Ms. Xeno's Remainder Bin

The Current (News) Always Has The Final Say

2008-05-07T18:23:48Z

Sorry. I awoke full of plans today for posting something somehow relating to current events*, somewhere. But frankly this week already reeks like rotten eggs and I'm not up for it. So here's some Irma Thomas singing "Back-Water Blues" (accompanied by Allen Toussaint in 2006) instead.

She knows what she's singing about. (Link to a news clip from 2005.)

Also here's a link to Thomas' home page. Lots of goodies for sale. You know you wanna' go. ;)

*All right. Never mind.

...According to the report to be officially released on Wednesday, the majority of residents living in FEMA trailers are employed. Residents living in FEMA trailers also tend to be older, with an emphasis on the elderly and disabled. 55% of residents interviewed were 50 years old or older and 22% were 62 years and older, and almost 40% reported that someone living in their trailer had “special needs” including a disability. In addition, many residents reported health problems. Fifteen percent (15%) of the residents interviewed reported they were suffering from depression, anxiety, other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. In addition, 29% reported rashes, itchy eyes, breathing problems and other symptoms usually related to high levels formaldehyde in their FEMA trailer.

With FEMA reporting that over 100,000 people still live in FEMA trailers across the Gulf Coast, it is even more worrisome that 55% of residents interviewed report that if they were to be evicted from their FEMA trailer in the next few months they would have no family they could turn to for help and they expected to be homeless...
-- No Way To Treat Our People, Louisiana Justice Institute, via New Orleans Indymedia, 4/29/08

For the curious, some history and/or speculation about the song's origins.

The Truth Won't Set You Free.

2008-05-02T19:18:58Z

However, it may momentarily brighten up your lunch hour[sic]. It sure as hell has done wonders for mine.

"I hope to God that poor fretful Bob Herbert [of Times fame] is finally right about one thing -- namely, that the pastor is not going away."

...In the neighborhoods and communities where Wright and his colleagues and predecessors have worked for decades -- we might even say, for a couple of centuries -- they've been anything but invisible. In fact, they've been indispensable. But in the social representation sold by the "corporate media" -- as Wright quite correctly calls them -- the Wrights are merely a curiosity when they're noticed at all.

That has all changed. Obama may or may not be toast after this brouhaha, and I for one couldn't care less, one way or the other. But the lasting legacy, let's hope, is that Jeremiah Wright and what he has to say are once again on the agenda.

Dr King and Malcolm put some of these topics on the table, back in the day. Then they got killed, and Malcolm was shoved into the footnotes of official history, while King suffered the equally dire fate of plaster sainthood... -- Michael J. Smith at Stop Me Before I Vote Again, 4/30/08

Nicholas Hart, in a comment from the same link:

...One of Bob's statements that really struck me as typical of liberal ignorance was this: "The question that cries out for an answer from Mr. Wright is why — if he is so passionately committed to liberating and empowering blacks — does he seem so insistent on wrecking the campaign of the only African-American ever to have had a legitimate shot at the presidency."

Yea, if only we could elect a Black President (tm), all the injustices faced by minorities would disappear. All the evidence points toward a business-as-usual, pro-corporate, pro-war presidency from Mr. Obama. The amount of melanin in a candidate's skin (or makeup of X and Y chromosomes, for that matter) has little to do with the concrete policies he/she would enact.

Condoleezza Rice is one of the most powerful officials in the United States. With logic like Herbert's, she should be the salvation for America's downtrodden. But of course while New Orleans was drowning, Condi trod down to Fifth Avenue to buy some $2000 boots.

If Herbert and his liberal friends genuinely want to see redress for the grievances of the poor and working class, then they need to understand that it is going to take more than platitudes about "hope" coming from politicians in the pockets of corporate America...

Tulipa Saxatilis

2008-04-28T07:54:14Z

It had an unimpressive first couple of years in the garden, but for some reason it's all bubbly and outgoing this year. Amending the soil with about a metric ton of sand in Year Two might have helped, too. You can see a trunk-like structure near the right. It's a freshly-relocated Eastern Redbud sapling. (May it do better than our last Redbud, which came to a bad end several years ago. I cried for an afternoon like I'd lost my only friend.)

