Say what you like about humans, we're awfully good at building sea lion beds, and it is so kind of us to scatter them conveniently about the bay the way we do.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sea Lion Beds
Say what you like about humans, we're awfully good at building sea lion beds, and it is so kind of us to scatter them conveniently about the bay the way we do.
Mystery Caterpillar (2)
According to the folks over at bugguide.net (a site I am definitely going to remember), my mystery caterpillar is a Giant Swallowtail caterpillar, also known as the orange dog caterpillar.
Quick net research reveals that it is a favorite of butterfly gardeners, but that orange growers have it on their hit list due to its enormous appetite and love of citrus leaves (which means that most of their names for it are probably a lot more colorful and less printable than "orange dog").
I have one lime tree, and I can see why the beast irritates citrus growers: I spotted the caterpillar in the first place because I was trying to figure out what was stripping the leaves off so many branches. On the other hand, as the one-lime-tree status indicates, I am more of a butterfly gardener than a citrus grower. I have watched Giant Swallowtails in the park and admired their slow, circling flight and their beauty. From my point of view, 10-20% of one plant's leaves (it's eaten about 10% now and has, I think, got its current length yet to grow before pupating; assuming I'm correct about its length--how does one measure something that usually sits somewhat bunched up?) is a small price to pay to host that beauty, however briefly.
According to one or the other articles I looked at (probably the wikipedia article), the now one inch (give or take, see above) caterpillar will grow to be two inches before it settles down for the winter in its cozy cocoon for the winter. After that, assuming nothing has parasitized it, it will sleep all winter and come out again in the spring. I really, really hope I get to watch, but my chances are small. We've been hosting fritillaries on our passion vine for years now, and I only rarely get to see the butterflies emerge.
Still, I plan on coddling this fellow as much as I can--which really means leaving it alone and trying to find out whether or not Neem hurts it (probably not; I am sure I've sprayed at least a couple of times since his egg was laid).
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Mystery Caterpillar
So for the last several weeks, this not-so-little guy has been doing his best to imitate bird poop while munching on our lime tree.
I'm letting him keep on munching because, after all, the tree can spare a few leaves, and one has to admire such a clever use of disguise techniques, and I'm curious. What kind of caterpillar is he and what sort of moth or butterfly will he become?
Anyone know?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Happiness (3): Gelato! Also, Good Company
Is
Gelato!
There's a new(ish) gelato place in town, Mangiamo Gelato Caffe. I've been meaning to go for a while, and finally my brother and I walked down yesterday.
Mmmm.
They were nice & cheerful & let us try different flavors, and, even better, all the different sizes allow for different flavors--even the small (which is plenty large!) allows for three flavors. This is great for someone like me who always has to have pistachio(1), but still wants to try something else.
My brother had mango & nutella, both of which were delicious (I tasted some, of course). I had rum raisin, pistachio, and raspberry, all yummy, though I think the rum raisin was better as a taste than as a third-of-a-bowl-full, where it got too sweet.
The food was good, the place was nice, and the company was good as well. Lots of philosophy talk, given that Ethawyn is a philosophy major and all.
(1) With gelato, that is. Ice cream has to be chocolate, unless I'm somewhere where I can have black walnut ice cream. There's a lovely place in Florence, Oregon that serves homemade black walnut ice cream. I've never had any anywhere else. Mmmm.... *Starts dreaming happily & then realizes it's time to write.
Gelato!
There's a new(ish) gelato place in town, Mangiamo Gelato Caffe. I've been meaning to go for a while, and finally my brother and I walked down yesterday.
Mmmm.
They were nice & cheerful & let us try different flavors, and, even better, all the different sizes allow for different flavors--even the small (which is plenty large!) allows for three flavors. This is great for someone like me who always has to have pistachio(1), but still wants to try something else.
My brother had mango & nutella, both of which were delicious (I tasted some, of course). I had rum raisin, pistachio, and raspberry, all yummy, though I think the rum raisin was better as a taste than as a third-of-a-bowl-full, where it got too sweet.
The food was good, the place was nice, and the company was good as well. Lots of philosophy talk, given that Ethawyn is a philosophy major and all.
(1) With gelato, that is. Ice cream has to be chocolate, unless I'm somewhere where I can have black walnut ice cream. There's a lovely place in Florence, Oregon that serves homemade black walnut ice cream. I've never had any anywhere else. Mmmm.... *Starts dreaming happily & then realizes it's time to write.
