Something about this kitten immediately reminded me of the lucky or beckoning cats that you see in Japanese restaurants. But he doesn't look very much like the Japanese bobtail, the breed on which it is based.
It is more likely to be a member of the Scottish Folds breed known for resembling owls or teddy bears. But then again, don't you think that there is something a little bit more Spanish about this animal?
"I too was concocting this very same plan, already our minds are becoming one!"
This kitten shares the same eyes and body type as Puss-in-Boots from the Shrek movies. Either way, this isn't your run of the mill average American cat so I thought I'd share.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
A Kitten from Far Far Away
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Raiders of the Lost...with bunnies
We're still working on the screenplay and it must be going well this week since my wrists are starting to show signs of tendonitis or whatnot. Always a good sign. But even in the midst of creating new settings and adventures for our invented characters, we writers cannot ignore those films and books that still influence us today.
Of all filmmakers, I must admit that Steven Spielberg has influenced my movie saturated existence more than anyone. Well, he and Terry Gilliam. Some of my earlier posts reveal my feelings about the ocean, a beautiful and scary place. You see, I don't like to swim in the ocean because I must have viewed the movie "Jaws" at the age of three. The film "E.T." made me love aliens and fear anything covered in plastic, although I 'm pretty much over that by now.
Another important movie influenced my passion for archaeology. Of course I wanted to be a real life Indiana Jones and if not for the intense study of pottery that it required, archaeology might have been my chosen profession. I am sure that the professionals love to hear that lazy excuse. If not for the physics stuff, I might be a rocket scientist as well.
I've only seen Indiana Jones around one hundred times so, I recently decided to refresh my memory about that movie. However, I didn't have the time to view the entire movie this week. Luckily the wacky people at Angry Alien Productions recreated the film in 30 seconds. Although all of the actors are cartoon bunnies, they stay true to the story.
By the way, if you didn't already know this, the next Indiana Jones movie is coming out in May 2008.
Of all filmmakers, I must admit that Steven Spielberg has influenced my movie saturated existence more than anyone. Well, he and Terry Gilliam. Some of my earlier posts reveal my feelings about the ocean, a beautiful and scary place. You see, I don't like to swim in the ocean because I must have viewed the movie "Jaws" at the age of three. The film "E.T." made me love aliens and fear anything covered in plastic, although I 'm pretty much over that by now.
Another important movie influenced my passion for archaeology. Of course I wanted to be a real life Indiana Jones and if not for the intense study of pottery that it required, archaeology might have been my chosen profession. I am sure that the professionals love to hear that lazy excuse. If not for the physics stuff, I might be a rocket scientist as well.
I've only seen Indiana Jones around one hundred times so, I recently decided to refresh my memory about that movie. However, I didn't have the time to view the entire movie this week. Luckily the wacky people at Angry Alien Productions recreated the film in 30 seconds. Although all of the actors are cartoon bunnies, they stay true to the story.
By the way, if you didn't already know this, the next Indiana Jones movie is coming out in May 2008.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A Review of "Samedi the Deafness"
Last night I finished Samedi the Deafness, by Jesse Ball. It was not your average novel and I still feel odd. I like that. I don't always like your average literary novel about devastating relationships or the day someone learned a family secret. Those stories can be interesting but never so absorbing as good genre writing that requires an actual plot. But this isn't genre, nor is it your average literary novel. So what is it?
I'm not sure it is a novel at all. Maybe it was a series of prose poems that fit together to describe an overall theme of deceit. It is a story of deceit, of a man who is caught up in a conspiracy. The conspirators are exceptional liars, for their political cause and for their own amusement. Perhaps it is because they work in a special sanatorium specifically designed to cure chronic liars. But the main character, James Sim, is a mnemonist. This is a great made-up profession for someone who is caught in a conspiracy.
From the beginning to the end of this book, I kept wondering if each short passage or story would later be revealed to be a lie or illusion. You have to love that. The book is a fiction, after all and as readers, we are used to believing every word of the writer. We are used to true works of fiction rather than fiction that contains multiple lies. That is, unless we are reading mystery or spy novels. In those the deceit is expected.
