Where I Fit

The guild last night got started talking about birth order. Somehow our conversation got around to the topic and I held my tongue. I both love and hate sharing about something I know a lot about. I'm a librarian so I love to spread knowledge. I'm also prone to being a bit of a know-it-all. So last night I erred on the side of less sharing but today I'm feeling expansive.

I'm incredibly fascinated by birth order. Ever since I was young I've been looking at families to see the trends. My mother lent me her copy of The New Birth Order: Why You Are the Way You Are by Kevin Leman when I was in high school and I instantly started looking at my family differently. We fit perfectly within the frame of birth order.

I'm the middle of five with all the middle child syndrome I can handle. Jeff is also a middle child so our house tends to be a quiet place. Middle children tend to be loners which bears out for both of us. We both don't have a ton of friends but the ones we do are good strong friendships that have lasted. We are also peace-keepers and both Jeff and I try to avoid conflict as much as possible. If we do disagree it is most often a quiet conversation. And at the same time we are both striving for each others attention. Middle children often feel ignored and want to attract attention in their own quiet way.

My older brother is the perfect example of a first born child. Successful, disciplined, and dependable. Did you know that most of the presidents of this country have been first borns? They tend to follow the straight and narrow and often are the most successful of all the children. They tend to follow their parents lead and are quick to comply with requests. My older sister is a perfect example of a second born. She was the one who quickly deviated from the straight and narrow path that is normally prescribed. She is the more rebellious of the older siblings and still bucks any authority that presents itself. She is incredibly social, for a long time preferring friends to family. Second born tend to rebel as a way to grab attention from the more successful older sibling.

My little sister is a bit of an enigma. She has quite a bit of the middle child syndrome. She is fiercely independent but is also a peace-keeper as well. She avoids confrontations but is more social and outgoing than a middle child normally is. She too hasn't followed the straight and narrow path and lives very much on her own terms. Perhaps she is a mix of a second born (She and I were often lumped together growing up) and a middle child. The younger brother is a classic baby of the family. Incredibly social and charming, he could get away with almost anything, not just with my parents but with anyone. He's successful mostly using his charm and charisma to get ahead. He prefers to be surrounded by people but is independent when it comes to his family.

I find it interesting to see that other families tend to fit these trends as well. I'm watching my brothers' kids to see these patterns re-emerge in the form of my nephews and niece. I look at my friends families and see these roles filled again and again. There are deviations to the patterns. If there are more than six years between siblings the roles restart. Only children have thier own profile. But this seems to bear out time and time again. Interesting stuff. And explains quite a bit about my family and all the very unique members of it.

Meet Me in St. Louis

There is nothing quite like 20 hours of driving in a seven day period. Particularly spread out through two weekends. And although I'm looking forward to a weekend at home this coming weekend, I wouldn't have traded this past weekend for anything. We had a blast in St. Louis. We also sweated quite a bit.

I took Friday off with the idea that we would get down to St. Louis early enough to have dinner with Jeff's parents. The drive was great, somehow seeming shorter than the drive to Minneapolis last weekend. We headed down the Avenue of the Saints (my new favorite route) and wound up in St. Louis about 5:30. Perfect...well kinda perfect. We did hit rush hour. So we left 270 and took local roads down to his parent's house. I got to see a section of the city I'd never seen and also check out some incredibly cool houses in the Kirkwood area.

We went out for a nice Italian dinner and then wandered down to a park in Webster Grove (even more amazingly cool houses) to sign up for a study that is going on. Jeff's dad had wanted to volunteer for a long-term cancer study going on. Jeff ended up signing up as well and we hung out at the park watching the walk-a-thon for a bit. I couldn't sign up since so many women had already volunteered. Then we headed to Ted Drewes for custard and then home. I was exhausted and in bed before 11.

