Bad Day

Have you guys had a bad day lately?


Oh man, for your sake, I hope it wasn't as bad as ours.


Our awesome HP laptop, Master Boo, DIED today - only one day before our big clearance sale! What a damper, right?! Now, we're having to resort to using our Wii for an internet connection. So, if our typing seems a little clunky lately...well, we're typing with a Wii remote so...hahaha.

At least we got the sale off and running....but because of our limited connection, we started it a bit early!

OH, but here's the bright part of our day! Before our computer died, we made our FIRST Etsy purchase!!



White Chocolate Cherry CupCake Truffles from http://tabbycat13.etsy.com

Yes, those little delights are coming our way straight from the Fancy Lady herself! And we are ridiculously excited about it! Aren't they scrumptious!? I can't help but drool! They look fit for a queen...or two goofy artistic-types who've had a bad day. :-D

Well, I could keep going on with the BADNESS of this day, but I'd rather leave on a high note.
PLEASE tell me you've had a better day than us! We'd love to hear some happy stories, after the death of our beloved Master Boo the HP laptop.

Until later,
(unless something goes incredibly wrong)
-Kateri Joe

P.S. In light of this bad day, we didn't get to go on our planned hike. So, we can't share sweaty pictures quite yet. But, for me, that could be a good thing...bahaha!

P.S.S. Par usual, that picture is owned by The Fancy Lady. :-) 'Just so youz knowz.

An Explanation

Hey guys! It's once again Kateri Joe at the helm.

You might have noticed that our spider buddy has gotten a new sign as a friend that speaks of yet another P.C. sale. Here's the explanation:


Jonathan and I are wanting to give everyone a last chance to snatch up anything in the Peculiar Curiosities shop while it's still available. After September 13th, those items (like Dr. Bubonic and Brendan) will be gone for good to make room for curious specimens such as this guy:


Monster embryo, phase three.

Rawr! *giggles*

You know what this means, right!? We're two weeks away from opening up the new shop! And, when we mean NEW, we mean brand-spanking-kick-you-in-the-face-with-sweet-action NEW! We'll even have this thing called FOCUS! Oooh, it will be zesty!

Okay, enough with the shameless promotion. End now.

On another note, it feels fantastic to be back to blogging again! I hope that in the month-long span that we were away that everyone met good times of some sort.

Jonathan and I were busy, par usual, but we did manage to find time to enjoy the last of this unusually cool Arkansas summer: We went hiking! And, if all goes well, we should be venturing off for another one tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, we'll share some pictures of the sweaty adventures. *wink*

After our infestation of Petit Jean Mountain,
-Kateri Joe

Music Trippin'

Heidi-ho, ladies and gentlemen! It's your long silent friend Kateri Joe at the keyboard tonight. I've been plugging away at revitalizing Peculiar Curiosities! Oooh, you guys should see it...it's going to be bizarre! Two words: Victorian laboratory. *giggles*

Speaking of the upgrade, the Etsy storefront will actually be changing on September 14th! We'll give you more details on that in a later post.

Today's topic is about a fun little exercise that Jonathan and I seem to do all of the time: The epic event of venturing down memory lane to the music, both good and bad, of our life so far.

So, here I present to you a small representation the music of my life. It's going to be a gruesome journey, but insightful to say the least.



First song in my memory: Billy Ray Cyrus Achy Breaky Heart
At the age of three or four, this FANTASTIC train wreck of a song became a constant on the airwaves in Arkansas. Being young and impressionable, somehow I managed to find my four-year-old self singing this song (and dancing to it) one random Sunday after mass to my father. Yeah, Dad, don't break my heart...my achy breaky heart. Never again will I sing country music with such Arkansan pride.



Somewhere around the age of nine: Natalie Imbruglia Torn
I'm the youngest kid in my family. I have six older siblings, all of which were pretty much out of the house by the time I was seven years old. With that age gap, none of them were consistently in my life. So, when this song started playing during one of the rare occasions of alone time with my older brother Ben, it was kind of awkward. Maybe I didn't help by humming to it...maybe.



On the edge of my freshman year of high school: Dirty Vegas Days Go By
Pubescent Kateri was showing signs of growing into her skin. Yeah, I still love this song. I played it for hours in my fake Walkman CD player while on a family road trip, with the rolling scenery of the Southwest playing in front of my eyes from the backseat of a Jeep. Imagine the oranges, yellows, and blues running together while this song droned on with it's killer beat. Heavenly.




A year ago, just before my 3rd year in college: H.I.M. Venus Doom
Tired and usually annoyed, this song (and the album matching it's name) played in my car rides to and from working a full day at my university's academic advising center. Yes, I'd sing this song at the top of my lungs in the car after a day of being chewed out by misguided parents over the phone who just KNEW that I, being the office student secretary, somehow messed up their precious, and dependent college student's schedule. It seemed to ease some tension, I'd say.

Eh, that's just a taste of my musical timeline. Somewhere in the mix, you could throw in some Marcy Playground, Savage Garden, N*Sync *groan*, The Teenagers...but this is an overview. Billy Ray Cyrus is pretty rough, huh?

