Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Oh, and... New Music
Though it probably isn't new to many of you, I think this is a very keen idea. It's a "Musical Genome Project" called Pandora. One types in a starting point song or band, and it uses a list as long as your arm about the qualities of the song to determine what you might like next. You can customize as you go, and create numerous different playlists within a certain genre. It isn't always perfect, but it's mighty impressive, and I've stumbled onto some good new music already. I'm listening even as I type.
Those are NOT his eyes....
Anna has started a blog, and it's a lovely thing. I recommend reading the reviews as well--she has given the new Over The Rhine album 5 out of 5 stars, with which I utterly agree.
She also wrote about a children's birthday party with Dora the Explorer coming to visit. Little kids are so funny. It reminds me of the time I was helping out with a special story time at the bookstore--Curious George was going to be there...in, uh..person. Some of the kids were thrilled, but there was, as usual, the terrified group. One tiny little boy shrieked and hid behind his mother until he was brave enough to peek out and scrutinize the person in the awkward Curious George costume. His expression got more and more critical, and I heard him murmer disapprovingly, "Those are NOT his eyes. Those are not his eyes!" Eventually he gathered the courage to inch closer and cautiously address the character in a warning tone, "George...? I think there's someone in you."
Haa! Little kids... The other day I was making a little story for my three year old niece with some weirdly deformed little sponge dinasours she had. After a while, she came back over and asked, "'Scuse me, Auntie Ef? Can we have some dinosaur talk again?"
Head exploding cuteness.
She also wrote about a children's birthday party with Dora the Explorer coming to visit. Little kids are so funny. It reminds me of the time I was helping out with a special story time at the bookstore--Curious George was going to be there...in, uh..person. Some of the kids were thrilled, but there was, as usual, the terrified group. One tiny little boy shrieked and hid behind his mother until he was brave enough to peek out and scrutinize the person in the awkward Curious George costume. His expression got more and more critical, and I heard him murmer disapprovingly, "Those are NOT his eyes. Those are not his eyes!" Eventually he gathered the courage to inch closer and cautiously address the character in a warning tone, "George...? I think there's someone in you."
Haa! Little kids... The other day I was making a little story for my three year old niece with some weirdly deformed little sponge dinasours she had. After a while, she came back over and asked, "'Scuse me, Auntie Ef? Can we have some dinosaur talk again?"
Head exploding cuteness.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Let Us Not, And Live!
One of today's installments of "must be seen web comics" is the enigmatic and often head-explodingly cute Patches by Kelly Vivanco. These are short, semi-daily affairs that usually encompass a single thought or exchange. It's quirky, and often makes me laugh out loud. Or at least snort softly to myself.
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Paul Taylor's Wapsi Square is not my usual type of comic, but I enjoy the art, and there are bits of mystery woven into the stories of otherwise everyday folks. You really ought to start at the beginning if you intend to read it. You'll find it starts with more stand-alone strips as charcters are introduced. The comic at this point is a continuous story in a series of arcs, so reading the current one will probably make exactly no sense if you haven't gotten the back story. The art has morphed quite a bit since the beginning; though I liked it at the start, I think it's really come into its own now.
The main character is Monica, a girl who who specializes in art/artifacts from Latin America at her local museum. Throw in a cheeky bunch of friends, and the Aztec god of alcohol(?), and voila! Wapsi Square!
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Paul Taylor's Wapsi Square is not my usual type of comic, but I enjoy the art, and there are bits of mystery woven into the stories of otherwise everyday folks. You really ought to start at the beginning if you intend to read it. You'll find it starts with more stand-alone strips as charcters are introduced. The comic at this point is a continuous story in a series of arcs, so reading the current one will probably make exactly no sense if you haven't gotten the back story. The art has morphed quite a bit since the beginning; though I liked it at the start, I think it's really come into its own now.
The main character is Monica, a girl who who specializes in art/artifacts from Latin America at her local museum. Throw in a cheeky bunch of friends, and the Aztec god of alcohol(?), and voila! Wapsi Square!
