1. New lobster species discovered! Check ‘em out. They’re spiny and they live in Australia.

2. Excellent, un-lame lobster shirt discovery on Etsy.

3. Rush to a TJ Maxx near you. Because of this. RIGHT???!?!

A dear friend sent over a link to a rather dramatic interpretation of Irving Penn’s lobster and squid photography this morning, which claims that his succulent imagery is downright erotic.

I’m not sure I’d go that far, but it sure is purdy. And the man seems to have a sense of humor with a carving fork.

Do want to eat.

After my morning image satiation, I did what I do most days, and looked for wedding dresses online. I think we have a winner.

At first I thought this was just an amusing get-up, but it has quite the history!

The 1937 Lobster Dress was a simple white silk evening dress with a crimson waistband featuring a large lobster painted (by Dali) onto the skirt. From 1934, Dali had started incorporating lobsters into his work, including New York Dream-Man Finds Lobster in Place of Phone shown in the magazine American Weekly in 1935, and the mixed-media Lobster Telephone (1936). His design for Schiaparelli was interpreted into a fabric print by the leading silk designer Sache. It was famously worn by Wallis Simpson in a series of photographs by Cecil Beaton taken at the Château de Candé shortly before her marriage to Edward VIII.

Sigh. Probably not affordable.

Gaga’s hilarity yesterday inspired me to re-explore some of my favorite lobster clothings, and I found these, again. I still want them.

Nike Lobster Dunks.

They appear to be neither findable nor affordable, unless you are a men’s 9.5.

They come to your doorstep in a crate, which is a nice touch.

Speaking of nice things that are of Maine, my beloved L.L. Bean is getting a face lift, in the form of L.L. Bean Signature. It launches officially March 15th.

No mom jeans here- it’s helmed by Alex Carleton, the founder of fashion label Rogues Gallery. I like to go to Rogues when I’m in Portland and pretend I can afford things.

Oh lumberjack chic, I am powerless to you.

Hi Friends! Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We did not eat lobster, but we ate our weight in lox, so all is well.

One of the things we’ll be discussing here from time to time is lobster “gear”, or lobster design. A quick assessment of our apartment reveals lobster accouterments of nearly every sort, so we’ll have to roll these out slowly.

And we’ll start with a golden, sequined, lobster pillow, from my dear friend Kara Canal. Kara is an artist, but did not make this pillow.

this is an orginal 1956 herman miller eames chair i love it more than any lobster thing, i must confess.

pillow also feels quite at home on a wassily chair.

Kara spied the pillow brilliantly, at Z Gallerie, where at THIS VERY MOMENT it is half price. Don’t tell me I never did anything for you.

Sequined pillow sometimes sits about with handmade pillow, which was given to me by yet another brilliantartistfriend, Cory Treadway.

I think they make a nice pair.

this is me (rachel).

So the lore goes like this: It was my sixth birthday, and the extended family made a little caravan to a seafood restaurant near my grandmother’s house. Being good part-time Mainers, we had a tradition of enjoying foods from the sea, but I hadn’t ventured far from seared scallops and crab bisque. Because I was the birthday girl, I was to have my first lobster. But because I was such a young birthday girl, I was to share it with my grandmother.

Grandma went hungry that night. Or least she had to go to the salad bar twice, because I ate that whole lobster, down to the tomalley.  And after that, I was hooked.

I think lobsters serve a few purposes for me.

1.They’re epic. Having a lobster always feels like an occasion, whether it is or not. The very nature of killing something alive and eating it is not something that we do very often in our culture, so it feels of some greater importance.

2. They take some serious dismantling*. Dismantling takes time, and it’s satisfying, like a difficult puzzle. Each lobster is its own puzzle, and the prize for completing it is especially delicious.

3. It’s competitive. I love competition. I want to win, to be the best lobster dismantler. I want to discover every cranny and nook. This extends to lobster preparation, and even lobster selection. There are truly correct ways to approach a lobster, and I have worked hard to learn them.

4. They’re several meals in one. Claw meat is different from tail meat. Tomalley is in a different universe of taste altogether, and the roe is dessert. You can suck on the legs when you’re having a break.

* for this reason, I also enjoy marrow bones.

Lobsters have been there for me for many celebrations. Here I am at thirty, still going lobster-strong:

And here is my kitchen, replete with a painting David made me for that very same birthday. You see, lobsters aren’t just good to eat, they’re good to look at. Which is important, as I’m a photographer.

It’s important to mention here that lobsters can often be converted/assimilated into everyday design. This year, David got lobster shoes for Christmas. We’re going to help keep you updated here about good lobster gear.

So now we’ll get down to business: recipes, history, gear, stories will abound.  Stay tuned!