31 Things, Day 3: Watch TV

October 3, 2014Leave a comment

First of all, I realize “Watch TV” comes across as sounding lazy, typical American, whatever. And I know it appears as quite a departure from my Day 1 and Day 2 artistic endeavors. But I assure you it’s not what you think I mean.

I don’t have a cable subscription, and I live in the Lehigh Valley where cable TV was invented; air channels are nearly impossible to receive here. Thus, I don’t really watch a lot of TV unless it’s via DVDs or internet streaming. But when I do, I have very specific things I want to watch, and it’s not mindless stuff. I like my TV viewing (whether actual Television programs or movies) to do one of two things, preferably both: stretch my mind, and stretch my imagination.

The TV shows I watch are lots of Sci Fi and Fantasy programs, like Star Trek, Stargate, Lost, shows that take me to new realms. The movies are usually of the same genre, but I also especially love what I’ll call “artsy” movies that really make you think and reflect upon, like The Fountain, The Tree of Life, or The Thin Red Line. Don’t get me wrong, I like to laugh too, especially “high-brow” comedy like Frasier, or Big Bang Theory. I even watch a “reality” show (via the internet), though not your typical one: Face Off; again, because it stretches my mind and imagination. And let’s not forget documentaries; I really enjoy those too, if they’re done well; I learned more about US history from the History channel’s The Presidents than I did in a whole year of high school social studies.

Having said all that, what really prompted this post is that tonight is family movie night, something we just started, and on the screen tonight is Despicable Me 2. I know the kids don’t get Steve Carell like I do, but I love when they laugh at those minions and times I wouldn’t expect. It shows me their little minds are working and that gives me hope that they see the world like I do, a place of “What if?” TV and cinema – in moderation – is a wonderful art form. What I’m most looking forward to about TV is introducing my children to my favorite films. I have to wait quite a while, because they’re under five, but it will be really interesting to me to see if they have the same kind of wonder that I have when I watch Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Dark Crystal, and The NeverEnding Story. They’re too little and could be terrified by these things now, but I’m hoping they’ll love them as much as I do. Someday they’ll be swinging around lightsabers and pretending to ride the luck dragon Falcor through the city. Looking forward to that day.

So that’s another thing I’d rather be doing now, watching TV.

31 Things, Day 2: Act on the Stage

October 2, 2014Leave a comment

The summer before grade 11 (20 years ago), I got a letter from my high school saying that they would be putting on a play in February, and tryouts would be held the first week of school in September. If anyone was interested, they should swing by the school during the summer to pick up a script. I did pick one up, and a month later I had the lead role.

I’m still not entirely sure what made me even consider trying out for a play. I can still remember being forced to be in a chorus on stage in the 3rd grade, and I was terrified, and vowed never to do that again.

Many people who know me now, but didn’t know me in my high school days, may be surprised to read this post, because I often say this phrase: I really really don’t like to be “in the spotlight.”

Except, that is, when I’m in a real spotlight.

Huh? How is that different? I think what it comes down to is, although I’m quiet, soft-spoken, and rarely like to draw attention to myself, there is something very fun about pretending to be someone else. And in those cases, it’s not me in the spotlight, it’s the character I’m playing. To put it another way, I would be more comfortable playing the scripted role of a preacher in a skit than actually preaching to a congregation. If that makes any sense.

Photo Credit: ACT Photos via Compfight cc

But like painting, I haven’t done the acting thing in a long time. Three plays in high school, two lead roles, was the height of my “career,” if we could even call it that. I was Newt in Welcome to the Monkey House, I was Antipholus of Syracuse in the Comedy of Errors, and I was the White Knight in Alice in Wonderland. I’ve been in some skits for church here and there, but nothing production-worthy like those high school plays.

14 years ago I watched a good friend of mine play Puck in a Midsummer Night’s Dream in a community theater near his home. I was kind of jealous, and realized I wanted to do it again. When I got back home, I periodically looked through the newspaper ads for auditions for my own local community theater. Soon I found they were holding auditions for Tennessee William’s The Glass Menagerie. I’d never read it before, so I borrowed it from the library. It was interesting, especially Tom Wingfield. I almost went to try out.

Almost. I chickened out, and never went.

