Mr. Prof designer home

Reader Lee Oakley pointed out some architectural gems on WebUrbanist.

Above is the Palais Ideal, built by mailman Facteur Cheval in Hauterives, France in the 1800s. Below is a13 story high wooden skyscraper in Archangelsk, Russia by the owner of a small construction company, Nikolai Sutyagin.



I enjoy how individuals can push beyond the realm of the "normal" into the fantastic, unbound by tradition and rules. You may not have the stamina to create something as awe-inspiring as these works, but they should serve as inspiration for doing the extraordinary, yet still beautiful, for your home.

For more (less steampunk) examples, fuller stories, and links, see the full article.

Has your marriage survived or worked through significant sexual problems? If so, please ponder these questions that were left in the comments of the recent "Being Sexy For Your Husband" series and consider leaving your thoughts for some commenters in need of wisdom and encouragement.

Specifically, there are three that have been left in the last couple of days, and I'd be grateful for your biblical, loving responses to them. Here are snippets from each:

#1- THE PROBLEM OF PORN:
On Part FOUR, anonymous left this comment on March 1, 2008 at 8:16AM:

"In recent months, my husband has expressed that he's bored in bed and joked about his desire in watching me and another girl. I clearly said "no" and explained why such practices go against our spiritual beliefs and wellbeing. ...But then today, I found a few links to videos of lesbi@n porn [on our computer]. Now I'm concerned that he's turning to porn for sexual satisfaction. First of all, how should I approach him about this issue and what should I do about it?" CLICK HERE to read the entire comment.

#2- THE PURPOSE & NATURE OF SEX:
On PART FIVE, anonymous left this comment on March 4, 2008 at 6:25AM:

"I refuse to believe that sex is a pure act in a fallen world. ...Even in a marriage, sex is a "necessary evil" because there is no other way to propogate the species. The fact that some people "burn" is just another indication that it is sin and God has provided an outlet, almost as a concession that it's better to use a spouse to "get off" than to engage in more egregious sexual sins. All I know is that sex has always left me feeling used and dirty. ...Woman are nothing more than a creation for man. How could a holy, loving God do that?" CLICK HERE to read the entire comment.

#3- LACK OF DESIRE ON THE PART OF A HUSBAND:
On PART FIVE, on March 5, 2008 at 3:39PM:

"Hi there. I have read through your posts because sexual problems have been a continual problem since I got married 7 years ago. ...My husband is totally not what this world portrays a man to be aka 'tiger'! ...He has never once initiated sex and now we have not been'one' for months. I find it very depressing. ...The problem is that we have talked about it over and over again............and then nothing. ...I don't even want to have the 'but it's so important to our marriage and me' conversation as I feel like a record going round and round and nobody is listening. Sigh." CLICK HERE to read the entire comment.

I'd ask you to prayerfully consider if you might have some specific insight or information to share with any of these women, and if so, please leave your thoughts for them as they weigh these serious heart issues. You may choose to leave your comments here on this post, but please identify whether you are referring to #1 (The problem of porn), #2 (The purpose of sex), or #3 (Lack of husband's desire).

I debated with myself about how to handle these, and decided that since they were left recently and many of you may not be back to check the comments on those threads, AND since they are all left anonymously and thus will not be putting anyone "on the spot", that I'd bring them to your attention here, and ask for your input.

Thanks for considering these difficult but real-life problems in this area of biblical sexuality in marriage.

For those of you who are interested, Amy (of Amy's Humble Musings) has just put up an interesting post called Thoughts on Contraception and the Quiverfull Movement. It's an interesting discussion, so you may want to hop over and check it out.

Other stuff you might find interesting (all about babies):

• Planned Parenthood Accepts Funds for Aborting Black Children
• Obama = the one candidate who stands for infanticide
• A truly amazing story about a baby born on a train in India
  

As human beings, it's part of our nature (I think) to examine what our parents did & didn't do, and (because they, too, are human beings) come up with things that we didn't like so much about our upbringing. I'm sure we could each name something.

Today, though, I just wanted to share with you one thing that my parents did RIGHT, and invite you to do the same. I should say up front that my parents did lots of things well, the most important of which was introducing me to Jesus Christ and teaching me to love and serve Him.

But here's my answer that I was thinking about today (which is why I'm asking the question):

Growing up, my parents instilled in me a firm belief that I could do anything I wanted to if I worked hard enough and put my mind to it. This wasn't in a feminist, "you can be just like a man" sort of way-- but it applied to everything; I really believed that whether in school or with friends or athletics or life goals, if I wanted to accomplish something and worked hard, I could do it.

