Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue

No, I'm not getting married. As they used to say, I'm not the marrying kind.

This is a more Open version of an Open Thread--no long essays on one topic.

I will still do At the Movies from time to time when I find a good movie--or, more likely, when another caucus99percenter sends me one! I currently have two in the queue: Heaven's Gate and US vs John Lennon.

This will be more of a collection of interesting things I find over the week. I thought of calling it "Three Noteworthy Things and a Question" but I think this is more fun. Gives me a framework.

So:

Something Old
something old.jpg

Here's two old things that are preoccupying me this week:

First, this wood trim:

80soak.jpg

This is not a picture of my house, mainly because I don't like to take pictures with my cell phone, because I hate cell phones (yes, I'm a heathen, and crazy). However, this might as well be a picture of my wood trim.

It's called 80s oak, or golden oak. It is a yellowy-orangey wood which, for some reason, people in the 80s put all over every house they ever built, to the pain and gnashing of teeth of future buyers, from whom a cry goes up every day: Were they on quaaludes when they built this???. Endless debates on whether to paint over the damned color (and thus basically wreck the wood trim of your house) ensue. If you wonder why this is a (admittedly first-world) problem, there are very few wall colors that will go with that orangey-yellow. Luckily I like green on the walls. But I am currently reeling back and forth between trying desperately to tone down the color by putting something like this:

http://www.dwellingdecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Decorating-an-Ol...

Or go wild with orange like this gorgeous thing:

http://www.dwellingdecor.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Elm-Dining-Table...

Another important fact to keep in my mind while it's reeling (like a drunk man trying to hold on to his wallet) is that these magazines only show rich people's houses, so I probably won't have a dining room set that looks like those anyway--but I was surprised at how much I really liked the orange in the second one, and I could, of course, manage a middle-class version of same. But is it one of those things that would drive me freaking crazy after six months?

Second, Murray Bookchin.

bookchin2.jpg

Bookchin was a socialist (non-Stalinist Marxist version), then an anarchist, for most of his life. He articulated a new idea of social organization he called libertarian municipalism, an idea now being put into practice by Syrian Kurds in Rojava:

Historically, the closest parallel to a working model of this system might be the anarchist collectives that briefly arose in Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War. But Rojava has American roots. The subdivision of power “down through all its subordinations” was the ideal form of government envisaged by Thomas Jefferson, and more recently by Brooklyn-based political philosopher Murray Bookchin. Through Bookchin, it was introduced to Abdullah Ocalan, the ideological architect of Kurdish identity. Despite—or because of—the fact that he is currently incarcerated in a maximum-security Turkish prison after being convicted of treason for his role in co-founding the militant Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), Ocalan is the ultimate authority in Rojava. His people will fight—and die—for his vision.

I've been interested in looking into Bookchin ever since I found out that Syrian Kurds were using the philosophies and strategic musings of a Brooklyn anarchist. So I started out with this, a sort of intellectual and political summary of his life, written by his widow:

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/janet-biehl-bookchin-breaks-with...

I was pretty interested until I found out they were, both of them, adamantly opposed to pagans, primitivists, eco-feminists. I'm still interested, but also pissed off, because it should be possible to find a political philosophy appealing to my reason that doesn't also feel the need to insult my spirituality. This smells of Ye Olde Argument Between Reason and Faith which has been running since about 1400. I do understand why someone interested in structural political change would have a problem with the New Age, because it was pretty obvious in the 80s that a lot of people were turning to the New Age in order to avoid doing anything about the world. Also, the idea that each individual is in absolute control of his/her own reality is easily adjusted to suit the oligarchy as kind of a blank check for terrible behavior towards others. But it's kind of startling to discover that the targets two eco-anarchists considered most worthy of attack in the late 80s and 90s were...Merlin Stone and Mary Daly?

I'm going to delve further, and we'll see how it goes.

Something New
newthings.jpg

I've got three New Things:

First New Thing:

I'm looking for a nice new color for my walls that will go reasonably well with the 80s oak. I want something that looks like the natural world: various shades of leaf-green, or maybe grass-green. What do y'all think of this color? Too yellow?

antibes_896.jpg

Second New Thing:

Here's something new that sounds like an idea invented at a kegger where Josef Stalin, Heinrich Himmler, and Eddie Bernays were engaging in a binge-drinking contest:

https://futurism.com/real-life-cyborgs-a-company-is-implanting-its-emplo...

