Art, Animation and Adjustment

The word of the week is musing. No 'a' prefix necessary...

June 18 - Crystal Caves

You have to admit it, Superman had the coolest hangout pad at his Fortress Of Solitude, though it could have used some more fireplaces and throw-rugs for warmth. In a strange case of life imitating science fiction, the following is not: a cave in Mexico that is FILLED with giant crystals, just like in Superman! They even got the heating bit correct… actually no, they overdid it, as it's over a hundred degrees inside( Celsius!!!! )so you'd boil to death in less than thirty seconds unprotected. Go have a virtual look at this wonder of nature that surprised scientists when it was discovered only a few short years ago and dream of what it'd be like to visit the Fortress Of Solitude for real…

June 19 - Life without microwaves

Believe it or not, I don't have a microwave at my new place. This was a conscious decision, as we( my sister and I )both wanted to move towards eating healthier and not 'nuking' our foods. While I'm certain that a half-century of use has shown us that microwaves won't make your insides glow with regular use, I'm less certain that it's the best thing for my health. After getting our first electric bill, I was pleasantly surprised to see how LITTLE power using our stove has consumed to date. It's also rather easy to reheat things with just the stove, so eliminating a lot of 'nuke-and-serve' dinners from our repertoire will contribute towards making simpler, healthier meals.

June 20 - You want HOW much for that doll?

It's fortunate that I'm not a collector in any serious way, as I'd be so poor I'd have to house my collection in cardboard boxes in an alley next to me. I suppose if I was collecting toothpicks it'd be another story, but in the main I like anything to do with science fiction, fantasy or other things that are Just Really Cool. Things like this Black Widow 'statue' from The Avengers - yes, it's a posable doll, but I still prefer the term 'action figure' for coolness purposes. Take a wild guess how much it is… then double that figure to around what a well-tricked-out laptop would cost. Unbelievable… and there's LOTS of these kinds of collectables out there! I think they call them 'collectables' so they can charge more money, because I know that if it was ME I'd NEVER spend that kind of money on a mere new TOY that wasn't really rare and made me think of my childhood.

 But still: she looks damned cool all the same. So does the Iron Man poseable figure. Ah well.

June 21 - Victoria in Paintings

Living here in Victoria, I tend to take some of the views for granted like a lot of people do for the cities and places they live in. Heck, I was born near Niagara Falls and didn't go on the Maid Of The Mist until only a few years ago! Which is why we need artists: they view the world around them as art and try to bring our attention to it via their talents. Such is the case with Robert Amos, who has painted some lovely local visions of Victoria - check them out. I've always liked these kinds of paintings growing up, as they make 'mundane' aspects of the local area stand out for all their unique qualities - as art.

June 22 -  Pets are alien spies?

Yes, I do enjoy watching the animated show Kit Vs. Kat, in the main because it's just fun and not too serious. Which is a good thing in a show about cat-like aliens trying to invade earth. Which led me to an odd internet find: a site that purports that earth's pets are actually spying on us for their alien masters. It's obviously tongue-in-cheek, but the discussion on the site is lively and quite amusing at times. Also, now that the thought's in your head you'll never quite look at pets in quite the same way again, will you?

June 23 - TRON: Uprising

Today I tuned into a new animated show, thanks to the Disney XD channel - TRON: Uprising. And it's wow… I mean, incredible! The character design, the story, the graphics - all top-notch and it hooked me immediately. The music is stirring, the computer world of TRON is incredibly detailed and, well… ALIEN. As it should be. While my other favorite CGI animated series Reboot took a different path over a decade ago, TRON: Uprising has taken nods from our world but goes it's own way, yet still allows viewers to relate to what's going on. It's really just amazing to watch, minute by minute, to see how the story develops. I'll be there for the rest of the season as it comes out, for certain, not the least because the show has the voice talents of Elijah Wood, Lance Henriksen and Bruce Boxleitner - who was TRON in the original film!

June 24 - Inspiration through exercise!

Today was a good day for my novel; not in terms of actual words produced due to my left arm still being gimpy but in terms of IDEAS falling into place neatly. I went for a LONG walk today to the A&W waaaay north on Douglas, almost 5km distant. On the way there I cleared my mind as I listened to music( Enya )and thought about a few things as I ate. It was on the way BACK home that my Muse responded and popped out a dozen GREAT ideas that tied a lot of the story, characters, setting and more together. I think it was the semi-hypnotic state I was in, watching just the sidewalk move in front of me and paying attention only to staying safe at lights and roads. It was similar to the state I used to get into while reading in the car: I'd totally ignore the outside world passing by and just dive mentally into my books. Needless to say, I am excited about the ideas today and am working hard to integrate them in a meaningful way into the novel - also NOT to forget them, which is also a challenge as the mental state I was in when they came along is extremely important as well. I saw scenes and characters visually and  emotionally both listening to the music as I walked, which was fantastic; my Muse was really on today!

However, I have to be careful to be original and not fall into using an SF cliché ( like these )overmuch in my work, while NOT falling prey to the "Hey, that's been done before…" syndrome. Heck, look at the SIZE of that cliché list! I'm reading through it a few lines at a time so I don't poison my own work… sheesh.

 

It's coming into the last week of June now. I have a solid basis for my novel, a few chapters under my belt and no job at this time while EI figuratively breathes down my neck. All while my wrists continue to plague me and prevent me from digging very deep into my novel each day. I have an appointment with a sports injury specialist after seeing my doctor this week, but it's not until August. *sigh* It's a challenging time for me, to say the least… but I'm still FAR happier than I was this time a year ago; just check the blog to see. Until next week, I'll be adjusting to things as usual, so: adios!