Working on some drawings for an icon to use in a kind of Lovecraftian “Dear Abby” called “Ask The Piscean” for Cthulhupalooza, a new (actually old but revived) ezine that I’m helping out. Not sure which of these we’ll be going with, but figured I’d post them here for your (weird) enjoyment. They all started out as pen and charcoal, but then I played with them a bit with my computer. Cthulhupalooza is also having a logo contest. The prize? Your choice: A collection of cool Lovecraftian comics, including some
Herbert West Re-animator comics or a set of Cradle of Filth CDs. Cthulhupalooza will be accepting short works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction, book reviews, and art. They are especially interested in music reviews which focus on the influence of HP Lovecraft. You may see some of my poems and art there in the future, but unfortunately, my fiction is usually much too long for submission.

And here are those aura photos I promised the other day. Aside from the weird disembodied head effect, the colors really changed. The first one was taken about 16 years ago, and then the second was taken last year. I didn’t get it done again this last expo because I only had it done about six months ago. I was told years before I had the first picture donethat my aura was green, and it seems that the green is pretty constant.

Basically, you sit in this chair and put your hands on these metal pads. They put a black cover over you, which I think is basically so you can’t come back and say, well the camera just picked up these colors from my clothes. A very low level current (so low you hardly feel more than a faint pressure) is run through the pads. Your hands on the pads complete the circuit. I’m not exactly sure how the camera picks up the colors, but it is similar to Kirlian photography and according to the brochure, it “incorporates biofeedback and computer science to measure your electromagnetic field.” It goes on to say that “energy vibrating at specific rates is light,” and “light vibrating at specific frequencies is color.”

And finally, I found this site which maps your tastes in music to make it easier to find new bands. It’s called TuneGlue. It seems fairly accurate so far. I did a little digging, and I found another similar site called liveplasma. It can search music and movies and also search by actor or director. Very cool. I know there’s one for books similar to this, but darned if I can find it.

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May 20th

A sacred festival called the Plynteria was celebrated annually in ancient Greece in honor of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and battle, and the patroness of the city of Athens (which was named after her). It included the ritual cleansing of her statue, followed by prayers in the Parthenon and feasting.

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five questions for this week
(unfeatured questions stolen from the featured question chatboard, dated from August of 2007)

Answer any one or all of these questions in the coming
week. I try to mix the whimsical with the serious here, so hopefully
there is at least one question here for everyone.

Apollon was the sacred day of Apollo, god of music, poetry, divination, and sunlight.

MY REALITY TELEVISION PARTNER

Imagine you have been selected for a reality
television show i.e. Big Brother, Survivor, et all.  You have to choose
someone to share this experience with,  your own partner.  Who would
you choose?  Why?

THE PARAMETERS:

NOT YOUR BEST FRIEND or a relative,
but someone who has intrigued you, who you would like to get to know
better.  Tell us why this person intrigues you, the motivation behind
this choice.  They could be your local tradesperson, your dentist, the
chemist, even take it so far as to choose a celebrity if you
like….get my idea? I thought it could be interesting as a follow up
to this present challenge, revealing yourself, revealing what makes you
want to know about other people, and why.  Why them?

Ugh…. reality television. I can’t think of a bigger blight on television, not that I watch much tv any more. Still, if I had to choose someone to partner with… let’s say I was stranded on a deserted island… like Lost. Say the show was some kind of cross between Lost and Survivor, I’d choose Vlad Tepes.

In any event, I’d choose Vlad Tepes if I was on a Reality TV game show. I’m reasonably certain that we’d win, especially if survival was the name of the game. I doubt there’d be an option to vote us off, since everyone would be terrified he’d murderize them off screen if they tried it. heh But also because if the show was like Lost, the only way out would be death. I really can’t think of anyone who’d go for the win at any cost but still stick to ideals of fair play. By all accounts, he was a very fair and honorable man. Provided you didn’t break any laws and acted with respect and decorum, it’s unlikely he’d even look at you cross-eyed. There are lots of peaceful types I respect and admire, but if we’re going into competition, Vlad Tepes is the Man. I’d definitely like to hear things from his perspective, instead of what history records. As we all know, history is written by the winners and he was betrayed by his own nobles who struck a separate deal with the Turks. Can we really trust their depictions of him?

I went to a New Age Expo today and bought lots of books! Yay! lol

jaeyounglee posted a cube exercise a couple days ago. I’d done it years ago, and I don’t really recall my original descriptions, but I don’t think it’s changed too much.

