- 12:07 so what is the age of consent where Bella lives then? #
- 21:53 fed the fuzzies cos they were being so good, sitting by their bowls. is this new cat strategy? #
- 23:35 sometimes think it would be nice to be able to block hashtags #
- 23:37 cluster-something #
- 23:43 IC just carried off my monkey nut. i hadn't even finished cracking the shell. #
- 00:00 almost midnight. IC is still playing happily with the monkey nut he stole from me. amazing because he usually gets bored quickly. #
- 00:00 always difficult to know what a cat's favourite toy is going to be. RC's is squeegees. #
My Twitter tweets for today:
- 11:09 RT @USOlympic Cast your vote for the USOC October Female Athlete of the Month twtpoll.com/lm64jn #twtpoll Vote for Catherine Bouwcamp #
Tweets copied by twittinesis.com
If nineteenth-century America is something you know something about, this post is aimed at you.
For the second time in my life, I'm gearing up to run a game. The first one was Changeling (and resulted in the Onyx Court series); this one is Scion (and god help me if it tries to turn into a novel). For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Scion is a role-playing game where the characters are the half-mortal children of gods. Think Hercules, or Cú Chulainn, or the Pandavas, running around in the modern world. Except that my game will be set, not in the modern world, but in the nineteenth-century American frontier.
Larger-than-life personalities doing over-the-top deeds? Nah, there was nobody like that in the Old West. :-)
I've already got a nascent list of people I can reinterpret as half-divine, but I'd like more. This is where you, O internets, come in: who really seems like they might have been the child of a god? Who excelled in their chosen field? Whose deeds acquired legendary status?
The game will likely take place in the mid-1870s, so while people who predate that point are okay (they might fit into the backstory -- or not be so dead after all), anybody born later is out. Mostly I'm looking at the frontier, but will also entertain suggestions from back east; the game may wander there at some point. I am especially interested in people from the groups more often overlooked by history: blacks, Mexicans, Native Americans, Chinese, etc. One of the things I want to look at in this game is the way in which a wide variety of cultures collided in the space of the frontier. (Adding a mythological layer should make that extra interesting.)
Bonus points if you can suggest a possible divine parent along with the Scion. Whose kid is Doc Holliday? How about Marie Laveau? Pretty much any god is up for grabs; the books provide rules for handling nine different pantheons, and I've found decent-looking player-created material for three more, so I can field most things.
Suggest away. The more names, the merrier.
For the second time in my life, I'm gearing up to run a game. The first one was Changeling (and resulted in the Onyx Court series); this one is Scion (and god help me if it tries to turn into a novel). For those of you who aren't familiar with it, Scion is a role-playing game where the characters are the half-mortal children of gods. Think Hercules, or Cú Chulainn, or the Pandavas, running around in the modern world. Except that my game will be set, not in the modern world, but in the nineteenth-century American frontier.
Larger-than-life personalities doing over-the-top deeds? Nah, there was nobody like that in the Old West. :-)
I've already got a nascent list of people I can reinterpret as half-divine, but I'd like more. This is where you, O internets, come in: who really seems like they might have been the child of a god? Who excelled in their chosen field? Whose deeds acquired legendary status?
The game will likely take place in the mid-1870s, so while people who predate that point are okay (they might fit into the backstory -- or not be so dead after all), anybody born later is out. Mostly I'm looking at the frontier, but will also entertain suggestions from back east; the game may wander there at some point. I am especially interested in people from the groups more often overlooked by history: blacks, Mexicans, Native Americans, Chinese, etc. One of the things I want to look at in this game is the way in which a wide variety of cultures collided in the space of the frontier. (Adding a mythological layer should make that extra interesting.)
Bonus points if you can suggest a possible divine parent along with the Scion. Whose kid is Doc Holliday? How about Marie Laveau? Pretty much any god is up for grabs; the books provide rules for handling nine different pantheons, and I've found decent-looking player-created material for three more, so I can field most things.
Suggest away. The more names, the merrier.
Originally published at Cheryl's Mewsings. Please leave any comments there.
