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bookmark_borderSteven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers”

Posted on by Elliott Evans

Just got back home after seeing this new film at Pittsburgh’s historic Manor Theatre. I liked it, but then I’ve liked every film Soderbergh has ever made, even Schizopolis (1996). The screenplay was written by Ed Solomon, who is probably best known for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1996). It stars up-and-coming actress Michaela Coel who succeeds in holding her own up against the great Ian McKellen.

It is an interesting kind of a thriller, with no chase scenes and no gunshots. All of Soderbergh’s films are thrillers of one kind or another, but this one keeps you guessing about which kind of thriller it is. At the end, has any crime been committed? Has any theft occurred? Have any lies been told?

Well (spoiler alert) yes, many lies are told in this film, but most of them are not the things you expect to be lies and some of them (like in Ocean’s 11) are of course lies that are told to you, the audience. Since this is also a story about art and artists, it has to be a story about lies. As Magritte taught us, any image is a lie. Are we seeing what we think we are seeing? Are the people who they pretend to be? When is a lie not a lie? If Pierre Menard re-writes Don Quixote, is the result Cervantes’, or Menard’s?

When we’re gone, will we be reviled for every nasty thing we have ever said or done, or will we be revived in the memories of those who love us for every kind wish we have ever expressed?

Anyway, sorry to say that today is the last day of this film’s run at the Manor. We meant to see it last week when it opened, but I accidentally bought tickets for closing day instead. You still have time! Don’t wait until Monday, or it will be gone.

bookmark_borderRainbow Cotton Takadai Braid

Posted on by Elliott Evans

Started with 17 strands of cotton crochet cord in 9 different colors, 4 ends per strand about 116″. Had it on the takadai for about a month, working on it here and there, plain 1-1 interlacing. Finished it up this week while I have more free time. 76″ between the bindings, roughly 7/8″ wide.

17-strand Takadai Braid

I should do more braiding on the takadai. I did a bunch of braiding one morning, then the next day when I was getting dressed, I had a mysterious blister on my right index finger. I could not figure it out until I started braiding that day, and the beater sword bonked right up against the blister. Ow. Maybe I’ll get a kumishi callus.

I’ve already warped up the takadai for another braid.

bookmark_borderAmazing Film

Posted on by Elliott Evans

Last night, we went to see a brilliant film by an oft-maligned but cult favorite director about a person who is sometimes viewed as some kind of monster by the public. A person who has been put on display by a heartless manipulator, and made to feel like a freak by an uncaring media.

That’s right, we went to see The Elephant Man (1980), directed by David Lynch and starring Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt. What movie did you think I was talking about?

Anyway, this film is absolutely amazing. It is not just a sensitive portrayal of a sometimes mysterious figure, but a detailed portrayal of life in Victorian England. The realities of the economics and class structure are displayed, and the dehumanization of everyday people by the advance of mechanization is always a factor. The film even addresses its own morality by having the morality of its characters openly debated.

Brilliant work by Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, and Freddie Jones of course, with notable appearances by Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and a quite young Dexter Fletcher. Even minor roles are played with considerable emotion and skill by such luminaries as Kenny Baker, Wendy Hiller, and Michael Elphick.

In some ways, this is maybe the most mainstream of Lynch’s films, but in others it is pure Lynchian obesession. Mysterious and loud machinery punctuates contemplative sections. Deformities and bloody injuries are everywhere. There are so many photographic portraits of women that they should have been collected and published as a book. Even the controversial use of black and white is straight out of David’s artistic playbook.

If you haven’t seen this film in decades, or you haven’t seen it at all, pay tribute to the legacy of David Lynch by watching this film if you can. Many thanks to the Harris Theater for shoing this on the big screen where it really belongs.

bookmark_borderSewing for a Mark

Posted on by Elliott Evans

A very good friend of ours was elevated to the Order of the Mark yesterday for his years of excellence with thrown weapons and related service. Hara and I made this hitatare sugata for him to wear for his elevation. Hara found the wonderful silk brocade online, and she made the hakama. I made the hitatare and the braided embellishments.