My cube is transparent on all sides but the front which is open. As you peer inside, the eye is led to an impossible, unknown distance. It is larger on the inside than out. It’s true depth cannot be seen, but is as well lit on the inside as the outside. From the inside, nothing of the outside can be seen, but the light gets in somehow. From the outside, the cube is barely visible. With the exception of the front of the cube, all other sides merely show you what is on the other side of the cube with little distortion.

The ladder is woven from rough hewn branches with the bark still on and rope made of grasses. The bark is grayish and both smooth and rough, perhaps beech wood. The wood is fresh, but the grass rope is pale like the surrounding grasses. The branches have either not been properly cleaned, or they are coming back to life. There are small twigs and healthy leaves on some of the wood. One part is lying inside the cube and diagonal, it’s other end is to the left and outside the cube.

On this night it is customary to pay homage to the fairy guardians of blackthorn trees. They are wizened little stick figures with long arms and fingers for climbing between the thorns. According to one legend, they only leave their trees during full moons.

Dea Dia was honored today in her aspect as the cosmos, mother of everything.

If you choose to participate in the cube exercise, you can post your
descriptions below, then go back up to the instructions and highlight
them with your mouse. The interpretation is there, but don’t do it
until after you are done with your description. You can tell me why mine means if you are so inclined.

The Princess Bride has got to be one of the best books and movies ever made. It is one of those rare books that is equally good as a movie. Though I much prefer the book, well I am a bibliophile , the movie is one of my all time favorites.

Many, many people have seen the movie. Not so many have read the book. Though you should… you really, really should, if you’ve seen the movie and liked it. If you have neither seen the movie, nor read the book, then I feel sorry for you. Let’s get on the ball here people.

But, if you have not read the book I will clue you in to the horrible tease that appears at the end… a sequel! Yes, it alludes to a sequel… that was never written. Goldman wrote the first few chapters of a sequel as an intentional tease and slapped it at the end of some of the editions. So the true fans of the book and movie have pined after this alleged sequel for years, and those who have contacted the author have been told he has no intention of ever writing one. The creep! Grrr!

So a couple years ago, I came up with what I think would be a masterful sequel to The Princess Bride. For those who never read or saw The Princess Bride, let me summarize the plot. I would still suggest you go out and read it or see it because this summary will not do it justice….