Happiness (2) Also The Broken Hourglass
Is
Writing.
I just sent in 2 completed atmosphere documents and a small quest (which got a bit more complicated than I meant, but I hope not too much so) for The Broken Hourglass.
I've started the layout for another one, and in a few minutes, I will go back out and sit under one of my favorite trees to start the actual writing for it.
Writing.
I just sent in 2 completed atmosphere documents and a small quest (which got a bit more complicated than I meant, but I hope not too much so) for The Broken Hourglass.
I've started the layout for another one, and in a few minutes, I will go back out and sit under one of my favorite trees to start the actual writing for it.
Happiness (1)
Is
A soft pretzel covered in salt, eaten with a cold Diet Coke while sitting on a low wall and watching the waves come in.
The company was good too. Pity it was my friend's first soft pretzel. It was happy-making, but it was also frozen and then thawed out in the microwave, not really the best way to first encounter a food.
I'll have to make some pretzels soon.
A soft pretzel covered in salt, eaten with a cold Diet Coke while sitting on a low wall and watching the waves come in.
The company was good too. Pity it was my friend's first soft pretzel. It was happy-making, but it was also frozen and then thawed out in the microwave, not really the best way to first encounter a food.
I'll have to make some pretzels soon.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
How I Lost My Heart At the Beach
I had two days of good fun and photographs with the little stone heart (pictures to be posted later, when I have both net and picture access).
Then I thought it would be fun to get a shot of the heart as the waves washed around it.
This was in the morning and the tide, though ebbing, was still pretty strong. It came in, and went out, and I saw the stone tumble once, twice out in the surf, where I, cumbered by my camera could not go.
And then it was gone.
Someone else will find it later, smoothed more, and will take it home in delight.
In the meantime, I think it's safe to say that the Heart Series is a limited edition!
Then I thought it would be fun to get a shot of the heart as the waves washed around it.
This was in the morning and the tide, though ebbing, was still pretty strong. It came in, and went out, and I saw the stone tumble once, twice out in the surf, where I, cumbered by my camera could not go.
And then it was gone.
Someone else will find it later, smoothed more, and will take it home in delight.
In the meantime, I think it's safe to say that the Heart Series is a limited edition!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Can I Be Her When I Grow Up?
So I just shifted position in the library, in part because I hope it will help shake a few brain cells loose so I can get some more writing done (Don't laugh; it's been known to work) and in part because I want some tea (That, also, has been known to work) and there are only a few places where tea is allowed.
The place is, as usual, full, and on my way to a new table, I passed an elegant looking woman with a lovely, neat stack of book surrounding her and a tidy pile of beautifully written notes next to her.
She looks just like an author busy doing research ought to look.
I want to be her.
Well, not her, exactly, but the person she looks like.
The place is, as usual, full, and on my way to a new table, I passed an elegant looking woman with a lovely, neat stack of book surrounding her and a tidy pile of beautifully written notes next to her.
She looks just like an author busy doing research ought to look.
I want to be her.
Well, not her, exactly, but the person she looks like.
The Broken Hourglass: And Working...
Just about to start playing Rob Howard's music for The Broken Hourglass and settle in for another bout of work.
I've been poking around naming people (lots of incidental people get to be X* while I'm working out the details), but it's time to dive in and do some real work.
For one thing, I have to go back and put journal entries into the miniquest. They are important from a player perspective, but easily forgotten from the writer's side (All right, from this writer's side; no doubt others remember perfectly well!).
So, after this brief, stalling detour, I'm back to work!
I've been poking around naming people (lots of incidental people get to be X* while I'm working out the details), but it's time to dive in and do some real work.
For one thing, I have to go back and put journal entries into the miniquest. They are important from a player perspective, but easily forgotten from the writer's side (All right, from this writer's side; no doubt others remember perfectly well!).
So, after this brief, stalling detour, I'm back to work!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Broken Hourglass: Still Writing Some More
Spent some time today working on The Broken Hourglass.
Most of it was spent on the atmosphere stuff, writing for the little people who make the world seem lived in, the extras, so to speak. One of them has a very small quest associated with it.
Anyway, today's work was mostly filling in roughed-out outline work from earlier this week, not wildly exciting as most of the character discovery has already happened, but satisfying. It's good to see things taking shape.
I also spent a lot of time barraging Corvis with world building stuff, all kinds of random details that didn't make it into the initial world-building doc: "Do the Illuminated sing?" "Why is Atrus VI not Atrus I?" "Are there demigods?" "So where's the Imperial gossip?" And so on.