Friday, November 18, 2005
Honey, I Sure Miss You
A lovely momentary daily escape can be found at James Kochalka's website, American Elf. This is one of the ones I page through every day. Each comic is a short journal - a little snippet of something that actually happened that day or the day before. The content ranges from a thoughtful little statement with some art to accompany, to rock and roll experiences, to sweet little moments with his son and wife. It's everything from earthy to hilarious.
I've been reading American Elf for a couple years now--since before James's son Eli was born, and I almost feel like I've seen Eli grow up.
Comics can be read daily for free, and archives can be accessed with a subscription.
Kochalka is not just an artist. He is also, incidentally, a SUPERSTAR. Really. I bet that is what his card says. There is some very fun music of his on the site, (Honey I Sure Miss You is a cover of a Daniel Johnston song he did) and I believe he also has some stuff on MP3.com. Hurrah for American Elves!
I've been reading American Elf for a couple years now--since before James's son Eli was born, and I almost feel like I've seen Eli grow up.
Comics can be read daily for free, and archives can be accessed with a subscription.
Kochalka is not just an artist. He is also, incidentally, a SUPERSTAR. Really. I bet that is what his card says. There is some very fun music of his on the site, (Honey I Sure Miss You is a cover of a Daniel Johnston song he did) and I believe he also has some stuff on MP3.com. Hurrah for American Elves!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Follow
Follow is a comic by one of my favorite web artists, Hwei Lim. It's quite old, by web standards (2002) so not all the links on this page probably work.
The story is that of a boy searching fairy tale realms to find his lost friend. It has a sort of dark Through the Looking Glass meets The Snow Queen feel.
Sadly, the comic is not complete; however, the art is lovely enough to warrant reading through what's there. The main chracter of the story reminds me of the Little Prince.
To those who enjoy the art, search out Hwei Lim on the web. She has comics and galleries hidden (and often abandoned) many places.
The story is that of a boy searching fairy tale realms to find his lost friend. It has a sort of dark Through the Looking Glass meets The Snow Queen feel.
Sadly, the comic is not complete; however, the art is lovely enough to warrant reading through what's there. The main chracter of the story reminds me of the Little Prince.
To those who enjoy the art, search out Hwei Lim on the web. She has comics and galleries hidden (and often abandoned) many places.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Wee Timerous Beastie
The evening was usual--the Boy and I in the study on our respective computers, doing what we do... until Boo came trotting proudly into the room with a live mouse in his jaws. Now I'm not the squeally type--in fact, my first reactions was, "Aw crap! Now we're going to have to get a whole new round of shots for the cats." My second reaction was to grab Boo and shake the mouse out of his mouth and sigh as it skittered into the corner and buried its head under a scrap of paper, the only available shelter. Poor thing. I tried to be ruthless. I really did. The Boy was adamant. "It'll just come back into the house and breed. Let the cats take care of it. It's nature's way." Well, nature's way is not always the best way. Say we're watching someone fall off a bridge: oh well, I mean--lungs filling up with water just=death. It's nature's way."
Shut up, you! I know most metaphors don't bear close examination.
In any case, by the time I was done being conflicted, Boo had pounced like lightning and was hurredly secreting the mouse back down the stairs. I chased him until the basement door, and then gave up. (Oh well, "nature's way" and all. I really don't want to see the end of this.)
The cats were both so excited and agitated. Pokey old Nihao was huffing and pouncing on every shadow. Probably because they present less of a challenge than a live, moving mouse would.
In any case, I forgot about it for a while, until I was in the bathroom, er...busy, and Boo wandered in. "Fine," I told him. "As long as you haven't brought your..."
Oh Crikey. He had. And he dropped it directly on top of a stack of towels, where it dazedly burrowed under one. Fervently praying it would stay put, I grabbed a box and scooped it up.
Robert Burns comes to mind: To a Mouse, On turning her up in her nest, with the plough, November, 1785
Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie,
O, what panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!...
And so on.