A month later I saw a film version of the play staring John Malkovich as Tom. It was brilliant. He played the part in such subtle ways I never caught from reading alone. I wish I had seen the film right after I read the play. I would have certainly tried out then. And I would have gotten that part. And I would have knocked it out of the park.

Oh well.

I still look at the audition calls every now and then. Haven’t found anything I’d try yet. But someday.

So that’s another thing I’d rather be doing now, acting on the stage.

31 Things, Day 1: Painting

October 1, 2014Leave a comment

The first “real” painting I ever did was 20 years ago in the 10th grade. It was an acrylic painting of the Tree of Life, a 400 year old tree in the middle of the desert in the middle eastern country of Bahrain. Looking back, I know that the technique I used in painting it was all wrong, and yet it looks really good. It’s one of my favorite paintings I’ve ever made. Today it still hangs in my mother’s house.

I thought I was going to make a lot of paintings after that one. I loved watching Bob Ross on PBS whenever I got the chance; his style amazed me because he was able to make realistic paintings in a very short amount of time. I tried his wet on wet oil painting technique for 6 or so paintings; even though it’s harder, I liked the results a lot. I gave some away as gifts, the rest I kept in a box somewhere. Most were not very good.

Over the years I’ve moved around to new homes, always carrying my painting supplies with me, but I haven’t lifted a brush in over a decade. I miss it. I would like to stretch myself and not paint realistic things, but rather something impressionistic. I’ve also seen some stunning watercolors mixed with pen and ink drawing; that looks very interesting, so I would like to try my hand at that too. I’ve also promised my wife that I would paint “our family” as trees, each tree a different member, with a little sapling for our baby we lost to a miscarriage. I haven’t forgotten, but time has a way of getting away from you.

Tonight I found my favorite painting in the box I mentioned earlier. It’s an oil painting called Nightstorm, using Ross’ wet on wet technique. I loved how the clouds and trees turned out, especially their light reflections. The photo I took tonight doesn’t do it justice, but you get the idea.

It just hit me now that this painting has the same monochromatic blue color scheme as the cover of my novel, which I also designed myself, but I painted it almost 18 years ago! Guess I like blue.

Talking about my cover, it brings me to another aspect of painting I’d like to try, which is digital painting. I made that book cover using some Photoshop filters on an existing digital photograph. That’s not the digital painting I’m talking about. I’m talking about actually painting with my hand, using one of these:

I’m blown away by some of the things people make using Photoshop and a digital pen and tablet. Someday, I would like to do something like this amazing digital painting:

View post on imgur.com

Whenever I paint again, it will be because of my near-uncontrollable need to create. I love to create something beautiful that wasn’t there before I started. (This is a common theme you’ll find in almost all my posts this month.)

So that’s something I’d rather be doing right now, painting.

31 things I’d rather be doing right now

October 1, 2014October 26, 2014Leave a comment

October is the month for a blogging challenge called “31 days,” where a blogger is tasked to write every day for 31 days about the same topic of their own choice. I already needed to invigorate myself into a blogging habit, so, challenge accepted.

My problem is I like a lot of topics – too many topics, really; how can I pick just one? Then, I thought, “hey, why not talk about them all?” So my take on the challenge is to talk about 31 things I like to do, or would like to do. If in your mind that doesn’t really fit the spirit of the challenge, too bad; get your own blog.

Comic courtesty of wondermark.com

By way of introduction, I’ll say it is very nice to know that I’m not alone in this aspect of my personality. According to Margaret Lobenstine I am known as a “Renaissance Soul,” someone who has a love for a great number of activities and wants to pursue them all. I read her book 4 years ago, and I was able to curb my enthusiasm for a little while, but lately I find myself wanting to go do a lot of things again. Maybe it’s time to re-read it. In any case, for the next 31 days, you my dear reader will get to see all the things that are bopping around in my head all the time, and why I enjoy them so much.