Lack of bloggery today is at least in part due to Kevin and I playing with the Wii. Bowling and tennis are great fun, even though we are not that good. Baseball seemed a bit random, which is doubtless how I managed to win. The golf game did not seem at all natural. What we really need now is a bigger living room, because playing tennis together in a confined space is a bit difficult.
But it is fun, and exercise.
Next up, the Wii Fit thing with the exercise mat.
...to make 40% of an entry? But that's better than more because they are unhappy.
1. RIP Karl Kroeber. It's a drop in the ocean, but my condolences to Ursula Le Guin and the rest of his family and friends, too.
Via![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
charlesatan.
2. Asmaevele says, the House passed some health care for many. None for trans people. [ETA: Not clear. Might be none for trans-related health care.] And abortions must be paid for out of pocket. Yeah, I know that the bill has to be minimal to be passed at all, and get expanded later, but. But. GAH.
Wish I still believed enough in the "all people are equal" thing to be surprised.
I go hide under the covers now.
1. RIP Karl Kroeber. It's a drop in the ocean, but my condolences to Ursula Le Guin and the rest of his family and friends, too.
Via
charlesatan.2. As
maevele says, the House passed some health care for many. Wish I still believed enough in the "all people are equal" thing to be surprised.
I go hide under the covers now.
- Mood:
blah
(Posted here for reference. At twitter, I'm "yeff")
- 12:39 At the stanford women's soccer game! Go Stanford! Beat cal! #fb #
- 21:21 Busy day, what with the road trip to Stanford and what not. But overall, a success! And I'm a little tired (not over the sickness). #fb #
The final chapter of Fairyland is up.
Chapter XXII: Ravished Means You Cannot Stay
A mother cannot see every little thing, and glad we may be that she could not, as it would have caused a great deal of trouble September would never have been able to explain.
In the following weeks, we will be updating the Museum, filling out the missing audio chapters, and I will be deep in thought planning the sequel. I don't have a release date from Feiwel & Friends yet, but I'm led to believe it will be sooner rather than later.
Thank you to everyone who read and supported this project, who retweeted, posted, boosted the signal. Every member of![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
onaleopard . Who made icons and art. Who loved September and feared for her. Who gave me advice and encouragement. (Particularly alexandraerin , corvaxgirl , and talkstowolves , as well as justbeast , who faithfully created and updated the website all this time.) Who made this particular magic with me. I count us all as Fairyland Family, and make no mistake--what happened between us, in and around Fairyland, was a miracle of no small measure. My gratitude cannot be summed up in a text box. I'll be working on some special treats for you "early adopters" as the print edition nears its birthday.
If you have any questions at this point, any final copyediting notes (I know geek love when I see it), or comments, please feel free to email me. The donation button will stay up and active, as will all chapters, as long as I have a thing to say about it. I'll be posting when we get home (flying out today) about this whole process--many stories to tell.
I would love, now that the story is told, to see some reviews pop up, some discussion of the novel while it still lives only online. It is very hard to get cyberfunded projects reviewed professionally or even by their readers. If you have thoughts, I would love to hear them.
Check outcrowdfunding for your next serial addiction. I will continue to post fiction online whenever I can.
Thank you so much. You are all my heroes.
*shrugs on a green smoking jacket, straightens hair, and takes a very small bow*
Chapter XXII: Ravished Means You Cannot Stay
A mother cannot see every little thing, and glad we may be that she could not, as it would have caused a great deal of trouble September would never have been able to explain.
In the following weeks, we will be updating the Museum, filling out the missing audio chapters, and I will be deep in thought planning the sequel. I don't have a release date from Feiwel & Friends yet, but I'm led to believe it will be sooner rather than later.
