September 10, 2009

Vicissitudes...


So often it seems every attempt at blogging is met with an equal resistance to blogging. One loses the knack of triviality.

Eventually one also feels compelled to blab about the daily vicissitudes of life.

Favorite new software discovery: Camino - an awesome web browser designed for older systems like OSX 10.3.9. Finally I can once again surf the web without half the sites crashing and falling apart. It's nice to think that my aged 5 year old Powermac has not been totally abandoned by the computing world. One does tire of buying new computers when the old one can still do everything I need. It's ironic to think this same Powermac was once considered a national security threat if shipped to North Korea, because of it's 'supercomputer' status! Before I discovered Camino it was getting to where it could scarcely run Youtube. lol! To top it all off, Camino is noticeably faster than Safari or Firefox.

Favorite new Project: I am enjoying developing the character of a new book I'm writing and illustrating. This is nothing to rush into rashly. I have learned that the first few decisions one makes can often be the most crucial... so it's always best to take it slow. A sketch... wait a day... sketch some more and wait a weekend. See what else might alter the orbit of that new planet before rushing in to change everything.

Favorite new Mystery: Wallander, the Swedish version of Morse. I like how Wallander works mostly through intuition. I also find it easy to relate to the fact that his life is basically falling apart, but his trusty Volvo always comes to the rescue. My trusty Volvo had it's brake pins fall out the other day, and instead of trying to fix it myself I took it to Daisywagon, my local garage. To think this car probably drove down Mt. Rainier without brake pins!


Favorite Photoshop command: Command T - the Transform tool. I think photoshopping rough sketches with the Transform tool is like adding a jet-pak to one's ordinary brain. Works for me.

Favorite Scientific thought: A chance meteorite that destroyed the dinosaurs most likely allowed the evolution of humans. Also I don't think there's enough appreciation of the fact that the magneto-rotation of the earth's molten core is what creates the Van Allen radiation belts which shelter all life from deadly cosmic rays. I also think it's ironic that the earth is mostly filled with molten magma... and the sun produces enough energy every minute to run all of civilization for 5,000 years. But we're still dependent on gasoline and petrochemicals for energy.

Somehow it's all very reassuring to know this, to maybe even being to explain the mystery of things.

Meanwhile the bees and butterflies are busily buzzing all around the flowers in the September sun. A daddy long-lets glides along a trace above the sidewalk, barely visible except for its shadow.

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