Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Impending profanities

For those have been guests of the rockey home in recent months, you are most likely aware of the seemingly endless project that has been the front entryway. The project began with the cheap linoleum flooring being replaced with ceramic tiling. Step one was a grand success. However, putting the rest of the area back together (i.e. reinstalling the bathroom sink and toilet, replacing quarter round, and the like) has been an incredibly slow moving process. Also, we decided that if we were going to replace our front door eventually, now would be the perfect time. Well, when you're doing it all yourself with little to zero experience,'perfect time' is a pretty loose term. Regardless, the new door is up and the end of the project is slowly closing in.

Meanwhile... check out that jazzy curious george sheet and pillow casing which Mama Jane threw together for Baby Jane. As you can see, she's pretty stoked about the whole deal.

And here we are enjoying our patio...

If you're wondering whether or not we got our hands on that sandbox for only one dollar at a consignment sale, well wonder no more. We in fact did. We dropped a bag of sand in there last night and Baby Jane was set for some hardcore excavation.

Well, i've wasted enough time avoiding the impending plumbing crisis.

If you hear the faint echo of violent profanities in the distance, let me just apologize in advance.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

New songs for older kids

Occasionally playing deejay for friends and loved ones during their post-nuptial celebrations has been an interesting undertaking. It's a dance all its own trying to select just the right sequencing of songs which are at once poignant and pertinent while retaining the primal characteristics which provoke corporate booty-shaking. If done properly, it can be a bit like compiling a multiple volume mixtape for the happy couple. That's quite a daunting task. Daunting perhaps, but wildly enjoyable. I have to admit, since the near extinction of tape decks among family and friends, i've missed the ritual of compiling mixtapes. With compact discs, the sequencing of two separate acts known as Side A and Side B has been lost. Digital mp3 players pose their own tactile limitations. While i'm no hater of any of these forms of aural enjoyment per se, i can't deny that their is no worthy substitute for the double-sided reel-to-reel goodness of the analog artifact commonly known as the mixtape.

Having recently made a promise to a coworker to compile for her a mix cd, i was inspired to approach the process as if the selections were being put to two sides of a ninety minute cassette. The result is now available for your aural consumption. If you're super ambitious, have these tunes magnetically committed. Dig.

Download: New Songs for Older Kids - A Rockey Home Companion Mixtape (zipped folder 102MB)

Side A:
  1. Caroline - Brandi Carlile
  2. Never had nobody like you - M. Ward w/ Zooey Deschanel
  3. Australia - The Shins
  4. Librarian - My Morning Jacket
  5. Laughing with a mouth of blood - St. Vincent
  6. Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  7. Unthought known - Pearl Jam
  8. Kick drum heart - The Avett Brothers
  9. In a future age - Wilco
  10. Pot kettle black - Wilco
Side B:
  1. Wake up - Arcade Fire
  2. Say please - Monsters of Folk
  3. Little bribes - Death Cab for Cutie
  4. Genesis 3:23 - The Mountain Goats
  5. Red wine, success! - Cold War Kids
  6. Trials - Damien Jurado
  7. The horizon is a beltway - The Low Anthem
  8. Zion & babylon - Josh Garrels
  9. To kingdom come - Passion Pit
  10. Heaven - Derek Webb

Monday, May 17, 2010

Dig these vibes

We here are into the business of listening to and making music, then listening some more. Why, right this moment i'm digging on zimmy's soundtrack to the lesser known western film titled Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid. I am a frequenter of a handful of blogs dedicated to the listening of, enlightening of, and preservation of rad songs and records. One such favorite goes by the handle Aquarium Drunkard. If you dig good sonic vibes, check out this collection of digital mixtapes submitted for your approval.

Don't make me tell you again.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Shakes the stairs that stab the wall

In future times, records that could have been will look like this...

SCRAM! EP
Side A: Skyscraper, Tin Can Transmissions
Side B: Strong Enough, Between Dreams and a Broken Heart
(c) 2006 The Mustard Room

Monday, May 10, 2010

Them Jane Gals

For Mom's day twenty ten, Mama Jane received a hot new piece of apparel from Baby Jane.