In other reviews, the book is called Kafkaesque, a bit like David Lynch, or like a tale told by Lewis Carroll. I agree with this last description the most. This is partially due to the seemingly unconnected encounters that our hero experiences throughout the story. It is also due to the introduction of childhood memories in a series of dreamlike flashbacks. True episodes from his past are mixed with memories of his playtime. When I think about it, my own memories of childhood are just as confused. Just like his imaginary owl, my childhood recurring dreams or even the imagined settings that my friends and I invented at recess are just as real as my first day of school.
Does this review offer any insight into the book? I hope it does. Then again, it might make no sense at all because I haven't really finished. The words and images are still falling into place in my mind. You see, a good book stays with you even after the last page is read and it makes you feel slightly odd, which I like.
This book was recommended to me and I recommend it too.
I'm not sure it is a novel at all. Maybe it was a series of prose poems that fit together to describe an overall theme of deceit. It is a story of deceit, of a man who is caught up in a conspiracy. The conspirators are exceptional liars, for their political cause and for their own amusement. Perhaps it is because they work in a special sanatorium specifically designed to cure chronic liars. But the main character, James Sim, is a mnemonist. This is a great made-up profession for someone who is caught in a conspiracy.
From the beginning to the end of this book, I kept wondering if each short passage or story would later be revealed to be a lie or illusion. You have to love that. The book is a fiction, after all and as readers, we are used to believing every word of the writer. We are used to true works of fiction rather than fiction that contains multiple lies. That is, unless we are reading mystery or spy novels. In those the deceit is expected.
In other reviews, the book is called Kafkaesque, a bit like David Lynch, or like a tale told by Lewis Carroll. I agree with this last description the most. This is partially due to the seemingly unconnected encounters that our hero experiences throughout the story. It is also due to the introduction of childhood memories in a series of dreamlike flashbacks. True episodes from his past are mixed with memories of his playtime. When I think about it, my own memories of childhood are just as confused. Just like his imaginary owl, my childhood recurring dreams or even the imagined settings that my friends and I invented at recess are just as real as my first day of school.
Does this review offer any insight into the book? I hope it does. Then again, it might make no sense at all because I haven't really finished. The words and images are still falling into place in my mind. You see, a good book stays with you even after the last page is read and it makes you feel slightly odd, which I like.
This book was recommended to me and I recommend it too.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Ancient Zombies in Egypt
Hierakonpolis or Nekhan is a famous Egyptian site for archaeologists. The "City of the Hawk" and the remains of the largest Predynastic (4000-3100 B.C.E.) settlement of Egypt. It is home of the tombs belonging to Horemkhawef, a Chief Priest who lived during the Second Intermediate Period (1750-1550 B.C.E.). Another famous tomb belongs to a Prince, Ny-ankh-Pepy, who was actually the second person laid to rest at that site in 1980 B.C.E. Yes, that is all well and good and scholarly but did you know that this is also the site of some major zombie activity in or around five thousand years ago?
According to an article that appeared online at Archeology Magazine's website, zombies were un-alive and un-well in ancient Egypt. The author goes on to explain that author Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide" brought some startling yet very old news to the archaeology community when he recounts an 1892 dig at Hierakonpolis. During that fateful expedition, archaeologists discovered a partially decomposed body with a brain possibly infected by the Solanum virus. The tomb is also covered in scratch marks, typical defensive behavior for an entombed zombie.
The Urban Dictionary defines Solanum as this:
SOLANUM: THE VIRUS
Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through means not yet fully understood, the virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered "dead." The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Once mutation is complete, this new organ reanimates the body into a form that bears little resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely. This new organism is a zombie, a member of the living dead.
The article reveals other zombie evidence: bodies with decapitated heads. In addition, the marks left on the cervical vertebrae "...indicate an effort far greater than that needed simply to cause the death of a normal (uninfected) person. The standard position also indicates these are not injuries sustained during normal warfare."