Thank you to everyone who read and supported this project, who retweeted, posted, boosted the signal. Every member of
onaleopard . Who made icons and art. Who loved September and feared for her. Who gave me advice and encouragement. (Particularly alexandraerin , corvaxgirl , and talkstowolves , as well as justbeast , who faithfully created and updated the website all this time.) Who made this particular magic with me. I count us all as Fairyland Family, and make no mistake--what happened between us, in and around Fairyland, was a miracle of no small measure. My gratitude cannot be summed up in a text box. I'll be working on some special treats for you "early adopters" as the print edition nears its birthday.If you have any questions at this point, any final copyediting notes (I know geek love when I see it), or comments, please feel free to email me. The donation button will stay up and active, as will all chapters, as long as I have a thing to say about it. I'll be posting when we get home (flying out today) about this whole process--many stories to tell.
I would love, now that the story is told, to see some reviews pop up, some discussion of the novel while it still lives only online. It is very hard to get cyberfunded projects reviewed professionally or even by their readers. If you have thoughts, I would love to hear them.
Check out
crowdfunding for your next serial addiction. I will continue to post fiction online whenever I can. Thank you so much. You are all my heroes.
*shrugs on a green smoking jacket, straightens hair, and takes a very small bow*
- Mood:
accomplished
Guest Blogger Charles Tan blogs at Bibliophile Stalker, The World SF News Blog, and SF Signal.
It’s not yet the end of the year and publications/companies/people are already publishing their “Best Of 2009″ lists. Don’t you find that annoying? (I, on the other hand, am trying to cram as much books that I haven’t yet read in this last two months.) Anyway, I’m following Andrew Wheeler’s advice on publishing my short list. At the end of the year, I’ll be publishing my top three titles in various categories over at my blog. I’m not an institution however so note that this list is very subjective and tentative (and I still have a lot of reading to catch up to!).
Some disclaimers though. While a lot of other publications focus on the novel, I tend to read more of anthologies and short story collections. And while we’re on the subject of short stories (and its ilk, the novelette and the novella), I don’t have access to to the Big Three genre magazines, so that also colors my preferences (I can’t evaluate what I haven’t read).
I like lists though because it generates discussion. What are your favorite titles in the various categories? Anything that I missed or should be reading? (On that note, China Mieville’s The City & The City has been bought but unread, and the same goes for John Joseph Adams’s Night Shade Books anthologies.)
Best Novel
- The Babylonian Trilogy by Sebastien Doubinsky (PS Publishing)
- Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente (Spectra)
- Finch by Jeff VanderMeer (Underland Press)
- The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (William Morrow)
- Slights by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot Books)
Best Novella
- “Delusion’s Song” by Alan Smale from Panverse One (Panverse Publishing)
- Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow (Tachyon Publications)
- Starfall by Stephen Baxter (PS Publishing)
- The Witnesses Are Gone by Joel Lane (PS Publishing)
- The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough (PS Publishing)
Best Novelette
- “Everland by Paul Witcover from Everland and Other Stories (PS Publishing)
- “Technicolor” by John Langan from Poe (Solaris Books)
- “It Takes Two” by Nicola Griffith from Eclipse Three (Night Shade Books)
- “Don’t Mention Madagascar” by Pat Cadigan from Eclipse Three (Night Shade Books)
- “The Assimilated Cuban’s Guide to Quantum Santeria” by Carlos Hernandez from Interfictions 2 (Small Beer Press)
Best Short Story
- “Golubash, or Wine-Blood-War-Elegy” by Catherynne M. Valente from Federations (Prime Books)
- “SO-far” by Otsuichi from ZOO (Haikasoru)
- “The Cinderella Game” by Kelly Link from Troll’s Eye View (Viking Juvenille)
- “At the Edge of Dying” by Mary Robinette Kowal from Clockwork Phoenix 2 (Norilana Books)
- “The Best Monkey” by Daniel Abraham from The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction Volume 3 (Solaris Books)
- “Artis Eterne” from Cern Zoo (Megazanthus Press)
- “Count Poniatowski and the Beautiful Chicken” by Elizabeth Ziemska from Interfictions 2 (Small Beer Press)
Best Original Anthology
- Poe edited by Ellen Datlow (Solaris Books)
- Philippine Speculative Fiction IV edited by Dean Francis Alfar & Nikki Alfar (Kestrel IMC) — disclosure: I’m included in this anthology.