There was so much more that I wanted to tell you, but time ran out. Have a great week.

"My Hand Is Steady And My Eye Is Cold..."

2008-04-20T01:06:03Z

...except when I'm jumping up and down and shrieking like a deranged teenager over news like this:

Was (Not Was) has re-formed !! Eeeeee !!!!!!!!

...The roar of the greasepaint, though, was ultimately too enticing to resist, and so Don and Dave have gathered the old gang together again for Boo!, which picks up where they left off [with 1990's *Are You Okay* disc], shrinking the years away with its blend of muscular funk, sweet soul and sardonic lyrical smarts. The band's most potent weapon is its triple-pronged vocal attack, with Sweet Pea Atkinson's gruff bark supported, in classic gospel quartet manner, by the smoother, higher tones of Sir Harry Bowens and Donald Ray Mitchell. Together, they bring authenticity and emotional impact to even the weirdest of Was lyrics... --Andy Gill at *The Independent* 4/4/08

As for all of you, my so-called friends, how you WILL pay for having kept this amazing news from me for so long. I know you all did it on purpose. Don't give me that innocent look on this, the cusp of such a holy evening. I get in my forklift and leave a huge wooden crate of shame on every last one of your doorsteps. That mark you left on your door won't deter me, as I'm not the Angel of Death but rather something far, far worse.

Lungwort & Windflowers

2008-04-12T17:43:38Z

No, it's not the name of a bemused and foot-tapping accountancy firm. Though it should be, since we just had to file for an extension. Now I'll never get my toy surprise from the bottom of Daddy Shrub's big cereal box. It's so unfair.

The spot-leafed, blue-flowered plant in the front is lungwort, otherwise known as Pulmonaria. This plant loves shade more than anything, and the lot which holds Chez Xeno-Varro is basically a giant revolving patch of partial to full shade. Ergo: I love this plant more than just about anything. Which is why I have squandered dollar after dollar on giant cans of cheap beer to keep the slugs off of it. (You can see one of my famous patented slug traps in the upper left corner of the photo.) More on the beer and on the containers which once held Nancy's [tm] yogurt* than on the original plants, probably. The leaves are furry besides being spotted, and they get quite large after the blooms (each a bit smaller around than a dime) wither and fall. Then the blooms return in mid or late summer and bring scores of bees, despite the plant having no detectable smell to us humans.

The white daisy-like flowers are Greek Windflowers, aka Anemone Blanda. They open and close in sync with the sun, which I didn't know when I bought them. The pink stuff in the background is "festival" hyacinth. You may disagree, but I don't know of anything in this world that smells better than hyacinth. Not roses nor lily-of-the-valley, not fresh hot coffee nor fresh hot bread. Nope. Nothing. I weeded the entire strip of perennials around the house last Sunday just so I'd have an excuse to be within nose-length of the hyacinths.

All told, the garden is doing an incredible job considering my utter neglect of it last year. I just counted four baby buds on the strongest of the peony plants. No bad deed goes unrewarded. Write that down.

*Not a paid endorsement

Magnets !!

2008-03-29T21:30:49Z

Yeah, and you all thought the cards (2 1/2" x 3 1/2", w/an image area of 60 X 85 cm), were small. Each of these has a completed size slightly bigger than a quarter. I bought a couple of oversized hole punchers at the local craft emporium at the end of 2007, and I love them. So much easier than using a stencil to make circles.

Tomorrow I'm mailing most of these out as gifts. I'm kicking around how to make them more cheaply, and with a larger image area, too.

First Annual Xenophora Sneak Preview !!

2008-03-26T17:31:07Z

Just a month ago, the studio corner pictured was a festering landfill of paper fragments, removable tape bits, dust, coffee rings, cat hair tumbleweeds and human tears. Now, about 66 art card roughs await their appointment with acid-free board and a gallon drum of gesso. My apologies (as always) for the crappy photo quality.

Thanks as usual to varro for his help, and for just generally being a good sport.

People, It's "Bread & Roses." Not "Cake & Roses."

