iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 26/09/2026

I had a goal of building three specific games during my Virgo Month of Leisure, but I had some time to spare and my stretch goal is in sight.

A phone screenshot of Dip, the web version of Diplomacy I'm building, in a dark slate and parchment design. The header shows me playing Austria under the name Kestrel, with 8 centers, 8 units, and 18 centers to win, against six house players. It's Spring 1908, and the status reads "Waiting on you." Below that is a zoomed-in, parchment-style map of the Balkans and central Europe titled "Standard Diplomatic Chart," with zoom, Fit, and My units buttons. My red units hold Bohemia, Tyrolia, Venice, the Adriatic, Ukraine, Sevastopol, Bulgaria, and Greece, and red target markers sit on Vienna, Trieste, Serbia, and Rumania. A solid brown arrow shows Ukraine moving into Rumania, and dashed arrows run from Sevastopol to Rumania, the Adriatic to Venice, and Greece to Bulgaria. Gray armies sit in Munich, Galicia, and Budapest, gold Turkish armies in Constantinople, Ankara, and Armenia, green Italian armies in Rome and Apulia, and blue units in Piedmont and the Ionian Sea. A "What happened" panel at the bottom is partly hidden behind the browser toolbar.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 13/09/2026

How do I follow up a day with legends like Peter Hook and Cabaret Voltaire? By heading over to a bbq joint to catch the black and white polka dot French band everyone's been talking about along with (what, two nights in a row?) my favorite live band ever, Man or Astro-man?, that's how.

A square concert flyer with a warped, wavy halftone pattern in black and burnt orange, like a distorted TV signal. Across the top in tall white italic block letters: "ANGINE DE POITRINE," with "MAN OR ASTRO-MAN?" beneath in smaller matching letters, and "DJ JEWEL (KEXP)" below that. In the center, a black-and-white photo pair with an orange border: on the left, a musician in a striped shirt and a tall pointed cap plays guitar mid-leap, one leg kicked out; on the right, a drummer wearing a knit mask sits behind a polka-dot-draped drum kit, a cymbal stand beside them. An orange circle over the drummer's shoulder reads "SOLD OUT." Along the bottom in white letters: "SATURDAY SEPT 12 2026 • STUBBS."

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/09/2026

Today begins with this amazing lineup. I'll have to leave early because the night shows I'm attending overlap and are at a venue across town, but they will be worth it.

A concert poster stapled to a yellow-painted wooden wall, printed in black and red with off-white text. Behind the lettering, a grainy halftone image shows three musicians standing in front of a Soviet-style apartment block. Header reads "LEVITATION 2026" in a stylized font. The lineup in descending size: "MOLCHAT DOMA," "CABARET VOLTAIRE," "PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT," "AUTOMATIC," "DITZ (UK)," "NOVULENT," "I SPEAK MACHINE," and "DJ DEVIL WOMAN." Below that: "PRESENTED WITH END OF AN EAR." A black footer band reads "SATURDAY SEPT 12 2026 · FAR OUT LOUNGE," "AUSTIN, TEXAS" in a round badge, and "FULL LINEUP, TICKETS & INFO: LEVITATION.FM," with a row of small sponsor logos along the bottom including Marshall, Montucky Cold Snacks, Pacifico, White Claw, Espolòn, Liquid Death, Rhythm Señorita, KUTX 98.9, Gold Rush Vinyl, and others.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/09/2026

New venue and lineup for part two of today's installment of the Virgo Month of Leisure. I'm so lucky and grateful to be here, to see my hands-down favorite band to play live.

A concert poster with a black background and wavy, distorted orange-and-black halftone stripes rippling across it, like a warped 1960s sci-fi TV signal. Bold white italic text at the top reads "MAN OR ASTROMAN? / MOHAMA SAZ." In the center is a grainy black-and-white photo of four band members crowded together, one in a space helmet and another with a hand raised toward the camera, framed under a panel reading "ASTRO INDUSTRIES." An orange circle in the upper right corner of the photo says "SOLD OUT." Across the bottom, white text reads "FRIDAY SEPT 11 2026 • 13TH FLOOR."

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 11/09/2026

This afternoon's lineup for this charmed life I lead.

