Stardust Asylum

I love seeing candy and toys used cleverly in stop motion, and this is some of the best I’ve seen:

Also check out the fireworks one they have, if you’re looking for an Independence Day treat.

So…not only are the not-happening Dolpa dolls boring Madoka again (surprise, surprise), it looks as though I won’t be going to NYC after all.

The house is ours, pretty much. We go for the mortgage talk on Tuesday, then hang out and wait for mid-August closing. With all of those expenses, while it galls me to watch my money march away into the hands of unscrupulous hotels who won’t give refunds, I can’t afford the extra costs of a trip like that (food, taxis, etc).

I hope that everyone who goes to the non-Dolpa has a great time! I’ll miss seeing all my friends who I only get to see once a year. *cries*

First of all, I want to thank everyone for your kind words and prayers. It’s been very comforting to read your notes. *hugs* Thank you all so much.

We had our home inspection today for the new house. I have to admit, my mind was sort of here and there, but it seems that the chimney needs work (which I had somehow guessed). We’re hoping the seller will fix it up.

My favorite room remains the attic bedroom, with it’s little nook bed, Japan-esque panels, and built in book shelves. It’s going to be a library and guestroom when we’re all finished. I don’t have many pics (and really, I don’t want to embarrass myself by showing off the wallpaper in the rest of the house), but here are some of the attic.

This is the unfinished side, with the ‘cathedral’ style ceiling. Eventually hoping to line this with bookshelves.

This is the built-in bookshelf window that I adore. I just love that little room in general…however, it was rather toasty today, and we haven’t quite figured out how we’re going to keep it cool-ish in summer. Ah well!

Unfortunately, my Grandpa passed this morning. I’m torn between numbness, crying, and trying to rationally tell myself that it’s better. He was in so much pain, and I would never ever want him to have to suffer.

My grandfather lost his family to the Nazis in WWII. They were circus performers, outcasts to the great blond army. After his loss, my grandpa moved to Germany, helping out the Allies and rebuilding and cleaning up the devestation. He met my German grandmother there…she was actually beaten up by the other girls in town because the handsome foreigner was paying her sole attention and ignoring them. He told her his name was Felix…which was his stage name. His real name was Alexei, which he changed to Alexander when he came to America with his young wife and their two year old son. My father was born here the next year.

He was a Cossack, through and through. He always explained to me how strong Ukrainians were. How in the old days, children were tossed onto horseback and learned all the tricks of a warrior. He told me about the dangers of performing in a circus, of the settled dull winters between performance seasons, the time he and his younger sister Valentina hid under the table at a party and snuck the whiskey cherries from the big bowl.

If I’m not around for a bit, that’s why. If you could, please say a prayer for my Grandpa. I’m going to miss him more than I can say.

Even if you can’t be as great as my dad is, Happy Father’s Day.

My father is a Renaissance man, a brewmaster, a man who can make kites, restore old trunks, race hydroplanes, bake sourdough bread, build a monster grill, repair a Harley Davidson, interpret “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock,” cuddle my puppy, and plan how to fix up the bathroom on the house I haven’t even moved into yet. I am grateful for him teaching how to play hockey, how to brew beer in a seven year apprenticeship, how to build a windowframe, and how to look the idiot trying to pull one over on me in the eye and say “So, let me get this straight.”

I could never thank him enough for supporting me in Irish dancing when I knew I could beat that girl in the green dress, for the roughhousing bruises on my arms, for the tight hugs and awkward comfort when I needed it the most, for sending me Halloween candy in Japan, and for making me clam chowder and chili every time I come into town.

I have his dark wavy hair and his nose. (Yes, I’m sure he wants them back.) We’re probably alike in more ways than we could count. I love you, Daddy.

Also, I love my Grandfather, who is fighting for his life right now in the hospital. A Ukrainian circus performer, trapeze artist to be exact, who speaks 16 languages to this day. He’s seen things in war that I couldn’t imagine. He has a silver rib from a bad fall from the trapeze. Thank you for everything, Grandpa.

I promise one of these days I’ll post something about my actual life, dolls, cooking adventures, etc. But it is not this day.

Found this fascinating blog this evening. All different artists, each drawing literary figures, authors as well as characters.

