Steampunk Coffee Machines, Armor and Burning Man 2008. . . [14 Aug 2008|05:10pm] [ mood | caffeinated ] [ music | Depeche Mode, Violator ] So, many of you know me as a tea geek, a label I will not deny. However I'm also coffee geek. A couple days back I indulged a long standing obsession with perhaps the original steampunk kitchen accessory -- the La Pavoni Europiccola. First designed in the 1950s, this machine has been the gold standard ever since, and remains in production with only minor modifications. Basically, it is a chromed solid cast brass boiler, with only the very minimum of modern accouterments attached. It is both refined and primitive -- when it is warming up, jets of steam shoot out of the valves, but one also is part of the collection of the museum of modern art. I first became aware of this machine during my first throes of coffee obsession in Seattle in the late 90s. Anyway, as of a few days back, I finally own one. It is one of the new millennium models with a nifty automatic pressure regulator and the larger group head than the older models. The consensus on Coffee Geek is that my obsession is justified. In other news, Vorpal Space Has had a couple of excellent months. This month Vorpal Space has featured "Sketches of Hell," a series conceptual design sketches by my Friend and neighbor Matthew Clark. Matthew was commissioned by DC Comics to redesign Hell for the DC universe, and these are the concept drawings! It is an amazing show. Next month is a show of paintings by my friend Peter Archer. This will be his second show at Vorpal Space following the highly successful Sleeper Cells last year. And, Burning Man prep is ramping up daily. gowanmetal and I are making the trip together, planning to join up and camp with the Garnish posse in BRC. She as usual, is amazing. As I write she is hammering sheets of aluminum into fully - functional armor plates to augment my standard post-apocalyptic samurai thing. Her own outfits (including a chased and repoussed copper scale armour bikini top) are pretty damn impressive as well. I'll post some pics soon. . . p.s. I still have the same motorcycle, the NT650 GT Hawk. It is amazing and I don't think I'm going to sell it. I even bough a Corbin seat for it. And gowanmetal and I made a custom aluminum luggage panel for it out acid etched with Masonic and Rosicrucian emblems. post comment

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