Steampunk State of Mind

I'm saving up money to purchase a top-hat and there are several British accents wandering around my head.  Some of them even pop out when I'm asking my wife about her day.  I constantly wonder what it's like to fly around in a zepplin.  Yes, I'm reading 'The Affinity Bridge' a steampunk novel and I'm having a little difficulty separating my fantasy world from quotidian life.  Does this happen to everyone?  For those that don't know, steampunk is a fantasy genre set in an alternate universe where people usually dress and talk like they are from Victorian England, ride around in Hindenburg-esque airships, power everything with steam and make crazy clockwork gadgets.

Collection of common Steampunk goggles for sale at NY Comicon.

My wife and I love the romantic and quirky style of steampunk, and have already decided that our next matching costumes should be steampunk. (Our first costumes were Star Trek uniforms)  I'm so glad I married someone who likes to get all dressed up and pretend to be someone else (or Cosplay as the kids are calling it).  There's a parlor in New York City that won't let you in unless you're dressed in steampunk style that I can't wait to visit.

from the now defunct Nippon Airship Corporation  (seriously, how cool is that name!?)

I also had grand plans for flying above Tokyo in a zeppelin airship dressed in a black suit and top hat once we moved to Japan.  But sadly, I just discovered the company that gave tours of Tokyo in a dirigible, the Nippon Airship Corporation, has gone bankrupt.  I guess not enough people wanted to pay twelve hundred dollars to slowly drift over Tokyo in style.  But it looks like another company operates several airships in Europe and San Francisco, so perhaps we'll take a ride in one of those Zeppelins one day soon.  

from the Etsy steampunk flickr pool

If, like me, you are looking for awesome steampunk accessories, Etsy.com is a great place to go.  Do a search for 'Steam Team' or steampunk, and you'll be amazed at the level of quality you'll find.  Now if I can just find a good top hat store.  Honestly, if anyone has any recommendations where I can find a nice top hat, PLEASE let me know.

Well, I must head off to find out if detectives Newbury & Hobbes can solve the mystery of who sabotaged the crashed zeppelin and stop the zombie plague terrorizing the slums of London.  If you want to learn more about steampunk, check these out:

http://thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com/

http://www.steampunktribune.com/

And a taste of steampunk culture from the TV show 'Castle':