2008-03-21T19:27:37Z

IOW, The Crank would really love it if you'd all just stop prattling to her about Obama and forwarding her the front-runner's confection du jour. She's queasy enough as it is.

Save your teeth by chewing on this for a spell instead.

...Every year, the National Urban League publishes a study, "The State of Black America," in which the ills and disparities that persist in this country are catalogued. Every year, the story is basically the same. The United States has a way to go that only public policy can address. However, when Harvard University/The Kaiser Family Foundation did a study on White attitudes about race several years ago, it found that Whites have little appreciation for the reality of Black life in America, from police harassment and intimidation, to imprisonment, to family income, unemployment, housing, and health care. But without an appreciation of the reality faced by many of our fellow Americans, the necessary public policy initiatives to change those realities will find difficulty gaining acceptance in the public discourse...

...I am glad that candidate Obama mentioned the existing racial disparities in education, income, wealth, jobs, government services, imprisonment, and opportunity. Now it is time to address the public policies necessary to resolve these disparities. Now it is time to have the discussion on how we are going to come together and put policies in effect that will provide real hope and real opportunity to all in this country... -- Cynthia McKinney, 3/18/08

Frankly the only good thing The Crank could see coming from all this Obama worship would be a mass rejection of all things Democratic. Should Iron Lady II manage to finagle a win for herself at the convention, despite her obvious inability to communicate with desperate people as readily as Senator Pastry Chef does, it could happen.

The Crank places a very special emphasis on the word "could." For all their accusations that the GOP is the "fear party," it's likely that McCain will be a very effective vehicle for Democrats to flog each other with their very own special version of the tactic. Hell, it's inevitable. If there's one thing Democrats love to do, it's shouting from the rooftops every ten minutes to anyone who'll listen about how very FEARful they are of McCain or whomever. Only to scratch their heads five minutes later and wonder why this openness about their fears does not make their leaders behave towards them in a more respectful manner.

Oh, never mind. Can I have a piece with more frosting ? Oh, and a scoop of gelato, Please ? Somebody has to put the dentists' kids through college, right ?

We Interrupt Your Steady Intake of Pain And Strife For This Special Bulletin !

2008-03-12T17:38:52Z

"Red" European violets, or viola odorata:

I'm sorry they weren't next to the "regular" deep purple violets so the contrast in hue would be more obvious. And I'm not much of a photographer, but you get the idea.

Corydalis, sometimes called Larkspur. The exact name of this variety has slipped my mind:

[ETA 5/1/08 to add: It's actually known as corydalis solida "Beth Evans"]

Convalescing In America's Dairyland, PLUS "The Lonely Man" Has A Beautiful Child

2008-03-05T04:09:03Z

Last week just wasn't all that great, and as a result I was, er, inspired to rent The Trial of the Incredible Hulk*. It's a bad habit of mine when sad to fill the nearest large container with cut-rate fondue and soak my head in it for as long as it takes to feel less like crap. It was a decidedly entertaining way to kill an hour and a few minutes. In fact when it was over, I felt a vague and decidedly upside-down disappointment. Trial wasn't anywhere near as mind-blowingly awful as presumably non-depressed humans (or even those who know a lot about actual comic book heroes) implied in their reviews. Also I regret not having time to watch it all over again tomorrow so I can create an exhaustive checklist of all the plot holes. Not the least of which is that the Hulk's alter ego has a beard but the Hulk doesn't. [snerk] Luckily the bigger, stronger, faster mice were gleefully chewing away starting about forty-five seconds in. Once again, I'm spared having to do any heavy lifting while in a deteriorated emotional state. :/

Posthumous message to Bill Bixby: My heartfelt congratulations on A) Finally finding a pair of straight-leg jeans and B) Letting yourself get talked for once out of yet another plot where you're messing around with some woman young enough to be your daughter. If you'd left that to the other 99.9% of show biz, I'd have even fonder memories of you.

Since it's all connected, I leave you with a Viva Voce clip, which might help to salvage whatever aesthetic cred I still had before the first sentence of this post. "So Many Miles," from their disc Get Yr Blood Sucked Out. Just a tasty bit of jam from a clever, multi-textured rock album from yet another local band I've never seen because I never go out. :o Still, any band that writes an instrumental called "Bill Bixby" is aces with me.