Elon Musk is getting in on the action, too!

https://futurism.com/elon-musk-just-confirmed-that-hes-making-tech-to-me...

Third New Thing:

Finally, something new that is WONDERFUL! Mystery Science Theater is reborn with all-new actors, and it's excellent!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2017/04/12/joel-hodgson-and-jonah-ray-on-the...

The first episode is Reptilicus:

reptilicus.jpg

Something Borrowed

borrowed2.jpg

borrowed1.jpg

This cover of Ed Sheehan's song "Shape of You," with a sort of mash-up of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" is magnificent. It's done by a band called Walk Off the Earth from Canada that I just found out about recently, and I love their use of just about everything as an instrument. They're like an insanely talented jug band:

Something Blue

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I'm finally attempting to learn something about jazz, after getting interested in it 6 years ago. (It's a really weird story how I got into jazz, which I might tell sometime). Anyway, every list of Albums You Should Listen to If You're a Jazz Beginner that I've ever seen has this album on it:

I almost feel like if I don't like it I will be permanently disbarred from ever liking jazz. That's one reason I've taken so long to listen to it, dumb as that is, but I'm diving in this week.

What's up with y'all?

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riverlover's picture

The paint is mostly off-white (with a tetch of orange). And it needs a new paint job, desperately. 20' ceiling in the main room. In a previous house I did a half-bath that green. And then moved out, knowing that someone else would require 4-5 coats of paint to cover that! I am not sure that color would not make foods look odd, just sayin'. A dark red?

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@riverlover I was just looking at a decorator who said that red would go well with the oak.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal Others say "muted sage, cream, dusky gray" much of which is already on my walls, and I think it looks awful. Right now the kitchen is this color like a misty sky--not altogether gray, but gray-blue. That color is in my bedroom, too, along with a much darker blue accent wall which looks even worse.

We painted the rec room this color and it works like gangbusters--

arugula room.jpg

but I'm not sure I want it through the whole house. It's great for the rec room--like a nicer version of pool-table green--cozy like a British study in a mystery when the overhead lights are off and we have just the lamps on; cheery and fun when they're on and we're playing a board game. But I think I want a different color in the kitchen and my bedroom.

I'm leaving the great room white, and taking the dining room and painting it white to match the great room. Right now it's a warm cream that I think goes badly with the wood, though everybody says that cream is what you should put with golden oak, along with sage green, grey, and dusky blue.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Actually, they are still using the same wood color. They are changing it up with white marble countertops, black countertops, modern kitchen farm sinks, new floors, and new back splashes. Google golden oak cabinets and lots of pictures will come up.

http://www.houzz.com/golden-oak-cabinets

https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=Oak%20cabinet%20kitchen%20honey...

I am not creative when it comes to this stuff. I redid my kitchen about 8 years ago. I do not like what I did, and I would like to change it again. I won't, but I would like to.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

riverlover's picture

@dkmich and the floors throughout great room and attached kitchen are a brick red quarry tile with a brown flare--that works well with the oak. The wood trim on the three sliders in the LR were stained to kinda match the oak tone, and then got mildew. I restained the wood trim black; puppy gnawed on a few spots, need to black them out again. Always something to repair. This dog is destructive!

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@riverlover I was thinking black and white retro-looking kitchen cabinet with a sort of apple green on the walls, but that might actually look atrocious. Anyway, those thoughts are all blue-skying since I can't really afford to change the cabinets right now.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

cybrestrike's picture

But for what you've got in the kitchen, that green looks light enough. I always think kitchens should have as much natural light as possible. Open kitchens with sunlight and lots of room is my jam.

I've been following the crazy centrists on Twitter recently. You know, the Peter Daou and Sally Albright types. Those people cannot let their cultish love of everything Clinton go. When (not if, when) Chelsea Clinton runs for Congress, she'll already have the "can't touch her because she's a Clinton" shield on her at this rate.

There's also the issue of Obama finally cashing in his chits with the well-heeled crowd he successfully defended from the plebs, via bailouts and other less civilized means. He's essentially Teflon now in the Village and in some parts of the liberal blogosphere. Like I said before--he'll be the first billionaire ex-President.

Normally I would say that there's no one could pay me to put a chip in my body, but...I wouldn't say 'no' now, considering my circumstances.

Trying to find a job in this market is getting kind of frustrating. I'm apparently overqualified, too old, and not experienced all at the same time. And that's before all of the scammers out there. Maybe I should start robbing banks or something.