Until next time,
-Kateri Joe

What's under your skin?

Greetings ladies and gentelmen! Jonathan here.

Lordy, lordy! It's been a while since Kateri and I last posted something and there's a good reason I promise! You see we've been hard at work developing new items, new designs, and all that sweet jazzy stuff to bring you all... *drum roll*

Peculiar Curiosities 2.0!!

We're getting a systems upgrade which'll be fully powered by small children! Just imagine the productivity that'll come out with those little fingers working 'round the clock! Oh, I kid...but a boy can dream, right? It's been full steam ahead on our little purple locomotive toward the grand upgrade, running over all the cows standing on the tracks!

Now that we're done with the sampler of what's to come. Let's move on to the main course, what'd ya say? This post was inspired by a friend of ours, Fancy Lady. She had written a post where she talked what her heritage was and asked about everyone else's heritage. That immediately set off a nuclear light bulb in mah head as Kateri and I were looking for the right thing to make our blog a bit more personal. I thank you, your fanciship!

And as my brother once said to me, "Mi'jo, if you want to get your feet wet, you've got to jump in feet first." So here we go! Mi madre is a Mexican born in Austin, Texas and my father is a Hungarian born in Dublin, Texas.


The Hungarian Flag


The Mexican Flag

I was born in Bossier City, Louisiana and now live in Arkansas, not a place I'd prefer to live, but I guess it works for the time being. There was a single question that the Fancy Lady asked in her blog post that really struck a chord with me. It was, "Are you proud of your heritage?" As a Mexican-Hungarian, I can say I am only proud of the Hungarian side. I love my mother dearly, but I cannot stand that I'm Mexican. All throughout school I had teachers that would say, "Jonathan, you're Mexican, aren't you? Can you help so-and-so with what I'm saying?" and in response I'd say, "No, I can't speak Spanish..." I'd get a blank stare with, "...but, you are Mexican, right?"

My own mother can't even speak Spanish, haha. So what makes them think that I can? It was too funny to see my teachers react to my parents walking into the classroom at Parent-Teacher Conference. There's an average height WHITE, balding man with a short, (when I say short, I mean SHORT! My mom is only 4 foot 11 inches tall)Mexican woman. Haha, my parents would get very livid with my teachers when they'd say, "I just thought since Jonathan was Hispanic that he'd know Spanish, t-t-that's all..." Now a little 4 foot Mexican woman doesn't seem all that intimidating, but my mom always seemed to make ALL of my teachers stutter when she'd glare at them down her glasses and say, "I don't speak Spanish. Why would Jonathan?" My dad would follow up with, "We speak Hungarian at the house."

What my dad would say wasn't really a lie nor was it really the truth. We would speak Hungarian, but it was only the swear words that he happened to pick up from his father, haha. I usually speak pretty ill of any Mexicans, which I shouldn't because there are a few very hard working, good Mexican people who become US citizens like my Uncle Mike who loves being an American. It's just frustrating to say, "Yes, I'm Mexican." and get an, "Oh...well, umm...I like burritos and Corona!"

I love being Hungarian, because there is so much about my family that's interesting. Like my great grandmother was Hungarian royalty, before she rebelled and married my great grandfather, who was a high ranking officer in the Austria-Hungarian Calvary. Mixing royalty with "military trash" was a big no-no during that time.

Before this post gets any longer, I shall end it here with this summing up the love/hate relationship with my heritage.


Cool? Not so much.


Hells Yeah!

I leave you all with this - What is your heritage?

Until we meet again, my friends!

-Jonathan

PS - I'd like to thank Moondoggie for letting us know about the Etsy Success email that featured our forum post. That's pretty awesome, ya dig? And I'd like to welcome all the new followers with a Howdy howdy! You may now stare at me like some sort of crazy, stuttering cowboy!

Snazzy Dream

'ello Peeps, of the human kind!

I had the most AWESOME dream last night.
Two words: Robert Smith.

Mr. Smith, himself

Let me set the scene. I'm wandering around at this Woodstock-like scenario, sans the stereotypical sex and drugs. A tour bus pulls up and, low and behold, The Cure band members step out. I see Robert, complete with lipstick and eyeliner, and somehow I catch his eye. My dream skips scenes, and the next thing I know, I'm sitting beside him. We're chatting it up, and becoming acquintances of some kind. It was a colorful conversation, but I don't recall any details. It lasts for hours, until he has to depart back on his tour bus. But, at the end of the conversation, I know that we're some kind of friends.

Now, for those of you who aren't familiar with Robert Smith, he's the face of the band known as "The Cure". Famous for little diddies like "Friday I'm in Love", "Just Like Heaven", and "Lovesong", this band has been on the scene since the late 1970's...like 1976 if I'm not mistaken. While the line-up changes, one member has always remained - Robert Smith. Traditionally done up in his cherry-red lipstick and Einstein-like hair, Smith is often considered to be The Cure by himself. His voice defines the band - if he weren't the lead singer, the band wouldn't be The Cure.

The Cure is my all time favorite band, hence why this dream is so snazzy. And Robert Smith is just an icon for me. He's an artist who just DOES what he wants to, without hesitation.