Say hello to your mother for me

Bubbles make bath time a blast time. It were a long and winding week full of traffic jams, pearl jams, and peanut butter and jams. Thanks to Uncle Jere, the whole family got to enjoy free dogs, beans and beer before taking in seven and a half innings of a ball game which the home team actually won. Oh, and did i mention that we won free car washes? Well, now you know.

Check out this creeper...

He came to inspect the disturbing odor emanating from the dishwasher. Then, a flamboyant man with leathery skin made him disappear into thin air. Poof.

We spent mother's day sending photos to mothers, eating chicken, chasing chickens and mooing at cows. Upon request by Mama Jane, the Jane gals and myself spent the afternoon at Trader's Point Creamery. Baby Jane got to visit with the brown swiss cows who make her milk. Also, she tried to hug a chicken.

Here's another one of Mama Jane's gifts which Baby Jane and i worked on together...

Cluck.

Cluck.

Cluck.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Kool and the gang

Here's something: Last friday was so completely rad that i've been unable to blog about anything due to soaking in the afterglow.

First, Baby Jane and i spent the morning riding in circles atop horsies and deer. Then, after checking in with our pals and the newest member of their clan, me and the Jane gals made the short hike home to rendezvous with some house guests for a night of pinning cloth and connecting dots. It started in the mind of Katie Bee who shared the dream of her creative endeavor with Mama Jane and myself months ago before trotting off across the globe. Recently, we regrouped and talks began to set the plan in motion. An evening of beers, sheers and bobbins turned into a junction of function and fashion. The night served as a catalyst for grand conversation with buds from all corners of life. Here's a rundown:
  • non-profit investigation
  • cool porters
  • merry bobbins
  • second hand slicing
  • cozy neck splicing
  • granola fever
  • baby snuggling
  • party favors

Today, we put pen to ink, we put paper to pen and tore the whole thing apart to put together again. Also, for some reason, i made cherry kool-aid.

Word.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Proverbial irons in literal fires

Behold the mighty Schwinn Hollywood. She's bedazzled in rust and raring to go. If memory serves me correctly, this beaut was once the teenage chariot of my mother's younger sister better known as Aunt Patti. Somehow she (the bicycle not my aunt) wound up propped upon a kickstand in my folks' shed for the better part of twenty years. I really am referring to the bicycle here. Let's just put those rumors to rest right now. My aunt has lived in oregon for some time now. At least that's what i've been told. Regardless, i am bound and determined to squeeze every last ounce of life from this rickety wiry beast or get slightly injured trying. While this is an exciting prospect, the addition of her majesty does not come without its problems. You see, we now have more bicycles in our garage than necessary for a healthy young couple living south of indianapolis.

Here is a list of things that you may or may not need which we have to offer and/or negotiate a deal for:
  • ten-speed bicycles
  • a lawn mower
  • a propane grill
  • 12" copy of 1978 billy joel record '52nd street'
  • complete set of 1989 bowman baseball cards
  • tv with built-in vcr requiring a hefty dose of patience to operate (remote control included, batteries not so much)
  • dandelions
Take your pick and make an offer. Otherwise, they'll all die sad and alone and the guilt will follow you home and beg for scraps from your front porch until you spray it with a garden hose and shoot bb's at it. You really don't want that. Do you? I don't know, maybe you do.

And now, a bear...

More from him later.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Riding shotgun with a black man

Why yes, that is a toasted melange of rolled oats, quinoa, milled flax and cinnamon. Also, yes these are some of the tasty ingredients found in the batch of granola bars we created from the comfort of our kitchen this afternoon. Again, i absolutely would love to share with you the recipe for such a delicious and aromatic snack choice. Our friend and partner in craftology, Rachel, sent Mama Jane a link to this delightful post.

The final verdict: Mmmmm...

By the way, have you ever pulled up to a gas pump in a radio flyer town & country to purchase two dollars worth of unleaded gasoline? Baby Jane has.