Sgettis

There’s one of Lovecraft that I just adore.

Armeleia maintains, and has always maintained, that I am the real-life Freakazoid. I…often try to disagree, but then I’ll do something and she’ll laugh once (”Ha!”) and point out that I’m acting pretty much like Freakazoid.

Eh…maybe once in awhile she’s right. Especially since every episode seriously cracks me up. Like this clip. *snort*

As this woman maintains her foggy innocence, as well as posts new images that have already been identified as traces, LUTS has made a public statement regarding her.

Dear BJD lovers all over the world

It is hard to mention our feeling.
This case is shameful, sad and astonishing.
Most of all, we are sorry for making a lot of people worried and appreciate your attention.

We were reported by a customer about ‘Mijn Schatje’ and her works (we are afraid of calling her works as ‘art’ currently.. ) which seems to copy our and other company’s BJD. We thought her works were obviously as similar as our photos of dolls too much.
So, to deal with this case, we contacted a gallery to stop sale and exhibition of her works and we received answer they already received uncomfortable email from someone. (They asked some time to investigation by themselves)

We understand this case makes a lot of people embarrased and discouraged BJD companies and artists. It was really hard to deliver this case to our creators and designers - They were very disappointed and I did not know how I can comfort them. However, regardress of the fact, we also think the galleries, shops or companies which purchased or exhibited her product could be victims of her wrong behavior.

While I look around this thread, I could feel many things…
There are massive emotion and public opinion on this thread. As you know, it is easy to be amplified.

I know this thread and this community is rational, fair open space for all BJD lovers filled with passion and love. So we sincerely ask all BJD owners stop sending email to the artist and other galleries or shops if someone did. Instead, if you offer us any report of them or information, it will be very helpful. Now we have too little power to figure out how many photos were used and the copied illustrations were sold - and where - , it will be so grateful if you offer help - then we can require the galleries and shops not to exhibit the works and stop the sale. We - LUTS, other BJD companies and BJD photo owners - should settle down this case with Mijn Schatje and galleries, shops directly with your huge attention and support.

We all got hurt from this case - BJD owners’ and BJD companies’ pride about our ART works, our and other companies’ designers, creators and photographers … galleries, companies which used, exhibited, sold Mijn Schatje’s works , and even Mijn Schatje herself an her fans who loved her arts.
(We can imagine easily how her fans feel when they recognize their favorite illustrations traced other photo. )
That’s why we should step away a bit from the emotional point and figure out the best way to solve this case cleanly.

It is the most precious thing we have learned from this case to find your enormous love for LUTS and other BJDs. It is so glad to convince your love, we all managers of LUTS - and I think all BJD companies would feel same - appreciate your concern from our heart.

We will do our best to keep our and your right.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Best wishes,

Dianne Song
English website manager of LUTS

Ms. Song raises several good issues, the most important being to give LUTS the ammunition at this point, rather than attacking directly. The copyright holders will be the ones who can really get things done in this case. It’s heartwrenching for me to read how the designers were upset at the theft of their hard work. That alone should make people who would support this upstart talentless hack re-think their opinion. Not hurting anyone, eh?

For more information on the images that were stolen and the companies that have been contacted, please see Radiotrash’s page here: http://www.radiotrash.org/mijn/

So recently, Mijn Schatje has been extremely popular. We’re talking $1,000 print popular. Too bad she can’t keep an original thought in her head. Most of her artwork is directly traced from pictures of BJDs, company photos and owners photos alike. Check out the linked list to see the ‘artist’s’ piece and the original source. Pretty damning evidence. Much thanks to Tomato for all the hard sleuthing!

This artist is published regularly in French magazine Biba, as well as having been featured recently in High Fructose, displaying a Narae overlay as her own work. The artist, as seen in this captured blog comment, claims that while using BJDs as models, she’s never seen any pictures that look like her own work. Sure you have’t, sweetie.

Get the word out and, if you can take the time, send an e-mail to a gallery or magazine that features her work. I think that the list of stolen photos is pretty self-explanatory, and I should hope that the art community at large will not turn a blind eye to one of the most obvious cases of intellectual theft that I’ve seen in awhile.

For some reason, this comic from xkcd really touched me oddly tonight.