Silk Brocade Hitatare

I also made the white tekkou bracers from some excellent white silk, and lined them with white linen.

White Tekkou (Bracers) from Silk

I also made the jinbaori arming jacket. Hara bought the lining, and Alime bint Yorgi found the shell fabric. We might later replace the buttons with new buttons shaped like the Mark badge.

Jinbaori Front

On the back, I embroidered a Mark badge onto some of the extra lining fabric, then turned the edges under and sewed the square down to the center of the back.

Jinbaori Back with Mark Badge

This is some of the shiniest, most extravagant garb I have ever made. It was my special pleasure to make these garments for Kuma because I was otherwise prevented from attending his elevation.

bookmark_borderA 2026 Calendar For You

Posted on by Elliott Evans 
       January               February                 March       
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
             1  2  3    1  2  3  4  5  6  7    1  2  3  4  5  6  7
 4  5  6  7  8  9 10    8  9 10 11 12 13 14    8  9 10 11 12 13 14
11 12 13 14 15 16 17   15 16 17 18 19 20 21   15 16 17 18 19 20 21
18 19 20 21 22 23 24   22 23 24 25 26 27 28   22 23 24 25 26 27 28
25 26 27 28 29 30 31                          29 30 31            

        April                   May                   June
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
          1  2  3  4                   1  2       1  2  3  4  5  6
 5  6  7  8  9 10 11    3  4  5  6  7  8  9    7  8  9 10 11 12 13
12 13 14 15 16 17 18   10 11 12 13 14 15 16   14 15 16 17 18 19 20
19 20 21 22 23 24 25   17 18 19 20 21 22 23   21 22 23 24 25 26 27
26 27 28 29 30         24 25 26 27 28 29 30   28 29 30            
                       31                                         
        July                  August                September
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
          1  2  3  4                      1          1  2  3  4  5
 5  6  7  8  9 10 11    2  3  4  5  6  7  8    6  7  8  9 10 11 12
12 13 14 15 16 17 18    9 10 11 12 13 14 15   13 14 15 16 17 18 19
19 20 21 22 23 24 25   16 17 18 19 20 21 22   20 21 22 23 24 25 26
26 27 28 29 30 31      23 24 25 26 27 28 29   27 28 29 30         
                       30 31                                      
       October               November               December
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa   Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
             1  2  3    1  2  3  4  5  6  7          1  2  3  4  5
 4  5  6  7  8  9 10    8  9 10 11 12 13 14    6  7  8  9 10 11 12
11 12 13 14 15 16 17   15 16 17 18 19 20 21   13 14 15 16 17 18 19
18 19 20 21 22 23 24   22 23 24 25 26 27 28   20 21 22 23 24 25 26
25 26 27 28 29 30 31   29 30                  27 28 29 30 31

bookmark_borderAcquired Music 2025

Posted on by Elliott Evans
  1. Hans Zimmer, Dune Part 2 (2024)
  2. Laurie Anderson, Amelia (2024)
  3. Mogwai, The Bad Fire (2025)
  4. Jean Michel Jarre, Rendez-vous (1986)
  5. Michael Riesman, Powaqqatsi (1988)
  6. Elbow, Audio Vertigo (2024)
  7. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra, Borrasca (1991)
  8. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra, The Hours Between Night+ Day (1993)
  9. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra, Euphoria (1995)
  10. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra, Opium (1996)
  11. Vangelis, Chariots of Fire (2024)
  12. Yo-Yo Ma, Japanese Melodies (1984)

