Show me your nuts

 

It is National Nut Day. And again, I go to my archives because I don't feel like creating a whole new design for a day dedicated to nuts. It drives me nuts and makes me feel squirrely.

Then I feel mean.

I can certainly bet that this design wouldn't pass the Zazzle.com terms and conditions test so I'm not even going to try and post it. It makes me sad that I have to censor myself because of the small legal minds at these print on demand parasites. Ironically Teepublic had no problem with this one. 

Nuts to them.

I don't suppose this blog doesn't mean anything to you

 

I received an email today that all three of these design were removed:

"Dear Dizgraceland,

Thank you for your interest in Zazzle.com, and thank you for publishing products on Zazzle.

Unfortunately, it appears that your product, Absurdism: But that's meaningless to you, contains content that is in conflict with one or more of our content guidelines.

We will be removing this product from the Zazzle Marketplace shortly.

The details of the product being removed are listed below:

Product Title:	Absurdism: But that's meaningless to you
Product Type:	T-Shirt
Product ID:	256245728698675765
Result:	Not Approved
Policy Notes:	Your design contains an image or text that may be subject to copyright. This may be due to the actual design of the product, description or search tags that are associated to your product. Please feel free to submit a new design to our Marketplace from original elements
Image:	View the Image

We apologize for the inconvenience. A detailed description of the policies is located here.

You may redesign and republish your products following our content guidelines. Please be aware that continued violations of Zazzle's User Agreement and Acceptable Content Guidelines may result in termination of your account.

If you have any questions or concerns about the review of your product, please email us at content_review@zazzle.com and we'll be happy to provide you with additional support."

It was nicer than Teepublic, but it still it suggests I can redesign and republish my designs be they will very likely terminate my account. 

Jesus. Since when is a cow named Albert Camoo whose only resemblance to Albert Camus is a that he is smoking a cigarette, a violation of anyone's intellectual property? The Intellectual Police at Teepublic didn't even have a problem with Albert Camoo. I didn't quote Camus. I didn't use his image. He doesn't own the concept of Absurdism. 

There seems to be No Exit from this dilemma.

But I suppose that doesn't mean anything to you.

I'm waffling

 

I suppose bemoaning not creating any new designs because of the losers at Teepublic inspired me today. Today is indeed National Chicken and Waffles Day. Though I don't imagine this chicken is aware of what chicken and waffles really refers to. Though it did make me wonder why a waffle is called a waffle and why waffling means being indecisive and has nothing to do with waffles that you eat.

The word "waffle" comes from the Dutch word "wafel," which originally referred to the type of batter-based food we know today. Its roots trace back to the Old Frankish word "wafla," meaning "honeycomb" or "cake," referring to the distinct grid pattern of the waffle. The design likely inspired the name, as the food resembles a woven or gridded structure, similar to a honeycomb. Over time, this name spread across Europe, eventually giving rise to the modern English term "waffle."

The word "waffling" has roots in both British and American English. It evolved from the 17th-century verb "waff," meaning to yelp or bark, which implied meaningless noise. Over time, the term came to describe someone speaking in a way that is rambling or indecisive. In modern usage, particularly in American English, "waffling" refers to being indecisive or flip-flopping on decisions, reflecting uncertainty or inconsistency. This development aligns with how the word "waffle" suggests wavering between choices.

The irony here is if someone is agonizing over what to order off from the breakfast menu and eventually decides on waffles. That kind of cracks me up.

But back to t-shirt designs, I did load a ton on https://www.zazzle.com/store/dizgraceland today. So I am feeling a bit better. I'll feel even better when I actual sell something. Conversely on the eBay side of things I am doing quite well. I think I sold eight things in the past two days and have been packing like a demon. 

No waffling there.

And not that anyone is counting (but me), but this is my 293 post this year. That is a new record for me in the number of posts per year. That is after 20 years of blogging. 

I feel a t-shirt design coming on.

Going whole hog

 

It's National Whole Hog Barbecue Day. And rather than going whole hog and creating a new design just for it, I'm recycling one of my "High on the Hog" designs. I just haven't been inspired to create new designs since teepublic.com screwed me over by deleting my account. It is driven home every time I go onto Zazzle.com and go through the tedious process of uploading the designs that I used to have on teepublic.com. 

I haven't sold a thing yet on zazzle.com.

I haven't been back on social media trying to goad teepublic's legal team into responding about why my account was deleted. Bottomline is they don't have to. It is not like anyone gives a rip but me that they screwed me over.  Honestly, I have to ask myself whether I would have stopped using teepublic.com if I'd read anything about some poor schmuck artist being screwed over by them. 

I just would like to see them go out of business. And I believe they will. But it won't be because I called them names on social media. It will be because something newer, cheaper and easier comes along on the Internet.