For once, I am relieved to see that aliens had no part in the mysterious findings at these ancient tombs. However, I am hoping that they will get back on track with investigating Mummy curses. I am still working out the evidence, and looking for my own funding regarding one Mummy in particular may have brought down the entire Roman Empire...
To read more about how archaeologists plan to fight a potential zombies attack at the dig site, check out the article "Zombie Attack at Hierakonpolis." An interview with Mr. Brooks (Mel Brook's son), is available online here. I do love archaeology humor.
According to an article that appeared online at Archeology Magazine's website, zombies were un-alive and un-well in ancient Egypt. The author goes on to explain that author Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide" brought some startling yet very old news to the archaeology community when he recounts an 1892 dig at Hierakonpolis. During that fateful expedition, archaeologists discovered a partially decomposed body with a brain possibly infected by the Solanum virus. The tomb is also covered in scratch marks, typical defensive behavior for an entombed zombie.
The Urban Dictionary defines Solanum as this:
SOLANUM: THE VIRUS
Solanum works by traveling through the bloodstream, from the initial point of entry to the brain. Through means not yet fully understood, the virus uses the cells of the frontal lobe for replication, destroying them in the process. During this period, all bodily functions cease. By stopping the heart, the infected subject is rendered "dead." The brain, however, remains alive but dormant, while the virus mutates its cells into a completely new organ. The most critical trait of this new organ is its independence from oxygen. By removing the need for this all-important resource, the undead brain can utilize, but is in no way dependent upon, the complex support mechanism of the human body. Once mutation is complete, this new organ reanimates the body into a form that bears little resemblance (physiologically speaking) to the original corpse. Some bodily functions remain constant, others operate in a modified capacity, and the remainder shut down completely. This new organism is a zombie, a member of the living dead.
The article reveals other zombie evidence: bodies with decapitated heads. In addition, the marks left on the cervical vertebrae "...indicate an effort far greater than that needed simply to cause the death of a normal (uninfected) person. The standard position also indicates these are not injuries sustained during normal warfare."
For once, I am relieved to see that aliens had no part in the mysterious findings at these ancient tombs. However, I am hoping that they will get back on track with investigating Mummy curses. I am still working out the evidence, and looking for my own funding regarding one Mummy in particular may have brought down the entire Roman Empire...
To read more about how archaeologists plan to fight a potential zombies attack at the dig site, check out the article "Zombie Attack at Hierakonpolis." An interview with Mr. Brooks (Mel Brook's son), is available online here. I do love archaeology humor.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Dance Typewriter
I haven't written many blog entries because my sister-in-law visited a few weeks ago. We had a good time doing the usual New York City visit. We even drove up to the Hudson River Valley region for a few days to visit Benmarl, the oldest winery in the U.S., according to the company. We shopped, ate, and drank way too much. She is Scottish, as is my husband, so it took some time for my liver to recover.
Then, I had the fabulous excuse of actually working hard on some literary projects, finishing a short story, and then getting back to the script.
But, you are not forgotten. Nor have I forgotten that reading blogs is a major time-waster. So, to extend that experience, I give you the "Dance Writer." I found this linked to one of my favorites sites, apartmenttherapy.com.
Type in your message and see the mime at work. Is it funny or sad to watch a man do this for a living? Well, he probable doesn't make a living at this. Maybe he acts out numbers on other websites.
Have a good weekend!
Then, I had the fabulous excuse of actually working hard on some literary projects, finishing a short story, and then getting back to the script.
But, you are not forgotten. Nor have I forgotten that reading blogs is a major time-waster. So, to extend that experience, I give you the "Dance Writer." I found this linked to one of my favorites sites, apartmenttherapy.com.
Type in your message and see the mime at work. Is it funny or sad to watch a man do this for a living? Well, he probable doesn't make a living at this. Maybe he acts out numbers on other websites.
Have a good weekend!
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