Friday 20th November

My work on Friday was all around spray painting. I am really pleased with the outcomes from the spray painted work, some of it is finished and others I will now be working with more.

It is definitely best to just delve in and get creating. This leads you to realise what ideas have a good outcome to them, how your idea is actually realised, to have different work to experiment with and also new work and ideas get produced from it.

Now I have finished one piece and have some more to work with.

Here is the progress of my day:

The photos aren’t the best but better quality ones will be taken for my final pieces.

For some people the wolf is still today a scary pest and a burden. To others the wolf is the symbol of a healthy wilderness and an exotic part of a steadily decreasing biological diversity.

We go by car from Rena and we enter the territory of the wolfs about 10 minutes later. Somewhere in the wolf territory your guide has found fresh tracks to follow. From there you will be taken on a journey into the world of the Scandinavian wolfs. You will be walking with snow shoes and we will carry what we need for the day on your back. At lunch time we collect firewood and eat lunch around a nice warm fire.

We never know what kind of tracks and signs we find on trips like this. Your guide has not followed the tracks longer then what is necessary to confirm that they are set by a wolf and not a dog or a lynx. Therefore every trip is a new adventure into the unknown.
 
Everything we find will always be documented and later reported to the researchers at the University of Hedmark and then to the Scandinavian wolf project. That way, by doing this trip, you also give a valuable contribution to the population survey and the research on the Scandinavian wolfs.

The trip can also include a night out in wolf territory for people who seek that extra special wild experience.

Source: Nature & Kind Travel Collection

You’ve got to watch this adorable interview with the Taylor & Rob from Twilight Saga: New Moon and their director, Chris Weitz. This was taped during the whole New Moon press junket phase.

‘New Moon’ hunks Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner sit down with director Chris Weitz to discuss working around Rob’s physical incapacity, Taylor’s preparation to join the saga — and just how much he really has to hold up the movie while Edward is away.

Source.

Im Koalitionsprogramm ist unter Buchstabe f) Punkt 15 die „Errichtung, Gestaltung und Instandhaltung der Spielplätze“ vorgesehen.
Laut Meraner Bauleitplan ist in der Karl-Wolf- Straße die Errichtung eines Spielplatzes geplant.
In den letzten Jahren waren keine sichtbaren Fortschritte zu verzeichnen.
Deshalb haben die Grünen einen Beschlussantrag eingereicht, in dem sie
1. vom Gemeindeausschuss ausführliche Informationen zum Stand dieser Pläne fordern sowie
2. den Ausschuss verpflichten, den Spielplatz in der Karl-Wolf-Straße schleunigst zu errichten, konkrete Termine festzusetzen und einen genauen Finanzierungsplan festzulegen.

Wölfe umgibt eine eigene Aura. Sie sind zwar bekannte Raubtiere, aber auch beliebte Wesen für Märchen und Fabeln. Sie stammen aus der Familie der Hunde aber sind als Haustiere denkbar schlecht geeignet. Dafür sind sie viel zu wild und eigensinnig. Sie leben vorwiegend im Rudel und jagen so auch ihre Beute. Waren die Wölfe vor einiger Zeit nahezu ausgerottet, hat sich ihre Population inzwischen wieder erholt. Wir Menschen stehen etwas zwiespältig zu diesem Tier, denn einerseits wird er als starkes und überlegenes Tier verehrt, andererseits werden unterschiedliche Ängste auf den Wolf projiziert. Wer sich der Ausstrahlung des Raubtieres aber nicht entziehen kann, der findet realistische Abbildungen davon sicher interessant. Der heulende Wolf im Schnee, ein Wolfs-Paar mit süßen Welpen oder die Wolfsmutter, die mit ihren Welpen durch das Unterholz läuft. Handbemalte Figuren aus Kunststein sind nicht nur eine tolle Geschenkidee, sondern auch Dekorationsmöglichkeit für einen selbst. Eine Büste mit Wolfskopf und Baby ist ein echter Blickfang und die zwei Wölfe die sich mitten im Kampf befinden bringen Leben in jeden Raum. Die Figuren und Büsten machen deutlich, wie eindrucksvoll diese Tiere sind und dass ihnen ihre Nachkommen sehr wichtig sind. Auch im Schnee schützt sie ihr warmes Fell vor der Kälte und mit ihrem Geheul zeigen sie jedem im Revier, das sie das Sagen haben.

From Chuck Klosterman’s book, Eating the Dinosaur:

I suspect it’s unbelievably stressful to be a wolf.  The world would be an endlessly confusing place, because a wolf has limited cognitive potential and understands nothing beyond its instinct and its own experience.  Yet the wolf is more engaged with the experience of being alive.  A wolf isn’t as “happy” as you, but a wolf feels better.  His normal state of being is the way you feel during dynamic moments of bewilderment.