Who can't respect that?

I'll leave you now with two of my favorite songs.
The first is from earlier in the life of The Cure.

"Why Can't I Be You" by The Cure from 1987



And this lovely song is from their most recent album.

"Underneath the Stars" by The Cure from 2008

Tell me, have you been having some awesome dreams lately?
If so, you're a lucky devil. This was the first good dream I've had in a long time. :-P
But how awesome it was...

Until I come out of hiding,
-Kateri Joe

P.S. In the first video, can you catch the naughty reference during the music video? See if you can catch it...

This Week's Featured Etsy Item: Wynn Studio's Siamese Kitties

kitty cats...not-so-ready to be chopped in half

Siamese cats, what with their slinky prowl and Disney-produced stereotypical snottiness, always drum up some animated imagery from Lady and the Tramp for me. Yes, you remember the pair...with their knieving faces and swinging tales. They had that song...and oh how that song got trapped in my head:

"We are Siamese if you please.
We are Siamese if you don't please."

Yeah, thanks Disney. That little diddy has stuck with me for at least 15 years.

Much to my surprise, this age-old mental image that has stuck with me for so long may be replaced by this adorable drawing! Truly Siamese, in medical terms, this charming duo can't seem to get away from one another - nor do they seem to mind the permanence of their situation. In fact, these twins embrace their attachment, what with their adorable matching overalls with two slightly different t-shirt characters. Aww, a birdie and a fish...cute! As described by creators Thomas and Jane Wynn of Wynn Studios, these kitties have "been caught doing what they love most - frolicking in the backyard with their toys".

Wynn Studios specializes in adorable oddities, such as this 9 x 7 inch signed giclee. Other colorful creations include a two-headed deer, a one-legged bird, and even a necklace containing an inherited wisdom tooth! Yes. You read right - an INHERITED wisdom TOOTH. And it's a gnarly booger at that! Oh, and another cool feature about Wynn Studio is that they show progress shots of their prints!

I encourage you to further your education of fine oddities of the world, starting at this link with the wonderful Wynn Studio. You won't be disappointed!

Until tomorrow,
-Kateri Joe

P.S. Jane and Thomas Wynn have all rights to that lovely picture. :-D http://wynnstudio.etsy.com

Things that Go Bump in the Night

Good evening, everyone! Jonathan here.

Today, I thought that I would reveal a bit more about myself. A sort of peeling away the layers, if you will. I'd like to talk to you all about a personal interest that I've had since I was 12 years old - ghosts. Now, I do realize that many, many don't even give ghosts a second thought, much less have a belief in them, but I've had three events happen in my life that I can't explain with normal logic.

I'd like to tell you all of my very first experience. Here's what happened.

I was eleven years old, sitting in the living room watching Bill Nye the Science Guy. My brother, who worked the night shift at WalMart at the time, was asleep in our bedroom. I had just finished my bowel of popcorn and had very dry mouth. (As you do when you've eaten an entire bag.) I got off the sofa to get me a glass of water, not really paying attention to my surroundings. No need to, right? It was my own house. Nothing should ever really be out of the normal in your own house. I stepped into the kitchen, thinking about the DIY science experiments that Bill Nye had just been talking about as I turned on the faucet to fill my glass.

Like everyone, I got the sensation, that presence of someone behind me crossing from my right side to my left side. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a figure, turn the corner, and disappear. Just Nick coming out of the bathroom and walking through the kicthen. Or at least that's what I thought. I chugged my glass of water and started back out when I realized I didn't hear our bedroom door close. (Usually, Nick slammed it shut, because he was always upset if he woke up before 7pm even if he had to use the bathroom.) Weird, I thought, but didn't think any more about it until my mom woke him up for dinner. We had finished eating when I asked Nick if he couldn't sleep, because I saw him leaving the kitchen when I was getting my drink. He looked at me funny and said that he hadn't gotten up at all until our mom had woken him up. And at that moment I felt my stomach drop and the hairs on the back of neck prickle. Who did I see coming out of the kitchen then? I'm not sure, but it wasn't Nick.

That was during the final weeks of summer before I started back to school. Even after I realized that what I saw wasn't my brother, I chalked it off as my imagination or something logical. Surely I didn't see a ghost. They're not real, right? It was my first week into the new school and my english teacher had my entire class in the library. We had to do a research paper on whatever topic we wanted, I rooted through tons of books and found a book called, "Real Ghost Stories" author's name eludes me. I read the book and shortly after finishing it, I started putting the pieces together of that event during the summer. Maybe I did see a ghost, I thought. After reading that book and experiencing what I did, the paranormal had left a mark - A mark that I would never want to fade, a mark that has grown through the past 10 years to where it is today.

I'd like to leave you all with a video clip of my all time favorite shows: Ghost Hunters. It airs on the SciFi channel and is about a real life paranormal research group, called The Atlantic Paranormal Society or TAPS, for short.



Now, I would like everyone to know that I'm not trying to make any of you believe in the paranormal. Everyone has their opinions and are more welcome to them. I just wanted to tell you all a little bit more about me and what my interests are. :)

Until we meet again, my friends!
Jonathan