- Eclipse Three by edited Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books)
- Firebirds Soaring edited by Sharyn November (Firebird)
- Interfictions 2: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing edited by Delia Sherman & Christopher Barzak (Small Beer Press)
Best Reprint Anthology
- Best American Fantasy 2 edited by Jeff & Ann VanderMeer (Prime Books)
- Year’s Best Fantasy 9 edited by David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer (Tor Books)
- The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction Sixtieth Anniversary Anthology edited by Gordon Van Gelder (Tachyon Publications)
- The Best Horror of the Year Volume One edited by Ellen Datlow (Night Shade Books)
- The Secret History of Science Fiction edited by James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel (Tachyon Publications)
Best Short Story Collection
- The Best of Michael Moorcock edited by John Davey with Ann & Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon Publications)
- Everland and Other Stories by Paul Witcover (PS Publishing)
- We Never Talk About My Brother by Peter S. Beagle (Tachyon Publications)
- ZOO by Otsuichi (Haikasoru)
Best Single-Issue Magazine
Best Genre Podcast
Special Award
- Booklife by Jeff VanderMeer (Tachyon Publications)
Best Non-Genre Book for a Genre Reader
- The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa (Picador)
Americans will be pleased/horrified to know the US is still destination number one for people who want to migrate.
Canada's would-be incomers are disappointingly small in number at 45 million.
Canada's would-be incomers are disappointingly small in number at 45 million.
- 07:08 drinking hazelnut coffee out of a bone china cup; with a mauve rose and new-age jazz on the radio. is this the new victoriana #
- 07:08 forgot to mention the leather club chair... #
- 07:10 ate bad meat last night; now my stomach rumbles like a winter thunderstorm on the horizon. hurts, too. #
- 07:51 rt @MichaelKnost Online writing classes start tomorrow night. Still room for you. Please RT: j.mp/1lUT9e #
- 07:52 how does one pronounce "boredly"? am reminded why I could not finish this author's previous novel. #
- 07:54 AP wire: for shame. A psychiatrist who hears stories from military returning from war zones does NOT have first hand knowledge. Editors .... #
- 09:41 browsing through an old notebook and found a poem I don't recognize. it's good. it's mine. weird. #
- 20:12 Watching dexter. Hurrah for tivo! #
Courtesy the Starlet here's a nice parody of _The Box_ - the new movie, based on an old Twilight Zone episode, about a sinister magical box. The movie is supposed to be about situational ethics, but if you start thinking about the situation for a few minutes and about the fact that two people die in the world *every* *second*, the premise of the movie becomes a bit absurd. As the comedy video emphasizes.
Checking out the trailer for the movie _The Box_, one quickly realizes that the movie is not really about The Box at all. It's about dramatic music, threatened children, and things blowing up.
The situation of _The Box_ actually leads into a nice discussion about abstract empathy versus concrete empathy, but I'm too tired for that right now.
The Button - watch more funny videos
See more like this at eBaum Nation.
Checking out the trailer for the movie _The Box_, one quickly realizes that the movie is not really about The Box at all. It's about dramatic music, threatened children, and things blowing up.
The situation of _The Box_ actually leads into a nice discussion about abstract empathy versus concrete empathy, but I'm too tired for that right now.
Siren Beat by Tansy Rayner Roberts and Road Kill by Robert Shearman, of Dr Who fame by Twelfth Planet Press was a very enjoyable read. This is the sort of book that should be in the delis and newspaper outlets next to bus stops for a fun, lighthearted read on the waysomewhere.
I found Siren Beat to be somewhat in the same vein as Horn (Peter M Ball, also Twelfth Planet Press), and enjoyed what felt a lot like a shared world. I found Siren Beat to be more my style though; more sex, more sensuality. Both books had hard decisions for the lead, and I liked the feel of Tansy's voice in this book. Her characters are desperate and broken, and I felt for them and everything that happened. The ending really pulled this story out of 3.5 for me and into a 4.
Road Kill is a bit more of an uncomfortable read, and I loved it for that too. (Complex, me?) The awkwardness of sex; the things people do to survive great trauma, and once again the difficult decisions of life. Rob's characters were easily believable, caught on the horns of delimas and staggering around doing the best they can in an unusual situation. I don't want to give away any more, but two very normal people get caught up in something not very normal at all.
