Posted in Likes, Other, tagged awesome, creativity, fun, inspiration, Motivation, Thoughts, Videos, yay on February 3, 2013| 2 Comments »
I know, in internet years Kid President is past retirement age by now. I don’t care. I tried to ignore this video for a whole week but finally broke down, and I’m glad I did. This kid is great, and his message is even better. Watch it. And be awesome.
Posted in Other, tagged inspiration, January, New Year, resolutions, Thoughts on January 24, 2013| 1 Comment »
photo by Jayt74 on Flickr
2012 started well but ended with a bit of a fizzle. And by fizzle I mean a wave of illness, death, and generally unpleasant travel schedules. So apologies for not being around here since the holidays. The good news is that there are still people to care about, there is still useful work to be done, still delicious food to make. Here’s to 2013, eh?
And on that note…
I pride myself on not making resolutions, not at New Year’s, anyway. But here’s the thing: I’m starting to think that maybe I should.
Why? It’s simple, really. Raised by a couple of nontraditional types (they eschewed the “hippie” label but certainly shared some defining characteristics) I generally scoff at traditions. Well, not Christmas and Easter and watching Star Wars with giant bowls of popcorn, obviously, but the other stuff. The traditions that seem designed to weigh you down rather than buoy you up, that help you feel like crap when you realize you’ve fallen short.
Honestly, that’s what New Year’s resolutions always seemed like to me: an opportunity to fail and then have to spend the rest of the year wandering around in a haze of guilt, regret, and inadequacy. Like a minor but well-established branch of several major religions I can think of, actually. No thanks, right? True enough, as far as that goes. But if you look at it as a convenient time to check in, to catch up, to re-evaluate or just to ask yourself the questions that generally get lost in all the frantic day-to-day, well. That seems to be something else entirely.
So. I’m still not going to vow to lose ten pounds a week or exercise constantly or only think thoughts worthy of a nun, because that’s never going to happen. I reject the tyranny of “should” and “must.” But I will spend at least a few belated moments checking in, to see if what I wanted last year is the same thing I want now. And if not, then what? Then I have a whole new year to figure out what comes next.
Posted in Other on December 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Indiana Jones Mystery Package
Indiana Jones Mystery Package
via UChicago College Admissions, Indiana Jones Mystery Package
They don’t know who or why, exactly, but someone sent a near-exact replica of Abner Ravenwood’s journal to “Henry Walton Jones, Jr.” This is where I admit I did not know or never remembered his middle name. It is also where I say that this is absolutely awesome. Perhaps only a movie/word/maker geek would appreciate such a thing, but I am one and I most certainly do.
Posted in Other, tagged art vending-machines, arts, awesome, creativity, yay on November 16, 2012| 1 Comment »
Now this is cool.
You may not know, gentle reader, that yours truly spent some time in Tucson, but they had nothing as out and out awesome as this back then. Ok, the Sonoran Desert is pretty spectacular, but we’re talking human crafted for the nonce.
This machine reminds me of a fair in Somerville, Massachusetts. It was the sort of festival where people in bright colors and face paint close down streets and act happily silly, with art! art! art! everywhere. Most of that art was framed or in plastic sleeves or in display cases. It was a beautiful day, full of cotton candy and bright sun and interesting people. But what I remember most was the truly clever Art-O-Matic* at the Somerville Red Line exit. For a dollar this repurposed soda machine would pop out a random cardboard tube containing art. In my case I got a three-inch tall roll of archival paper with an abstract hand-drawn sketch of feathers. Beautiful. I stood in the subway station with people streaming by and wondered how anyone could pass up an opportunity as effervescent as this.
That’s how art should be, I think. Not up on a distant pedestal, isolated behind velvet ropes. (Ok, obvious exceptions for the Mona Lisa, etc. because people can be jerks. But still.) Easy as buying a Coke.
* Oh look, it’s a thing! Different form factor and a slightly less appealing association (cigarettes and all) but same idea.
Posted in Other on November 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Clarkesworld is a great magazine doing a lot to support authors — if science fiction, fantasy, or great writing is your thing, consider subscribing!
Many Whatever readers are fans of science fiction and fantasy, which means they have probably heard ofClarkesworld Magazine, the Hugo-winning science fiction magazine, which has published some genuinely excellent fiction in its run. Clarkesworld is owned and operated by Neil Clarke, who I can vouch for from personal knowledge as being one of the nicer folks in the genre. Neil has unfortunately has had a stretch of hard road recently, including a heart attack and (very recently) being let go from his day job. He’s keeping as optimistic an attitude about these things as he can, but optimism will only go so far.