In other news: Brother from another mother, Nelson, and myself took a late night drive through the country in his pickup truck. The goal was to retrieve a couple sweet Schwinn cycles and another hand-me-down propane grill from the folks. All was going according to plan until the fuzz pulled us over. Apparently, the plate in the back window warranted some suspicion from johnny law who informed us that beat-up pickup theft is an enormous problem in them there parts. I, however, am convinced that my friend and i were subjected to an unmerited case of racial profiling. As we later rolled out of my parent's driveway, I asked if we looked at all suspicious. My concerned father assured us that we merely appeared as though we were stealing bicycles. We all chuckled nervously before my comrade and i cautiously continued homeward. While conversing with friends earlier this evening, i had recounted the time i stood behind a shed with my childhood friend while watching him consume a bomb pop which was defiantly purchased from the ice cream man after said friend's mother warned him otherwise. I swore that i was either a.) going to jail, b.) going home early, or c.) never having the privilege of enjoying a frozen treat ever again. In over twenty years, i have never had that feeling again until the night i rode shotgun through shelby county with a black man.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tractor fall

We were in serious danger of falling deep into a Pingu-induced coma. I did what had to be done and got Baby Jane and myself dressed for brisk morning romp at a secret locale between the trees. There were birds. There were swings. There were slides and a roundabout. We even found a tiny tractor abandoned below the bucket swings. We had the place all to ourselves and we went wild. Just check out the expression of sheer amusement...

Now, excuse me while i kick the sky...

Swings are a whole lot of good times. Also, i later admitted to my wife that i've owned those socks longer than i've known her. Perhaps shopping for some new socks is in my future. To be honest, those shoes aren't nearly as ancient, but barely serve a functional purpose at this point. An alternate view point would prove this point inarguable. You may take my word for it.

Later, four hours at the Strange Brew came and went like nobody's business as i pushed Lauren out of a tree to help her see that she could indeed fly all along: Big black paper mache balloon + candy bars + a dream = a future for our children. Then, we both walked away with a buck eighty in our pockets and revolution in our hearts.

Obviously, i've made my point quite clear.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Natalie's Walkers Go Purple.

Friends of The Mustard Room, Natalie's Walkers, provided us the distinct pleasure of printing shirts designed by Erik Tidd for the March of Dimes walk this year. Behold.

Thank you for letting The Mustard Room contribute to the cause in such a fashionable fashion.

Rainy days of thunder

The common response toward rainy days seems to be that of longing for less rainy days. While history has proven that too much rain can be troublesome, i tend to enjoy wet overcast days. Baby Jane sees the rain as an excuse to wear her boots, albeit indoors.

Nevertheless.

On days like these, coffee seems to taste better and i often find myself inspired to fine tune batches of songs. This usually leads to making some kind of recorded documentation of the evolution of these songs and - because i'm a little OCD about album cover art accompanying all and i do mean ALL of the music in my library - a subsequent album cover...


As mentioned in a previous post, the mustard room was given the distinct privilege of printing the tshirts for our friends' march of dimes team this year. We cranked these out in a couple nights after Baby Jane went to bed. It was a pretty rad way to contribute to the cause.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Brass tacks

Well, the wagon-ride-to-the-park streak has been broken. Today, we had much work to do in preparing screens for the printing of t-shirts for Team Nat-bug. Our friend's daughter has a team who march for dimes downtown every spring, and this year The Mustard Room has been recruited to print the fronts and backs of the team's apparel. Baby Jane and i spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the backyard while watching whirlybirds and aeroplanes float overhead.

The highlight of our day was dinner and conversation with our dear friend Katie Bee who has recently returned from traversing the world. After an impromptu photo shoot with the always obliging Baby Jane, we got to the pressing business as at hand: tasty vittles and good vibes. We all had many stories to share and schemes to devise, and it would appear that our souls are being stirred in similar directions.

Next time: pretzels, beer, sewing machines, shredded tees... this and more for the children.