(Kevin Robinson: Drums/Anita Robinson: Guitar)

"...[Q:]Why the nod to Bill Bixby on the album? Are you guys big fans of The Incredible Hulk TV show?

[A:]At the end of the old show of The Hulk each episode would end with a shot of David Banner, played by Bill Bixby, hitch-hiking and walking down a deserted road somewhere. While he was walking they ended the show with the saddest fucking music I'd ever heard as a kid. I have vivid memories of loving the show and tearing up every time the show was over. It was a crazy mix of emotion consisting of being pumped to see The Hulk kick everyone’s ass, then crying when the end came. That's what this song was to me - the sad walk away after some songs of kicking ass... -- Kevin Robinson, Viva Voce's drummer, interviewed by Brandon Forbes at Thirsty, February 2007.

*As a card-carrying Generation-X nerd and one-time Marvel junkie, I consider the schande of watching this now to pale considerably next to the schande of having initially missed it. How could this have happened ? Oh, never mind. Virtually nothing I was doing in 1989 is worth discussing here. Also I didn't have a TV.

Walter Mitten: 1992-2008

2008-02-25T15:52:23Z

Here's a last picture of him, kept company by Butterscotch over the weekend. He died sometime during the small hours of the morning, while everyone was sleeping.

varro took the picture and has been taking great care of Walter in his decline. Thanks, varro.

Goodbye, you old coot. You'll be missed. Here's some salmon for you. Now that you're in the afterlife, your appetite is probably back and you can eat all you want.

A New, Improved Modest Proposal, PLUS Vi Redd Wails Like There's No Tomorrow

2008-01-28T01:07:44Z

I wonder how far Obama is willing to go with this collective punishment idea. Obviously, denying Palestinians access to food and medicine isn't intended to directly prevent the missile attacks (unless Obama lives in a magical world in which missiles are constructed of pita bread and fueled by aspirin). So the only "strategy" here is to inflict enough pain on the Palestinians to cause them to rethink their support of Hamas.

But if it's really about bringing the pain to people who aren't attacking Israel, in the hope they'll turn on the guys who are attacking Israel, then why stop with cutting off food? Why not give them food, but put poison in it? Too extreme? Okay, how about putting something in the food that gives them really, really bad stomachaches? I mean, they have to be shown there's a cost for their "support" of terrorists, right?

And can anyone think of a historical example where a "strategy" of this sort actually worked? Where it didn't cause people to rally around exactly the leadership we don't want them to support? Did the blitz cause Londoners to turn against Churchill, did 9/11 cause Americans to turn against Bush?

But sometimes I forget, they're not like us. -- "Steve B," as quoted by John Caruso 1/25/08.

The Distant Ocean is always a good read. The thread that inspired this quote is right before it.

I had somebody comment in my direction earlier today that, well, of course Obama has to take a hard line with the Palestinians so he can remain (cough) "viable." Ah, yes. The eternal argument that a guy who lies to you to get the job will magically stop lying once he has it safely secured for four years. Pull my other one, True Believers.

Vi Redd on saxophone with Linda Hopkins singing "St. Louis Blues:"

Now I'm going to have some more coffee and some more headache powder. I've fucking earned it.

A Rerun, But Still Appropriate

2008-01-20T21:05:56Z

A (clumsy) transcription*, and one I've posted before on other people's pages/boards. But to me it never gets stale.

June Jordan (1936-2002):
Freedom Now Suite, Pt. 1
-----------------------------

The King was marching through the Mississippi mud
The King was moving towards a land of milk and honey

Honey people murder mercy USA
The milk-land turned to monsters
Teach to kill to violate
Pull down destroy the weakly freedom growing fruit from being born

America

The King was marching through the Mississippi mud
The King was moving out from yesterday

Rip rape exacerbate despoil disfigure
Crazy running threat of deadly thrall
Appall the leaf dispel the wildlife
Burn the breast the onward tongue the outward hand
Deform the normal rainy riot sunshine shelter
Wreck of darkness
Derogate delimit blank explode deprive assassinate
and batten up like bullets
Batten up the raving greed
Reactivate a Springtime terrorizing
Death by men
By more than you or I can
STOP