For centuries wolves have been hunted, persecuted, and reviled by many as monsters. They have been hunted to near extinction in several countries, including the mainland United States. On the other extreme, people have often taken wolves or wolf hybrids and tried to domesticate them, only to realize they can’t really care for a large pet. Somebody needed to step up and help educate the public about the true nature of the wolf, and provide a home for those cast-off hybrids that are neither wolf nor dog. That somebody was Mission: Wolf of Westcliffe, Colo.

Last summer I worked with Gabrielle Faust to raise money for Mission: Wolf and The Bat Sanctuary of Austin, Texas, at a joint book signing. It was a success, but I want to do more, and I’m hoping you’ll want to help … and possibly win a nice prize. So, my annual Give the Gift of Lycanthropy campaign this year is designed to help the good folks of Mission: Wolf provide care for the animals they’ve taken in.

Here’s how it works. On the left side of my Web site there is a donation button. By clicking it, you can donate money to Mission: Wolf through me. When the contest closes, I’ll send Mission: Wolf a check for everything donated. I’m not keeping any of the money for processing, to pay for the prizes, or anything like that. Every penny will be sent to Mission: Wolf.

Prizes? Yup. The person who donates the most money at www.stevenewedel.com between now and Christmas (Dec. 25, 2009) will receive one of my “PC” numbered copies of Little Graveyard on the Prairie. This is a small collector’s edition book that retails for $50 and was limited to a print run of 100 hardback copies. Here’s a link to Horror-Mall’s listing for the book. Now, because it is a rather expensive prize, the minimum donation to be qualified to win it is $10. You can donate as many times as you want. Your cumulative amount as of Dec. 25, 2009, will determine your eligibility for this grand prize. Remember, the money goes to Mission: Wolf.

If that’s too steep for you, don’t worry. You still have a couple of chances to win a free book. Everyone who donates any amount at all at www.stevenewedel.com will have his name put into a drawing to win his choice of one of my Scrybe Press titles.

But wait! There’s more. Everyone who reposts this message and sends comments/replies here with the working link (or includes me in the Facebook note) will also be entered into a drawing for a free Scrybe Press title from me.

That’s THREE chances to win. Plus, everyone wins that warm, furry feeling you get from helping some majestic animals and the wonderful people who take care of them. You can’t beat that with a dead vampire! Go to www.stevenewedel.com and click the Donate Now button in the upper left corner to help Mission: Wolf.

I hope you have a great holiday season, and thanks for your support!

For centuries wolves have been hunted, persecuted, and reviled by many as monsters. They have been hunted to near extinction in several countries, including the mainland United States. On the other extreme, people have often taken wolves or wolf hybrids and tried to domesticate them, only to realize they can’t really care for a large pet. Somebody needed to step up and help educate the public about the true nature of the wolf, and provide a home for those cast-off hybrids that are neither wolf nor dog. That somebody was Mission: Wolf of Westcliffe, Colo.

Last summer I worked with Gabrielle Faust to raise money for Mission: Wolf and The Bat Sanctuary of Austin, Texas, at a joint book signing. It was a success, but I want to do more, and I’m hoping you’ll want to help … and possibly win a nice prize. So, my annual Give the Gift of Lycanthropy campaign this year is designed to help the good folks of Mission: Wolf provide care for the animals they’ve taken in.

Here’s how it works. On the left side of my Web site there is a donation button. By clicking it, you can donate money to Mission: Wolf through me. When the contest closes, I’ll send Mission: Wolf a check for everything donated. I’m not keeping any of the money for processing, to pay for the prizes, or anything like that. Every penny will be sent to Mission: Wolf.

Prizes? Yup. The person who donates the most money at www.stevenewedel.com between now and Christmas (Dec. 25, 2009) will receive one of my “PC” numbered copies of Little Graveyard on the Prairie. This is a small collector’s edition book that retails for $50 and was limited to a print run of 100 hardback copies. Here’s a link to Horror-Mall’s listing for the book. Now, because it is a rather expensive prize, the minimum donation to be qualified to win it is $10. You can donate as many times as you want. Your cumulative amount as of Dec. 25, 2009, will determine your eligibility for this grand prize. Remember, the money goes to Mission: Wolf.

If that’s too steep for you, don’t worry. You still have a couple of chances to win a free book. Everyone who donates any amount at all at www.stevenewedel.com will have his name put into a drawing to win his choice of one of my Scrybe Press titles.

But wait! There’s more. Everyone who reposts this message and sends comments/replies here with the working link (or includes me in the Facebook note) will also be entered into a drawing for a free Scrybe Press title from me.

That’s THREE chances to win. Plus, everyone wins that warm, furry feeling you get from helping some majestic animals and the wonderful people who take care of them. You can’t beat that with a dead vampire! Go to www.stevenewedel.com and click the Donate Now button in the upper left corner to help Mission: Wolf.

I hope you have a great holiday season, and thanks for your support!

sem tempo para blogs.

minhas senhas foram hackeadas no inicio deste ano: minha vida re-trackeada.

fazer o que!?… se assim eles querem: tornar-me publica entre eles. eles: os vigilantes da “vida dos outros”.

