A student of photography at Cal State Fullerton, Justin is also gifted in painting, and he makes a wicked mix CD (a skill which should never be underestimated-- although, read Chuck Klosterman's Sex Drugs and Cocoapuffs for a theory about mixed cd's Vs. cassettes, he makes some valid points. If you're interested, Klosterman's book also contains a profound theory about why John Cusack is ruining the lives of Americans everywhere.) Anyway, I'll state here for the record that if you see any interesting photos on this site, chances are that Justin took them. The ones that are a little rough around the edges are probably mine!
He profiled different professions for his last photo project, so of course, I dressed up like a baker to help the cause! I'll let him leave some details under the post comments about what kind of camera he took the photos with and why this is probably significant in some way.
All I know is that he is the fearless leader of my one-man tech support team here at The Great American Bakery Hunt. Thus he gets the first and most honorable techie shoutout of the entire blog. If you want to help his artistic cause, give him a fruit custard tart, his number one bakery muse.
We have a running deal to exchange html advice with baked goods: I'll make the tarts, he'll teach me to be a tech wonderwoman. I'm still a long way off, but eventually I hope to become proficient in computer geekiness. And hopefully I will get better at baking along the way. Justin, thanks for all your inspiration and encouragement! The Great American Bakery Hunt would not be the same without you!
4 comments:
You are too kind. Seriously.
I just think you've got something special here. A good topic and great writing. It's comforting to know that you're out there hunting for culinary excellence, reminding us frozen dinner and fast-fooders that food can have personality, that some is still made with human hands and artistry.
But enough of the pastry praise. What is this business about Cusack ruining the lives of Americans? If anything, his character should be the savior figure of modern music.
We need more music snobs and less 99 cent iTunes single downloaders. More people need to experience the joy of a day spent record hunting; sifting through thousands of crap albums just to find a hidden gem. Like a cereal box prize... but if the box of cereal box was the size of a closet and the gem record was a single Frosted Flake (yeah, "needle in a haystack" is a better analogy, but c'mon, clicheee). And seriously, there is nothing wrong with having a reality check every once in a while, I bet you wouldn't buy that new Justin Timberlake CD if you had to physically take it to a counter and look someone in the eyes as they ring it up (just a random example, seriously, not based on anyone I know :)
And I assume the cassette v. CD argument is based on the fact that a tape mix requires a greater thought and time commitment, and I agree with that. I kinda regret missing out on the cassette mixtape experience. Shit, though I remember being a middle schooler and recording Coolio's "1,2,3,4" off radio. I didn't really have any taste in music until CDs were the norm. Oh well. I'm sure the kids will be making mp3 playlists for their friends any day now and CD mixes will seem retro.
Actually my old roommate Matt Stinson used to put great effort into mix CDs. He dropped each track into an editing program so that it was one long track, and would fade each song into the next like a DJ. I couldn't stand a lot of his song choices, but the effort was admirable.
KRISTIN! I totally support your baking/ pastry quest and i have been quite entertained by your adventures so far =) ... keep up the good work! PS- you are wearing the blue pokadot apron in one of your photos and that makes me soooo happy! haha...
You are too kind! Oh goodness, this could go on forever.
Alright, so Cusack saved the modern music fan by doing one role in High Fidelity. But he also held a ghetto blaster over his head with Peter Gabriel on high volume, PAST the red line mind you. It's not exactly the most anti-mainstream music moment.
As Klosterman theorizes, most girls in America would sell their souls to share a milkshake with that guy. Cusack brings with his personalities the same easy satisfaction and instant gratification that one might get from a single 99 cents ITunes download. It's a sort fleeting happiness.
The idea of Cusack's 80's persona, pining away for the girl next door, is undeniably appealing-- much like digital music. Sure, it will never be completely tangible, but it's always accessible via DVD, Itunes, VHS...and there's just something about it.
Sure, Cusack plays other roles as well, but the one we remember him for is Lloyd Dobbler. Who doesn't want someone to stand outside their windown blasting Peter Gabriel, I ask you? To protect you from glass in a dingy 7-11 parking lot? A question for the ages.
It's the power of instant gratification. Most people aren't going to go buy the whole "Journey Album" if they have the convenience of one click to get their hands on "Don't Stop Believing." I'm sorry if I've offended any die hard Journey fans, but I think it's the honest to goodness truth.
That being said, I do miss the days of sifting through record store bins...
Ohhhhhhh I though we were talking High Fidelity Cusack, not Say Anything Cusack. Geez...
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