The "Here's to 2018" Edition :: Rusty's Electric Dreams, Issue #162

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.” —Neil Gaiman

Rusty’s Electric Dreams, an inbox zine from the curious mind of Rusty Blazenhoff
Issue #162 :: The “Here’s to 2018” Edition :: 12:27:2017

Here’s to 2018…

Happy (almost) New Year! I appreciate each and every one of you. I really do.

I’ve had better years and I’ve certainly had worse years but, all things considered, 2017 was pretty good for me. You know, if you exclude the current state of politics, some heartbreak, and a hotter-than-average Burn.

I traveled a little, worked a lot, and spent a great deal of time with my growing girl. In no particular order: I saw lots of friends. In fact, I had not one but two Thanksgiving dinners. I took myself to Santa Fe for my birthday and had Meow Wolf rock my world. I flew over Black Rock City. I started blogging for Boing Boing… ME! And I worked with Burning Man this year too!

And this. I’m still showing up and putting together this zine almost every week. 2018 will be its fourth year. Crazy!

2017 felt like the beginning and what that really means is that I’m ready to rock 2018. I got thrown off the horse a few years ago but I’m back in the saddle. Who else is ready to ride?

–Rusty Blazenhoff

P.S. I’ll be gone for a couple weeks. SJ and I are off to visit dear friends in Florida. “See” you mid-January!

This space intentionally left in 2017

As seen on the Internets

Presenting the “Infinity Box”: “Artist Jon Burgerman is offering people queueing outside David Zwirner a more modest and less immersive experience…”

:: “In 2017, the global media picked up all of the problems, and none of the solutions. To fix that, we spent the past 12 months searching for good news from every corner of the planet…”
:: https://medium.com/future-crunch/99-reasons-2017-was-a-good-year

:: “While this has been a relatively average year for the world’s active volcanoes, the activity that did take place was spectacular…”
:: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/12/2017-the-year-in-volcanic-activity/548273

:: “In 2017, #photography became the most popular hashtag on Instagram… this… list of photographs encapsulates some of the moments that defined the year.”
:: https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-25-people-defined-visual-culture-year

:: “Incredible photos from space reveal the biggest news stories on Earth in 2017″
:: http://www.businessinsider.com/satellite-pictures-year-in-review-digitalglobe-2017-12/#hurricanes-triggered-massive-flooding-and-devastation-1

:: “I didn’t fancy her, I really didn’t fancy her husband. But they’d been so nice to me…”
:: http://metro.co.uk/2017/12/11/women-sex-politeness-got-stop-7149789

:: The entire internet, in 1973
:: http://www.openculture.com/what-the-entire-internet-looked-like-in-1973-an-old-map-gets-found-in-a-pile-of-research-papers.html

:: This looks stupid
:: https://www.gofundme.com/saint-stupid-the-movie

:: I’m no sportsball fan but even I thought this was an incredible graphic!
:: http://graphics.latimes.com/kobe-every-shot-ever via

Real things you can’t actually buy: no way!

I can’t make this stuff up: Folks, that’s not ordinary felted wool. It’s pet-fur felted wool. These are pet fur watches. Want one? Gather two to four ounces of your pet’s finest sheddings and send it, along with $200, to the Analog watch company. Your creepy conversation-starting timepiece will be back to you in just three to four short weeks.

via

Real things you can actually buy: YAY

Rusty Blazenhoff's Blazenfluff tea towel

Finally: For many years now, I’ve imagined this mashup of a Fluff jar and my last name. While most folks were running around getting last-minute gifts, hunkering down at home for the holiday, or traveling on Christmas Eve, I was silkscreening my new creation onto big cotton tea towels. I’m rather pleased with the outcome and I’m especially happy to have this particular idea out of my head.

I’ve already been asked if I’m selling any. So, here’s the deal. I hadn’t planned to and I only have a few left but if you send me $15, I can mail you one. Remember to include your snail mail address in the notes.

Four caveats:
1. There’s only five available;
2. They won’t ship until the week of January 8th;
3. This is for U.S. addresses only;
4. Imperfections are part of their charm, for real.

Featured events

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Los Angeles, California
[4/14] The contents of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s estate goes up for auction

San Francisco, California
[2/7] Emperor Norton’s 200th Birthday Bash at Mechanics’ Institute, 6 PM

United States and Canada
[Starts 1/17 in San Francisco] Dan Savage’s HUMP! Film Festival

FUCK

‘Tis the season: $70

Rusty’s Electric Dreams is a weekly inbox zine from the curious mind of Rusty Blazenhoff.

Described as, “One of the most inspiring, weird and off-kilter collections of curated kitschy ephemera for the big-brained.”

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