Saturday was listed as one of the hottest days of the year. The temp was expected to hit 99 and the heat index 110. So what did we do...went to the ballgame. We had tickets already for the Cardinals-Twins game at Busch Stadium, and we weren't going to let a little heat stop us. Talk about different ballgames. Last weekend I was in jeans watching baseball in the AC at the Metrodome. This week in t-shirt and shorts and sweating constantly. But I'm glad we went. I got to see Albert Pujols hit two homeruns and make an incredible first-base grab that ended up as one of the top plays on Sports Center. I got to see the only Cardinals win of the series and more than anything I got to hang out with family for the game. Jeff, Jeff's dad, his younger brother and I stayed for the whole game. All the way until the temp hit 99. His older brother, his wife, and their two kids stayed until the 7th which in itself was an amazing feat. The kids were great and everyone had an amazing time.

Here is Jeff's family who were able to attend the game.

Here is the stadium. 

And here is Pujols the moment after hitting his first two run homerun of the game. He hit two, two run homers before they started intentionally walking him. 

The rest of the evening was spent hanging out with family at each of the different houses. I got to meet Jeff's younger brother's new dog, they have two, and it made me think about getting a house and a dog. The puppies were a ton of fun and so pretty. I love my cat but I wouldn't mind a dog too. It was strange to be at his parent's house this trip since their big beautiful dog Blitz had to be put down this year. I guess I kind of expected the polar bear of a dog to be waiting for us.

On Sunday we hung out and slept late and then had lunch with his younger brother and his fiance at one of the local grills. It was great to get a chance to see everyone over the weekend although I didn't take near enough pictures.

The drive back was good and quick and the rest of the evening was productive. I avoided the computer and managed to get a lot of cleaning and laundry done. I'm trying hard to make the house cleaner. But the trip was fantastic. Two weekends, two trips, both tons of fun.

Poetry Friday

I'm early for Poetry Friday but again I'll be traveling this weekend. Again I'll be out of internet contact. There will be no posting until Monday.

But I had to share this. I've been tough to put up with lately and Jeff does an amazing job. So this is for him.

Your Laughter by Pablo Neruda

Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.

My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.

Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.

Looking for Group

It's not often that I get to say this. I completely adore a sadistic, egotistical, violent, undead warlock. As most of you know I'm a pacifist, vegetarian, wouldn't hurt a spider kind of girl. So I'm not sure why Richard of Looking for Group comics struck a chord with me. His first act in the comic series is to incinerate a bunny. And it only gets worse from there.

A friend of mine turned me on to the series over the weekend when he lent me his copy of the book. I devoured it in one afternoon. The action adventure series is hilarious. The story follows Cale, a blood elf (hunter?) who is looking to make things right in the world. He is joined by a alignment questionable Troll priest, a sweet and bookish Tauren, a dwarven bard/warrior, and of course Richard. All of the character have their own humor but it is Richard that makes me laugh out loud. He is just so downright evil.

At one point in the series he is shrunk down and mistaken for a child. He's taken to one of the local nurseries. When the team pulls him out he simply can't understand why he couldn't stay at the buffet. Or when he incinerates two suspects and then tries to interrogate them. Eventually ending with a sad downcast look and the words "interrogations are hard".

The story is mostly sequential so if you start reading it you will need to start at the beginning. The writing by Ryan Sohmer is brilliant and any fan of Dungeons and Dragons or World of Warcraft will love the humor. The art, which is done by Lar deSouza, is just hilarious. His take on characters like Tim, the dim witted orc who follows Cale around calling him chicken, is wonderful. The images are colorful and cartoony and somehow that makes the absurdity of the scenes and the violence of Richard funny. These guys are brilliant. You may already have read their Least I Could Do webcomic which is also hilarious, although I'll warn you--not work appropriate. But Looking for Group has to be one of the best new webcomics I have found in a while. I'm already looking into purchasing printed copies. For a taste of the series, or to read the whole thing, head to Looking For Group. And don't mind Richard, he's chaotic evil. It's all in his alignment.

Catching Up

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I last posted. The internet is finally back up at home and I'm crossing my fingers that it will stay up. Work has been insane lately. I'm still working long hours and not catching up. No chance to post there. But it's also been good. For the first time in a long time I'm really enjoying what I'm doing. Perhaps I just need to be crazy busy all the time for my job to be enjoyable. 

Jeff finished his first class and did really well. He seems to have a knack for the subject. And to really enjoy it. 