A concert poster stapled to a yellow-painted wooden wall. The design is black with a red halftone photo of a punk band on stage: a singer with arms raised, a drummer behind a Ludwig kit on the left, and a guitarist on the right. White text reads: "LEVITATION 2026. BIKINI KILL. DIE SPITZ. GIBBY HAYNES: BUTTHOLE SURFERS MANIA. SWEEPING PROMISES. MELT-BANANA. POWERPLANT. GROCERY BAG. DJ METAL AS FUCK. PRESENTED WITH KUTX." A round cream-colored sticker on the right says "LOW TIX! TIER 1 (crossed out) TIER 2." Along the bottom: "FRIDAY SEPT 11 2026 • FAR OUT LOUNGE. FULL LINEUP, TICKETS & INFO: LEVITATION.FM. AUSTIN, TEXAS," followed by a row of sponsor logos including Marshall, Montucky Cold Snacks, Pacifico, White Claw, Espolòn, Liquid Death, City of Austin Economic Development, Rhythm Señorita, Goodwipes, Gold Rush Vinyl, and KUTX 98.9.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 08/09/2026

Look, I love fun as much as the next guy but I know my limits and cqlleezy fun is way past them. No thank you.

A retail display box of squishy foam stress toys shaped like dumplings, labeled "Dumplings" with "1776 ★ 2026" and the misspelled slogan "Cqlleezy Fun!" on a patriotic backdrop featuring a bald eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and fireworks. The box sides read "Celebrate 250 Years of Freedom!" A hand-written yellow starburst sticker says "250 Edition Dumplin $4.00." Inside are about a dozen pleated dumpling-shaped squishies in different designs: red with a gold "250," navy blue with white stars, plain red, gold with "1776," a red-white-and-blue swirl with "250," dark blue with fireworks, and mint green with the Statue of Liberty. Shop towels and canned goods sit on shelves in the background of a discount store.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 22/08/2026

I drove two hours this morning to a state park in west Georgia to spend the day with some wonderfully inclusive Norse pagans.

A print of Odin and his wolves in black ink. He is holding a full color trans flag. The print reads “Odin says trans rights”.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 10/08/2026

Now that my game collection is digitally organized, I gave bggpipe the ability to model my physical space and help me organize that too. Here is the "vintage war games" cube both in reality and cataloged on my website (C3 in the Kallax unit): blog.kestrelsnest.social/myga...

A cube of my black shelving unit packed with vintage wargames. Two boxes stand upright on the left: Avalon Hill’s Advanced Civilization in red, and SPI’s StarForce, a green Designer’s Edition “Future-History Simulation Game.” Stacked flat beside them, top to bottom: SPI’s Sorcerer (Designer’s Edition), the red 1980 Doctor Who board game with Tom Baker and a Dalek on the box art, Avalon Hill’s Britannia (“Game of the Birth of Britain”), the blue Civilization (“Game of the Heroic Age”), Flat Top (“A Game of Carrier Battles in the Pacific • 1942”), and Deluxe Diplomacy with its row of national flags. The boxes show decades of honest shelf wear. A corner of a red Settlers of Catan box peeks from the shelf below.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 06/08/2026

I've been building an application that lets you take pictures of your game collection, whether they are on shelves, or stacks on the floor, or what-have-you, and matches them with the boardgamegeek.com database and creates a collection for you there. I'm so tickled with it!

Screenshot of a game-matching review interface. On the left, a photo of board game spines on a shelf, with a Cosmic Encounter box highlighted. On the right, the header ‘Cosmic Encounter’ is marked ‘Ambiguous, 2 of 54 to review,’ with a description of the spine art below. Four candidate matches from BoardGameGeek are listed—Cosmic Encounter editions from 1977, 2008, 1991, and 2000—each numbered with a thumbnail, rank, and owned count. Keyboard shortcuts at the bottom offer entering a BGG id manually or rejecting the match.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/07/2026

I love seeing your face, you wonderful human you.

Selfie of me grinning and flipping off the camera, hand close to the lens and slightly blurred. I’m wearing glasses, black over-ear headphones, and a blue t-shirt with pixelated text reading ‘I’m doing a lot of stuff with computers right now.’ My long beard fades from white at the top to deep purple at the tip, matching the purple streaks in my gray hair.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 03/07/2026

I think I found my limit on the number of bingo cards I can play simultaneously.

Thirty-six individual bingo cards covering a laminate folding table at a VFW hall, photographed from my seat looking down. Each card plays on its own—the upper cards are printed smaller on white paper, while the lower cards are larger-format on gray-and-white stock. Scattered squares are dabbed with green ink marker, including a couple of number 27s. An empty brown vinyl chair sits across the table on a wood parquet floor, with another person’s foot visible in the background. My cotton-clad legs are in the foreground.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 26/05/2026

This one, though, could go either way.

