Ward Q. Normal (he/him)

@wardqnormal.bsky.social

8904 Followers 1746 Following

Teacher, knitter, widower, Phish head, provincial park, strategy puzzle video game, type of volcanic crater, electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, species of moth of the family Tortricidae, ...

Menu of the Ukrainian restaurant Veselka, showing their selection of pierogis.
Cartoon drawing of Christopher Robin nailing Eeyore's tail back on, with the heading "You get your ass handed to you every day." It’s a quote from the Phish song Ass Handed. In fact it’s the only lyric.
A tube of toothpaste and a tube of BenGay ointment sitting on a bathroom counter next to the sink. They are powerlessly close to each other, as if daring the groggy, barely awake traveler to grab the wrong one and put it on his toothbrush.
Selfie of a middle aged guy with short gray/blond hair and beard, wearing a mask and a dark gray t-shirt that says "Can I lick it?" over a color-coded periodic table of elements. He is currently sitting in a pavilion seat at MPP, waiting for Phish to take the stage.
Ceramic figurine of a seated person with a handle on the back that absolutely makes it look like a bong. According to the description in the quiz, it’s a bottle.
A silver metal figurine of a man playing a pan flute. He has green gemstones for eyes and adorable hands and feet.
A middle-aged man with short blond/gray hair and a beard showing off his newly-painted fingernails, done in a very shiny dark blue with just a hint of teal and a bit of sparkle.
A photo looking down a hall towards a window with the blinds pulled halfway down, through which you can see the trunk of a pine tree. On the right side of the photo are several shelves of cds and books. Taken at dusk, so the light is soft and the exposure long. Has an antique, sepia look, even though I swear I didn't do anything other than straighten and crop.
Multi-colored scarf knit in a herringbone pattern, pinned down to a blocking board, which is lying diagonally on a wooden dining room table.
Tattoo of a penny farthing bicycle with a canopy, a symbol of the Village in the TV show "The Prisoner." It doesn't have a number in it like the badges in the show because I am not a number. I am a free man.
Etch-a-Sketch toy, which can be used to create temporary images then shaken upside down to erase it and make something completely different. A completely reversible, ephemeral piece of art.
Pocket watch made by the Illinois Watch Co. Picture shows a time of 10:27.
Photo of an air plant on a wooden table. It has curly leaves that look like tentacles, and a flower bract opening up to reveal a purple flower on the upper right.
My results of this political issues quiz: "Your closest match: Ed Zitron, podcaster and pundit."
A colorful yet slightly out-of-date Periodic Table of the Elements, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.
Bart and Milhous holding flashlights and crawling into a tunnel or cave of some sort. Milhous explains, "this is where I come to cry."
Cover of the soundtrack album for the film "Repo Man." Featuring Iggy Pop, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, The Plugz, Juicy Bananas, Circle Jerks, Burning Sensations, and Fear.
A black and white illustration of a man and a woman. In the foreground, the man is looking at a piece of paper with a satisfied, smug smirk. In the background, the woman holds a phone with her hand over the mouthpiece. She is saying to the man, "STOP GLOATING OVER THAT POEM AND COME TO THE PHONE!"
Cover of the Black Grape album "It's Great When You're Straight Yeah" showing a picture of Carols the Jackal painted over with bright colors. The band name and album title are written in his blacked-out shades.
Setlist from phish.net for the show on Friday, May 27, 1994. Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA Set 1: Wilson > Runaway Jim, Foam, Bouncing Around the Room > David Bowie, If I Could, Punch You in the Eye > Harry Hood, Golgi Apparatus Set 2: Suzy Greenberg > Peaches en Regalia > My Friend My Friend > Reba[1], The Lizards, Julius, Nellie Kane[2], My Mind's Got a Mind of Its Own, Mike's Song > Simple[3] > Mike's Song > Simple > O Mio Babbino Caro[4], Possum[5] Encore: Fire [1] No whistling. [2] Morgan Fichter on fiddle. Acoustic and without microphones. [3] Debut. [4] Phish debut; Andrea Baker singing unmiced. [5] Audience shaking boxes of macaroni and cheese. This show marked the debut of Simple and the Phish debut of O Mio Babbino Caro. Suzy and Possum contained Flintstones theme teases. Reba did not have the whistling ending. Nellie Kane and My Mind’s Got a Mind of its Own were performed acoustic with guest fiddler Morgan Fichter. O Mio Babbino Caro, a Puccini aria, featured opera singer Andrea Baker singing unmiced. Before Possum, the band handed out boxes of Flintstones macaroni and cheese for the audience to shake along with Possum and Fire.
