Saturday, August 16, 2008 B

"Arms-length Portrait"
9:31pm

While away in Flagstaff, I did take note of every mirror we saw, with view to suitability for snaps. The two mirrors at right angles in the hotel made for a multiplicity:


2 X 2

But of course, the problem with these photos is the necessary camera is covering my face. So I tried an 'arms length' photo. But the initial photo came out too dark and too red:


From the camera - too red

Auto-adjust - the pimples and the jowls!

This attempt lost details and depth

So I worked with the 'auto-adjust', softening it a bit, removing shiny spots, adding more shadow in some areas and lightening it in others.


This attempt is probably the truest, I really am rather pale... (and, um, 'jowly')

Sunday, August 17, 2008

"Quick Sketch of Jean-Pierre Jeunet"
7:51pm

Julia woke me at 6:00am, urging me to get up so we could go get water before the heat grew. Then with that momentum started, I tackled the wash. I got a little more caught up with e-mail and such. Then I got busy with the research project. I added two wands to the wand page, an alabaster statue to the amulet statue page, a small bronze amulet to the amulet pendant page, and a stela with Set slaying the Apep to Apep slaying page. Feeling pleased with my accomplishments, it was time to relax.

We watched Amelie, a film Julia swore we'd seen before. I couldn't remember it, and being a library borrow, no loss if we had. (By the way, the new library makeover at the 3rd St. location is awesome. We're looking uptown, instead of dusty old west town.)

This movie is a complete delight, utter magic each step of its charming way. Four thumbs up here in the Lansberry household. Afterwards, I watched the interview with its director. I loved watching his animated expressions, and can't help but think a good bit of Amelie's imagination is in him. He explained how he was so afraid at first that the movie wouldn't be accepted. And he did have a troublesome critic. But movie critics are a cynical, jaded bunch. The movie has captured the heart of most everyone who sees it. After the interview, I put it back in play to pause it. I hoped to capture some of his sparkle:

Oh, by the way, we saw Mamma Mia yesterday. I almost let those sour critics deter me. But when I saw how low they graded the recent 'Mummy' movie, only an eleven on the 'Tomatometer', I decided to give 'Mamma' a chance. Yes, Hellboy II is way better than the 'Mummy', but I still enjoyed the antics of father and son.

Meanwhile, back to 'Mamma'. It's great fun. The singing is well enuciated and emoted and the plot doesn't seem a forced pastiche to fit the ABBA songs. It's just plain fun. Pierce Brosnan's clumsy singing just adds to the charm of his character. The scenery is a treat, too.

But if you've only got time for one of all these, go rent or borrow or buy Amelie.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

"Lucky"
9:17pm


He feels lucky...


He feels even luckier

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

"Strange Dream"
6:56am

I was in an odd building, an older one with several stories. I'd found the bathroom, but the floor panels kept dropping out, and the toilets kept disappearing. A mother with a small child solved the problem by having him pee in a partially drank paper cup of soda. (After she asked if it was my drink.) No, it was not mine. Next I was in an elevator,considering what to grab if the floor should fall out. I wanted the second floor, but it bypassed the next floor. 'Wasn't that second?' I arrived in a large audition room, with try outs for singing. Someone asks me, "Do I like singing?" "Yes, I like singing."

What was going on on floor 0? Why was I there? Where was this?

Thursday, August 21, 2008

"Yellow Bed (Shy, but Willing)"
8:52pm

I began by seeing if the Phoenix Art Museum had anything irresistable coming up in the near future. I'm not sure if we'll go to the Edward Weston photography exhibit. But that teaser sent me on a web-search. I found his website and from there, I found Kim Weston's site, and from there, I explored all his evocative images. More than half way through, I came across an image of a mysterious lady which beckoned further exploration. Having sketched her out, I thought rather than put the curtain in, I'd add from another of Weston's photos, a nude with calla lillies. The initial sketch begged for color, bright color:


She looks shy, but willing (and who is the lady burdened by flowers?)


Detail...

Friday, August 22, 2008

"Graffiti, Old and Older"
6:49am

As I picked my photo for the Photo Friday theme of 'Old-Fashioned', I noted another picture taken on the day I'd captured the old camera: graffiti on the Yuma Territorial prison walls:


Graffiti on a prison cell wall. Note the date 1937, homeless people were using the cells as housing then...
(I can't quite understand the date of the 'Arkansas Kid', perhaps 1912?)

Is it just human nature to want to leave one's mark somewhere, hoping to be remembered in at least some small way? Perhaps so? It isn't just people in more recent times who've done this. Ancient Egyptians (who certainly didn't think themselves 'ancient') also left their mark in places not intended for such:


Tomb of Nespeqashuty, 712-664 B.C., graffiti 3rd century A.D., (from the Brooklyn Museum)
Click to see the larger piece

The info card tells us "Ancient graffiti have been found all over Egypt, in rock quarries, in mountain passes, in remote desert valleys, and even on tomb and temple walls. Most of them represent far more than mere acts of vandalism."

It includes "records of their work along with commentaries on the current political situation". Also, "prayers for the well-being of the writer".

So, in this decade, "fool's names in fool's places", in a thousand years later, perhaps it can be more than that.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

"Traumatized, Just a Bit"
10:32am

I was not looking forward to a good weekend. My sinuses hurt dreadfully, I did not sleep much of the night, and I was half sleeping, half in full self pitying mode this morning when I was awakened by Julia screaming. I could tell by the scream it was no ordinary ow-ie. I rushed to the bathroom. Blood was running down her face and onto her chest. She'd slipped when exiting the tub.

I struggled to not panic. First, to stop the blood flow. A white towel got splattered all over. Julia found the neo-sporin and put some of that on the wound. Where to find the band-aids? We only had small 'finger-cut' size. Finally, I found a package of small cotton squares, which I was able to attach using two of the small band-aids. The gash at her left eyebrow was about 1 1/2 inch (4cm) long. It looked deep, and I knew it would not heal well without some assistance. I guessed about four or five stitches. We got Julia dry, she dressed herself, and wanted something to drink. I looked in the refrigerator. Except for some canteens of cold tea, there was precious little in the bottom section. Julia made a smoothie with frozen fruit, and we drank that quickly.

We got to the urgent care center around quarter to eight. It didn't look crowded. Too early to have the 'weekend warrior' mishaps, and all the Friday night drunks needing patched were already patched. We didn't have long to wait before we were ushered into a 'room' cordoned off with curtains.

I don't know what had happened to our 'neighbor', but she was sure noisy about it. They gave her some medicine, and I think they were taking her to the hospital.

The young slender blond woman put a flashlight to Julia's wound and came to the same conclusion I did. Stitches were needed. (Seamstresses know these things.) After a tetanus shot and some painkiller and some cleansing, she got to stitching. Five stitches are holding Julia's brow together now. They said in a week the stitches could be removed.

It was only around 9:00am by then. I wasn't sure the library would be open, so we stopped at Java Oasis for some java date shakes. Julia was feeling less woozy by the time we'd finished the tasty drinks. I got three DVDs, two bio-documentaries, and one movie, and Julia picked three sci-fi books.

When we got home, Julia noted the dirty blender jug. "Did I make smoothies? I don't remember it. I must have been operating on auto-pilot. I was traumatized, just a bit."

But she's patched up, and my sinuses seem minor in comparison. They hurt a little less, my fever is gone and my lymph nodes are less swollen. A quiet weekend wouldn't be a bad finish.

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