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@cybrestrike @cybrestrike

Good to have you drop in. Also appreciate your hearts and retweets on Twitter. They sure give the Dembots a ration on twitter, and they have it coming.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@cybrestrike Keeping tabs on Peter Daou is kinda like taking one for the team. You're a better man than I!

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

gulfgal98's picture

@cybrestrike I hope we see more of you around here. I miss your thoughtful comments.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

dance you monster's picture

That wood trim looks god-awful because it is god-awful.

A) Oak is not a particularly pretty wood. It became the wood to use in the U.S., at the marketing of lumber companies, in the late nineteenth century, when we had already cut down every cherry, walnut, or chestnut tree whose wood was better and when most Americans could not afford mahogany (also much prettier wood but with its own issues of sustainable harvest and pillaging of Latin America to consider).

B) Those cabinets are unrelieved walls of wood to hide the mess the owner has inside those cabinets, and everyone knows it. It's like decorating with tarps.

C) If you must keep such cabinets (and it'd be expensive to replace them, I know), the color of that chalk paint in the can is not going to be a good choice. Your walls should not be the focus of attention; you and your guests should be. The walls should recede to be what enfolds those protagonists, what protects them, what lets them shine. The color should be of a light value if you are of a more reserved character, or a dark hue if your strength of personality can hold its own. A dark red is but one choice; a dark green or dark blue or even dark grey might work just as well, too, depending on what will be seen against it.

D) Buy a few sheets of foamcore board, at least 2 feet by 3 feet, to paint with any color you're considering. Colors look very different in different lights and more importantly at different scales. Seeing a chip, or the color in a can, will not tell you what you'll get when it's dry on a wall. The twenty to thirty bucks you'll spend on several sheets of foamcore and several sample cans of paint will be a pittance compared to the cost of the painting project, and a welcome investment when you realize you'll have to live with whatever color you choose.

Just my $0.02.

Edited to add: Look, we've met, you and I. You're not that formal a person. Forget about those rich people's houses. Those interiors are too antiseptic, too practiced, too perfect, because they are only used for formal circumstances. Look to something less "rich" for a model, something more welcoming. I'm not saying to go country if that's not your preference, but at least go for relaxed, something that will not cause a scream if it gets a little bumped or blemished by someone someday. Wear your bumps and blemishes well.

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@cybrestrike Too old, overqualified, and not experienced. Pretty much sounds like the whole thing is a scam to me. My boyfriend gets the same sort of shit. Once he got disqualified by an online personality test, if you can believe that.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@dance you monster If you must keep such cabinets (and it'd be expensive to replace them, I know), the color of that chalk paint in the can is not going to be a good choice.

Well, yes; of course, if I had unlimited funds, I'd replace the cabinets. Actually, I kind of like the idea of a retro-50s-looking kitchen. But I've got to think about spending money on dining room furniture, living room furniture, putting in a garden (and even a small orchard), replacing the HVAC in the next three years, etc. etc. So I'm afraid the cabinets are here for the foreseeable future.

I love that color but am afraid you're right. It's a great kitchen color; it's not a great color for my kitchen.

The color should be of a light value if you are of a more reserved character, or a dark hue if your strength of personality can hold its own.

Light colors (other than white) don't seem to look very good with the golden oak. The kitchen is currently a light gray-blue, like a blue sky seen through mist. I think it looks pretty bad. It's as if the coolness of the color is fighting with the warmth of the wood. The dining room is a warm cream. That looks bad too, and I'm not sure why. Like I said, the green in the rec room is working splendidly, so I'm thinking strong green colors in the other rooms, and I'd like it to be as close to plant colors as possible.

Buy a few sheets of foamcore board, at least 2 feet by 3 feet, to paint with any color you're considering. Colors look very different in different lights and more importantly at different scales. Seeing a chip, or the color in a can, will not tell you what you'll get when it's dry on a wall.

This is a brilliant bit of common sense. We were thinking of painting a small square on the wall, but this is even better. I will absolutely do this, and despite the cost of the foam board, it takes a lot of the stress out of choosing the paint color. Because that IS the stress of it; you can't tell from a chip, and you know you can't; you just choose something that looks good and hope for the best.

Thanks a million for this tip.