A man wearing glasses, a gray button-up shirt, and dark jeans plays hopscotch on a chalk-drawn court outside a navy blue barn-style building. He’s mid-hop with one foot raised. In the background, a second man in a light blazer and dark pants stands looking at his phone near a stone pillar, beside a small round table draped in black cloth. The setting is a rural property with trees and a fenced field visible. A closed-caption subtitle at the bottom reads “(QUIRKY SKA MUSIC).”

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 08/05/2026

@hotdogsladies.bsky.social Thought you might enjoy this pic I took tonight of Peter Buck playing with Man or Astro-Man.

Peter Buck of R.E.M. plays a black and white Rickenbacker guitar onstage with Man or Astro-man?, wearing a vintage TV set over his head as a helmet. The drummer plays behind a kick drum reading “Echo or the Bunnymen?” at the 40 Watt Club, with a starry blue backdrop and ornate patterned rug covering the stage floor.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 08/05/2026

I never know what to expect at a Man or Astro-Man? show, but I never would have guessed spaceman Peter Buck would be joining the band.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 08/05/2026

I'm in my happy place: a Man or Astroman? show. This'll be maybe my sixth time I've seen them at the 40 Watt. This is the first time for my 16yo, though. Her face is gonna melt.

Man or Astro-man? merch table at a venue, with folded T-shirts in various designs ($25 each), a “Live at Third Man Records” vinyl LP ($30), an “Are You Astro-Man???” box set ($80), and a poster featuring cartoon astronauts floating in space for a Sunday May 14th show in Saint Louis.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 30/04/2026

I stand by the software I write. Sometimes that means pulling a 1am-9am shift in the histology lab being present with our users during a launch just in case.

A late-night work setup on a light wood desk: a Vietnamese iced coffee with matcha foam and honey boba in a tall plastic cup, two bottles of Berry-flavored Extra Strength 5-hour Energy (230mg caffeine, sugar-free), and a bag of peanut M&M’s in the foreground.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 23/04/2026

No, I've never heard of Korean fried neeps and tatties either, but what else would I have done with the leftovers?

Six battered, golden-brown fritters frying in bubbling oil in a deep saucepan, arranged in a rough ring around the edge with a smaller piece in the center. Dense foam from the bubbling oil rings the fritters and fills the dark center of the pan.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 13/04/2026

I loved it too, so much! Just had my first authentic biang biang noodles at a little shop near Atlanta today — but I became obsessed with trying them while reading the book a couple months ago and resorted to learning how to make them myself.

Close-up photo of a homemade dish of biang biang noodles served in a handmade green glazed ceramic bowl with a notched rim. The thick, wide, belt-like hand-pulled noodles are generously coated in a reddish-brown chili oil sauce with visible chili flakes. Pieces of cabbage and green onion are tucked throughout, adding color and texture. The noodles have a glossy, saucy sheen. The bowl sits on a wooden surface near a window.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/04/2026

What's the protocol for receiving one of these while on a plane? I would have crawled under the tray table except we were coming in for a landing and had to have our tray tables up and our seats in the full upright positions.

Screenshot of an iPhone home screen displaying a government Emergency Alert notification. The alert, shown in a dark rounded rectangle with a yellow warning triangle icon, reads: “Emergency Alert — National Weather Service: TORNADO WARNING in this area until 5:30 PM CDT. Take shelter now in a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Check media.” Partially visible beneath the alert are home screen app icons including Wallet, Parking Spot, Slack, and Fly Delta.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/04/2026

@coldchef.bsky.social Have you read this? There’s a nice funeral home scene early on and it was easy to imagine the fellow running it was modeled after you.

Book cover for Starter Villain by New York Times bestselling author John Scalzi. The cover features a painted portrait-style illustration of a gray and white fluffy cat dressed in a dark suit jacket, white dress shirt, and navy blue tie. The cat gazes directly at the viewer with piercing yellow-green eyes and a stern, commanding expression. The dark background and portrait-style rendering give the image a formal, imposing quality. At the top, white text reads “Meet the new boss.” The title “STARTER VILLAIN” appears in large gold lettering at the bottom, with the author’s name “JOHN SCALZI” in bold white beneath a line identifying him as a New York Times bestselling author.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 22/03/2026

I have to spread the news that there is an 80s neon karate science fiction ska band called Space Mutiny and they're awesome.