…

dei-lhe a chance de escolher o melhor para si. ela escolheu.

este velho blog jah dizia: surveillanceme. faz parte de nossa sociedade disciplinar.

meu corpo foi esquadrinhado, desarticulado e serah recomposto para continuar a servi-los, para melhor servir.

assim, quem disse q me tornarei docil?… tentei lhe dizer, menina: adentrei aa academia para ser disciplinada [continuar a ser disciplinada], no te acordas?!… nos disseram: “um diamante bruto a ser lapidado”… e mesmo assim: tornar-me-ei docil?!…

…

sei o q virah em dez anos [ou menos]. vcs tentam fazer memoria, ego-memoria. gostam de julgar os outros, invejar-nos, mas se esquecem de que nós os pagamos. É o trabalho de nosso povo neste brasil que sustenta a sua rebeldia e seu sonho de revolução!… queria poder te sustentar sim, pq queria acreditar q vcs farão um mundo melhor. mas nestes poucos ultimos anos, vcs tem mostrado cada vez mais um ego-inflado, uma luta por existir midiaticamente, uma guerra de vaidades! Todos querem ser artistas! aurea! ouro.

querida, sabemos quem somos.

As escolhas foram feitas. A guerra jah estah iniciada. Iniciam-se as mortes, as quedas, os desaparecimentos e as desmemorias.

C’est la vie…

]]> http://twifanzone.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/biuletin-24-11-2009/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:20:37 +0000 christabel http://twifanzone.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/biuletin-24-11-2009/

Вечерен Бюлетин

Новини :
НУЖНО ЛИ Е ИЗОБЩО ДА КОМЕНТИРАМ ? :-p TEEN WOLF!

Снимки на Тейлър за Ролинг Стоун

повече тук

TAYLOR LAUTNER В ESPN!

Роб… отблизо…

всички тук

КРИСТЕН И РОБ – ОБРАТНО В L.A.

повече снимки тук

АНА КЕНДРИК НА ЛЕТИЩЕТО В L.A.

всички снимки тук

ЧЕТИРИ НОВИ И ПРЕКРАСНИ ROB-WALLPAPERS!


в цялата им прелест тук
НОВА НЕВЕРОЯТНА СНИМКА НА ВЪЛКА!

ASHLEY – „LADY IN RED“ ИЛИ НЕДОРАЗУМЕНИЕ В ЧЕРВЕНО!

” Или по пътя за студиото на David Letterman е имало локви, или Ашли има намерение веднага след предаването да ходи на риболов…
По друг начин не мога да си обясня запретването на крачолите й…”
вижте я тук

CHARLIE BEWLEY ЗА LIFE AND STILE MAGAZINE!

НОВА/СТАРА И РАЗГОЛЕНА СНИМКА НА ALEX MERAZ!!!

Нови outtakes на Kristen за Dazed and Confused Magazine!!! МНОГО СНИМКИ!
всички тук

Интервюта :
Радклиф се надява, че Патинсън няма да се главозамае…

“Даниел Радклиф е впечатлен от начина, по който Робърт Патинсън се справя с шеметната си слава, и се надява, че младият актьор ще остане все така „приземен“, въпреки че кариерата му се развива главоломно, предаде Контактмюзик. “
прочетете тук

Tейлър в списание Ролинг Стоун

ИНТЕРВЮ С Kristen Stewart за Better.tv!

 Интересно
ВИЖТЕ КАК ИЗГЛЕЖДА КЪЩАТАТА НА СТЕФЕНИ МАЙЕР!!!

КОЛАЖИ, КОЛАЖИ – СУПЕР СМЕШНИ И АКТУАЛНИ!

ЕДНА ЦЕЛУВКА, КОЯТО НЯМА ДА ЗАБРАВИТЕ!!! Подсказано от Алекс!

РОБ/СЕДРИК ФИГУРА!

 Видео материали:
PETER FACINELLI В ШОУТО НА RACHEL RAY!

Намерете ни във Фейсбук ( съобщение от Bella )
” Здравейте, исках само да ви кажа, че направихме група във фейсбук Twilight BG Fan Club. Това не е профил задължително на този блог, а просто място, където да се съберем българските фенове, за да можем да коментираме събитията на родния си език, да се уговоряме да ходим заедно на примиерата и защо не да си правим здрач срещи. Намерете ни и се присъединете към нас! “

~♥ Rachel ♥~

Update: If you would like to buy a pack of the cards featured in the below post you can do so here. Thanks very much for looking and for all your positive comments!

~o~

Once again December is almost upon us, so I’ve been hard at work on the ol’ annual production line!

These cards are the result of last week’s screenprinting session and an extended rendezvous with a bone folder and a sharp blade (oh, to be able to hand-print a full bleed and thus make trimming superfluous!).