Close-up photo of a "TDK head demagnetizer," used in cassette tape players. Shaped like a cassette, but inside the clear case is a circuit board with capacitors and other electronic components. I honestly don't know anything about how this device works. I kept it all these years because it looks cool.
Screenshot of a tweet from Steve Silberman, dated Aug 13, 2023 When I die, please don't say that I've crossed over into the spirit realm, gone to the Other Side, moved on to a better place, rejoined my ancestors, or any other of those comforting fables. Just selfishly or selflessly use my own impermanence to WAKE UP to your own. Below, a stylized Buddhist Enso, where the inside and outside of the circular paint stroke shows the silhouettes of plants, trees, and flying birds.
Burger King logo, but instead of "Burger" it says "SOFUC." Below the burger instead of "Have it your way," it says "tired." In total, it says "SOFUC KING TIRED."
The same family less than 10 years later. Dad is still in a suit, but his tie is now a solid color. The kids are all now in short sleeve shirts of solid colors with either Polo or Izod logos. The hair is noticeably shorter on all of the sons, although the youngest is still committed to the bowl cut. His teeth have grown in since the last picture, at least.
A family photo. Two parents and their five children. Everyone is wearing polyester. Three boys in chaotically printed shirts, and the youngest is in a leisure suit. The boys have either long feathered hair or bowl cuts. Keep all clothing in this picture away from open flames.
Middle-aged man with blond/gray hair and beard in a navy blue hoody holding up a gray plastic ocarina shaped like Totoro.
An air plant sitting on a gray couch cushion. It is a mass of squiggly green leaves that look like tentacles and purple & green bulb that has another, smaller bulb growing off of it. On the left is a flower bract.
A batch of chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven and cooling on their baking sheet.
A picture of a package of Marshmallow Peeps, but Photoshopped to say "Pepys." The peeps visible through the packaging are wearing curly old-style wigs. The package explains that it contains "10 diarists." Here's the deal: I only know three things about Samuel Pepys: 1. His name is pronounced like "peeps" 2. He was a famous diarist. 3. His diary entries often ended with the phrase "and so to bed." That's the only motivation I needed to make this stupid thing as an Easter joke, and I will post it every year on Easter until long after the joke has worn off. See you next year!
A sliced loaf of fresh-baked whole-wheat bread, showing a delicate crumb.
Two metal pans, each holding a loaf of raw bread dough, sitting on a wooden table. Rising in anticipation of going into the oven.
A brown loaf of bread with a light coating of rolled oats on the crust, cooling on a wire rack.
A trans pride flag made by coloring an index card using pink and blue highlighters. In the center are two flasks (one Erlenmeyer, the other a round-bottom flask) containing pink solutions.
David Crosby kissing Steve Silberman. Rest in peace, buds. Miss you both so much.
Quite possibly the first picture taken of Steve Silberman and me together. Two men sitting on a couch. The one on the left is wearing a black shirt with the name "Zappa" on it. The one on the right is in a red and blue checked shirt with his hands folded in his lap. In front of them is a coffee table with dinner plates and wine glasses, indicating a festive dinner. In the upper left corner is a tiny Christmas tree with lights and ornaments. The man on the left is looking down at the plates of food. Today, more than 30 years later, he is rather annoyed that he was not asked to look up before the picture was taken. Apparently neither he nor the photographer were aware at the time that this would be an important historical document of the early days of a very long and happy relationship.
Heavy saucepan of molten sugar, milk, and chocolate that has reached the soft ball stage and is cooling on a rack on a wooden cutting board table. In front is an instant-read thermometer, which will be used to make sure it's cool enough to add the rest of the ingredients, which are arranged on the table as well: butter, vanilla, and toasted walnuts.