So, once upon a time there was a young woman, Buttercup, and her farm hand, Wesley. She treated him very badly, but she discovered after a time that whenever he replied “As you wish” to any and all of her requests, that he was really saying “I love you.” Eventually they resolved to marry, but as he was poor, he decided to go to sea to make his fortune before their marriage. Big mistake that, as his ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts who never leaves anyone alive, and so Buttercup was left to her misery. As a great beauty, Prince Humperdink chose Buttercup to be his bride and spirited her away to his castle. But (gasp), she was kidnapped on her daily ride through the countryside by three mercenaries – Vizinni the Sicilian, Inigo the Spanish swordsman, and Fezzik the giant. They had been hired to start a war between Buttercup’s country and their neighbor, Gilder, by killing her. They took her on a ship intent upon killing her elsewhere, but what did they find but someone was following them! Inconceivable! Vizinni said (innumerable times throughout the chase) and so a mysterious man in black was introduced. First he climbed the Cliffs of Madness and fought Inigo to a standstill as the others escaped. But first, Inigo asked, do you have six fingers on your right hand? No? I am looking for a six fingered man who killed my father and stole his sword. I have trained all my life but still I cannot find this six fingered man. I am beginning to give up hope. Knocking Inigo unconscious at the end of their duel, the mysterious man in black continued his pursuit. He wrestled the giant Fezzik to unconsciousness before continuing in his trek. When finally he reached Vizinni and Buttercup, Vizinni warned that he would kill Buttercup if the man in black came any closer. Instead, the man in black proposed a battle of wits. The arrogant Vizinni must determine which cup was poisoned before they drank the wine and the game was decided. Unbeknownst to Vizinni, both cups were poisoned, but the mysterious man in black spent a year building a tolerance to iocane powder. Instead of taking Buttercup back to her castle however, the man in black continued their journey. By now Prince Humperdink had picked up the trail and was in pursuit. Princess Buttercup argued with her captor/rescuer, telling him that the Prince would offer any reward if he would take her back. The man in black laughed without interest at her “dearest love” to which she replied that she “never said he was her dearest love.” They then went into a discussion about love and Wesley who was lost, and Buttercup revealed that she knew her captor to be the Dread Pirate Roberts himself! Just then, Humperdink rode up in the distance and Buttercup told the pirate that as he had killed Wesley, he could die too for all she cared, and pushed him over the ridge. He replied “Aaaas yoooooouuu wiiiiiiiiiish” as he rolled down the steep grassy hill. “Oh my darling Wesley!” she cried, too late realizing that it was not the Pirate Roberts who she had pushed but her darling Wesley. Thus she also plunged over the side, rolling rolling rolling down the steep hill to land beside him, neither of them any the worse for wear. It turned out that the Dread Pirate Roberts had retired and passed on the name and title to Wesley, who also wished to retire now that he had made his fortune, and pass it on to someone else. Continuing their journey, they entered the Fire Swamp… home to fiery gas pockets, lightning sand, and ROUSs (Rodents Of Unusual Size). Besting them all (admittedly by the skin of their teeth), they emerged on the other side of the swamp only to be captured by Prince Humperdink and his search party. To ensure that Wesley will not be killed (again), Buttercup gave herself up with a guarantee from the prince that he would escort Wesley back to his ship. Buttercup was taken away, but Wesley was no fool. He nkew that he was to be killed. But surprise! The prince’s right hand man… had six fingers on his right hand! The Count is the man Inigo was searching for! When Wesley brought this up, he was knocked unconscious and taken away. In the weeks that followed, Buttercup came to regret her decision and begged the prince to send word to Wesley’s ship. He promised to do so, but obviously could not. Meanwhile, Wesley was held captive and tortured in a most scientific way. Eventually he was killed by the prince in a fit of rage over Buttercups demands and insults. As it turned out, it was the prince who hired the mercenaries to kill Buttercup as he relished a war with his neighbor but had no excuse to inflame his people. So he decided that killing her himself on their wedding night would be infinitely more satisfying and inspiring to his people. Meantime, Fezzik sought out Inigo and found him drunk and hopeless on the eve of Buttercup’s wedding. Fezzik inspired his inebriated friend to clean up his act with news of the six-fingered Count. Finally Inigo could avenge his father! But alas, Wesley was dead and they had no hope of assailing the castle. Knocking out the Count’s only servant, an albino, they took Wesley’s body to Miracle Max who was just lately fired by the Prince Humperdink. As it turned out, Wesley was only “mostly dead” and a pill would revive him, though he would not be at top form for some time. So using subterfuge and a “holocaust cloak,” the trio made their way into the castle. Inigo spied the evil Count and gave pursuit, calling Fezzik for help in battering down a door. Throughout the battle, Inigo shouted the famous line, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!” Thus Wesley was left to make his way to Buttercup’s bedchamber… don’t ask me how… all he could move is his neck. Buttercup was about to stab herself, unable to bear the idea of being with prince Humperdink, but was overjoyed to see Wesley. She confided though, that she believed herself to be married. “Did you say ‘I do’?” asks Wesley. “Ah, no… I think we skipped that part….” And thus tragedy was averted. Humperdink burst in on them, but was cowed by Wesley and meekly dropped his sword, allowing Buttercup to tie him to a chair. So Wesley, Buttercup, Inigo, and Fezzik escaped… Wesley offering to make Inigo the Dread Pirate Roberts in his stead.

So…………… my proposed sequel to this fairytale masterpiece:

(The teaser sequel that was alluded to by Goldman was called “Buttercup’s Baby.”)

Unbeknownst to everyone, Vizinni did not die. Instead, he was removed by the Albino servant of the Count, who was incidentally Vizinni’s cousin and owed him one, and revived by Miracle Max who lost a bet to the Albino in a card game. But because Vizinni was “very nearly dead” which is even worse than “mostly dead,” the reanimation process did not work as well as one might have hoped. From the time Vizinni was reanimated up until and
including the point when he died (again), he kept losing bits of his zombified
self and muttering inconceivable every time. Upon revivification, Vizinni approached Humperdink with a plan. They enlist the aid of the son of the Count who went into religious studies despite the wishes of his father; his father always wanted him to follow in his footsteps. The Count’s son resented Inigo for
killing his father because it robbed him of his a chance to reconcile and prove to his father that his studies were useful. Together, the three conspired to summon the devil and imprison the soul of Inigo’s father. Meanwhile, Inigo was assailed with horrible dreams of his father’s suffering and was told in his dreams to seek out the Dread Pirate Stephens, who was actually the very bored original Dread Pirate Roberts who had acquired the gem wherein his father’s soul had been bound. Wesley and
Buttercup were ambushed by Vizinni and Humperdink when they attempted to rescue
Inigo. Wezzik, Fezzik’s younger sister, was recruited by the sons of Wesley and Buttercup to save Uncle Inigo and their parents. Fezzik had been named clan chief of his Giant
tribe and so could not afford to go adventuring, but his little sister was more than willing to go in his stead. She signed on as a
cook on the Dread Pirate Stephen’s ship…. and smuggled the boys on board in her massive luggage. Battles with the various villains ensued… Forces from Gilder arrived with Buttercup’s daughter to put an end to Humperdink once and for all. They were really quite tired of his machinations, and also their prince had fallen in love with Buttercup’s daughter who was left at home by her brothers because “she was a girl.” The Count’s son had a change of heart and finally admitted to himself that he really never liked his father after all. He apologized and decided to travel the world, making up for his father’s (and his own) crimes. The “Dread Pirate Stephens” decided to retire once again, and marry Wezzik as they had fallen in love and besides, she was an extraordinary cook. Vizinni finally went to pieces after Inigo was forced to carve him up to get the gem containing his father out of his gullet. Vizinni had swallowed it at the last in an attempt to give himself a soul and stop the decomposition of his body. Admittedly at that point, his brain was so addled by his state, he can’t be faulted for such a nonsense plan. And what became of the Albino? He put on a lot of muscle through his adventures, his complexion cleared up, and eventually he became the new Dread Pirate Roberts!