A band called Space Mutiny performs outdoors at night in a parking lot, bathed in vivid green stage lighting. The five-piece group is dressed in matching black shirts with green accents, leaning hard into an 80s neon karate science fiction ska aesthetic. Center stage, the vocalist wears a green skirt, checkered socks, a blonde wig, and tinted glasses. To the left, a guitarist rocks out while another band member dances at the edge of the light. A drummer holds down the back, flanked by a bassist on the right. On the far right, a keytar player in a red tutu absolutely shreds. Cables, pedals, and monitors litter the makeshift stage platform. A cinder block wall serves as their backdrop, with the band’s name faintly visible on signage behind the drummer.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 19/02/2026

Just finished reading Automatic Noodle. What a fun, fast, feel-good robot story! www.automaticnoodle.website It also got me obsessed with biang biang noodles, a dish I've never tasted and can't get anywhere in Athens. I had to learn how to make them so I could try them. Totally worth it!

A bowl of homemade biang biang noodles, with bok choi and chili oil.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 31/12/2025

When the kids asked if I could make a gluten free Yule log cake two days ago for our time-shifted holiday dinner tonight I told them it seemed too intimidatinga thing to just improvise, but I’d try. Well how about that.

A Bûche de Noël (Yule log cake) on a bamboo cutting board, viewed from above at an angle. The chocolate rolled cake is covered in dark chocolate buttercream textured with fork marks to resemble tree bark. It’s decorated with clusters of cocoa-dusted meringue mushrooms, sugar-frosted red cranberries, and sprigs of sugared rosemary arranged to look like a forest floor scene. A light dusting of powdered sugar on the board suggests fresh snowfall.

A close-up view of the same Bûche de Noël, showing the decorative details more clearly. The rich chocolate frosting’s bark-like texture is prominent, with meringue mushrooms of varying sizes nestled among bright red sugared cranberries and sugar-dusted rosemary sprigs. The powdered sugar scattered across the surface enhances the wintry, woodland aesthetic of this traditional French Christmas dessert.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 31/12/2025

The cake itself is a disaster that will be entertaining to try to rescue tomorrow, but the garnishes will be impeccable.

Meringue mushrooms arranged on a silicone baking mat. The confections have tan cylindrical stems topped with white dome-shaped caps dusted with cocoa powder to mimic the mottled appearance of real wild mushrooms. About a dozen mushrooms stand upright, casting small shadows on the textured copper-colored mat.

Sugared cranberries and rosemary sprigs drying on parchment paper. Fresh cranberries in various shades of red and burgundy are coated with crystallized sugar, giving them a sparkling, frost-covered appearance. Several sprigs of fresh rosemary, also dusted with sugar, frame the berries at the top and bottom of the arrangement.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/12/2025

I'm always learning stuff. For example, tonight I learned Maxell is still around.

Screenshot of a social media thread in dark mode. At the top, a user named “jxhn” posts: “As a teenager in the 80s, this was the BEST stocking stuffer. My parents knew me well.” Below the text is a photo of a stacked set of vintage TDK cassette tapes labeled “TDK SA-X 90” and “TDK SA 90,” shown in their original packaging. Engagement icons show thousands of likes and hundreds of comments. Beneath the post, the verified Maxell account “maxellcorp” replies simply: “Excuse me?”

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 30/11/2025

Today is Blue Beanie Day! Wear a blue beanie, share a selfie, recommit to building a web that works for everyone. Still carrying the torch @zeldman.bsky.social lit for me years ago.

Eric with glasses and a long gray-to-purple beard, wearing a blue knit beanie for Blue Beanie Day, pointing at the camera with a knowing smile.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 27/11/2025

Friendsgiving potluck never disappoints.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 19/11/2025

I didn’t have any sweet vermouth, but this 30+ year old port from Missouri of all places took its place and made an outstanding Negroni.

A bottle of early ‘90s “8 Barrel” Tawny Port from Mount Pleasant Winery in Augusta, Missouri, and a Negroni made with that port instead of sweet vermouth.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/11/2025

This might be the most striking nighttime photo I’ve ever taken, thanks to the technology on this phone, an ivy covered tree, and solar storms making the sky light up way down here in Georgia.

A view of the northern night sky through an ivy covered tree in north Georgia. A solar event is making the horizon glow purple.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 11/11/2025

Fifty years ago today the gales of November came early. I put a mournful sticker on my car to commemorate the occasion.

A bumper sticker with Gordon Lightfoot’s face, a picture of a freighter, and the words “STOP HONKING! I'M CRYING TO THE WRECK OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD
BY GORDON LIGHTFOOT”

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 26/10/2025

The Wild Rumpus Spectacle and Parade is one of my favorite events of the year. I’ve been in all 17, going back to the first one where the organizer put out a call for folks in costume to walk the downtown sidewalks with him and so many people showed up he got ticketed for holding an illegal parade.