He can come up with an unbelievable amount of detail at the drop of a hat, too, though he has been known to say "Make it up yourself."
Also, Jason's got a new interview up, here. The English translation is in the dark gray bar to the right and takes longer to load, which can be confusing (at least, it confused me; I had to ask him what was going on). Take a look at the Polish part, too, though; it has the screenshots.
Most of it was spent on the atmosphere stuff, writing for the little people who make the world seem lived in, the extras, so to speak. One of them has a very small quest associated with it.
Anyway, today's work was mostly filling in roughed-out outline work from earlier this week, not wildly exciting as most of the character discovery has already happened, but satisfying. It's good to see things taking shape.
I also spent a lot of time barraging Corvis with world building stuff, all kinds of random details that didn't make it into the initial world-building doc: "Do the Illuminated sing?" "Why is Atrus VI not Atrus I?" "Are there demigods?" "So where's the Imperial gossip?" And so on.
He can come up with an unbelievable amount of detail at the drop of a hat, too, though he has been known to say "Make it up yourself."
Also, Jason's got a new interview up, here. The English translation is in the dark gray bar to the right and takes longer to load, which can be confusing (at least, it confused me; I had to ask him what was going on). Take a look at the Polish part, too, though; it has the screenshots.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Knowing that I like collage, my sister told me I needed to look at Lois Ehlert's books. The recommendation was seconded by the library reference librarian who told me "Oh, you have one of my favorite books on hold!"
And Leaf Man is gorgeous, a lovely book of collaged leaves with a light, lyrical story. I am impressed by the collages and also by the way the pages are shaped so that each page provides part of the background for the preceding page. Possibly it makes the book more vulnerable to tearing, but it is so beautiful it would be worth replacing multiple times if necessary.
Also impressive are the notes inside the jacket where Ehlert identifies the leaves, or if she can't, mentions where and when they were found.
And Leaf Man is gorgeous, a lovely book of collaged leaves with a light, lyrical story. I am impressed by the collages and also by the way the pages are shaped so that each page provides part of the background for the preceding page. Possibly it makes the book more vulnerable to tearing, but it is so beautiful it would be worth replacing multiple times if necessary.
Also impressive are the notes inside the jacket where Ehlert identifies the leaves, or if she can't, mentions where and when they were found.
Found on the Beach (1)
I went for a walk on the beach, and very shortly after setting out, I found a stone heart.
I photographed it, of course. After that, I started to look for other interesting objects, photographing them together and apart, so that both relationships and objects are found.
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti
This was difficult to read.
R. A. Scotti did the expected brilliant job of bringing the time and place to life. She was almost too good at it. The places, way of life, and many of the people she brings so vividly to life died in that hurricane. It was heartbreaking reading about the school children who got onto the bus that morning, learning of their backgrounds, their hopes, and their lives, only to read later that all but one died in the waves brought in by the hurricane--some within sight of their home, while their father watched.
So, well-written, but very hard to read.
R. A. Scotti did the expected brilliant job of bringing the time and place to life. She was almost too good at it. The places, way of life, and many of the people she brings so vividly to life died in that hurricane. It was heartbreaking reading about the school children who got onto the bus that morning, learning of their backgrounds, their hopes, and their lives, only to read later that all but one died in the waves brought in by the hurricane--some within sight of their home, while their father watched.
So, well-written, but very hard to read.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Broken Hourglass: More Writing
Gotta love RPG writing.
See, the other day, I was working on The Broken Hourglass, and I had this brilliant idea for a micro-quest using an item from a major quest I worked on a while back. There's someone in one of the areas who really might want this item.
It would, I thought, be quick and a fitting use for the item.
I had forgotten (again) just how much time it can take to fill in the details. Four and a half pages and most of an afternoon later, I had written out a suitable number of approaches to "I have this item. Would you like it?" and assorted replies.
Whew!
It's fun, and it saves the strain of having to actually choose which of the brilliant (or otherwise) approaches possible, but it sure takes time!
See, the other day, I was working on The Broken Hourglass, and I had this brilliant idea for a micro-quest using an item from a major quest I worked on a while back. There's someone in one of the areas who really might want this item.
It would, I thought, be quick and a fitting use for the item.
I had forgotten (again) just how much time it can take to fill in the details. Four and a half pages and most of an afternoon later, I had written out a suitable number of approaches to "I have this item. Would you like it?" and assorted replies.