The King could not be moved
He, marching through the Mississippi mud
He, moving towards a land of milk and honey
He cried
He cried Lord where is the help for my people
Lord, where is the justice where is the mercy rolling down
Where is the healing love, he cried
Lord
Behold the mighty multitudes of righteousness

And this is Selma, Lord
And this is Birmingham, Lord
And this is Albany, Georgia, Lord Lord
And this is Mississippi mud
And I AM MARCHING THROUGH

The King cried
Lord, this is Birmingham
These dogs
These torrents of attack
These children dead
These women thrown to the ground
Under the horses of evil

Lord, this is Vietnam
These same dogs
These torrents of attack
These children dead
These women burned by the fires of a powerful iniquity
WHERE IS THE HELP FOR MY PEOPLE ?!?!

*Via June Jordan's excellent collaboration with pianist Adrienne Torf.

Lots of other info on Jordan available here.

Never Comin' Home, b/w Stolen Moments

2008-01-12T16:26:14Z

Loyalty oaths are a crock of shit. Almost as bad as the kind you have to consciously sign are the ones you find you'd unconsciously signed. You think you've found a friendly lodging where at least a few people will share your quirks and then just like that, you realize that you can't live there any more.

I've bailed on debunkingwhite. I've learned a lot from the space and made what I think are some valuable connections. Maybe you folks who I've connected with will now be done with me, too. Well, that's your right. But frankly I can't abide all the pro-Obama hype over there and the subliminal fine print that seems to say that nobody can be a committed anti-racist unless they want to genuflect before the glory of Obama. I don't genuflect before Democrats. I think the party is a loathsome pile of shit that more or less gave Bush a blank check to do whatever the fuck he wanted. Which includes continuing to wage both a global and domestic race war that's plenty vicious even if it doesn't quite measure up in clarity to the baroque fantasies of villain-du-jour, Ron Paul. I don't sign loyalty oaths to any Democrat, in the name of any cause, anywhere. For that reason and many, many others.

You are good people doing important work. In some ways I wish I was more like you, but not in this way. It infuriates and grieves me to see you falling for a charlatan from a party teeming with charlatans. I just don't, in my heart of hearts, believe that he gives a damn about the things you give a damn about. I think he's a user running with other users. More anger and more grief is something I don't need to seek out deliberately, as it finds me on its own most of the time. I've been through this before. I've been the "bad feminist," the "bad Unionist," the "bad Jew," etc. because I left the DP and refuse to come back. Life goes on.

...If people ask me why I have to roam
I say that 90% of all accidents occur in the home...
-- Peter Case

...Just put the damned ballot boxes on an altar while we’re at it. It’s a mystery what’s happening in them already, might as well go the rest of the way with it. Let’s just hold elections on sanctified ground. Anoint voters’ foreheads with holy water or ashes or the blood of a virgin or something as they are welcomed into the sacred offering of their futures to another pious fraud...

From Prey: Our Souls, 1/09/08 Liberal Street Fighter

...[I have] no patience for the cozy lies and the careful obfuscations anymore. I would like to believe that this was really a country of diversity, that we really were willing and able to confront and reconcile our centuries of enslavement and debasement and theft and genocide. Part of me smiles to see a black man building such momentum in a country as benighted as this one. I’m a sap. I want to believe all of the hallmarkian drivel of the “promise” of America. I want to believe that WE really believed in cooperation and openness and we’re not really a nation of greedy, warmongering racists eager to expand our hegemony over the globe.

The Invisible Man may very well be the Democratic (sic) party’s nominee for President. He is willing to practice the right sorts of misdirection to keep our eyes away from the real problems we face, willing to parade his beautiful assistant/wife to captivate and enthrall. He is willing to disappear behind a fog of beautiful words and high-flown promises, encased in the cozy nostrums of faith and family and a “new generation” of “change”.

I wish I could believe, but I just can’t fill in that blank anymore. I can’t allow another corporate lawyer to coax me into seeing in him what I wish he was. The exploited lower classes in this country will not find a champion in the Invisible Man anymore than they did in Bubba Clinton...