No great truths come out in either of these stories, no transendent stories of the amazingness of life, but both very good, enjoyable reads. Definitely pick a copy before it sells out.
I found Siren Beat to be somewhat in the same vein as Horn (Peter M Ball, also Twelfth Planet Press), and enjoyed what felt a lot like a shared world. I found Siren Beat to be more my style though; more sex, more sensuality. Both books had hard decisions for the lead, and I liked the feel of Tansy's voice in this book. Her characters are desperate and broken, and I felt for them and everything that happened. The ending really pulled this story out of 3.5 for me and into a 4.
Road Kill is a bit more of an uncomfortable read, and I loved it for that too. (Complex, me?) The awkwardness of sex; the things people do to survive great trauma, and once again the difficult decisions of life. Rob's characters were easily believable, caught on the horns of delimas and staggering around doing the best they can in an unusual situation. I don't want to give away any more, but two very normal people get caught up in something not very normal at all.
No great truths come out in either of these stories, no transendent stories of the amazingness of life, but both very good, enjoyable reads. Definitely pick a copy before it sells out.
I've been thinking a lot about Horse of the Year. I was moved to tears on each viewing of Zenyatta in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Yes, it was a hell of a race. But a few months ago, Rachel gave us a series of those, too--and she moved me to tears for most of her races, not just this one (if moving me to tears is a factor, of course). Z's race is cool and of the moment, so it's natural to want to hand her the crown 'cause she prances and paws the ground (and yeah, that's freakin' cool, I'm not making fun of her). She looks like an amazon out there and she beat the boys after a rough trip over a mile and a quarter. It's hard not to say she deserves it.
A lot of people are saying she deserves it because Rachel "didn't show up." As if not liking the surface isn't suddenly a valid reason to run. Am I the only one who remembers Zenyatta scratching at Churchill on Oaks day for the Louisville Distaff? Why? Because it was raining (the track improved to fast by the feature, was listed as good for the Distaff). So why did Z scratch: because the SURFACE had changed and they didn't want to run her on it. Why? Because they obviously didn't think she'd do her best on it.
So why is it valid for Z to have skipped that (at the start of her season, after she shipped there and everything) and not valid for Rachel to skip a surface even more different than slop to fast is, after a long grueling season in which she ran three more races than Zenyatta? (In fact, at three, Rachel has run as many races as Zenyatta's run in five years. Rachel has nine consecutive wins, and an overall record of 11 wins and 2 shows (her only time out of the money was her first race as a maiden).
Let's move off the whole Rachel didn't show crap, okay?
The real issue is: which filly deserves the title?
I blather on behind the cut.
( Blathering--and also some really interesting data--commences: )
A lot of people are saying she deserves it because Rachel "didn't show up." As if not liking the surface isn't suddenly a valid reason to run. Am I the only one who remembers Zenyatta scratching at Churchill on Oaks day for the Louisville Distaff? Why? Because it was raining (the track improved to fast by the feature, was listed as good for the Distaff). So why did Z scratch: because the SURFACE had changed and they didn't want to run her on it. Why? Because they obviously didn't think she'd do her best on it.
So why is it valid for Z to have skipped that (at the start of her season, after she shipped there and everything) and not valid for Rachel to skip a surface even more different than slop to fast is, after a long grueling season in which she ran three more races than Zenyatta? (In fact, at three, Rachel has run as many races as Zenyatta's run in five years. Rachel has nine consecutive wins, and an overall record of 11 wins and 2 shows (her only time out of the money was her first race as a maiden).
Let's move off the whole Rachel didn't show crap, okay?
The real issue is: which filly deserves the title?
I blather on behind the cut.
( Blathering--and also some really interesting data--commences: )
First off, Buddy wants you to think he’s adorable.