The Dune soundtrack is a perfectly fine extension of the Part 1 soundtrack. Amelia is an album-length presentation of the acts around the last flight of Amelia Earhart. It’s interesting but maybe not “entertaining”. The Bad Fire is very interesting because it came with a bonus CD of the demo versions of each of the tracks on the album. These demos are much more raw and a lot closer to the less “produced” sound of Mogwai’s earlier albums, and I think I actually like them better than the final versions. I found the Rendez-vous and Powaqqatsi in a discount bin someplace and could not pass them up. Michael Riesman is the conductor for the performance, but of course Philip Glass composed all of the music. Audio Vertigo is a heavy-hitting album, and an excellent showing from Elbow. I was leafing through the bin at the Goodwill, and found this whole stack of Ottmar Liebert albums. These are all great, and if you have not heard Ottmar Liebert’s German take on Spanish guitar music, you should look him up. I spent like $10 for five hours of music. We already had a copy of Chariots of Fire, but who knows if I’ll ever see another one. The Yo-Yo Ma album was a gift from Sweetie, and it’s a fascinating take on these traditional tunes. A Chinese guy playing Japanese music on a European instrument is a great expression of cosmopolitan art and performance.

Peer into the past: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019

bookmark_borderDish Bento Lunch

Posted on by Elliott Evans

I actually served myself lunch in the dish bento the other day. Here’s what it looks like:

Maple Bento with Dishes of Food

Starting in the upper left, I had:

  • Kimchi (from a jar) and pickled radish (home made)
  • Simmered kabocha squash with dried shiso sprinkle
  • Shredded fresh napa cabbage with sesame dressing
  • Rice with flaked salmon, sesame seeds, and aonori
  • Mackerel (from a tin) with plum sauce and naruto maki kamaboko
  • Marinated poached lotus root, roasted japanese eggplant, and shiitake mushrooms with black bean sauce

Lots of food, to be sure, but mostly vegetables, fruits, and grains. I don’t always have this much variety, but sometimes I go a little overboard when I’m grocery shopping. Such hardship, I know.

bookmark_borderBento Box from Maple

Posted on by Elliott Evans

A while back, probably a year or two ago, I bought six small-ish (4 inches across) “Black/Red” melamine dishes from one of the Asian markets here in Pittsburgh. See, the problem with most bento is that the tray inside is so big that you can’t actually fit it in the dishwasher. I figured that if I got a few small dishes, then made a box to hold them, I could use the collection as a bento box. Once I’d used the dishes to hold lunch “courses”, I could pull them out and line them up in the dishwasher rack.

Dish Bento from Maple

Here is what the box and lid look like with the dishes inside. You can see that the lid has a little lip around it, but it is basically the same construction as the body, only slightly larger. The corners are mitered, and the surfaces (lid surface, body floor) are rabetted to fit into dadoes in the lip/sides. There are no fasteners in the box, just glue and finish. I did most of the cutting and mitering on the band saw, and did the rabbets and dadoes on the router table.

Dish Bento Body with Dishes

The body interior is just a little bit larger and deeper than the bowls themselves. The interior is about 12.125″ by 8.125″ and 2 inches deep. The maple is 0.375″ thick, so it is sturdy enough to hold the densest of lunches.

Dish Bento Body

The panels that make up the floor and lid surface are actually “book matched”. I started with a 7/8″-thick rough board, then re-sawed it into two thinner boards using my band saw. Then, a few passes through the planer to smooth it out. That’s why the grain doesn’t match up exactly, because my wavy resaw cuts meant more grain was lost to the planer.

Dish Bento Lid

The entire box is finished with “General Finishes” brand ‘Wood Bowl Finish‘, which used to be marketed as ‘Salad Bowl Finish’. This is an oil-based urethane finish intended for food contact. They have taken care with the solvents so that once the finish is cured it is non-toxic and as safe as they can manage. It is much less stinky than the polyurethanes I tend to use, and it dries very hard like lacquer. Due to the (intentional) loose fit of the panels in the edges/walls, the box is not water-tight, but the wood is thoroughly sealed.