When I wanted to go to Russia when I was 13, they helped me raise money to go. When I wanted to play junior varsity tennis (despite not being a very athletic teen), they bought me a new racket (with purple strings) for Christmas and encouraged me, and I really enjoyed playing and did well at many tournaments for a year or two. When I switched college majors multiple times (from vocal performance to english to political science), I don't remember ever hearing a, "Give it a rest, Jessica". They cheered me on and let me try things, and (even if I didn't "win" or wasn't "#1") I never felt like I would fail if I gave something a good, honest try .

What this has meant in my life is that when I decided that I wanted to start learning how to be a better cook, my cooking skills rapidly increased. I had confidence that recipes and culinary experiments would turn out all right, and they did and generally do. When I wanted to learn more about crocheting so I could make more interesting projects, I bought a book and dove in-- and now each of my kids has a very unique blanket (I'll post pics of Silas' blanket once I finish!). When I want to learn about something, I know I can set my mind to it and get a good grasp on a subject within a reasonable amount of time. When I've had languages to learn because we've lived overseas, I've not hit a "I can't do this" wall. These are some of the practical, everyday ways that my parents' love and support has affected me. I'm so thankful that they "believed in me" and taught me to work hard to learn about the things that are important to me.

So, today's "quick query" is this:

What's something YOUR parents did right? And how does it affect you in your life today?

Growing relentlessly in the mind of Eric Freitas lies a realm of dark mechanical curiosities and horological contradictions. In this world gears are harvested and mechanisms are alive with the organic repetitions of nature's machine. Balancing carefully between creative conception and logical execution, this world would slowly be brought to life.

So starts Eric Freitas' biography on Etsy. The work, incredibly, outshines the statement.

Beautiful, wierd, hand-machined -- this not just art attached to an existing quartz movement, but a fully realized working pendulum clock out of brass and rice paper. The particular clock's inspiration is based on the calligraphy of the numbers:

This is my fifth fully mechanical clock. All of the parts were machined by hand, and many of them carry a design congruent with the calligraphy used for the numbers. In addition, a strange and uncontrolled style is introduced to offset the structured nature of the gears. No.5 has a one second pulse and a 'dead beat-style' escapement. The seven swivels out of the way to expose the winder, which needs to be employed about once a week ( 8 days ). Adjusting the timing of the pendulum is easy, and if done correctly this clock will be accurate within a minute or two a week.

Another one (quartz rather than mechanical) I'm not sure I'd ever want to see strike midnight:


Eric has 2 clocks for sale on Etsy -- the first one above and a more economical one based on a quartz movement. For a full history of his work -- many are no longer available -- you'll want to view Eric's flickr stream.


Isn't it clever and elegant how the numbers become the decorative elements here?

His workmanship is utterly amazing.

Thanks to the blog at Coilhouse for pointing these out.

At 1stDibs. This seems to be made almost entirely of small glass beads. Circa 1960.

I can't quite tell who spotted this first, but I found it via Kaboodle.

More airship posts.

Reader Keith says "I hadn't realized how steampunk it had gotten until I converted the photo to black and white," about his study, and sent along some pictures for us to enjoy.

I found the hammock outside at an antique store at the end of the summer and they didn't want to store it. It was $150. It is a tapestry like fabric, fringed on the sides with a built in pillow stuffed with what feels like straw. Quite comfortable for reading with the cat on my lap.


The press was in another store listed as a wine press. It is wooden and very solid. I personally think it was used for bookbinding or something along those lines.

The certificate is actually a framed letter and envelope from 1900ish. It is from a brewery to a customer discussing a shipment and a pending tax on beer that is coming into effect soon.




On the light:I found it at home depot as an accessory light for a ceiling fan. Mounted on its own it adds a steampunk touch.

I love how this study reflects the inhabitants interests -- I'm guessing Keith is a home brewer, without even asking (a very steampunk pursuit, with all that turning water & grain into beer with pots, copper tubing, and large glass vessels...). My favorite part is the hammock -- who would have though to put a hammock in a study? Yet it's a comfortable spot year round, and great for visiting friends/spouses/kids.

I think this study illustrates how you can go about building steampunk style simply. Let your interests (which one assumes leans towards the antique and DIY, if you are attracted to steampunk) dictate your choices. Switch out just a single element like a light. One step at a time, and before you know it, you'll be surprised by how steampunk it's become.

Want a hammock of your own? Victorian Trading Company has a similar one for $199.


The light is what really makes this room steampunk -- and the good news is that this style is easy to find. Here's one in the same vein from lightingdirect. I love it -- wire encased, nautical looking -- gets you simultaneously an antique and industrial look.