The cover of the Pere Ubu album "The Modern Dance." A black and white line illustration of a man in workman clothes and ballet shoes, under a billowing banner with the album title written on it.
A very young Keith (a.k.a. Ward), posing in the front yard of his childhood home in the most late-60s, early-70s speedo swimsuit you can imagine. Reds, pinks, and oranges in an abstract pattern. He's holding his arms up in a way that almost looks like he's trying to flex his muscles.
Still image from the movie Brazil (directed by Terry Gilliam, 1985) showing Katherine Helmond's character getting her face stretched by her plastic surgeon.
Whistle with text printed on the side that reads "this machine kills fascists."
A picture of the three daughters from the Brady Bunch. Marcia, the oldest, is labeled "Boomers." She's saying "I'm so popular!" Cindy, the youngest, is labeled "Milennials." She's saying "I'm tho cute!" Jan, the middle daughter, is labeled "Gen X." She is thinking to herself, "I hate this fuckin' family."
Whistle with text printed on the side that reads "this machine kills fascists."
A man's leg in knee-high socks. At first they show bands of yellowish gray and black, but when he shines a source of white light on them, they are revealed to be a rainbow.
Man with blue eyes and blond/gray hair and beard, wearing a green shirt, navy bowtie with white dots, and a mask that says "Air Queen" on it (still COVID free, mfers!), is holding his hands up to show dark blue sparkly nails.
A woman opens a black umbrella. Printed on the top of the umbrella is a giant hand with middle finger raised. As in, fuck you for this article.
Finely chopped carrot, celery, and onion on a cutting board.
Simpsons screen shot from Frinkiac, with the quote slightly altered. Radioactive Man is swept away in a tidal wave of acid, shouting "My eyes! The [hide post from me buttons] do nothing!"
Norman Rockwell illustration of two couples. Daughter and mom are hugging in front of a wreath. Dad and son-in-law greeting each other behind them. Text above and below the image says, "HUGS SPREAD BUGS." The wreath is decorated with red circular stars that resemble the COVID virus.
"Write a horror story using only 3 words." next to the text is a ballpoint pen with blood dripping down.
Close-up photo of a brown walking stick insect on a white wooden door frame. At least I think it's an insect, but I am a chemist and not a biologist. If this is just a branch or dried up leaf this post will be embarrassing.
A photograph of six men in a living room that has been decorated for the holidays. One is in an office chair. Three are sitting on a couch, including one who is knitting a scarf. One is decorating a Christmas tree, and another is putting up lights. They're all the same man, in different outfits and with different expressions. Red text with black outline reads "Happy Holidays from all of us." Inside the card, it reads: "I am large, I contain multitudes." (Walt Whitman, Song of Myself). On the back, the credits read: © 2025 Keith and Keith and Keith and ... "It's not just a card. It's a cry for help."™ Cloning and wardrobe by Keith Prime Tree, lights, and photography by various Keiths
Pez dispenser painted green and topped with the head of Che Guevara, sitting on a wooden table. On the front in red letters it says "Che." On the side you can see the Pez logo.
A photo of a man standing straight, wearing a black suit, light blue shirt, red tie, and a bowler hat. His hat has a pine bough attached, from which a large red Christmas tree ornament is hanging that covers his face. It is an homage to the painting “The Son of Man” by Rene Magritte. The caption under the picture says “Seasons Magrittings.”
Simpsons screenshot from Frinkiac.com, from the episode with the Burlesque house. Principal Skinner is explaining, "I was only in there to get directions on how to get away from there."
Steve Silberman standing with his arms outstretched, surrounded by glowing jewel-shaped lights in an array of blues and pinks. Mirrors on the walls reflect the lights into infinity.
Enormous beef Wellington, dark brown and flaky on the outside. Sitting on an even more enormous cutting board with serrated knife and gravy boat filled with green peppercorn cream sauce.
A bag of flour printed with a label that reads: COOK BEFORE SNEAKING A TASTE FLOUR IS RAW PLEASE COOK FULLY BEFORE ENJOYING
Beef Wellington wrapped in its pastry shell with a decorative topping of strips of pastry laid diagonally atop it, wrapping around the roast.
A huge beef tenderloin slathered in Dijon mustard.
Pope Leo at the mic.