I find that this time of year can get a little unnecessarily frenetic so I always aim to create a ‘festive greeting card’ that is a small oasis of calm in the midst of all the busy-ness we make for ourselves or have thrust upon us. Since moving to the Netherlands I’ve noticed bare-branched winter trees have become a recurring theme for me. It’s strange, because there are plenty of bare-branched winter trees in London at this time of year… but they apparently didn’t make the same impression?

As is so often the case at this stage in the process (or any process of ‘mass-production’) I’ve become most interested in the abstraction that is the inevitable result of multiplication and repetition…

I’ve been enjoying the zigzagging chevron shapes created by the rows of cards as I trim, score, fold and stack ‘em up. Those shapes combined with the yellow/golden colours of a pale autumn sun low in the sky transform them in to something entirely ‘other’… and when given the ‘Pathological Puppy’ treatment in Photoshop a repeat pattern quite unrelated to the original design can be arrived at:

But back to the actual cards…

This year I have made a few more than we’ll use and several packs of four cards each are available in my shop, should you wish to have your festive (or any other) messages delivered by a pale blue bear…

… or a pale blue wolf.

(Inspired by Ain’t Your Fairytale by Sonata Arctica)

Hear my young ones!

For centuries we have been hunted, killed and skinned by humans. Now our time has come! We shall seek justice!

We all know that man is much more superior than us… in almost every aspect. But can we just let them do this unforgivable act on and on? No! They have once feared us greatly and now the time has come to make them feel that apprehension again!

We and the humans once shared an ancient bond in the Garden of Eden. We coexisted peacefully. Mankind was once a benevolent race… But not anymore. They have broken the bond. They were the ones who started this war… thousands of lifetimes ago…

They would hunt us in the day. Slaughter us for our skin. Now its payback time!

My young ones! Listen to your elder!

Tonight, the moon is full and blue. Selene’s blessings are upon us. Nyx shall guide us in the dead of night. Strike fear into the heart of man! Let those intruders feel the wrath of Fenrisúlfr’s children!

Now follow the trail of blood. Make them pay the price for desecrating Artemis’ realm. Track them down until the dawn!

Now! The pack they’ve always feared is back! Hunt my young ones! Let the hunt begin!

“Lucy Harmer’s shamanic astrology book is truly amazing. I use it in my work every day as a therapist to help people understand their personality and find their pathway through life.”
–Jean-Francois Beltrami, counselor and kinesiologist

Welcome to Lucy Harmer’s Shamanic Astrology monthly forecast for the Northern Hemisphere! Each month Lucy shares inspiration and ideas for the coming weeks from her book Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign.

Shamanic Astrology is based on the study of the movement of the sun and the moon during the different seasons of the year. There are twelve astrological ‘”signs” which are represented by twelve different spirit animals. To find out your own personal spirit animal sign (the sign you were born under), please check the table of spirit animals at the end of this article. Shamanic Astrology teaches us that inner power derives from knowing the properties, characteristics, and qualities of each spirit animal (known as their “medicine”), and applying this in our own lives.

Each month I will focus on the spirit animal for that month, and describe the “energy” of the month itself and also the influence of the moon. I will also indicate which other spirit animal signs will find this month to be particularly beneficial, and why.

November 22-December 21: OWL

Month of Hibernation and Long Nights

Spirit Animal Sign of the Month:
Owl is the spirit animal which corresponds to November 22 – December 21 (in the northern hemisphere). If you were born at this time, your spirit animal sign is Owl and you share Owl’s strengths of being fair, honest, wise, philosophical, idealistic, optimistic, and independent. You are someone who enjoys the good life! You may also share some of Owl’s weaknesses and can have a tendency to be restless, negligent, intolerant, proud, irresponsible, tactless, superficial and excessively optimistic.

Medicine: Owl’s medicine is the ability to seek out truth and justice in all
circumstances. This can be used in any ambiguous or unclear situation, to find the path to follow and to restore order.
Element: Fire
Stone: Obsidian
Color: Gold
Plant: Mistletoe

Energy of the season:
Owl’s month, which ends with the winter solstice, is that of hibernation and long nights. The sun is at its lowest in the sky and the nights are at their longest. This is a period for introspection, spiritual seeking, visions, plans and preparation for the future. Everything undertaken during this month will need a greater dose of enthusiasm, spontaneity, and optimism than at other times and will have to be on a sound ethical basis. Projects conceived now are often highly ambitious.

Energy of the moon:
Owl’s new moon started on Nov 16th and the full moon is on December 2nd 2009. The period from November 22nd until December 2nd is the ideal time for conceiving or launching projects. These will have a high rate of success, as long as they have a sound ethical foundation. After the full moon, from December 3rd until 15th December, time is best used for introspection and deep spiritual growth. This is a time for learning from the past and for setting new goals for the future. December 16th brings the new moon in Snow Goose; this is a time for putting new structures in place for the year to come, with much determination.