Yesterday was a very nice day. Dad and I got to my cousin Rob’s property where we’ve been cutting wood the last several months. Something in my saw broke, couldn’t use it. As we were loading the truck to head home, a log went through the back window and shattered it into tiny fragments. But luckily dad has another truck, an old piece of junk that isn’t worth trying to fix but did have a good back window, which we took out and found that it was a perfect fit for the other truck. Only took us about an hour to get it in. And now we have a couple of boards between the window and the truck’s bed so this won’t happen again.
Today was also a very nice day. Went to Rob’s property again, my nephew came with us this time and chopped down several of the thinner trees while Dad and I attacked the wide trees with the chain saws. At some point my dad told me to stop because there was a raccoon inside the tree I was slicing. We tried to get the raccoon out of there, but it wouldn’t come out. So we just skipped over that chunk of the tree and sliced the rest of it.
Finished up, took the load to my mom and dad’s house. Dad had recorded the football game and we watched it while eating pizza.
The Lions were looking good in the first quarter, and then what always happens happened. It’s like drag racing where one car is by rights faster than the other. The slower car gets a head start, but the faster car still blows past halfway down the track.
“Okay Lions, we’ll let you score three touchdowns and then it’s our turn.”
They might’ve saved their game in that last minute if not for that interception. But I thought they played better today than they usually do.
I did not write a word of fiction today or yesterday, but it was a good weekend.
Originally published at robdarnell.com. You can comment here or there.
Nearly every Saturday night, I get together with some friends for a group chat and youtube clip session. We've been known to scour the internet for the world's smartest condom commercials and ukulele orchestra performances. We're an irreverent bunch.
Last night I went on a bit of a lesbian spree and came across a movie clip that absolutely turned my guts to mush.
Now, everyone who knows me in real life is aware of how sad my dance prowess is. They know this because even though I dance lamely, I do it all the time. It's fun to shake my booty, even if I really. Really. Shouldn't.
Not everyone knows that I've actually studied ballet, tap, and ballroom dancing. I can dance well given enough of a warm-up, I just have more fun dancing like Goofy.
However, I might seriously reconsider my stance on dancing if every time I danced, it felt like the dance scene from the movie Out at the Wedding.
ETA: Robot dancing is really more my style. (The dancing doesn't start until ~2:06 into the clip)
Last night I went on a bit of a lesbian spree and came across a movie clip that absolutely turned my guts to mush.
Now, everyone who knows me in real life is aware of how sad my dance prowess is. They know this because even though I dance lamely, I do it all the time. It's fun to shake my booty, even if I really. Really. Shouldn't.
Not everyone knows that I've actually studied ballet, tap, and ballroom dancing. I can dance well given enough of a warm-up, I just have more fun dancing like Goofy.
However, I might seriously reconsider my stance on dancing if every time I danced, it felt like the dance scene from the movie Out at the Wedding.
ETA: Robot dancing is really more my style. (The dancing doesn't start until ~2:06 into the clip)
Asked on his blog when he started drawing, author/illustrator Adam Rex borrows and expands on Shaun Tan's answer to the same question:
I suppose this makes sense to me. If you want to get good at anything, sustained effort is almost always required.
On the other hand, there's my my friend, Todd Young, whom I've known since we were seven, longer than anyone outside my family. Todd and I started photography around the same time. We weren't in the same class period, but I'm pretty sure we were both taking high school photography at the same time. I stopped and Todd didn't. But I don't think that's the only reason why I'm a haphazard snapshooter of coffee cups and Todd produces works of beauty. To be sure, Todd's worked at it. He studied photography in college and kept at it while working as an assistant at a commercial studio, as well as aftewards, when he was working in non-photography jobs. He's worked hard at it.
But he's also really, really talented. His eye's always been better than mine. He sees things in a way I don't. His personality lends itself to painstaking effort and finesse. He very early found a way to make darkroom equipment and chemicals write wordlessly profound things on paper.
If I hadn't stopped taking photos, I might have become a good photographer. And I am a believer in hard work trumping talent. But when talent meets hard work, something else happens.
