Everything looks so strange… I’ve been flying by cellphone for so long that I forgot what the internet looks like on a computer monitor. Now I have this new machine with a 23″ diagonal widescreen HD LED display and it is like wow… plus I have the Windows 8, so I feel a little lost. Things are missing, like I don’t know how to minimize or close windows, how to open multiple windows, or even how to get the useless junk off the start page. I want tiles for MY stuff, the stuff I want to see or use. I’m not into sports, online games, or stock markets. I bought this machine “gently used” without any books so it will take me a minute to figure it out.
So, what’s going on?
I bought a nail at Youngstown Nation. Want to see? Here’s a photo snapped by cell phone of the nail laid on the old “Smoke” painting. Yes, I covered the canvas with cheap gauze (cheese cloth) to play with the texture.
Youngstown Nation is a little store in my neighborhood (downtown Youngstown) that sells a few things like t-shirts and decals to promote Youngstown, a small selection of books about Youngstown, plus they have some cool old stuff in there, like old maps and photographs of Youngstown. And these nails, made by a local blacksmith out of Youngstown steel.
I really like this nail. For a split second, I thought about adding it to my key ring; but, in the event of a freak accident, that nail could literally become a stake in my heart as I wear my keys on a necklace chain so it might be better to hang it on my Christmas tree. I really don’t want to stash it away with the ornaments, so maybe I’ll do something else with it. With a few findings, it could make a cool charm on my shopping bag.
So what’s so special about this nail? It is crude. The head looks hand formed and the lettering tools were obviously hand held and eye-balled into aligned as they are so not perfect. The steel is deformed, squished by the force of the hammer, but it feels good.
I like it. There is history in the steel.
Barnbees 