This month is particularly favorable for the following signs:

Owl:
If your sign is Owl the energy of this month is very favorable because it corresponds to the month and the moon of your birth. A new cycle is about to start in your life and this is the best time to start planting seeds. Use the sun’s energy to take stock and head off in a new direction.

Falcon/Salmon:
If your sign is Falcon or Salmon, this is a very lucky month for you, with lots of harmony because you are in your own fire element. A multitude of opportunities will open up for you in this period and this is the best time to give destiny a helping hand!

Raven/Otter:
For Raven and Otter people, this is a very dynamic month, full of energy which favors the conception and birth of new projects. You will feel new motivation and a renewal of your energy at this time.

Table of Spirit Animal Signs:

To find your spirit animal sign, just locate your birthday from the dates below, according to your place of birth. If you were born north of the equator (eg; USA, Canada, Europe), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Northern Hemisphere.” If you were born south of the equator (eg; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Southern Hemisphere.”

© Copyright 2009 Lucy Harmer

Shamanic Astrology is available for purchase directly through NorthAtlanticBooks.com, as well as major book stores and online retailers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about courses, seminars and workshops offered by Lucy Harmer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shamanic Astrology.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovering Your Spirit Animal.

Though it’s better than the first movie, New Moon’s fatalistic, emotionally retarded, “I can’t live without you because I have no identity on my own” tale is only saved by some great action scenes and kickass special effects.  There’s only so much turning off your brain you can do.

Director Chris Weitz, who wrote and directed the great About a Boy, brings a film filled with beautiful scenery (yay B.C.…oh and Italy) and characters so. overcome. by. emotion. they. could. just. die.  When I started this blog, I knew there would be a few movies that I wouldn’t necessarily have seen on my own.  This was certainly one of them.  So thankfully a friend of mine (female to make me not look creepy) agreed to see this tween fantasy. So, I put my best incognito outfit on, slipped on my Clark Kent glasses, tipped the brim of my hat reeeeeeeeeeeally low and dug in for the next 2+ hours of teen angst.  oooooooooooooooooh the angst.

The Setup:
Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has some issues. She’s infatuated with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), her dreamy vampire boyfriend, to a level that’s not healthy but her problem is she’s worried her being human will ruin their love (she’s gonna get old and wrinkly you know….eewwww).  After a bloodlust moment over a Cullen family dinner party, Edward decides it would be best if they never saw each other again.  Well, Bella just wants to…like…die.  Enter the topless Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), a werewolf with some love of his own to give/share/lord over Bella.  The movie turns up the emotional turmoil to eleven as Bella deals with her growing “let’s be just friends” love of Jacob and her desire to get back to Edward.  The climax takes place in Italy where we meet the Volitari, vampire royalty and makers of rules…all leading us to the next installment of Twilight, Eclipse in June, 2010.

The Thoughts:
I could never be confused for a feminist.  I like a strong, independant woman with a mind of her own but I’m not starting any women’s studies or burning bras anytime soon.  Having said that, this movie is one of the biggest slaps in the face disguised as a teen romance I’ve ever seen (yes, I’ve seen a few).  The character of Bella is painful to watch.  She spends half the movie having nightmares and shutting down because her vampboy don’t want her no more  (double negative on purpose).  The only time where she feels almost ok is when she’s either c&%k-teasing the local werewolf or trying to kill herself to get Edward’s attention.  The tween (it’s latin for too young to know better) argument is that “this is true love, I just wouldn’t understand.”  I call BS on that one.  I like Kristen Stewart.  She’s a damn good actress (see Adventureland and my recommendation below) but her Bella is the most incomplete, whiny, co-dependent character.  There’s angst, and then there’s, my god shut up already.

The actors don’t have that much to work with.  The main three of Stewart, Pattinson, and Lautner play the characters as I’m sure they’re written. We get a bit of star power with the Volitari in the form of Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen.  They don’t do much but gosh, they look so awesome with creepy eyes and pale skin.  I would have liked to see more of the Italian royalty but by the time we get to them, there’s not much movie left.

There is one scene I want to highlight for the sheer shock value.  We learn that one of werewolves’ fiance was facially disfigured because the wolf got mad and he just feels terrible about it now.  The Jacob character goes on to tell Bella that if she ever got him mad, he might snap and hurt her too.  And we don’t want that.  I actually had to lean over to my fellow audience member and ask, “did they just justify domestic violence?”  And what worries me is not a member for that young audience picked up on it at all.

I had been asked if I was Team Edward or Team Jacob.  Take this: I would rather pick the emo, pseodo homosexual, tortured Edward over the “acting is taking off your shirt,” wife beater Jacob anyday.

As you can probably tell, I wasn’t a big fan but I will say the threat of Victoria, the action sequences both in Italy and as the werewolves hunted vampires, as well as the werewolf effects were fantastic.  Unfortunately they didn’t happen enough to make up for everything else.

