eddvick

Does a dollar a word for writing sound good? Then you might want to check out the guidelines for the new anthology coming from W.W. Norton. There is a word limit, though. You'll have to tell a complete story and hint at a larger background in 25 words or less.

I had not thought to see if Brodart had clearance merchandise before.

We are back from a week in Texas, guests of my brother and his family. Ron, his wife Lana, their daughter Emily, and Emily's son Adan live in Bedford, one of the 'mid-cities' between Dallas and Ft Worth. They were excellent hosts; and it was particularly great seeing my great-nephew, now two years old and quite possibly the loudest screecher on the face of the planet. Unusually, all four of Ron's children were there (I can't say "Ron and Lana's" because some of them are from Ron's first marriage), so we had a big cookout with Patrick, Preston, Lisa, and - of course - Emily.

Ron and Lana have a pool, where Katie spent as much time as possible. From being a passable-if-tentative swimmer she went to jumping off the diving board and racing across the pool. This happifies me.

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I tape movies from Turner Classic Movies and watch them piecemeal during lunch breaks. I just finished watching Thunder Rock, a 1942 drama starring Michael Redgrave. He plays David Charleston, an author who foresaw the rise of fascism, tried in vain to convince people of its evil, and finally retired in defeat to be a lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes.

Once there, he reads a plaque commemorating the sinking of a ship in 1849, and re-creates a half-dozen passengers and the ship's captain as completely as possible in his mind, so real that he has conversations with them. Only the captain knows he's a figment. Charleston interviews the others, all immigrants, and finds they have all run away from untenable situations (a doctor trying to introduce the use of anesthetic, a woman who wants a career instead of a married life, etc). Gradually he comes to understand their fault is his own, running away instead of confronting what he finds abominable.

Despite its anti-fascist stance, the movie takes a strong position against war altogether. Charleston believes it will mean the end of civilization, and we're left with the impression he means to campaign against all warmongering. It's odd to find even this much anti-war sentiment in a British production (Charter Films) during WWII.

The movie reminds me of nothing so much as a bit longer episode of The Twilight Zone, primarily due to the matter-of-fact way the ghosts are played by real actors.

Now unfurling its leaves: my latest story for the Daily Cabal.

We hosted our first party of the season, for Katie's 4th & 5th grades. About a dozen kids came by and played carry-the-ping-pong-ball and badminton and croquet, while the adults talked and sometimes played along. Katie's school has a lot of combined sessions for the uppermost two classes, so they're pretty integrated. Next year Katie's in 5th, so we'll have to start deciding where she's going for middle school.

A new study from Johns Hopkins suggests cutting down on sweetened-drink intake, whether diet or regular, is the way to go. Will this deter me? Doubtful. I likes me that caffeine.

A few years ago the LA Weekly published a fascinating article on people who visit the Magic Kingdom a lot.

Be sure to always travel through time in a washing machine.

New research on child cognition show the ways in which young children's brains are far superior to ours.

using new research techniques and tools, they've revealed that the baby brain is abuzz with activity, capable of learning astonishing amounts of information in a relatively short time. Unlike the adult mind, which restricts itself to a narrow slice of reality, babies can take in a much wider spectrum of sensation - they are, in an important sense, more aware of the world than we are.

This hyperawareness comes with several benefits. For starters, it allows young children to figure out the world at an incredibly fast pace. Although babies are born utterly helpless, within a few years they've mastered everything from language - a toddler learns 10 new words every day - to complex motor skills such as walking. According to this new view of the baby brain, many of the mental traits that used to seem like developmental shortcomings, such as infants' inability to focus their attention, are actually crucial assets in the learning process.

Via

Viaarcaedia.

It's pleasant to find out that Bud Plant will be an exhibitor at the upcoming Seattle Book & Paper Show. I suppose I must have bought enough from him at last year's antiquarian book show.

Click here. Washington state bans it, by the way.

My latest story for the Daily Cabal is just what it says.

I like me that Dr Pepper, but might not like the original recipe, recently discovered in an antique shop, including "mandrake root, sweet flag root and syrup."

To quote:

"I am attempting to amass a large collection of portraits of Frankenstein's Monster in as many different styles and in as many different media as possible as an ongoing art project. The only stipulation is that the size is 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches (standard artist trading card size) and that each card has name, date, title and anything else you care to add on the back.

I welcome cards from both amateur and professional artists.

I will be leaving blank cards with instructions and mailing address in galleries, colleges, art shops, on buses, handing them out in the street and wherever else I can think of.

If you are reading this and would like to get involved, please send a portrait to:

A Patchwork Of Flesh
45 Silversea Drive
Westcliff on Sea
Essex
SS0 9XD
United Kingdom

Each card I receive will be uploaded here to produce an on-line gallery, I then hope to put on an exhibition of these cards in a gallery."
               -COOP

Head over to the site A Patchwork of Flesh and check out some of the submissions.

Want to see your fonts on one handy page? Check out Flipping Typical, where what you type is rendered in your installed fonts. The FAQ states it works on Firefox 2+, Safari 3+, IE7+, and OS/X. It found 56 of my 115 installed fonts, but to be fair many of my fonts have multiple instances (itals, bold, etc, which btw you can also view on FT).

Via.

When it's not tearing out your heart, this comic strip is LOL funny. The creator, Karl Kerschl, has drawn Teen Titans, Superman, Weapon X, etc, and is the current cover artist on Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers from Marvel, but it's obvious he needs some writing gigs, too.

First off, "Nemesis", a student film about a would-be superhero, recommended by pgdf.


Then, lucius_t mentions there may be a Deep Space 9 movie.