Why do I think this looks like me?

 

Okay, it is John Brown's portrait from the National Gallery in Washington D.C. and my hair isn't quite this wild and my beard isn't that fully and bushy, but part of me really relates to how he looks. Of course the consensus is that John Brown was as crazy as a bed bug, but at least he had passion about ending slavery. Unfortunately that passion ended at the end of a hangman's noose.

I had barely 45 minutes to dash through the National Gallery. I've always loved the place. It is full of amazing art and it is free.

I can't remember how many times I've been there, but there always seems to be something new.

I just wish I had more time on this trip to see things. But I basically flew in one day, had an all day meeting and then flew out the third day.

Oh well, there will be other trips.

I took the road more travelled

 I was flying all night on Tuesday (and boy are my arms tired). I flew from Seattle to Chicago and then from Chicago to Washington D.C. It is a business trip. I am in my meeting now. I will leave tomorrow early and fly to L.A. and then to Seattle.

Travelling used to be fun. Now I would rather be home in my home office surrounded by my guitars. I suppose I should appreciate this while I still can. I doubt I will travel much when I retire. It is nice to have someone else pay for everything. Though they never really pay for everything.

I've been to D.C. many times. I used to have time to see things when I come here. This time I just seem to have time to come, go to my meeting and then fly home. No site seeing. I've seen all the museums and monuments anyway. It is an odd city.

The hotel is huge but the room is small. Kind of cool though. It is an old building. Most things in D.C. are old. 

Oh well, here's to an 8 hour meeting.

Sigh.

A journey of a thousand miles

 

I always liked this t-shirt. I was disappointed it didn't take off with travelers.  I would wear one. It would be a great beginning of a trip t-shirt. Not so much I'm going home t-shirt. I don't have much of a sense of humor on the return trips. But beginnings are full of promise. You just have to get through security.  

Regardless of how many times I pass through security, I am still anxious. You never know what is going to happen. I've gone through thinking I have nothing to worry about and then find out I forgot to remove a pocket knife when I used my backpack on a camping trip. Fortunately TSA wasn't phased. But they kept the knife.

I just like getting through and sitting down on the other side and putting myself back together for the the trip to the gate. Just getting through security is a relief. 

I suppose if I did wear one of these t-shirts TSA may take offense and I'd end up with that strip search that is on my bucket list. 

Not.

Bodhisattva, come and take me by the hand

 

As I rummage through thrift stores and antique malls, I am drawn to specific types of pieces. Or perhaps they are drawn to me. Guanyin, or Kuan Yin, or Kannon is one of those things I am drawn to. She is a bodhisattva. associated with compassion and and mercy. A bodhisattva is a being who has attained enlightenment but delays entering Nirvana to help others achieve liberation.

As you can see I have begun accumulating several images of Guanyin in her various manifestations. Almost all of them are white, which surprised me when I found the figurine at the top of the page at an antique mall over the weekend. The tag said it was a figure of a Geisha, but I knew the way she was sitting that she was and incarnation of Buddha. 

My desk is full of Buddha figurines. There are weeping Buddhas, reclining Buddhas, laughing Buddhas and simply seated Buddhas. They all give me peace. I believe I have written before about my brief stint as a Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist. Nichiren Daishonin was a 13th-century Japanese Buddhist monk. The practice centers around chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and studying the Lotus Sutra. 

I hate to admit it, but the only reason I became a Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist was because I was dating an artist who was a Nichiren Shoshu Buddhist. It was during a period of my relative youth that I was searching. I studied Astrology, Quantum Physics and crystals. I dabbled with Tarot cards and went to psychic fairs. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo didn't seem that far fetched to me at first. 

But unlike other Buddhist teachings, Nichiren Shoshu was a bit controlling and demanding. There were lots of meetings and of course daily chanting. It triggered my rebellious side. I hate being controlled and trapped in anything that reeks of organized religion (or organized anything). I don't like clubs or meetings. I don't like uniforms or standards.  And as I've stated many times over the years, I don't even like making beds or mowing lawns just because you are supposed to. 

I prefer purpose in my rote repetition.

So Buddhism, or at least the way I understand it, doesn't really fall into any standard path to enlightenment. What put me off about Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism is that people would chant for things. The woman I was seeing when I became a Buddhist, chanted for a car. And there were people in the groups I was pressured into attending that chanted for drugs and money. So basically when I stopped dating the artist, I stopped being a Niciren Shoshu Buddhist. I just didn't stop being drawn to Buddhism.

Funny how things come full circle in our lives some times.