We were gone all weekend in Minneapolis which is why I didn't post then. Every year for Father's Day our friends host a Trench party. Trench is a variation of dodgeball but with the added excitement of having people both in front of you and behind you. The game starts out just like standard dodgeball. But if you are hit you go to the outside area around the opposite team. Your teammates can pass you the ball to try to get the other team out. So you have to watch on all sides.The guys play and the girls sit around and talk mostly. Here are some pictures from the trip. 

The beginning of the day. It was warm and breezy and absolutely perfect weather to sit outside. 

And the end of the day. All the guys are exhausted. 

We stayed with friends (thanks Lon and Lisa) and had an amazing time hanging out with them and their two children. I got to play Hide and Seek with the kids, did crafts, and played video games. It was a fantastic weekend. On Sunday they took us out to see our first Twins game. Jeff has always protested "baseball in a can" but the game was a lot of fun. Here's the stadium.

The Twins lost but our friends and their kids got to run the bases after the game. 

The drive home was terrible, absolutely miserable. We even ended up with a ticket. (completely justified sadly) I made it up to myself by taking Monday off. And now I'm finally back on track. And you are all caught up. A great weekend with just a minor bump. 

Here is a brief video of the guys playing. 

Sorry all

This is just to tell you that I will be taking a brief blogging hiatus. Work has been crazy and the internet is still down at home. We don't know when the issue will be fixed or really what the issue with it is. (Yes Jeff is going into withdrawl) With possible travels this weekend I won't be able to post until Monday at the earliest. Sorry.

What Doesn't Kill You...

Only makes you stronger. At least that's the theory.

Things have been weird for me recently although I feel a bit more recharged today. I've been having chest pains for the last couple of days. This is my second bout of this and I'm getting tired of it. It only happens the day after I go walking, leading me to believe that exercise might not actually be good for me. (Or that could be wishful thinking. :-) )

But here's the weird part. I'm in pain with every breath I take but for some reason I've been cranking out stories left and right. I spent a good long period of time writing last night and cranked out three possibly workable stories. My hand was cramping I was writing so much. The only reason I stopped was that Jeff came up to beg me to come to Naxx because they were short. (you owe me honey). But that hasn't diminished today. I'm still in pain but the creativity is still there. I was sketching with breakfast. Right now I'm wondering if anyone would notice if I spent most of my work day writing. (they would, Grrrr)

I know what's causing the chest pain finally and I'm not worried about my heart. But now I'm wondering if I just get out walking just to bring back this creative spirit/pain. My writing and drawing have never been more fluid. Perhaps I just needed a little discomfort to wake me up.

Recharging

This won't be long. My brother was in town this weekend with his family and I am completely worn out after playing with the kids on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. Add that to the fact that I have seen my parents everday since Thursday and have been on the go since last Tuesday. So I need a bit of down time to recharge.

We did have a blast on Saturday though. We met everyone for lunch and then me and the boys ran around the front yard shooting nerf darts at each other, which was the most fun I've had in a while. And good exercise. In the afternoon I stayed home while most of the guys went to see the new Star Trek movie. But even then I didn't get to relax. My nephew Keith decided he wanted to stay home with me so we played with his Star Wars miniatures and then looked at everything under the sun through a microscope. I even grossed him out by slicing open my thumb to get a drop of blood for him to look at. I loved that I could gross him out. But when dinner came that night he wanted me to sit next to him.

I went out to breakfast with Jeff on Saturday but didn't make it to the library that day (a newly formed habit that I love). Other than that I have not had a meal with just him and I since last weekend. Last night after seeing them my brother's family off at about two, we went office supply shopping and then I went walking with a friend. When Jeff said that I was signed up for Naxx that night I begged off. I sat in front of the TV like a pile of goo and tried to draw.

So tonight will be quiet. I just need some time to recharge. Sorry about the rambling. I'll try to have something better tomorrow.

Going Without

The internet at home has been....unreliable is the word I'll use. I've used others before but few of them are appropriate here. We got a couple days of good reliable service and then it will conk out for a half a day. Originally we thought it was the construction going on in front of the house but I guess it is the modem. Jeff finally fixed it yesterday and did the set-up. But we were down until about 10:30 last night.