Twilight Saga: New Moon Rating:

1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone. If any movie deserved this rating, it’s New Moon.  This definitely plays to the romantic fantasy crowd and I was fully comfortable accepting that but I could only “go with it” for so long.  Go for the special effects but make sure your eyes AND ears are open to the messages this movie is giving.

Rating system:
½ ticket – rip up your ticket.
1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone.
2 tickets – good movie, take a friend. 
3 tickets – tell everyone you know.

Coming Attractions:

The Wolfman (release date: February 10, 2010) – Director Joe Johnston already has a pretty good track record – Jurassic Park 3, Jumanji and the really underrated Hidalgo.  And the wolfman is due for a comeback…stupid vampires and zombies.  Looks great and it boasts Benicio “Traffic” Del Toro, Emily “Devil Wears Prada” Blunt, and Anthony “HELLO! – SILENCE OF THE MOTHER F’ING LAMBS” Hopkins.

Randomly Recommended

Into the Wild (2007) – Kristen Stewart isn’t in this long, but she is memorable.  This is the real life story of Chris McCandless, a young, successful student with the world in front of him…so he decides to live there.  Only his world is the Alaska wilderness.  Amazing story of a guy that is driven to do what he wants, regardless of how unreasonable or crazy it seems to everyone else…including the audience.  Great acting from Emile Hirsch and a stand out performance from Hal Holbrook.

Wolf (1994) – Werewolves are the new vampires.  Less emo, more manly.  And with Wolf, it’s Jack Nicholson as a werewolf.  COME ON!  Hairy, selfish, charming, acts on instinct, walking libido, and could snap at the drop of a hat.  Isn’t Jack already one?  With Michelle Pfeiffer, a skinny James Spader and directed by Mike Nichols (he did the Graduate and Working Girl), you’ve got yourself a movie.

Well this weekend I saw New Moon, the second installment in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga. (Like I even have to explain what it is, I am pretty sure everyone on the face of the earth knows about Twilight by now.) I have to say that overall I would give the movie 4 out of 5 stars. It was fairly good.

I really appreciated the change in director. Chris Weitz did a wonderful job. The scenes were much more artistic than Hardwicke’s Twilight. I also liked the gold hue to the movie better than Twilight’s blue hue.  Makeup and costume also improved greatly in this movie compared to Twilight.

While I enjoyed the idea of Bella actually seeing Edward when she was acting recklessly in the movie, compared to only hearing Edward in the book, I could have done without the emails to Alice.  I felt like it was way too much speaking. I would have liked to see a more of Bella and Jacob’s relationship. It is important for the audience to understand just how depressed Bella was in Edward’s absence, but I think the complexity of the connection that she and Jacob share is very important at this stage.  A few lines of dialogue from her human friends at school could have replaced the emails to Alice very easily and clued us in on Bella’s depression.

I wanted more of the wolf boys. And I don’t just mean seeing them shirtless (although that would definitely be a plus), I mean more of their dynamic and chasing Victoria. 

I definitely loved it, but I will always prefer the book to the movie!

~♥ Rachel ♥~

What follows is a trip through my notebook pages from this year’s World Fantasy Convention — things I wanted to remember, many of which are authors and the titles of their books and stories, some of which may be misspelled. [I think I've noted the spellings I'm not sure of.] The stuff is in no particular order — it’s like a junk drawer dumped out onto the tabletop. It’s a starting point: the place to begin intriguing searches and maybe discussions. Feel free to jump in with corrections, information, comments, or further queries.

It’s from such soup that great ideas might come. (Artist Guest of Honor Lisa Snellings said “You can’t go wrong with a soup analogy. It’s all in there.”)

Poe . . . Stephen King . . . background in poetry.

The Last Unicorn poses a riddle that is never answered in the book: “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” One panelist, frustrated for years, eventually caught up with Peter S. Beagle and asked him for the answer. He allegedly said, “The answer is either ‘Poe wrote on both’ or ‘Both have inky quills.’” Someone in the audience chimed in and suggested a third answer: “Both produce notes that are generally not musical.”

There’s a folkloric connection between ravens and the Tower of London — if ravens cease living in and around the Tower, England’s monarchy will fail; the royal line will break. So even now, there are special attendants who look after the ravens and make sure they’re happy living there.

There’s a curious relationship between wolves and ravens in the real world. They play together. Ravens will swoop down and pull wolves’ tails, and the wolves will snap and chase the ravens. (I’m not at all sure the wolves are “playing”. . . .) They also hunt together, helping each other for mutual benefit. Ravens will scout out likely-looking prey and call the wolves’ attention to it. Wolves will leave leftovers that ravens can eat. Ravens follow wolf packs, and wolf packs follow ravens.