Whew!
It's fun, and it saves the strain of having to actually choose which of the brilliant (or otherwise) approaches possible, but it sure takes time!
While I'm at it...
Two old favorites of mine, somewhat battered books I found at a library book sale a while back:
What If a Lion Eats Me and I Fall into a Hippopotamus' Mud Hole? by Emily Hanlon with pictures by Leigh Grant
This one is a favorite standby, partly because I am a big worrywort & I never find that old piece of advice "Think of the worst thing that can happen and you'll find it's not so bad" very helpful--I can always think of something that is plenty bad, thanks just the same. Ditto for the sort of helpful advice the kid in this book is trying to provide--for every way out, there's an equally bad "What if?" just waiting to pounce. On the other hand, sometimes it does help to think "What if my daddy buys us a hot dog, popcorn, and ice cream?" Occasionally, I even think it in those terms. It makes me smile, and then I can go on and do whatever.
The Star Thief by Andrea DiNoto, with pictures by Arnold Lobel: Nothing profound to say about this one, it just makes me smile.
And, yes, I probably should see what else these folk have written (in both cases, the illustrations are fine, but it's the stories I love). It might turn up some more unexpected gems.
What If a Lion Eats Me and I Fall into a Hippopotamus' Mud Hole? by Emily Hanlon with pictures by Leigh Grant
This one is a favorite standby, partly because I am a big worrywort & I never find that old piece of advice "Think of the worst thing that can happen and you'll find it's not so bad" very helpful--I can always think of something that is plenty bad, thanks just the same. Ditto for the sort of helpful advice the kid in this book is trying to provide--for every way out, there's an equally bad "What if?" just waiting to pounce. On the other hand, sometimes it does help to think "What if my daddy buys us a hot dog, popcorn, and ice cream?" Occasionally, I even think it in those terms. It makes me smile, and then I can go on and do whatever.
The Star Thief by Andrea DiNoto, with pictures by Arnold Lobel: Nothing profound to say about this one, it just makes me smile.
And, yes, I probably should see what else these folk have written (in both cases, the illustrations are fine, but it's the stories I love). It might turn up some more unexpected gems.
Wicked Plants: A Book of Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart
I really enjoyed Amy Stewart's The Earth Moved and Flower Cofidential, so I was really looking forward to Wicked Plants.
It's a lovely series of beautifully illustrated entries--think old herbals--with fascinating tidbits about, well, wicked plants: Plants that are poisonous, irritating, invasive, or all of the preceding.
It's also a book that had me calling a friend to warn her that some of the cuttings I gave her recently were poisonous, and she probably ought to warn her kindergarten age son of that fact. He probably already knows better than to eat plants, of course, she's a perfectly competent individual, but the stories of adults munching on various berries they found by the wayside had me spooked.
Anyway, spookedness aside, I enjoyed the book.
I admit to being a little disappointed that it is more of an encyclopedia than a full book (What is the word for a "regular chapter book" in non-fiction? The fiction equivalent is "short story" vs. "novel," but I can't think of the word I want!) simply because I miss the personalities and the flow of the other two books, but, then I also prefer novels to short stories. And the illustrations are gorgeous.
I still need to read From the Ground Up. Probably I should put it on hold.
It's a lovely series of beautifully illustrated entries--think old herbals--with fascinating tidbits about, well, wicked plants: Plants that are poisonous, irritating, invasive, or all of the preceding.
It's also a book that had me calling a friend to warn her that some of the cuttings I gave her recently were poisonous, and she probably ought to warn her kindergarten age son of that fact. He probably already knows better than to eat plants, of course, she's a perfectly competent individual, but the stories of adults munching on various berries they found by the wayside had me spooked.
Anyway, spookedness aside, I enjoyed the book.
I admit to being a little disappointed that it is more of an encyclopedia than a full book (What is the word for a "regular chapter book" in non-fiction? The fiction equivalent is "short story" vs. "novel," but I can't think of the word I want!) simply because I miss the personalities and the flow of the other two books, but, then I also prefer novels to short stories. And the illustrations are gorgeous.
I still need to read From the Ground Up. Probably I should put it on hold.
Book Review: Vanished Smile
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. Scotti.
Another library find--it was out in the New Books section & looked moderately interesting--and caught my attention because, after all, it is about the Mona Lisa, and I hadn't realized it ever was stolen (it was in 1911; security was amazingly lax).