Look, we've met, you and I. You're not that formal a person. Forget about those rich people's houses. Those interiors are too antiseptic, too practiced, too perfect, because they are only used for formal circumstances. Look to something less "rich" for a model, something more welcoming. I'm not saying to go country if that's not your preference, but at least go for relaxed, something that will not cause a scream if it gets a little bumped or blemished by someone someday. Wear your bumps and blemishes well.

If I go country, I think the whole house will end up seeming like this:

http://southpark.cc.com/clips/166704/welcome-to-1864

But you're right about me being informal. I was more interested in the colors in those dining rooms, but you're right about getting a less formal version.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

CS in AZ's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

when we bought it. I think it's called "white oak" but it's actually a light pink. I hated them. We lived with them for years. I considered painting them, but then we met a guy who does kitchens, builds cabinets and installs, etc - he suggested refacing them, which means new doors and front-facing trim only. It's way less expensive than all new cabinets. I was dubious at first, but after seeing his portfolio and other jobs he'd done, we went for it. Excellent results, it looks like a totally different kitchen now. I'm so glad to finally be rid of those awful pink cabinets!

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@CS in AZ Great idea--thanks so much for bringing it to my attention! Had no idea it was even possible.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

gulfgal98's picture

is a color I love. My neighbor has a green that looks exactly like that in her kitchen, but she has white cabinets. I am not sure how well it would wear visually in a big room. Since I am giving my opinion, I do not like the 80's oak cabinets either, but I love pickled oak. I wonder how hard that would be to do?

Of course, it is your home and so you should do what pleases you. Smile

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@gulfgal98 What's pickled oak?

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

gulfgal98's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal I googled it and what came up was oak with a pinkish cast. That was not what I meant by pickled oak, but what I love is oak with a whitewash finish. I found this picture of what they call pickled oak on This Old House site. https://www.thisoldhouse.com/how-to/how-to-create-pickled-finish-wood

When we bought this old house in NC, it had plywood cabinets that used the walls as the backs. They were cheap and ugly so when we finally were able to redo the kitchen, I went with a cream color with a coffee glaze. I would have gone white or a pickled look, but all the trim in this house was already cream and I was not about to repaint it.

My neighbor's kitchen that has that deep lime green on the walls has white cabinets. It looks great and makes it look very modern even though the house is nearly 70 years old.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@gulfgal98 Well...I guess I could look into what it would cost to replace the cabinets, but I'm assuming it would be ridiculously expensive. I'd love black and white cabinets with a lovely yellow-green on the walls, but...

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

gulfgal98's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

riverlover's picture

They are plain, no carved details, just rectangular faces, oil-stained so they are darker than "golden" with red plastic recessed pulls (Hewi, still in business, German, architectural, I am sure my architect hub got a deal). That style in plastic "wire" pulls, hooks, towel bars, toilet paper hooks, mirror floats throughout the house. They are quite expensive now. Various colors in the house: red in the kitchen and mudroom hooks for coats, black in half-bath (grey walls and black tile), mustard in the master bath with a brown raised dot rubber floor, burgundy in the other full bath, with burgundy tile, pinkish accent tiles, fail rubber floor there (glued down, needs replacing, ugh).

I have 80's track lighting as well. My dining room table is lit by a pendant that hangs on a track suspended under a skylight. I just bought a new lamp, somewhat industrial, that has to be re-wired for the track. I hope my lamp guy is still in business!

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

only on the kitchen.

First, remember that, when the color is on all the walls, the effect will be more intense than you see it in the pic. Second, call me self-absorbed, but why should I not be self-absorbed about decorating my own home: I decorate in colors that look good on me when I wear clothing that color. Why should I look my crappiest in my own home? If that color looks good on you and you really like it, go for it. It's your kitchen!

Two thoughts on the cabinetry itself: Re-facing might be a way to go.https://www.houselogic.com/by-room/kitchen/refacing-kitchen-cabinets/

Pickled oak is oak that has been lightened. If you are handy, you might even be able to do it yourself. It would require stripping off the existing finish. You could probably take the doors off and take them to a commercial stripper, where they get dunked in vats of chemicals, and hire someone to do the rest. (Stripping by hand is tedious stuff, but I have done it.) Then, you'd put on the pickling stain. To be honest, apart from all the work, I'm not sure I'd risk it with no guaranty of what the finished product will look like.

P.S. You made a great argument for white cabinets, which I was thinking of for my next place, wherever and whenever.

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enhydra lutris's picture

it might take more than one playing.

Cabinets can be refaced. It is far cheaper than replacement. There are myriads of options.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --