“TS-19”
Season 1
Episode 6

Apologies to the week late recap review of the season finale of The Walking Dead. In a way, this might be a reflection of my opinion of this season overall. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the show – I do, and I’m impressed that the show has yet to turn into a cheezy zombie movie – but given I did wait almost a week to finally watch the episode, it’s obvious this show isn’t a Mad Men or a Breaking Bad for me. I like it, but over the course of this season, I’m not sure if I’ve fallen in love with the show as much as I thought I would before the show began.

And my reaction to the season one finale is this: Huh. There were some really interesting beats to this episode and some good material, but I’m not sure if it all played out as well as it was intended to be. Dr. Edwin Jenner says, “We always think there’s going to be more time. Then it runs out.” Which is a pretty apt description of how I felt about this episode and the season in general. Find out more on time running out, more wine, hot showers, suicide plans, and Shane taking the hothead crown from Darryl after the jump… Read more about Walking Dead on Mondays: A Man with a Plan »

One form of art that I admire greatly is jewelry making. This is mainly due to the fact that making jewelry takes tons of patience and intricate detail. One artist with these chazz-worthy skills is Sarah Smith. Her jewelry is not only gorgeous to look at, but her pieces are classy enough for special occasions and sophisticated enough for everyday wear. Her pieces are modern, trendy, and most definitely true pieces of art.

Be sure to check out the photos below of some of my personal favorites from her website. She also has an ETSY store where you may purchase her one of a kind jewelry…perfect for Christmas gifts! Sarah also does custom work and may be contacted through her website if you have an idea in mind!

At first blush, literature and tattoos seem to be an unlikely pairing, but as The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide shows, the two are uniquely intertwined. Given further thought, it makes sense. Tattoos are a personal experience, distinctive to each individual, as is the experience of reading, especially when the reader gleans some intimate inspiration from a work. A great piece of literature tends to get under a reader’s skin and stays with them for a lifetime, it only seems natural that tattoo lovers would want to depict that sentiment in a more literal sense.

Editors Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor have compiled a fascinating pictorial collection of tattoos inspired by literature and the personal stories behind them.  The tattoos, the works of literature they pay homage to, and the individuals who wear them are wide and varied. There are lines of poetry and prose mixed with portraits of authors and artwork from children’s books. From Shakespeare to Harry Potter and all places in between and beyond, the literature covered by these tattoos play like the history of the civilized world inked permanently into the skin of its people. Even the size of the artwork ranges from small symbols on someone’s wrist to large, intricate pieces that fill a person’s entire back.

But there are more than just pictures of bitchin’ tattoos in this book. Accompanying many of the photos are the stories behind the tattoos from the people who wear them. They are the personal stories of why each person made the decision to have their favorite piece of literature forever drawn into their skin. Many highlight moments of great significance involving learning or clarity in their lives, while others essentially just thought it would look cool.

The book is more than just a collection of pictures and stories though. It is a study of how literature affects tattoos and tattoos affect literature. For example, author Brian Evenson responds to one reader’s decision to have lines from his work tattooed on his forearm. The book also explores author Shelley Jackson’s “Skin” project in which random people throughout the world have had one word of a short story by Jackson tattooed on them. It is an intriguing project that transforms people into not just readers of literature, but into the words of literature.

The bottom line is that The Word Made Flesh is a fascinating compilation for anyone interested in literature, tattoos, or the cross section that loves both. It’s a book for people who appreciate good artwork and learning about the things learned by others. And it’s pretty awesome for those that just think tattoos are badass, too.

For a preview of some of the types of tattoos featured in the book, visit the The Word Made Flesh Facebook page and take a minute to look through the photos there. If you find yourself with the sudden urge to go out and get a Sylvia Plath tattoo, then you just might want to visit your preferred bookseller to buy the book. You can always get the Plath tattoo later.

“Wildfire”

Season 1

Episode 5

Wow. As someone who read a sizable chunk of the comics, this episode takes a rather interesting turn to a place where I have no idea what’s going to happen. And you know what? It’s pretty darn awesome, and I can’t believe this is already the penultimate episode of the season. More on deaths, bites, leaders, lab mishaps, and wine after the jump…

Read more about Walking Dead on Mondays: The Lonely Scientist »

The aroma of fried foods always draws a crowd in Ohio, but throw in some enormous pumpkins and a cool autumn afternoon, and you have the makings of a full-fledged throng.

Such was the case at the 104^thAnnual Circleville Pumpkin Show.

We arrived in central Ohio in the early afternoon on the last day of the festival and were a little shocked at the line of traffic entering Circleville. For pumpkins. Yes, really.

After finding a parking spot by a giant silo located at the edge of town, we followed the masses to the action. Most of the action involved eating. Most of the eating involved pumpkin, even in places pumpkin was never meant to be found.

We lucked out and found a church-sponsored food booth that had a $1 tasting menu. So, we tried one of everything. The pumpkin roll was exactly what one would expect: cream cheese icing rolled up in pumpkin cake. Delish. The pumpkin pizza was another story. Imagine pumpkin pie filling as a substitute for pizza sauce. Then imagine yourself throwing it away after one bite. That was my experience, too!

There was also pumpkin soda, pumpkin buckeyes, pumpkin ice cream, and the star of the show: pumpkin donuts. Two of those babies made the whole thing worth the drive. YUM. We did control ourselves and passed on the pumpkin chili and pumpkin burgers. We don’t have iron stomachs.

Browsing the billion craft booths and visiting the prize-winning pumpkins rounded out our visit.

This festival is the quintessential mid-American event, and I mean that in the best way. Sure, it’s as cheesy as all get out, but in the midst of the total weirdness of it all, you get a sense of community. All the houses were decked out in pumpkin motifs and everyone’s dogs were wearing pumpkin costumes and grown men were wearing pumpkin berets and I was a little queasy from eating bad, bad pumpkin things, but we were all in it together.

The pictures really tell the story of why the show is Chazzworthy:

“Vatos”

Season 1

Episode 4

It’s a new week and a new episode of The Walking Dead! More on holes, the elderly, killer dogs, and birthdays after the jump… Read more about Walking Dead on Mondays: Hidden Talents »

“Tell It To The Frogs”

Season 1

Episode 3

Unfortunately, due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had no access to the episode until today, so thus, a very late (and very long) recap and review. It’s a one time thing, so reviews will be up and running again on its regular schedule on Mondays. After all, who walks dead on Saturday? That’s just silly. More on camp dynamics, rescue missions, and squirrels after the jump… Read more about Walking Dead on Mondays (or Saturdays, apparently): Old Gender Politics »

I would like to be able to say that I have been in love with the circus ever since I was a kid, but that would be disingenuous. In truth, I really didn’t give much thought or attention to circuses as a child. Well, except for “Circus of the Stars.” That I loved, but I may have been more focused on the stars part rather than the circus part.

It wasn’t until I became an adult that my near obsession with circuses began. I can’t recall the exact when or where it happened, but I know that my interest in the circus blossomed as I researched more about their tradition, history, and operations that took place behind the bright colors, playful music, and death defying acts. Maybe I secretly yearned to shed the confines of my boring adult life to run away and join the circus. Maybe I found the circus as a way to reconnect with my inner child that I had lost touch with long ago. Or maybe I just thought the male acrobats with their athletic physiques were super hot. Psychoanalysis aside, I’m pretty chazzed about the circus.

So imagine my excitement when fellow Chazzed Online author, Saffy, notified me that PBS would be airing a documentary called “Circus.” In fact, I was so ecstatic that I may have pledged to name my first born child after her. I’m not sure. I was so happy that the incident is now a blur. Just know that if sometime in the future you meet a guy named Saffy, you’ll already know the story behind how he received his name.

Circus is a multi-part documentary that shows the behind the scenes workings of the Big Apple Circus, a traditional European-style one ring circus. The documentary focuses on the day to day affairs of circus life. It covers everything from training and putting together a performance to what living quarters are like for the performers and crew.

Circus also explores the experiences of several members of the Big Apple Circus. In following Glen Heroy, the documentary shows the audience what it’s like for a rookie performer, or “First of May” in circus lingo, to step into circus life for the first time and attempt to live up to the demands and expectations placed upon him. While Christine Zerbini, a ninth generation circus performer, shows us the focus and confidence that comes with being a veteran performer born into circus life.

But for me, personally, the most interesting part is getting to see the crew that builds and maintains the circus at work. Much attention has always been paid to the circus performers, and for good reason. After all, they’re the ones showcasing the skills and talent when we pay to enter the big top. But the crew that puts together that big top is often overlooked. It’s this look into their operations that provides a unique view of circuses and circus life. How does a person decide that they want to work as a crew member for the circus? This documentary shows interviews with crew members who share the answer to that question.

So if you’re like a lot of people and have ever daydreamed about running away to join the circus, or if you just want to see how they put the whole thing together and make it work, then you should definitely tune in to Circus on PBS. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up chazzing out about the circus, too.

View the first two hours of Circus online at http://www.pbs.org/opb/circus/ and catch the next installment tonight at 9/8c on your local PBS station.

“Guts”

Season 1 Episode 2

Where we discuss more zombies, more characters and more guts after the jump… Read more about Walking Dead On Mondays: Vacant, with a hint of sadness »

“Days Gone Bye”

Season 1 Episode 1

First things first: I’m not really a huge zombie fan. Don’t get me wrong, zombies are great! I like zombies and I enjoy good zombie movies every now and then, but I’m not the type who’d watch anything just because they have zombies in them. So, in some ways, I’m going to treat The Walking Dead like I do any other drama series. In terms of story telling, could it ever be as good as its AMC siblings Mad Men or Breaking Bad? Let’s see how the pilot episode fared after the jump… Read more about Walking Dead on Mondays: Yup, Zombies. »