And all of this is really just an excuse to say, "Hey, go look at my friend's photographs. He's awesome." ( Awesomeness below the cut )
Nearly all kids draw for fun, and their drawings tell stories. We all start out as illustrators, and we all start at about the same age–as soon as we can work a crayon. Most people quit at about the same time too, in their tween years somewhere. I don’t know why people stop–are they distracted by organized sports or hobbies or the opposite sex? Do they stop simply because they aren’t good enough, and in these years we all abandon those activities at which we don’t already excel? ... Tan’s is the only response that makes sense for a question to which we all already know the answer. It makes sense because it answers the secret question inside the question–“Why can you draw when I can’t?” Because you stopped and I didn’t. This is also why I can’t play guitar or throw a Frisbee.
I suppose this makes sense to me. If you want to get good at anything, sustained effort is almost always required.
On the other hand, there's my my friend, Todd Young, whom I've known since we were seven, longer than anyone outside my family. Todd and I started photography around the same time. We weren't in the same class period, but I'm pretty sure we were both taking high school photography at the same time. I stopped and Todd didn't. But I don't think that's the only reason why I'm a haphazard snapshooter of coffee cups and Todd produces works of beauty. To be sure, Todd's worked at it. He studied photography in college and kept at it while working as an assistant at a commercial studio, as well as aftewards, when he was working in non-photography jobs. He's worked hard at it.
But he's also really, really talented. His eye's always been better than mine. He sees things in a way I don't. His personality lends itself to painstaking effort and finesse. He very early found a way to make darkroom equipment and chemicals write wordlessly profound things on paper.
If I hadn't stopped taking photos, I might have become a good photographer. And I am a believer in hard work trumping talent. But when talent meets hard work, something else happens.
And all of this is really just an excuse to say, "Hey, go look at my friend's photographs. He's awesome." ( Awesomeness below the cut )
R.'s girl scout troop is working on a project in support of Blessings in a Backpack, an organization which provides backpacks to needy children and, each Friday, fills the backpacks with food so the kids and their families have enough to eat over the weekend and into the next week.
The troop purchased ten backpacks and began to contact local businesses and schools about collecting food. We have a box set up in my office and Elaine's. A couple of the girls spoke to the principal at the local middle school. The principal announced that if they could collect 1,000 cans by this past Friday, he and the vice-principal would oversee Monday morning drop off in girl scout uniforms. A day before the deadline, they had collected over 1,600 cans and their final total was 2,037.
Today, the troop spent four hours in front of a local grocery store, explaining the program to shoppers and giving people a list of recommended donations. In addition to enough food to fill one third of our living room, the girls also collected nearly $200 in cash. They are planning a similar drive at another grocery store.
We are all astounded by the amount of food already collected and very proud of the girls' troop since the girls, who are all in the 11-12 year old range, have been contacting the local businesses on their own and doing their own presentations to the various principals, managers, etc. (with limited guidance from parents).
They'll be collecting through the end of the month (and using our increasingly un-usable living room for storage) and some time in December, the girls will all drive down to Harvey, IL to donate the food, backpacks, and money to the school they've selected to help.
Donations from today's grocery visit.
The troop purchased ten backpacks and began to contact local businesses and schools about collecting food. We have a box set up in my office and Elaine's. A couple of the girls spoke to the principal at the local middle school. The principal announced that if they could collect 1,000 cans by this past Friday, he and the vice-principal would oversee Monday morning drop off in girl scout uniforms. A day before the deadline, they had collected over 1,600 cans and their final total was 2,037.
Today, the troop spent four hours in front of a local grocery store, explaining the program to shoppers and giving people a list of recommended donations. In addition to enough food to fill one third of our living room, the girls also collected nearly $200 in cash. They are planning a similar drive at another grocery store.
We are all astounded by the amount of food already collected and very proud of the girls' troop since the girls, who are all in the 11-12 year old range, have been contacting the local businesses on their own and doing their own presentations to the various principals, managers, etc. (with limited guidance from parents).
They'll be collecting through the end of the month (and using our increasingly un-usable living room for storage) and some time in December, the girls will all drive down to Harvey, IL to donate the food, backpacks, and money to the school they've selected to help.
Donations from today's grocery visit.
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