The Ciel Show

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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Today I had occasion to look up two of my favorite poems.

One, I just heard for the first time a couple of days ago on PBS, Writer's Almanac. I love hearing Garrison Keillor's voice and style of delivery. Sometimes when I write a poem, I listen to it in my mind coming from him, and it shapes the poem, especially free verse. This one I heard some time ago, and it makes me laugh... The Revenant I am the dog you put to sleep, as you like to call the needle of oblivion, come back to tell you this simple thing: I never liked you--not one bit. When I licked... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 12:06 PM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

'Kristin Lavransdatter' and the historical novel

I've been reading this lately. It's a trilogy written by Sigrid Undset in 1920, an historical novel following a woman's life in medieval Norway. The translation works so hard at maintaining the flavor of the time and place, and the idiom of the culture, that at times it is challenging to read: it is richly convoluted with a kind of twisty syntax that requires some real comprehension acrobatics to make sense of it--almost like reading in a foreign language you know with limited fluency. A while... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 10:07 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, October 23, 2008

How's the color in Buffalo?

I have a chance to spend 4 days driving under the Northeast autumn... or Southeast, if I cross into Ontario... driving from Buffalo, NY. If it's dreary and rainy, and all the leaves have already fallen, it would be a disappointment... Any idea of what the almanacs are predicting? Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 10:52 AM | add or view comments (5) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Halloween Carols!

Rising of the Moon The thing I hunt, it lurks in every shadow that ever consumed a human soul: In crevices and pits and fens it hides, and snarls softly-- knows I'm here... I hear it breathing, very near, and I am ready-- must be ready for it --when it rages up and out from pit and fen-- to cast my spear, my spell-- I mean to conquer and compell! Even now, upon the mountains' cutting edge the glowing moon, it sets a-light and limns the highest peaks-- It pales the night, obscures the blessed... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 10:45 PM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, October 20, 2008

Speaking of The Ciel Show...

It's confirmed: I have a show! It's two walls in a small but popular breakfast/lunch cafe in downtown Olympia, for the entire month of December! There will be room for several themes. The one already framed up will be 11 images (in 8 frames) from the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, some of which I've posted here already. Decisions remain to be made. I am so bad at making decisions. Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 1:02 PM | add or view comments (13) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, October 19, 2008

This one is for Mousehop, looking for hobbits...

The ideal hobbit hole-- on the banks of a river, and actually a back door into the old Olympia Brewery. (See the Artesians?) Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 12:56 PM | add or view comments (9) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Friday, October 17, 2008

Fangorn Wood

I have been re-reading Lord of the Rings lately, and spent last night before bed with the Ents in their deep forest. today's walk with Davy, through Burfoot State Park here in Olympia, provided illustrations: Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 9:37 PM | add or view comments (12) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, October 16, 2008

I used to have a costume shop...

This, of course, was the busiest time of year, with sales and rentals of costuming assembled from year-round perusals of thrift shops, ebay, and such. Now and then, there was a real theater piece, maybe antique. I still have some of the best bits. In storage now there is a batch of original Mardi Gras parade costumes, and there are some Renaissance pieces constructed by historic re-creationists who care a lot about authentic technique and materials. I could still outfit the whole Fellowship of... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 3:34 PM | add or view comments (9) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, October 13, 2008

14-day free trial is over...

I took back the little Canon Elph camera, and traded for the slightly larger but still handy pocket-sized Canon PowerShot a1000 IS. This one has 10 megapixels, and a 4x optical zoom, up to 16x if you push it up to the digital zoom--talked about what that all means in a recent post here. So far, I like this a lot better. It fits the hand better, handles the light better so far as I have experimented, and I can get my computer to read the thing, which was a strangely difficult experience with the... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 5:31 PM | add or view comments (6) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Devotion: Never Mind the Gap

Urgo is Magic's favorite cat. Magic adopted Urgo when he was a tiny, defensive grey and white mite of a kitten, and now that Urgo is bigger than he is, and rather aloof, Magic still gets in a few licks and some moments of closeness... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by Ciel at 10:31 AM | add or view comments (4) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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About this Blog

I'm doubtful the events of my life will be of great general interest, but I'd like to share a little more of me to the several of you on Blogit I've come to feel are real friends, and the many I imagine are potentially real friends. We'll see how it works out. ______________________ all my words and images posted on Blogit are copyright 2005-present, all rights reserved.

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