The panelists were somewhat divided on whether the raven is more often a wise, instructive friend to humankind or a treacherous opportunist who is not at all our friend. In The Hobbit, the ravens living on and around the Lonely Mountain are long-term noble friends of the Dwarves. The raven who sits on the bust of Pallas in Poe’s “The Raven” may just be making mindless noise; it may be leading the narrator to consider his situation; or it may be mocking him and/or actively trying to push him over the edge. The panelists talked about the raven who leaves Noah’s ark and doesn’t come back, because it finds what it wants and needs elsewhere; they didn’t mention the ravens that bring Elijah food. (Have I got that right?) I keep coming back to the “Twa Corbies,” who will be making a sweet dinner of the dead knight — feeding on his heart, feeding on his “bonny blue eye,” and using his hair to weave into their nests. One panelist had a very good feeling about ravens she’s actually met; one always felt coldness from their eyes, and the sense that, if she died, they would gladly eat her. At Niigata University, there are abundant black birds — I’m not sure if they’re ravens or big crows — who come and hunt through the garbage and glare at passersby. I often get a very unfriendly feeling from them. There was, however, one early summer a couple years ago when I would often give little pieces of my lunch to a big one who would find me regularly and watch and hop as close as he dared. Of course I don’t think he was my “friend.”

Robert Chambers [I think], The King in Yellow

L to R: Jay Lake, Lisa Snellings, Garth Nix, Michael Swanwick, Donald Sidney-Fryer, Richard A. Lupoff, Zoran Zivkovic, Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer: World Fantasy Convention 2009, San Jose, California

E.F. Benson, “Negotium Perambulans” (I may have read this years ago, and that’s what inspired me to include that inscription in Dragonfly, above the shaft where the Thanatops lives. It’s a quote from the Psalm, “Negotium perambulans in tenebris” — “The pestilence that walks in darkness.”)

“A Voice in the Night,” by William Hope Hodgson –  one panelist said a teacher read this out loud to them in gradeschool, and the room was utterly silent, and the kids were totally freaked out and never forgot it.

Same group, same caption

The Sun Bird, by Wilbur Smith (an excellent lost race novel) 

The Moon Pool, by A. Merritt — Lovecraft loved the novelette but condemned the novelization — which is probably the one I have on my shelf here.

David Hartwell’s The Dark Descent (I gather this is some kind of an overview of weird/horror fiction. Very intriguing.)

These next are all from Lisa Snellings:

It’s best not to write some stuff down. Sometimes when we do, when we capture the idea and put it down on paper, that satisfies us, and we’re done with it. Don’t worry: Good ideas persist. If it keeps coming back to you, it’s probably a good one. [This thought really made me nod in recognition. I agree.]

She says Ray Bradbury told her: “A general direction is better than a plan, because plans rarely work out. Keep working.”

The best ideas ring like a bell. The best ideas make you sweat. You just want to work, and don’t care if your shirt is on inside out. [Again, I recognize the truth of this. I've been there, now and then!]

In general, people who are successful work very, very hard.

Lisa Snellings says: “Why I’m never blocked: because I go to work every single day. It’s your job.” [Stephen King says pretty much the same thing in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.]

When you’re working or doing some kind of playing that you’re totally into and the rest of the world disappears, you’re in the Zone. For our well-being, our brains need to be in the Zone. It’s like a shower for our brains. She’s in the Zone often when she’s playing video games. But you can get there when you’re working, too — on art, music, writing, etc.

Moving back to general notes:

Garth Nix: “Some books are good enough to survive the most horrendous authors and constant exposure to them.”

He says “Sabriel” with a long a, as in saber.

Ellen Kushner: “Real life is a great impediment to grace and elegance.”

Tim Powers doesn’t read his contemporaries at all. He has a horror of ever being in a writer’s group, because he’d be expected to read the other group members’ manuscripts. (He says not to tell anyone about this; he hopes no one will post it on-line.)

When Ellen Kushner was a little girl and realized some other people didn’t like her, her father said, “Do you like everyone you meet? No? Then why should they all like you?” And she never worried about that again.

Something Garth Nix said that I really identified with: He’s a “story-driven character writer.” He knows very little about the characters as he begins writing. He learns about them as they go through the story, as they face the events and act. So he doesn’t try to figure out all that about the characters before he starts. I find this to be amazingly comforting, because I go at it the same way and always wondered if there was something wrong with my approach. This seems so much more real to me than filling out all those character sheets, writing profiles for them, pretending to walk around talking with them for months before you write your book, etc. I’m so relieved!

Someone asked if the panel was supposed to be 55 minutes or exactly an hour. Ellen Kushner said, “It’s 55 minutes. It’s a therapy hour.”

Ellen Kushner: “We live in an age that devalues the imagination.”

Some writer said: “I am all my characters, but none of them are me.”

Michael Swanwick pointed out how in Lud-in-the-Mist, the conflict is between magic (Faery) and the law. [True! In Lud, the modern people are in denial of the existence of magic, and to say "fairy" is like saying the worst swear-word, and their legal language has euphemisms for magical things.]

Swanwick: “At the heart of fantasy is mystery. The universe is unknowable. In sf, it’s the other way around — the universe is knowable and follows noble rules.”

Swanwick related how William Blake saw ghosts all the time. Blake drew a picture of the ghost of a flea to show people what he was looking at. [And this is me: still one of my favorite Blake-related quotes was from his wife: "I seldom enjoy Mr. Blake's company. He's always in Paradise." Blake was in the Zone!]

Swanwick: The weakness of the “deal with the devil” story is that the very existence of the devil offering the deal proves the existence of the afterlife, testifies to eternal consequences, etc. — so who would take such a deal? [An old first-grade classmate of mine, no longer with us in this world, was a fine writer who actually took that into account in writing a "deal with the devil" story.]

Swanwick: “If it’s said in front of a writer, it belongs to him.” [Fred: By this point, most of my friends know this to be true!]

Guy Gavriel Kay: “If almost anything is done well, it can work.” [Isn't that also extremely comforting? Your idea doesn't have to be Earth-shaking. Just tell the tale well. Eight centuries ago, the Japanese poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162-1241) told his writing students: "Do not strain for novelty."]

Guy Gavriel Kay liked the Emma Thompson film Sense and Sensibility — very good film overall — but he intensely disliked how the filmmakers played the manners of the time for laughs from a modern audience. They pandered to a modern audience. It was almost bad enough to kill his enjoyment of the movie. [At my first-ever writers' conference -- I was in high school -- Paul Darcy Boles told me that a good thing about my writing was that I didn't poke fun at my characters. If we write about people in a different time or culture, we have to let them be who they would be in that time and place.]

Modern readers are very averse to dialect. In the 19th century they loved it when characters spoke in dialect on the page, but not now.

Ellen Kushner made the point that, to represent the language of another era or place, you can use the rhythms of that culture’s language. One skillful writer she cited, to give French characters the “flavor” of speaking French in her English-language books, consciously employed the beats of standard French poetry. And the English lines do somehow give the illusion of being French!

Avoid trendiness in speech patterns. [Note to self: Do not have characters in an epic fantasy say, "Tuh. As if!"]

Deanna Hoak: “Copyediting is like bathing. No one notices it unless you don’t do it.”

Guy Gavriel Kay (on writing dialogue that sounds authentic): “There’s no formula for success, but there are avenues for authenticity. It depends on maintaining a consistent tone.”

[In my Hokkaido days, I was the D.M. for a small group that played Dungeons & Dragons in the parsonage of Asahikawa Lutheran Church. As a non-native speaker of Japanese, I spoke -- and still speak -- the language at one level of politeness: the standard, safe-in-all-situations level that foreigners are taught in classrooms. But Japanese has a huge range in levels of politeness, each appropriate in a different situation depending on the speaker's relationship to the listener, their relative ages, genders, statuses, etc. Sometimes my D&D group would burst out laughing because my orcs spoke so politely: "Please drop your weapons. If you do not, this will turn into a fight! -- Grrr! Aargh!"]

Everyone says read Mythago Wood, by Robert Holdstock. The direct sequel is Avilion. [I'm not sure about any of those three spellings.]

Lavinia, by Ursula LeGuin, is absolutely amazing.

Little, Big is evidently a great book.

Alice Henderson [sp?] has a really good-sounding horror novel set in Glacier National Park.

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner — apparently really excellent — one panelist whom I respected re-reads it every year.

In Cold Blood by Capote is really disturbing, really scary.

Final note: It would be a very good idea to read the World Fantasy Award-winning novels and runners-up each year. The ones that win seem to be highly original, hard to categorize.

And there we have it!

Let us go forth and read, write, love, and live!

Ma voltunk megnézni a New Moon-t. Ott volt Cla, Bogi, Viki, Niki, Tina, Ricsi, Ádi, Zozo, Norbi és én. Hát igen, a jó filmekre mindig összegyűlik a jó társaság… Kittit sajnos nem engedték el…

Fél 10-kor taliztunk a mozi előtt. A film kb negyed 11-kor kezdődött. Már nagyon izgatottak voltunk, mivel mindegyikünk nagy Twilight fan

A film nagyon tetszett. A legjobb rész az volt, amikor Bella épp hogy utolérte Edwardot, mielőtt meghalt volna… A legszomorúbb meg az volt, amikor Edward elhagyta Bellát… Megmondom őszintén, azt a rész megkönnyeztem, de ezzel nem voltam egyedül. Mindig átérzem a film szereplőinek érzelmeit… Az egész nagyon sejtelmes volt… Amúgy is szeretem a vámpíros filmeket, de az Alkonyat és az Újhold felülmúlja mindegyiket.

A moziba szinte ujjongás tört ki, mikor Jacob levette a pólóját… Szerintem egyáltalán nem néz ki jól… Már túl izmos… Akárki akármit mond, akkor is Edward a jobb

(L) Imádom (L)

Ajánlom nektek is, nézzétek meg! És a film rabjaivá váltok!

Nah puszaaa