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Furry little guests
4 July 2016 06:39 pmSo this is who came to visit us this afternoon. I want to hug them, but I suspect they might object, in their small bitey way.
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Stuff wot needs a home
21 February 2016 03:41 pmDoes anyone out there do dollhouse stuff or dioramas or little scenes? I have some dollhouse stuff that needs a good home. Photos under the cuts (some have a standard ballpoint pen in them for size comparison. If anybody wants them, let me know. They don't weigh much at all so I'd be happy to ship outside the U.S. Sorry the colors aren't great but I have a dumb phone rather than a smart phone and it doesn't do very good pics :P
( Tiny stuff )
( Tiny stuff )
Cookie carnage
28 December 2015 09:57 amWe had some friends over yesterday with their kids for wine and chili (the grownups) and cookie decorating (the kids). One of the Parental Units got into the action and created this lol:
(1) Cool and (2) Srsly???
9 April 2014 11:44 pmThe cool: The HTML5 Gendered Advertising Remixer. Drag and drop to mix audio and video from heavily boy-targeted and girl-targeted toy ads to see how ridiculous they both are. It's quite funny. I was particularly amused by overlaying the audio for Tonka Garage with the video for Betty Spaghetti.
The srsly?????: We all know about "trigger" warnings; fanfic has had them for ages as a courtesy to its reader. But it's really too much when college students demand trigger warnings on their syllabi.
This boggles my mind.
I'm not at all against trigger warnings in fanfic -- after all, fanfic is known for pushing the envelope in a lot of ways. But fanfic is, when all is said and done, a hobby. A thing you do on your own time, for your own reasons, in which you are free to seek out or avoid anything you like, from SSHG to Giant Squid + Hagrid.
The entire point of college, on the other hand, is (or should be) to expose you to new things, things you don't know about, things that make you think, and yes, even things that might make you uncomfortable. Because real life has those things. It's meant to spur dialog, critical thinking, analysis -- none of which are possible if the only things you look at are things that make you feel good. Because real life demands those abilities. And most importantly, it's meant to be a bridge between your (usually protected) childhood and the (often unpleasant) real world. Because yes, hon, you will encounter things that may be hard for you in Real Life.
If we allow students to opt out of things that they assume or imagine might upset them, or that they just plain fear, it seems to me we are doing them a disservice.
Thoughts?
The srsly?????: We all know about "trigger" warnings; fanfic has had them for ages as a courtesy to its reader. But it's really too much when college students demand trigger warnings on their syllabi.
This boggles my mind.
I'm not at all against trigger warnings in fanfic -- after all, fanfic is known for pushing the envelope in a lot of ways. But fanfic is, when all is said and done, a hobby. A thing you do on your own time, for your own reasons, in which you are free to seek out or avoid anything you like, from SSHG to Giant Squid + Hagrid.
The entire point of college, on the other hand, is (or should be) to expose you to new things, things you don't know about, things that make you think, and yes, even things that might make you uncomfortable. Because real life has those things. It's meant to spur dialog, critical thinking, analysis -- none of which are possible if the only things you look at are things that make you feel good. Because real life demands those abilities. And most importantly, it's meant to be a bridge between your (usually protected) childhood and the (often unpleasant) real world. Because yes, hon, you will encounter things that may be hard for you in Real Life.
As The New Republic pointed out, Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe’s brilliant novel about the great harms of colonialism, Things Fall Apart, now carries the warning that it “may trigger readers who have experienced racism, colonialism, and religious persecution, violence, suicide, and more.”
If we allow students to opt out of things that they assume or imagine might upset them, or that they just plain fear, it seems to me we are doing them a disservice.
Thoughts?
Neil Gaiman FTW
22 August 2013 09:55 pm
How do you do this in only 178 pages, Neil? How?? How???You know how there are some books that, when you finish them, you don't want to start another one, at least not right away? You don't want the experience you've just had to be overwritten, or diluted; instead you want to cherish it for a little longer. Let it steep, as it were.
This is that sort of book.
The main character is a child, but this is not a children's book, not by a long shot. A healthy dollop of myth, a bit of poetry, a glimpse or two of deep mystery, frosted with horror and seasoned with that pure intensity of emotion that's hard to recapture outside of childhood...
Oh, just go read it, will you? Preferably now, and in one sitting. It's brilliant.
I know, a weird combination of subjects, right? And yet here they are, together on this very page!
First, the man who saved the bunnies: A Marine corpsman stationed at Camp Pendleton found a dead rabbit while out and about on the base, and after exploring nearby he discovered four baby bunnies, which he took home and fed and raised until they were old enough to survive on their own (more pics). This man is my hero :) He apparently also rescued kittens in Iraq, and he also mentions finding a tiny tiny frog which he named Crouton. I don't know why, but that made me laugh hysterically for quite some time.
