrims wore Black and White clothes with funny hats and over sized Buckles on Everything

Yeah, right, traipsing around in the woods you always want to wear something white! And while you are at it wear thew most expensive and uncommon dye color you can get! This depiction of the style of the day is more of an artists rendering and interpretation. In reality, the pilgrims probably wore a lot of earth tones and clothing that would make work easier. Yes, they were prim and proper when they went to church (which was more likely a monthly event than a weekly event) but they worked from daylight to dark. They got dirty, and bathing had not been invented yet.

That is my take. Got any more myths about Thanksgiving you'd like for me to tell you the truth about? Leave me a comment and I will see what I can do. Say, do you know how to keep a turkey in suspense? I'll tell you tomorrow.

Generation X- the Retro Generation?

Yesterday, I talked about things I missed from back in the day. I grew up in the 70's and 80's and by definition I am considered to be part of Generation X. It would seem that there are a lot of Generation X that are heavily into retro and vintage things. Companies are really starting to jump onto the bandwagon and advertising to us in ways that remind us of days gone by.

There is a huge movement to drive old cars, get old school tattoos and to even dress in styles from decades ago. We live in a custom culture and Generation X is starting to really bring things back. If you don't believe me Check out Curious Crow Vintage or other shops on Etsy or sites like Decorate For The Holiday that boasts their line of vintage and retro holiday decorations coming soon.

Times are changing but it seems that more often than not, Generation X is trying to bring things back. Here is a list of things I would like Generation X to go ahead and lay to rest before they get any bright Ideas: Mullets, Spandex, Disco Music and hot pants. What would you like to see brought back or not brought back. I want to know!

Back in the day

Back in the day, when I was young, toys were made of wood. The toys I destroyed as a child are worth huge amounts of money today. And the toys made today are not worth the money you pay for them. Nor would they last long enough to become valuable.

Back in the day, when I was young, cars were fast and gas was cheap. Now when you step on the accelerator (formerly known as a gas pedal) cars do not respond like they used to. Gas is very expensive and cars are even more expensive. Antique cars are worth 20 times the original price and new cars are worth 1/2 what you pay for them.

Back in the day, when I was young, food tasted like food. You had a garden and grew vegetables and canned and froze. Today it is cheaper to buy your vegetables at a store and they taste like nothing. It is almost impossible to find seeds that have not been genetically altered to grow fast without taste and nutrition.

Back in the day, when I was young, people worked for a living, because there were jobs. I had my first job that had taxes taken out when I was 13 years old. Before that, I would help in the garden and sell vegetables to help pay for my school clothes.

How I long for back in the day. I can only go back in my memories and alas my memories are fading. I wonder what my parents remember about back in their day. I wonder what my daughter will remember about back in her day. Back in the day is ever changing. lets hope the children of today will remember the days fondly.

This is a busy time for me...

Starting in the fall I get very busy at work. I produce a 3 day festival that has 15 Bands, a parade, two contests and a lot of other things. I have not been writing much lately because of all of the planning. I did register http://ericthebastard.com and will be doing some fun stuff over there in the near future.

In the meantime, read some of my older posts or send me a message for something you'd like me to blog about.