From Fill In The Blank, 1/6/08, Liberal Street Fighter.

[Cross-posted, w/minor alterations, to Mo Betta Meta]

Eight !!

2008-01-01T19:01:53Z

Eight !!!!

P.S. - Please use caution when descending the stairs. Thank You. ;)

Fair Use With Your Morning Coffee

2007-12-30T17:15:47Z

I hope your morning coffee's not Starbucks. Ewwww...

"...Technically, a claim of fair use asserts not that a particular
copyright infringement should be allowed, but that the use is not an
infringement at all. The U.S. Constitution states that the purpose of
copyright is to promote the progress of science and 'useful arts.' It's great
in theory, but in practice copyright law is often used as a weapon against
those who view so-called intellectual property as anything less than sacred..."

The above and what follows (up until you get to the six dancing asterisks) are artist/writer/graphic designer Sean Tejarachi's take on the Constitution's points regarding fair use.

"1) What are you using the copyrighted material for? (Or: What is the nature of your copying?)

"It is fair use to use copyrighted works for criticism (including parody)
comment, news reporting, teaching, education, or research. If you are not
making money from your use, this weighs in favor of a claim of fair use. If
your use is 'transformative,' i.e.- *creating *something *new rather than
simply reproducing the work, fair use is also much more likely to cover it.

"2) How much of the copyrighted work are you using?

"Fair use does not cover 'skimming the cream and getting away scot free.'
Unless you are creating a parody of the copyrighted creative work, you should
not use its essence. However, just what constitutes the essential part is open
to continuous debate. Contrary to popular belief and rumor, there are no hard
and fast rules regarding just how much material you can safely use. It is a
matter of quality, not exact quantity.

"3) What is the nature of the copyrighted work?

"No one can own the truth, and facts cannot be protected by copyright.
Only *creative works are eligible for copyright protection. A fiction piece is
protected, the facts in a non-fiction article are not. In a news piece, for
example, *what *is *being *reported remains unprotected, but *how *it *is
*presented (the creative part) is protected by copyright. Reformat the simple
facts, and you enter fair use. Copyright on creative works is fifty years
after the death of the creator. This limitation does not apply to trademarked
images used in business, which are protected automatically as long as they are
in use.

"4) How will your use affect the value of the original?

"Your use should not diminish the market for the original work. However,
the idea of diminishing the market does not apply to harm done to the market as
the result of a parody. To paraphrase a Supreme Court ruling, there is a
crucial difference between a parody which merely supresses demand and an
infringement which usurps it."

******
What made me go in search of Tejarachi's comments again was this. What a depressing thread on so many levels. Particularly to a collage maker. To see this level of deference to the sanctity of some fucking corporate logo;One that hawks an inferior product which only succeeds owing to the ruthlessness and greed of the modern day robber barons who control it. May I live long enough to see them tarred and feathered with their own shitty product as the fixative. :p

I suppose that as with most things, I hate this unearned and undeserved deference in others precisely because it's in me, too. Rooted clear down to the cellular level before I was even born. There's some carefully preserved cup of brain cells that makes the self defer to the insanely rich and ruthless. Its rationale is someday you could be them, too.

Yarrgh.

Granted most of us need that cup to get through our work week and collect our pay, but on our own time ? How sad to not only preserve it but cultivate it. How pathetic being unable to ever put it down for five minutes. The fact that we need a certain amount of bullshit in order to live doesn't make it stink any less. The fact that it's likely a major defining characteristic in the American soul doesn't make it beautiful. In part because there's no law that states you must bully others and treat others like shit just because it's common practice to do so. Partly also because while I love to joke about how someday I'm going to be the Thomas Kinkeade of collage, everyone knows the odds of that happening are up there with my odds of being struck twice by lightning.

What could be sadder than living half a life due to a non-existent confrontation based upon an unachievable fantasy ?

P.S. - Incidentally, everyone should own at least one issue of Craphound.

Ceiling Light Fixture Repair ?

2007-12-23T16:42:28Z

I have a fancy-ass ceiling fixture that I would love to have repaired in time for friends coming over on New Year's Day. I live in NE Portland.