So that’s my idea for a sequel… add to it if you like. Maybe we fans could write a sequel ourselves and with Goldman’s blessings, get it published???

“Saint” Cold Sophie is honored today and extra cold weather was expected.

I am really beat, so I’m going to call it an early night I think. Not much to say anyway today, or at least nothing I couldn’t say better when I’m well rested.

I have 1810 mycokerewards points and nothing to spend them on. The prizes they offer are lame with all the really good prizes well over 10,000 points. Considering you can only enter ten codes a day, and I’ve been saving up for about two years, it seems pretty unlikely that I’ll ever have enough points for the best prizes. Also, considering I’m trying to give up caffeine, and then processed sugar (in that order), I probably won’t have much more than my 1810 points. Anyone want me to buy you something at the mycokerewards site? lol

I’m down to one caffeinated coke every two days.

What’s really ironic about my exhaustion today is… for the last three days, I had to go to bed early because I had to be up early for work. I don’t have to get up early tomorrow, but I’ll still end up going to bed early. Darn I feel old.

“Saint” Bonifatius is honored.

This is a very difficult question… mostly because there are so many eras I’d like to visit… so many mysteries of history I’d like to clear up… so many things lost to time.

In short, I would be a very obnoxious time traveler. I would not try to preserve the timeline at all.

This is the third day of Lemuria.

five questions for this week
(unfeatured questions stolen from the featured question chatboard, dated from August of 2007)

Answer any one or all of these questions in the coming
week. I try to mix the whimsical with the serious here, so hopefully
there is at least one question here for everyone.

“Saint” Pancras is honored.

Socrates_Cafe

It is an unalterable truth that no matter the form of government, a government is dependent upon the people it governs for its existence. Without people, a government is a useless construct. Governments and nations need people.

Clearly, the place of any government is to serve the people who reside within its territories and pay it fealty (or taxes). Without the people, there is no government. Governments govern by the will (or apathy) of the people. If people ever decided to revolt, as has happened on numerous occasions in numerous countries, the government has the option of becoming even more oppressive or capitulating to the demands of its people. In this way, governments are very much like unions in that they must negotiate with others for the benefit of all. But still, the government exists as it is through the sufferance of the people who accept its leadership. And with that leadership, certain duties are expected… protection from outsiders, protection under the law from neighbors, certain liberties (inalienable rights) which are set down in law so there is no confusion… governments exist to organize and protect but not to control the people. Though their role fluctuations with circumstance, there should never be any question that governments would not exist but for the fact that their existence is convenient to the needs of the people.

This is the second night of Lemuria.

What is something or someone you find completely overrated?

hahahah! I just had to answer this featured question. Why? Because I think the Featured Questions are overrated! lol Most of them are completely innane, requiring little or no thought to answer. Give me questions that require at least a modicum of effort, please.

That’s why I’ve been going through the Featured Question Chatboard archives and posting my own Writer’s Choice Featured Questions every Monday from worthy suggestions that were never featured. Featured Questions… you and your choice of questions suck!

Someone I find completely overrated? That would be anyone in the Bush family tree. From senior to junior and wives and children. The entire Bush family is overrated. The fact that his daughter and wife are writing children’s books now, cashing in on the “fame” of the President, is completely deplorable. Honestly, I wonder if they even wrote those books or if they weren’t ghost written for them to give our sad little president a boost in the polls. But then I can be pretty paranoid when it comes to government “plots.”

I just answered this Featured Question, you can answer it too!

The sacred marriage of the God Shiva to the goddess Meenakshi is celebrated by faithful followers in Madurai, India. Sacred hymns are sung and offerings of incense and white flower petals are made at all the temples dedicated to Shiva.