I’m calling this series “31 things I’d rather be doing right now” because no matter what I’m doing at the moment, even if it’s one of the 31 things, I’d rather be doing one of the other things. The Myers-Briggs test classifies me as a “P” as opposed to a “J.” They stand for “Perceiver” vs. “Judger,” which doesn’t help clarify things much; wikipedia says P’s “keep things open,” and J’s like to “have matters settled.” That’s pretty good, but in high school I learned a mnemonic device to remember it better: “P’s like the PROCESS of doing things; J’s JUST want it done.” I’ve never been able to find anything on the internet to corroborate that explanation, but it’s always stuck with me because it’s always been true about me. In many ways, I like doing a thing more than finishing it, which is why I can hop around to other tasks without finishing previous ones. Drives my family crazy, but hey, that’s me. It’s not that I can’t finish things or don’t want to (I published a book, after all); it’s more along the lines of, “ok, this is fun, but what else is there to experience over here as well? It’s the as well is what gets me into trouble: I want to do it all, and there’s just not enough time in a day/week/month/year/life.

Enough rambling. Here’s the list below, which will grow as the days goes on.

Who knows? By the end, maybe some of y’all might be able to help me think of ways to combine all of these. You’d get a big high five from me, so you got that going for you.

Ransackediron Restored, Part 7: A Dwarf Fortress Story

September 30, 2014Leave a comment

← Continued from Part 6

10th day of Malachite, 551 years since the Record began,

Stakud “Closebolt” Urolalath, Manager, Head Mason and Bookkeeper for the Expedition Group Anuzlolor, “The Fair Letter”

Tonight I sensed a level of contentment in my kin that I have not felt in quite a while. I think it has to do with the number of improvements we have made to the outpost, as well as the state of affairs in the area.

Our biggest improvement is Stodir’s latest excavation project: bedrooms. It seems like such a simple thing – and they are very small rooms – but I can’t count the number of dwarves that have personally thanked me for giving the order for their construction. Previously with just two dormitories, our increasing numbers were making privacy a new concern – and with children now all about, sleep was becoming near impossible. Almost three dozen alcoves have been dug out, which allows for most of us to have a private room; the couples and families can also share a room to themselves as well. We will likely turn the two dormitories into another storage room and a barracks.

Another improvement that has been a long time coming: the thaw arrived, and our cistern is full!

The design of the pump and channel system worked flawlessly and quickly; clean, fresh water is now deep underground, protected from the harsh cold winters, easily gathered from a marble block well I designed myself. The well has already become a frequent place of socialization and relaxation, lifting everyone’s spirits.

Still, that area can not hold us all, so I think the time has come to carve out a dining hall from the marble vein near the underground farms. I have not engraved anything since our first month here, and there is so much history we need to record on the walls!

There are still no signs of goblins, which is another reason we are at ease. I think we have enough defensive measures in place to begin crafting items that are of some worth. It may draw unwanted visitors, but it will certainly draw traveling merchants which so far have been unimpressed with us. Just this week a human caravan from Uhosgil arrived and we almost turned them away, for we thought we had nothing to offer. They happened to see our kitten skull totems and were eager to have them; since we had no use for them, we agreed, and gave us fresh fish in return. A strange trade, but we never say no to food. We hope that next time merchants arrive, be they human, elf, or dwarf, we will dazzle them with all manner of works that only we can create.

Yes, life is good here in Roofloves. Yet our leader, Lokum, does not seem to agree. She has not been herself of late. I have always found her hard to read since our arrival, but a few weeks ago she acted quite strange, even for her. She was making crossbow bolts from bone fragments, when suddenly she stopped and began running around the outpost looking for something.

We watched in confusion as she gathered strange materials and then returned to her work area. She muttered under her breath for several hours. We left her alone as she worked, and then in the night she called out in a loud voice: “Salirlised!” We ran to her, and she was holding a beautiful scepter high above her head. It looked like she carved it from the leg bone of a wombat.

A scepter? What use is that to us here? Does she seek to become a baroness – or worse, our queen? I can’t fathom what is going through her mind. I wonder if she even knows. As always, I will be watching her…

Gameplay breakdown

Not really much I can say here that Stakud hasn’t already said. I noticed a lot of the dwarves had negative thoughts about not sleeping in their own room, so I figured it was time to make private bedrooms. I went with a new design called the Savokis Leaf that I found in the “blueprints” folder of Quickfort; but I didn’t actually use the Quickfort utility to make it, because I didn’t have time to learn how to use it yet. The design is much better than what I was going to do (basic rows), so I’m glad for that.

The Hall of Death grows more deadly with an assortment of traps being added as I make more devices.

This will be interesting when I get attacked. It should happen soon, I would imagine – I struck platinum ore when digging out the bedrooms, so that should have spiked my wealth a bit.