Does anyone you know make last-minute house calls on stubborn light fixtures without charging more than the original fixture cost ? I suspect this is a minor problem but am unwilling to risk seriously damaging the fixture by messing with it myself.

Bonus points if they'll take plastic, and I would prefer somebody with the "licensed, bonded, insured" thing rather than your kindly Uncle Joe who could electrocute himself by mistake and land me in a heap of expensive trouble.

Thanks. Happy Holidays.

(Crossposted you-know-where.)

[ETA: A helpful soul at the always-dependable Opera Glasses & Popcorn points out that certain holiday traditions are better off left in the dark.

Plus, Earl Blumenauer wages War on Xmas[tm] by helping get Santa arrested.]

Break The Silence Only To Spew Some Bullshit

2007-12-16T20:10:09Z

Thanks to those (2) who have Friended me in my prolonged absence. Don't be offended that it took me so long to Friend you back, as there hasn't been anything to see here in months, anyway. Read back far enough, though, and you are bound to find something else that offends you. Or at the very least makes you wonder what the hell you were thinking. I just want you to be prepared.

Yesterday the laptop's power cord-recharge pack gizmo sparked and sent out an impressive curl of foul-smelling smoke before dying for good. I had jerry-rigged a connection to prolong its life last month, and the connection finally melted away for good. This marks the second time in my LJ history that I narrowly avoided carelessly burning the house down. Or at least the second time I've been aware of it.

Merry merry.

ATC of the Day

2007-07-16T19:31:59Z

"Artistic: Cut Paper" over all. The figure was color adjusted with "Command U." The ornaments were given that coarse texture with "Sharpen: Sharpen More." Other minor adjustments.

All done. Now does anyone wanna' lend me two grand so I can have a new computer ? :p

Penultimate ATC of the Day

2007-07-15T14:28:38Z

Very little alteration here, compared to most of 'em. The wall behind the toilet has some "Artistic: Dry Brush." The figure has a little repainting, and the plants have some redrawing with the pastels. (Some of the leaves used to be the tops off the pineapple that made an appearance in an earlier card, btw.) The porcelain altar was lightened with "Command L." That's about it.

The computer is dead. Again. No, I didn't drop it this time or even hurt its feelings. Just a MacTantrum out of the blue. Or into it. Anyone want to keep me company today when I go to sell my plasma ? Shit. Fuck. Piss.

ATC of the Day, Take Two

2007-07-14T23:55:53Z

...So you get a double dose today.

Some type adjustments using Free Transform and the Eyedropper tool. Run through "Distort: ZigZag," the "around center" option. With percentage reduced in "Color Burn" mode.

ATC of the Day

2007-07-14T23:26:27Z

Backround has some brushwork. Desktop has some "Artistic: Colored Pencil." Skirt is "Sharpen: Sharpen More." Other adjustments to color and such.

Sorry I missed yesterday. Super-exhausted...

ATC of the Day

2007-07-13T04:05:28Z

The reworking, with some Art History Brushes, pastel-style, in the background. Some adjustments to type and color. "Sketch: Halftone," Circle-style.

The tastelessness of the gag is somewhat undermined, because the stove is electric, not gas. Pretend you didn't notice, all right ?

ATC of the Day

2007-07-11T17:12:54Z

The redo has mostly "Blur: Radial Blur" and some color changes. Some brush strokes and Smudge in the pattern area. Sharpen in the area around the eye. Other minor adjustments.

ATC of the Day

2007-07-11T01:46:17Z

The reworked version. Mostly "Brush Strokes: Accented Edges," in various and sundry modes. The spoon was repainted, and the head is "Sketch: Reticulated." Other minor adjustments.

Some of you prefer the originals, I know. That's okay. Sometimes I do, too. However, I'm trying to teach myself a Useful Skill here. Frankly I don't see why I should suffer through the on-disc tutorials featuring some underpaid schmoes' wretched and/or badly dated corporate calling cards. Nobody's paying me, after all, in either money or some supposedly useful and/or hideously overpriced degree.

I'm glad to be in the home stretch of posting these, though. I wanna' make some new stuff from scratch, and soon !

In unrelated news, work was so lousy today that I nearly forgot all about how damn hot it is. :/