One of Burns's points is that he evies the mouse, only knowing the present and not dwelling on the past or fearing the future. Though I love the poem, I just can't agree. One of the things that makes me happy is thinking about times other than the present. Not to say the present isn't lovely, but being unable to remember or imagine the future--I think that's the absence of creativity, and a whole lot of other things. I would be a sad tomato indeed if I were unable to hope or recollect memories that are dear to me. If occasionally remembering bad things or fearing what's to come is the price I pay for that, so be it.
Woo. Tangent.
So don't tell the Boy, but I took the mouse-in-a-box to the bottom of the garden and gently set it there. If a certain mouse happens to chew its way to freedom and make its way to the (closer) neighbor's house, well that's just nature's way, isn't it?
Shut up, you! I know most metaphors don't bear close examination.
In any case, by the time I was done being conflicted, Boo had pounced like lightning and was hurredly secreting the mouse back down the stairs. I chased him until the basement door, and then gave up. (Oh well, "nature's way" and all. I really don't want to see the end of this.)
The cats were both so excited and agitated. Pokey old Nihao was huffing and pouncing on every shadow. Probably because they present less of a challenge than a live, moving mouse would.
In any case, I forgot about it for a while, until I was in the bathroom, er...busy, and Boo wandered in. "Fine," I told him. "As long as you haven't brought your..."
Oh Crikey. He had. And he dropped it directly on top of a stack of towels, where it dazedly burrowed under one. Fervently praying it would stay put, I grabbed a box and scooped it up.
Robert Burns comes to mind: To a Mouse, On turning her up in her nest, with the plough, November, 1785
Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim'rous beastie,
O, what panic's in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi' bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an' chase thee,
Wi' murd'ring pattle!...
And so on.
One of Burns's points is that he evies the mouse, only knowing the present and not dwelling on the past or fearing the future. Though I love the poem, I just can't agree. One of the things that makes me happy is thinking about times other than the present. Not to say the present isn't lovely, but being unable to remember or imagine the future--I think that's the absence of creativity, and a whole lot of other things. I would be a sad tomato indeed if I were unable to hope or recollect memories that are dear to me. If occasionally remembering bad things or fearing what's to come is the price I pay for that, so be it.
Woo. Tangent.
So don't tell the Boy, but I took the mouse-in-a-box to the bottom of the garden and gently set it there. If a certain mouse happens to chew its way to freedom and make its way to the (closer) neighbor's house, well that's just nature's way, isn't it?
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Named after a German Budgie
The new computer (which, on our network we have dubbed Friendy II) is dreeeamy.
I did a long-ass browse through various internet comics today. A couple years ago, I felt like I was pretty up to speed on the cool-cat community of college age comic makers (alliteration, anyone?) and artists who are better than I'll ever be. I've been vaguely sad because some of the more beloved galleries and stories either wrapped up, or wasted away un-updated for years, and I consequently lost track of my favorite artists. I *knew* they had to be up to something, and now I'm beginning to stumble back onto them, linked from other sites, or mentioned here and there. Hurrah, kids! You're too good to stop arting!
More later, in which I will offer links to various folk of whom I am fond.
I did a long-ass browse through various internet comics today. A couple years ago, I felt like I was pretty up to speed on the cool-cat community of college age comic makers (alliteration, anyone?) and artists who are better than I'll ever be. I've been vaguely sad because some of the more beloved galleries and stories either wrapped up, or wasted away un-updated for years, and I consequently lost track of my favorite artists. I *knew* they had to be up to something, and now I'm beginning to stumble back onto them, linked from other sites, or mentioned here and there. Hurrah, kids! You're too good to stop arting!
More later, in which I will offer links to various folk of whom I am fond.
Monday, November 07, 2005
La-lala-lala... Interesting Drug.
(as in Morrissey song)
But in real life, this new drug is interesting as well. I was kindly informed by a sister, thus:
PANEXA
"Lots of detailed information, including IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SQUIRRELS."
We should all be sure to arm ourselves before going to the doctor.
But in real life, this new drug is interesting as well. I was kindly informed by a sister, thus:
PANEXA
"Lots of detailed information, including IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SQUIRRELS."
We should all be sure to arm ourselves before going to the doctor.
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