Teeing off

 

Having not heard from the legal team at teepublic.com I posted this image on X with text that suggested people think twice before buying or selling on their site. And I gave a brief synopsis of how this design prompted a reprimand about their terms and conditions and when I asked for a explanation they deleted my account. I hashtagged them. 

Crickets. But that seems to be their business model -- ignore criticism. I was careful not to get into name calling or any thing they could libelous. But with their incomprehensible terms and conditions, who knows. Big companies have the resources to threaten and assume you'll cave because who wants to waste money on a legal battle. And considering I made less than $200 after months of work why would I waste money on a legal battle. 

Pisses me off that they know they don't really have to do anything. I'm like a fly on their horse's ass. 

Pun intended. 

But I have never like injustice and I really think they are in the wrong here. I think I'll just keep posting my T design to tick them off.

How do you like them terms and conditions?

Dumbo for Gumbo

 

It's National Gumbo Day so I dug out this design. I believe I actually sold one of these t-shirts. I'm surprised the cracked legal team at teepublic.com allowed it to stay on my store before they deleted it. I still haven't heard a word. I'm resigning myself to the fact that the store is gone along with my 1500 designs, good and bad.

I suppose if I do rebuild I should be more decerning.

On the Thrift Store archeology front I have recovered from eBay removing my Soviet leader nesting dolls. I have found some pretty cool stuff lately. Like this:

The Ye Olde Hostel of God-Begot, also known as God-Begot House, has a history as a lodging establishment in Winchester. Originally established as a sanctuary for lawbreakers during the Middle Ages, it evolved into a public house and hotel over the years. The building is Tudor in style and has stood on the site of an ancient manor that dates back to 1052​. In the early 20th century, it functioned as a pub, and it continued to serve as a hotel until it closed around 2010.

How cool is that. 

I also found this:

This is a replica of a marker found in Ecuador that marks the location of the Equator. It is called Mitad del Mundo monument, located just north of the capital, Quito. This monument marks a calculated position of the equatorial line, though modern GPS measurements place the true equator slightly away from it. I just love finding things I've never heard of and learning from them. Because it never occurred to me that Ecuador  is named Ecuador because the Equator passes through it. 

Trouble is, when I find cool things like this, I hate to sell them. But if I don't I'll be buried in cool stuff. So It takes discipline to just enjoy them until they sell.

Is it really Squirrel Month or am I nuts?

 

Apparently October is Squirrel Month according to the National Day people. It used to be Squirrel Awareness Month, but I assume they did some focus groups and determined that Squirrel Month plays better with potential squirrel fans in the 18-46 demographic. 

I would have created a new design about Squirrel Month and posted it on my storefront at teepublicsucks.com but as you recall they cancelled my account. And the crack legal team they have at teepublicbites.com  have yet to respond to my challenge as to why they cancelled my account for violating their terms and conditions without telling me exactly what terms and conditions I violated. 

But let's face it, if you are part of the legal team for a company that sells other people's t-shirt designs and sends out 10-20 marketing texts and e-mails a day to the people who are trying to sell their designs, you probably aren't a graduate of Harvard Law. In fact, their legal team may in fact be ChatGPT

And something tells me if their are actual people on teepublicisuseless.com's legal team I doubt if they have law degrees. If they do, I wouldn't be surprised if they bought them online. But I still imagine ChatGPT wrote their terms and conditions but included a disclaimer that it wasn't always accurate and didn't, in fact, understand the terms and conditions either.

Just a wild guess. 

Hey, teepubliccanrotinhell.com, look! Squirrel!

Zazzle them

 I have tried building a store at https://www.zazzle.com/store/dizgraceland/.  But rebuilding a storefront that once had more than 1500 designs is a daunting task. And I hate to admit it, but zazzle.com doesn't have the most user friendly environment to load designs. I guess I was just used to teepublic.com. And as scummy as their incomprehensible terms and conditions were, it was easy to build a store and load designs. Plus there wasn't a delay in seeing the designs appear in the store. I've loaded a dozen or so and only a handful are showing up. Plus the profit margin is even less than teepublic.

But then again I was never doing it for the money. I was doing it to get some sense of validation that my designs were good enough for someone want to buy them. I had sold more than 80 before everything went to hell and teepublic cancelled my account.  I have to say, the worst part about it is not having a clue why. I could see if I had been trying to pull a fast one over someone and turn a quick buck, but all of the designs were my ideas, even the ones that stepped on the toes of some corporations intellectual property.

The irony was that they simply told me that I had violated their terms and conditions and I should review them to figure out how. But they are written in obscure legalese that is incomprehensible to me. I just wanted them to say in plain language what it was that I did that violated their terms. 

At this point I don't really care about them reinstating my store. I would just like to know why it was deleted so I can go on about my business despising their company and trash it in social media.

That will show them.