Clarkesworld is an excellent magazine, and it’s also a story market that pays more than the SFWA minimum for professional-level sales, meaning that it’s a good market for writers, too. You can read its content for free on the Web site, but there’s also…
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Posted in Other, Writing, tagged nanowrimo on November 10, 2012| Leave a Comment »
photo by phatman on Flickr
When I said that this was a bad month for NaNoWriMo, I meant it. What I didn’t know was that on top of the accounted-for holiday, family illness, and associated travel, November has decided to become the Month From Hell.
Wondering why my word count sucks? In addition to the previously mentioned issues I’ve got family members who are sick with normal stuff (two), another with a broken wrist (way to swan dive off the roof, big guy;), and one in the hospital for surgery after catching virulent New Zealand germs (hi Dad!). (I’m sure that the NZ germs were quite friendly though. And picturesque; lovely place.) And oh yes, I got sick too. So, for anyone out there wondering at my less-than-par word count, well.
The good news is our overall family health is improving and that’s what matters. As far as NaNo is concerned, of course, the important thing is to just keep writing:)
Posted in Food and..., Other, tagged food on October 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »
We put the garden to bed this weekend. Finished uprooting the tomatoes, stripping all scarlet runner beans, and thanking the basil for its heroic effort in these Northern climes. In an effort to retain some essence of summer just that much longer, I brought in a few clippings of the apple mint. Prodigious stuff, this plant will take over a garden if you let it, but in a container it is content to produce huge, gorgeous, fuzzy leaves with a distinctive but mild mint flavor. Terrific in spicy peanut noodles, chickpea salad, or smoothies.
Apple mint
Posted in Other on October 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »
I’m hungry, it’s raining, and Frankenstorm is about to make landfall. Also, I’m behind in my writing. I can either be discouraged or I can have lunch with a side of wisdom from our 30th President. Guess which one I chose?
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and Determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On”, has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.
— Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933), U.S. President
Posted in Other, tagged men in suits, steve zahn on October 17, 2012| Leave a Comment »
Hello, boys. What’s up?
Two young men just came to my door, braving potential rejection and possible scoliosis (if the size of their shoulder bags are any indication), to discuss the issue of corruption in the world. Now, given that they are Jehovah’s Witnesses and I am… not, it’s possible we have a different definition of “corruption.” Still, as I took their magazine with its image of white men in suits exchanging handfuls of cash and closed the door on the boys’ smiling faces, a thought occurred. “Corruption” has become the sort of marketing buzzword that resonates across groups, faiths, and political parties. That is a good thing.
The more we elevate ethical behavior, the more we expose corruption, the likelier it is that individuals, companies, and governments will be faced with a society that refuses to take such behavior for granted. We all need to ask ourselves how we might behave at our best, and then try to follow through. If most of us can do that most of the time, then I can agree with those fresh-faced, spine-suffering proselytizers on at least one thing: there is hope for the future.
Hmm. In token support of this general push against corruption, perhaps I’ll re-watch Sahara tonight. Because it champions ethical behavior in the face of murderous corruption. Also? Steve Zahn. That is all.
Posted in Other, tagged awesome on October 16, 2012| Leave a Comment »
As proof I submit the following excerpt from a recent email, sent to a particular circle of friends I refer to mentally as The Geek Squad (and yes, I definitely include myself in that moniker). This is from Sara, party-giver (who is not to be confused with Sarah, party-givee:)
So there’s this movie out. You might have heard of it. It has a full movie budget, and is about space nazis.
Space. Nazis.
Wait, space nazis aren’t your cup of teadenfreuden?
Well screw you, space nazis sounds amazing.
Okay, wait, no, I accept that some people might not be into space Hitler. I guess. FINE.
We also have Australian alien zombie fish.
Oh yeah. You heard me.
Case closed.
P.S. It should go without saying that the Nazis are the bad guys. Also? They are on the dark side of the moon. Because where else would Nazis be?! Welcome to the weird and wonderful magic that is Bad Movie Night:)
P.P.S. Wait, even better. There is an article about the movie Iron Sky in The Economist, highlighting the crowdsourced and social media dimensions of progressive independent filmmaking. Also? Space Nazis!
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