Just Write

It doesn't matter what you write.  Just write.

There's an audience for every idea.

The Rain Mix

Rainstorms are like a complex song.  The sounds are stacked on top of each other until all you hear is the mixed version.  But listen closely and you can separate the layers.
In the middle is the strongest of the sounds--the constant tiny raindrops that fall so quickly and so close to each other that they greet your ears with the steadiness of a waterfall.  Not a Niagara-type waterfall, but a smaller one that doesn't crash but instead constantly gushes.
The layer closest to you is, usually, the sound of heavier drops as they fall inconsistently from gutters or window panes.  These drops or still being fed by the rainfall, but they are hampered by human creations.  They are given time to join together and fall as they may--harder and less often.  Their noise is louder and joins the waterfall effect as a staccato layer.
And in the distance is the patter of the rain through the trees.  It's a two-fold layer.  The water hits the foliage with a gentle slap--a patter, if you will.  Then the water falls again; this time it is inn larger drops and makes many different sounds as they hit the different ground coverings.  Puddles, play sets, logs, grass, flowers, leaves--each with their unique surface.

Together, it is a cacophony of nature.  And, to be cliche, music to my ears.

Book Art

I love books.  I cherish them.  I love the way they look on my shelves and the way the paper feels under my fingertips.

But this artist has found a new way to love them.  German creator Dorisse can turn ordinary paper products into beautiful jewelry and, my favorite, book sculptures!

I will never give up reading the real thing, but I also love the idea of immortalizing my favorites as works of art--more than they already are, that is.

What do you think?  Reverent to the work or destroying it?

The power of books

From the site Common Dreams comes this "weapon" of mass destruction: the "way cool book tank created by Argentinean artist, Raul Lemesoff, with a 1979 Ford Falcon from the former military junta. Lemesoff tours from the streets of Buenos Aires to the countryside, offering his 900, donated, frequently-replenished books free as a "contribution to peace through literature."

I want to go to Buenos Aires!

I Spy

I have the house to myself this weekend.

A few minutes ago the doorbell rang.  I knew who it was: a neighbor-girl bringing change for a twenty, for a tchotchke I bought in support of some school program.

But I didn't answer.

Instead, I set down the book I was reading and lowered myself silently to the carpet.  Then I inched along the floor on my stomach until I could see around the edge of the sofa.  The girl's pink sweater fizzled across the patterned glass.  Her dark hair bobbed as she rocked in place, waiting.

I held myself still.  Frozen.  Breath slowed to the dimmest of oxygen intake.  I was a spy.

After all, why just write about the stuff?  Why not actually live it every once and a while?

Afraid

I think I am afraid to come here.

Like the mere act of opening Blogger impresses guilt upon me.  A reminder that I'm not writing.  A glimpse of a story unfinished.

So I avoid.  It's still a link on my bookmarks bar--glaring at me every time I open Google Chrome.

Someday I will just delete it.  Then the guilt will bury itself a level deeper.

And I will pretend to forget.

Anyone Can

Anyone can have a website.  Anyone can creat a blog.

Just look at this guy: Brianstalin, Past Life Research (including some very UN-researched connections between JFK and Russian royals and Abraham Lincoln reincarnating as Leonard Nimoy).

And The Watcherflies, which explains the 13 Illuminati Satanic Bloodlines.  Of course it does.

So don't believe everything you read.  Don't use faulty resources.

What's in a word?

We think we know what we're writing.  We think we know what we're reading.  But what if the word we use really means something else?


I am reading Robert K. Massie's Catherine the Great right now.  First, let me tell you that it is masterfully written.  The prose is interesting, the facts well-researched.  He follows a chronological order in laying out the chapters, but throws unexpected and interesting facts in places that catch you off-guard and, at times, make you laugh.  I highly recommend it.

Ivan (IV) the Terrible

I digress.  While reading this book, I was moved to search online for pictures of Empress Elizabeth I (Catherine's mother-in-law--and if you think you mother-in-law is terrible, you never stepped in Catherin's shoes).  One link lead to another, as they usually do, and I began reading about Ivan the Terrible.  This paragraph struck me as interesting:

The English word terrible is usually used to translate the Russian word grozny in Ivan's nickname, but the modern English usage of terrible, with a pejorative connotation of bad or evil, does not precisely represent the intended meaning. The meaning of grozny is closer to the original usage of terrible—inspiring fear or terror, dangerous (as in Old English in one's danger), formidable or threatening. Other translations were suggested, such as Ivan the Fearsome or Ivan the Formidable.

It's not a major difference.  He's either 'terrible' because he did terrible things, or 'terrible' because he was feared for doing terrible, or at least oppressive, things.  But still, it made me think.

Do you think about the words you write?  The words you read?  Do you ponder over their meaning and strain over picking the appropriate verbage?  If not, should you?

(For those interested, I came across some very ornate 'dolls,' for lack of a better word, fashioned after historical figures.  Here is the link for Catherine the Great's.)

My Super Hero Kids

My son, the Super Hero, saves Yodicity!

Become a Superhero onwww.hellokids.com, site for kids of coloring page.

And, my Super Hero daughter, too!

Become a Superhero onwww.hellokids.com, site for kids of coloring page.

Cute, right?

Nature is Art

Art abounds...Not really, but I have a new project I'm undertaking.

For a long time, as long as I can remember, I've always turned my camera on nature and snapped away. Am I any good? I don't know. But I think I have an eye for framing a shot. I spend a lot of time outdoors with my family, and it doesn't take much to just turn a little bit and click a few of a beautiful view or a vibrant tree.

Now I'm sharing those pics on Etsy, and you can order any that interest you. I am offering them

as prints (basic sizes starting at 5x7) and wrapped on canvas. The prices range from a low $8 for a digital copy, to upwards of $100 for a large canvas for your wall.

Even if you aren't interested in bring my view of nature into your home or office, pass the link along to those you think might be. I'd appreciate it. The more art out there, the more beautiful the world becomes.

Thank you, friends!

My photography Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheNaturePhotog
My Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePhotog