Museum of Curiosities

In my personal museum of curiosities, there's a chunk of Times Square, a statue of Chinese general, and a small jar depicting Prague.

But I still want the clock.

Elements

4: earth, wind, water, fire

5: wind, water, fire, metal, wood

117: hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc...

It's even the name of a Honda. {sigh}

How many elements are in your world? (Ultimately, I have four, but they're not all listed above...)

Random Necropolis Quote

“The legend,” she said, “since you weren’t listening last night...”

“We finished three bottles of wine last night,” Darren reminded her. “You weren’t listening any more than I was.”

She stopped, faced him, and met his eyes with a steady, frightening gaze. “I’m always listening.”

Life is Unfair

Sometimes, it's unfair in your advantage.

Today, life's unfairness worked neither for nor against me, and in fact seems to have entirely missed the fact that I exist.

Wonder what tomorrow may bring...

Playing Cards

For reasons unknown, numerous decks of playing cards occupy various drawers and cubbyholes in my office and home. A blue and a red Bicycle deck, a special Svengali deck, one from Sea World, one from Sydney, two from Hawaii, a fancy red and a fancy blue deck in a fancy wooden box. There's a deck for use specifically with a Chess set, and another deck that's got five suits instead of four.

Apparently, I keep intending to write a story involving one of the cards. Maybe two, but certainly not the whole deck--at least, not right away. Must be gestating, that one, awaiting its perfect opportunity. That's how it happens, you realize: the random thoughts and ideas bounce around (and collide) within the head until they manage to funnel out through the fingertips, and voila! Instant Novel! Only 10+ years in the making.

(In fact, I think it's safe to say that all novels, whatever your age when you write them, are that many years, plus the +, in the making.)

Philosophy

I follow several philosophies in life.

One of my favorites is: It's all fun and games until someone gets eaten alive by a tiger shark.

Another good one: Be Bold.

And this, I think is rather interesting: Everybody is the center of their own universe.

Random Breath of the Moon quote

“A glass of champagne, sir?” The tuxedoed man bent toward Steve, offering a tray of glasses. Absently, Steve accepted one and took a sip.

He glanced around the room. Thick, dark woods dominated the walls, bar, and stage area. The plush chair in which Steve sat was framed with the same color wood; it had a deep, red tone to it, like mahogany--and, very possibly, that’s what it was.

A chandelier hung in the center of the room, supporting a thousand crystals that sparkled in the light of a dozen or more white pillar candles so that it glowed like a giant star suspended over the dance floor.

The bar, appearing well-stocked, ran along one wall, displaying only top shelf names. Opposite it, a stage was raised one step over the rest of the room. Its burgundy carpet glistened in its newness.

Great parties might have been held here: wedding receptions, bar mitzvahs, old-fashioned balls. Other than Steve’s chair, the room was completely unfurnished. No one besides the butler, with his tray of drinks, was in the room with Steve. Except that the butler was gone. Steve was alone.

Fiftieth Anniversay Post

This is the 50th post. Woohoo! You'd think I'd say something more exciting, wouldn't you?

I have a picture

I have a picture of Sydney.
It was created by a guy named Nik Markovina, and I picked it up (and briefly met the artist) at Paddington Markets.

Here's his website.

Find Ghost Trains, and check out picture number 5. That's the one I got on my wall. I always thought of it as "Sydney on Acid."

House of Shadow and Ash

I have copies of the book. In my hands. After all these years. With all the art. All the words. (Well, all the words but the never-seen x-rated epilogue; ask me about it sometime, maybe over drinks.) Me is happy. Me is very happy. Me is so happy, me is happily happy. Me is. Really.

Now I need to get more copies.

my house

As a child, I lived in a house, and apparently I now compare all houses to this house (in which I lived from the age of 7 to 17+/-). Oddly enough, the main things I remember from then, and want in my next, are the cathedral ceilings (in this part of the world, they're called vaulted ceilings). Other houses, the ceiling's just too close.

Shooting Pool

Today, it almost looked like I knew what I was doing.

For the record: I don't.

Languages

In college, I took a semester of French, which turned out to be quite helpful those few weeks I spent in Paris.

In high school, I took three years of German, which turned out to be quite helpful when, a few short years later, it turned out that one of my best friends in the whole world hailed from Germany.

(Note: I speak neither French nor Germany with any fluency.)

If I were to take a language today, I think I'd try Mandarin (Chinese). I wonder how, in the future, that would be helpful.

Guilty Pleasures

I have a Kylie Minogue CD. I like it, and I listen to it sometimes whilst writing.

Random Necropolis Quote

The sky: a stark, yellowish white, not bright but disconcerting, streaked with bleak clouds like gashes in its face, sick with them, and lending every granite and marble stone a flat but wicked tint, sharpening the shadows, with neither moon nor sun, and not a single visible star.

In the great city of the dead, twilight lingers.

Quoth the Raven

Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.
Nevermore.

violins and pianos

That's what music needs more of: pianos and violins. And maybe harpsichords. And perhaps one xylophone.

Yeah. Then we'd be good.

Don't ask me

I don't know.

speaking of...

This past Saturday, I spoke about kung fu, and I won a ribbon. I also spoke about "You Are My Sunshine", and won a ribbon for that, too.

This coming Saturday, I won't know until I get there what I'll speak about in the contest for the Sunshine ribbon. But I'll also be speaking about, quite possibly, the non-creating parts of creativity.

Just so you know.

Random Midnight quote

“I killed some people,” the prisoner said. “Back in, oh, I don’t remember. Was a long time ago. When’s it now?”

Thomas said nothing.

“Doesn’t matter.” The prisoner grinned, revealing yellowed and rotten teeth. “They feed me here, and leave me to my thoughts. That’s really all I want.”

“What do you think about?” Thomas asked.

“A little of this, a little of...well, mainly I consider things like quantum mechanics, string theory, the grand unification theory. Oh, and gravity, I’ve been thinking about the dynamic theory of gravity a lot since I’ve been up here. You know, no one really believes that, Tesla didn’t publish any research, but ever since Einstein’s relativity, no one pays attention. But I think he was on to something. It’s the magnets.”

Cleaning out the closet

For the past 14ish months, the closet has been the catch-all for all those things I didn't want to deal with at the time.

Now, I've decided I need to organize it all and, well, deal with some of it.

Read: Mistake.

Suggestion: If you have the same thought, don't do it! Run! Save yourself!

A whole day into it, and thus far everything has left the closet, and nothing has yet managed to return. Except the cat. Though she prefers the stuff waiting to find its way back into that closet.

Prague

One of the cities I most want to visit is Prague. I want to see the clock. More than that, I want a working, miniature replica of Prague's Astronomical Clock. Anyone stopping anywhere near the Czech Republic, assuming you're there before I get to do it myself, please do me the small favor of picking one of these up for me. I've got a special place reserved on my brag shelf for it.

Thank you.

Q & A

Q: How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

A: A woodchuck would chuck all he could if a woodchuck could chuck wood.

The Act of Observation

I don't know who said it, or when, or what scientific principal--if any--it's attached to, but I know I've heard it said:

The act of observation changes that which is being observed.

And today, I listen to the newspeople and pundits and pollsters asking how they could've all been so wrong, and they're offering a dozen possible explanations and theories, but not a single one of them seems to have stumbled upon this theory:

Might the polls themselves have spurred some people to say, "Oh, my candidate needs me!" or "I'm feeling lazy today, and my guy's a cinch anyhow, so no big deal." Or any other variation of being somehow galvanized to act because of the polls.

Thereby, the polls themselves, and not just the actions of the candidates in the days beforehand, may have had some impact.


(I say this having picked no horse yet for any race.)

No Map, No Destination

Where, then, do you end up, eh?

short days

Some days seem much shorter than they should be, don't you think?

Some days are much shorter, in certain respects, than they ought to be.

Some days drag on forever.

Time is not a constant. It's all a matter of perception.

Money

Talking with a friend who works the same day job but in a different market, she said something about some people not bothering to put in any effort when the sales price was below a certain level (say, $300,000), because the meager 3% commission on that wouldn't be worth it. To which I responded: "$9,000 today would solve quite a few of my most immediate problems."

So, if there's anyone out there with an extra $9,000 they're willing to see go to solving the immediate problems of a virtual stranger, who will likely manage (albeit, more slowly) on their own, feel free to send it my way.

Thanks.

decisions

Would you watch Key Largo or The Sting?

Mysteries of the Unknown and Secret Societies

I have the complete set. Coincidence? You decide.

I also have other books on mysterious and unknown (and unknowable) things. I have books on history, lost history, creatures that never existed, places that never existed, and places that exist but have mysterious and/or mystical things about them. I have a book on secret societies.

You know you've made it as a secret society if the book doesn't mention you.

I have books by authors who never existed, and by authors who never admitted to being the author. I know who really wrote some books the rest of the world thinks were written by someone else.

Yet, in the grand scheme of things, I know nothing.

Random Quicksilver Quote

Like anything else, a mirror can be broken.

Like anything else broken, there are consequences.

ow

I just bit my lip.
It hurt.
I'll recover.

some philisophy for you

I stole this from my own response to a comment at my LiveJournal:

However, despite all the things I miss, I need to remember that there are plenty of things I'm missing if I spend all my time missing things.

Through the Looking Glass

Just for the record, I thought Alice was a brat.