Me in front of a Mexicano ska band playing in the streets of downtown Athens Ga at the Wild Rumpus.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 18/10/2025

We can’t make it to the Scottish festival today, so the Scottish festival had to come to us.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 21/09/2025

Yesterday I hung out with a group of modern Norse heathens. It was a great day spent with some really good humans.

A poster of Odin and his wolves. He holds a trans flag. Text reads “Odin Says Trans Rights”.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 26/07/2025

Quote with your own dramatic black and white selfie!

A back and white selfie of me walking down a sidewalk in downtown Atlanta, wearing a hand made knitted cowl hood.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 13/07/2025

All dolled up for a night out

Selfie of me heading out for goth night. I’m wearing makeup, my hair and beard is dark metallic blue, and my Mohawk is done up more like Robert Smith.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 10/07/2025

King Arthur Flour's social media team (person?) has been killing it lately. For the Fourth of July they sent out a hotdog focused email that featured a recipe for beautiful Asian hotdog and scallion buns. I've bought them at a Korean bakery and enjoyed them, but homemade is even better.

Japanese (Korean?) style hotdog and scallion buns, made using a recipe from King Arthur flour.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 08/07/2025

Tiki Taco Tuesday at Live Wire Athens with my brand new Brad Parker anglerfish tiki mug (with glowing lure).

Me holding a Brad Parker tiki mug depicting an angler fish, complete with glowing lure. It holds a delicious Tradewinds. I’m wearing a tiki-themed aloha shirt and a blue velvet fez with an embroidered tardigrade standing in a boxing stance. He is also wearing a fez with an embroidered infinity symbol.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 05/07/2025

My local fabric store (now that Joann has closed) is a pleasant twenty minute drive through the country to an old grocery store strip mall. To say they have tens of thousands of rolls of fabric seems like selling them short.

A former grocery store that now holds a treasure trove of fabric

They seem to have between one and five of everything.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 12/06/2025

One of my summer projects is taking a class on how to make tailored (and corseted) waistcoats taught by the inimitable Madame Askew. I love how I look and feel in these but they're so expensive and I'm excited to be able to just make them — and there are none better to teach me than Madame Askew!

My assistant cozied up on my sewing table underneath Madame Askew giving instruction.

An illustration of the final corseted waistcoat as shown on the pattern from Harlots and Angels on Etsy.

Pattern prices arranged on muslin so I can construct a mockup.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 11/06/2025

Big ol' storms weren't going to keep us from Live Wire Athens and Tiki Taco Tuesday!

Me wearing a tiki themed aloha shirt and a straw beach hat, holding a tall tiki mug, with the bar in the background.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 04/06/2025

I brought painting night to tiki taco Tuesday tonight! (Every Tuesday this summer at Live Wire Athens!)

Tiki mug depicting octopus tentacles wrapped around a rum barrel sitting in front of a mini painting station

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 27/05/2025

Some tiki taco Tuesdays call for a double hurricane in a Cthulhu-themed mug as big as my head. Live Wire in Athens is the place to be on Tuesday evenings!

Me wearing my fez and holding a Gilman House Cthulhu themed tiki mug containing a double hurricane.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 22/05/2025

Tonight we made a pile of wings and tried the current lineup of sauces from Hot Ones. Sure enough, out of the ten bottles there were a few hot ones.

A bowl of wings in front of a box of ten hot sauces

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 20/05/2025

It must be Tuesday. I've *absolutely* gotten the hang of Tuesdays. (It's tiki taco Tuesday at Live Wire in Athens!)

Two tiki mugs on the bar. One is a siamese cat, white with blue eyes and a light blue collar. The other is a tipsy octopus perched on an old-timed diving helmet, holding his own little tiki mug and wearing a straw hat on his head.

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 13/05/2025

Happy Tiki Taco Tuesday to all who celebrate! (Every Tuesday at Live Wire in Athens, GA)

Three tiki mugs of various styles on a bar top with a colorful array of booze bottles out of focus in the background

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Eric Wagoner @kestrelsnest.social · 10/05/2025

I'm at the Athens Surf Stomp, an annual surf music festival here in town. I'm enjoying the hell out of the Serf Lords. They're nothing at all like The Red Elvises, but they give the same vibe that band did in Six String Samurai — pure fun surf music seen through a post-apocalyptic lens.

5:30-6:15 - Serf Lords - Formed 2006 in Detroit - reformed 2019 in Athens, GA - Serf Lords offer a post-apocalyptic view of the Empire that was, set to heavy riffage at high tide; a mix of alt-surf with your fave 8-bit / DOS hellscape.

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