On another note, I'm re-reading Stephen King's On Writing and very much enjoying it. He's straightforward and blunt and some of his observations are remarkably perceptive. "The road to hell is paved with adverbs," he says, comparing them to dandelions (one is pretty, but next thing you know they've invaded everywhere) and advising you to avoid them like the plague. Then he goes on to theorize that writers tend to use adverbs when they are less-confident -- they aren't sure that they've shown what's happening and therefore feel the need to also tell:
Then he goes on to talk about Tom Swifties and the popular game of making up punny ones (You've got a nice butt lady," he said cheekily.) and closes by saying, "When debating whether or not to make some pernicious dandelion of an adverb part of your [writing], I suggest you ask yourself if you really want to write the sort of prose that might wind up in a party game."
Here is where he talks about his idea of the Muse; it's quite a bit different in detail from what most people might think, but he's got the essence of it correct: that the muse is capricious and you've got to work to catch/deserve their attention.
A few pages later, after he's talked about how it helps to have a place you can go (and if you're starting out, it's especially important that that place have as few distractions as possible!), he says this:
Like I said, the details aren't what I imagine (I can't picture a cigar-smoking muse, but Damon Runyon and Ed McBain probably could!), but I agree with the core principles: work hard and make the muse feel welcome
First, the man who saved the bunnies: A Marine corpsman stationed at Camp Pendleton found a dead rabbit while out and about on the base, and after exploring nearby he discovered four baby bunnies, which he took home and fed and raised until they were old enough to survive on their own (more pics). This man is my hero :) He apparently also rescued kittens in Iraq, and he also mentions finding a tiny tiny frog which he named Crouton. I don't know why, but that made me laugh hysterically for quite some time.
On another note, I'm re-reading Stephen King's On Writing and very much enjoying it. He's straightforward and blunt and some of his observations are remarkably perceptive. "The road to hell is paved with adverbs," he says, comparing them to dandelions (one is pretty, but next thing you know they've invaded everywhere) and advising you to avoid them like the plague. Then he goes on to theorize that writers tend to use adverbs when they are less-confident -- they aren't sure that they've shown what's happening and therefore feel the need to also tell:Consider the sentence He closed the door firmly. It's by no means a terrible sentence (at least it's got an active verb going for it) but ask yourself if firmly really needs to be there. You can argue that it expresses a degree of difference between He closed the door and He slammed the door, and you'll get no argument from me...but what about the context? What about all the enlightening (not to say emotionally moving) prose which came before He closed the door firmly? Shouldn't this tell us how he closed the door? And if the foregoing prose does tell us, isn't firmly an extra word? Isn't it redundant?
Then he goes on to talk about Tom Swifties and the popular game of making up punny ones (You've got a nice butt lady," he said cheekily.) and closes by saying, "When debating whether or not to make some pernicious dandelion of an adverb part of your [writing], I suggest you ask yourself if you really want to write the sort of prose that might wind up in a party game."
Here is where he talks about his idea of the Muse; it's quite a bit different in detail from what most people might think, but he's got the essence of it correct: that the muse is capricious and you've got to work to catch/deserve their attention.
...if you don't want to work your ass off, you have no business trying to write well...There is a muse,* but he's not going to come fluttering down into your writing room and scatter creative fairy-dust all over your typewriter or computer. He lives in the ground. He's a basement guy. You have to descend to his level, and once you get down there you have to furnish an apartment for him to live in. You have to do all the grunt labor, in other words, while the muse sits and smokes cigars and admires his bowling trophies and pretends to ignore you. Do you think this is fair? I think it's fair. He may not be much to look at, that muse-guy, and he may not be much of a conversationalist (what I get out of mine is mostly surly grunts, unless he's on duty), but he's got the inspiration. It's right that you should do all the work and burn the midnight oil, because the guy with the cigar and the little wings has got a bag of magic. There's stuff in there that can change your life. Believe me, I know. (pp. 138-39)
*Traditionally the muses were women, but mine's a guy; I'm afraid we'll all just have to live with that.
A few pages later, after he's talked about how it helps to have a place you can go (and if you're starting out, it's especially important that that place have as few distractions as possible!), he says this:
But you need the room, you need the door, and you need the determination to shut the door. You need a concrete goal, as well. The longer you keep to these basics, the easier the act of writing will become. Don't wait for the muse. As I've said, he's a hard-headed guy who's not susceptible to a lot of creative fluttering. This isn't the Ouija board or the spirit-world we're talking about here, but just another job like laying pipe or driving long-haul trucks. Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you're going to be every day from nine til noon or seven til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he'll start showing up, chomping his cigar and making his magic.