I got sucked in pretty quickly when I started reading. Scotti is good at sketching times, places, and people so that they feel vital and immediate.
I looked on the back and realized she'd also written Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's, which was another unexpected find a while back. I didn't have the sense, then, to check to see what else she'd written. Now, Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 is on the hold shelf for me (I love libraries!).
I shall be keeping an eye out for her books.
Another library find--it was out in the New Books section & looked moderately interesting--and caught my attention because, after all, it is about the Mona Lisa, and I hadn't realized it ever was stolen (it was in 1911; security was amazingly lax).
I got sucked in pretty quickly when I started reading. Scotti is good at sketching times, places, and people so that they feel vital and immediate.
I looked on the back and realized she'd also written Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter's, which was another unexpected find a while back. I didn't have the sense, then, to check to see what else she'd written. Now, Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 is on the hold shelf for me (I love libraries!).
I shall be keeping an eye out for her books.
The Old Woman and the Wave
The Old Woman and the Wave is one of those serendipitous library finds. I was looking for something else, saw this on the bookshelf, and picked it up too.
The story is good, good enough to make me love the book for no other reason, but it's the illustrations that really make the book outstanding: lovely mixes of collage and painting, with bits of the dialog done in cut up newspaper and magazine clippings, and unexpected little words floating into view under the paint. Marvelous.
Unfortunately, Shelly Jackson doesn't seem to have written any other kids books. Her novel is intriguing, but suspiciously literary looking, which means I may be waiting for a while to read it (not being, so to speak, in a literary mood just now).
Hm, ok--there are other books by her I hadn't noticed before, maybe not picture books, but other books. This bears further investigation.
Oh, and I loved the illustrations in The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County, which was illustrated by Jackson, but as a book it's not up to The Old Woman and the Wave. The story by Janice N. Harrington, was good, but not in the "Oh, wow! What else has she written?" category.
The story is good, good enough to make me love the book for no other reason, but it's the illustrations that really make the book outstanding: lovely mixes of collage and painting, with bits of the dialog done in cut up newspaper and magazine clippings, and unexpected little words floating into view under the paint. Marvelous.
Unfortunately, Shelly Jackson doesn't seem to have written any other kids books. Her novel is intriguing, but suspiciously literary looking, which means I may be waiting for a while to read it (not being, so to speak, in a literary mood just now).
Hm, ok--there are other books by her I hadn't noticed before, maybe not picture books, but other books. This bears further investigation.
Oh, and I loved the illustrations in The Chicken Chasing Queen of Lamar County, which was illustrated by Jackson, but as a book it's not up to The Old Woman and the Wave. The story by Janice N. Harrington, was good, but not in the "Oh, wow! What else has she written?" category.
New Blog to Follow
A friend * recently suggested I try reading some of Adam Rex's books. I did, and I enjoyed them, and I decided to stop by his blog, which thanks to this entry, I am now hooked on.
Oh, so far, I've read three of the books: Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, Frankenstein Takes the Cake, and Psst!.
The first two are weird and wonderful little poems and illustrations about the lives and loves of various monsters--Frankenstein wants to borrow a little something from his neighbors and has food thrown at him instead (which turns out to be a good thing: it all makes a yummy sandwich), the Phantom of the Opera can't get It's a Small World out of his head (and the rhyme about it can be sung to Small World, which I didn't catch at first), and the raven just can't seem to get Poe's attention.
The third is an equally surreal visit to the zoo, where a young girl is asked by a group of animals to pick up a bunch of supplies for them, using money the peacock picks out of the pools each day. As an extra touch, the animals are all chatty while the people's word balloons are blank.
*Note: Said friend is fond of horror movies. Follow the link with that in mind.
Oh, so far, I've read three of the books: Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, Frankenstein Takes the Cake, and Psst!.
The first two are weird and wonderful little poems and illustrations about the lives and loves of various monsters--Frankenstein wants to borrow a little something from his neighbors and has food thrown at him instead (which turns out to be a good thing: it all makes a yummy sandwich), the Phantom of the Opera can't get It's a Small World out of his head (and the rhyme about it can be sung to Small World, which I didn't catch at first), and the raven just can't seem to get Poe's attention.
The third is an equally surreal visit to the zoo, where a young girl is asked by a group of animals to pick up a bunch of supplies for them, using money the peacock picks out of the pools each day. As an extra touch, the animals are all chatty while the people's word balloons are blank.
*Note: Said friend is fond of horror movies. Follow the link with that in mind.
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