Like I said, the details aren't what I imagine (I can't picture a cigar-smoking muse, but Damon Runyon and Ed McBain probably could!), but I agree with the core principles: work hard and make the muse feel welcome
How I spent the last five days
25 November 2012 08:17 pmWed noon to Thurs noon: cooking
Thurs noon to Sun evening: eating
That pretty much sums it up.
The turkey was big and golden and juicy, the gravy rich and smooth, the mashed potatoes slightly lumpy (on purpose, of course, to prove beyond doubt that they are home-made), the green bean casserole nice and crispy on top, the creamed onions creamy and seasoned to perfection. The turkey had the biggest neck and innards I've ever seen, so there was lots of meat and broth for Grandma N.'s Giblet Stuffing (an in-law tradition, without which I think Mr Psmith would boycott the meal entirely), and I also made vegetarian stuffing for me (NOMZ!!). A half-batch of homemade cranberry sauce turned out to be just the right amount, and the apple and pumpkin pies came out splendiferous. The sole concession to pre-packaged food products was the rolls, since I still can't make 'em properly; we went with Pillsbury Grands, which were pretty good hot out of the oven but rapidly cooled into little flat doughy pancakes (blech) so we won't be doing THAT again. I think I'll practice my roll-and-biscuit skills between now and next November.
Ten people squished themselves around our table (Small Niece and Small Nephew had to share the piano bench) and A Good Time Was Had By All. I made the happy discovery that Small Niece now carries a notebook and pen about with her constantly, so that she can draw pictures and write stories as the mood strikes her. So pleased to have a young novelist in the family!!
Tomorrow, alas, back to the workaday world and dinners of much less grandeur (but also less richness and fatness -- I decline to admit even to myself how many sticks of butter went into that meal). Next weekend: the Christmas Tree!!!
Thurs noon to Sun evening: eating
That pretty much sums it up.
The turkey was big and golden and juicy, the gravy rich and smooth, the mashed potatoes slightly lumpy (on purpose, of course, to prove beyond doubt that they are home-made), the green bean casserole nice and crispy on top, the creamed onions creamy and seasoned to perfection. The turkey had the biggest neck and innards I've ever seen, so there was lots of meat and broth for Grandma N.'s Giblet Stuffing (an in-law tradition, without which I think Mr Psmith would boycott the meal entirely), and I also made vegetarian stuffing for me (NOMZ!!). A half-batch of homemade cranberry sauce turned out to be just the right amount, and the apple and pumpkin pies came out splendiferous. The sole concession to pre-packaged food products was the rolls, since I still can't make 'em properly; we went with Pillsbury Grands, which were pretty good hot out of the oven but rapidly cooled into little flat doughy pancakes (blech) so we won't be doing THAT again. I think I'll practice my roll-and-biscuit skills between now and next November.
Ten people squished themselves around our table (Small Niece and Small Nephew had to share the piano bench) and A Good Time Was Had By All. I made the happy discovery that Small Niece now carries a notebook and pen about with her constantly, so that she can draw pictures and write stories as the mood strikes her. So pleased to have a young novelist in the family!!
Tomorrow, alas, back to the workaday world and dinners of much less grandeur (but also less richness and fatness -- I decline to admit even to myself how many sticks of butter went into that meal). Next weekend: the Christmas Tree!!!
Help!! I got a request from a friend regarding computer games for his kids (age 12 and 8) and am drawing a total blank, as everything Mr Psmith does is MMORPG or at least requires online access and it's been years since I played anything like this myself (xyzzy, anyone?).
He's looking for (and I quote) "WOW style game they can play (for PC or Wii) that doesn't have too much blood or naked fornicating Orcs, but does have a fantasy feel with some combat, interaction, quest for glory, etc. Multiplayer isn't really an option for us because our internet is spotty at the best of times."
Thoughts, suggestions, ideas?? Your input eagerly anticipated!
He's looking for (and I quote) "WOW style game they can play (for PC or Wii) that doesn't have too much blood or naked fornicating Orcs, but does have a fantasy feel with some combat, interaction, quest for glory, etc. Multiplayer isn't really an option for us because our internet is spotty at the best of times."
Thoughts, suggestions, ideas?? Your input eagerly anticipated!
Tiny cosplayers
17 July 2012 11:03 pmAdorable children cosplay at Comic-Con. I like the faintly resentful-looking Dalek; you can almost hear her thinking, "I wanted to be a ballerina, but hell no, not MY parents..."
And what do you call a bunch of tiny Ironmen? A magnitude, perhaps? A deposit? Yes, I like that: a deposit of Ironmen. *giggle*
And what do you call a bunch of tiny Ironmen? A magnitude, perhaps? A deposit? Yes, I like that: a deposit of Ironmen. *giggle*