I am surprised about how much this upsets me. I can live without TV and shockingly I can live without movies. But you take my internet away and lately I'm at a complete loss. So last night I met my parents for dinner (thanks Mom and Dad), went to the book store and bought Ish by Peter Reynolds, and then went home to take a bath and read. I scanned my shelves and grabbed a book to read but it wasn't until I was already in the bathtub that I reconsidered my choice of books. Night by Elie Wiesel is not a story to relax to. But it is an excellent book to shut me up when I start to whine.

I'd never read Elie Wiesel's memoir of his time spent at Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Even though the book has been lauded as a classic and that it is assigned in most high schools I had somehow never read it. It's not a long book. I finished it over a three hour period of time, but it is an immensely powerful story. The struggle and the horror that he (and others) went through are beyond my comprehension. I was sickened by the treatment in the camps and by the terrible deaths that awaited so many. It was very much the stuff of nightmares. I was shocked by the terrible struggle to survive that happened every day and by the brutality that humans (both captors and captives) were capable of. And I was shamed by my own lack of perspective.

I've been a little spoiled throughout my life in that I've never really had to struggle terribly for anything. My parents were generous (sometimes to a fault) and I've never had to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I've lived in comfortable houses with plenty of access to clothing and food and bathing. I've never had to fight anyone for anything. So as I lay in my hot bath last night, thinking about how terrible it was that my internet was down, I was reminded in brutal terms how good I have it. This book is a classic. And more than anything a reminder. Last night I was reminded that no matter what happens, with work, with life, with friends and family, I've still been blessed.

Bug Art

I had mentioned before how my mother collects interesting insects. It's a hobby that can lead to some beautiful wall decorations along with some creepy ones. The bird eating spider is a bit much. The walking stick insect is beautiful. I had mentioned before about Michelle Stitzlein's found art insects thinking that those would be right up her alley. But today while looking at Drawn.ca, I found another amazing example of insect art that I might have to look into getting for her.

Mike Libby takes the actual specimens of insects and inserts mechanical parts to create his art. His beetles have propellers and gears. His grasshoppers receive springs. And everything is unbelievably beautiful. Libby describes it as the ultimate mix of science fiction and science. He says that so many science fiction pieces depict insects as robotic and that now scientist are studying insect behavior to learn more about mechanical movement. This is a beautiful blend of nature and machinery. I was enchanted by his work. So many beautiful insects. I have included one picture as a tease but you really need to head over to his site, Insect Lab Studios to see the rest. Gorgeous. And perhaps I have a new idea of a present for mom.

The ultimate summer snack

Since I've been writing down my calories lately I've been looking for new healthy snacks to eat. I tend to be a bit of a bored eater so I like to have something that I can snack on without too many calories. And I've rediscovered my absolutely favorite summer treat: frozen grapes. 

When I was young we ate a lot of frozen fruit. My mother always stocked the freezer with frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. We would open a bag and not wait for them to thaw. The blueberries would dye our fingers purple but they were so incredibly delicious. The raspberries were my favorite. After I left my parents house I stopped buying frozen berries. I didn't have a good enough freezer to keep them in any of the crappy apartments I lived in. 

It was finally after college that a friend of mine introduced me to frozen grapes. I would buy two bags of grapes on every shopping trip. One would be washed and left on the counter to eat fresh. The other would be washed, pulled off the stem, and put into a tupperware container for freezing. They become little frozen popsicles and I can eat almost unlimited numbers. I've frozen them for years now and love the cold sweet taste and the fact that they are good for me. I've also started buying other frozen fruits as well. I simply eat them plain but you can cook with them, add them to yogurt, or even cereal. 

A couple years ago I found that the Mayo Clinic offers a Healthy Weight Food Pyramid. I have this tacked up on my fridge as a reminder of how to eat healthy. And the big thing for this pyramid is the fruits and vegetables. As you'll see, they are unlimited. And with treats like frozen grapes, that's an awfully sweet deal.  

Childfree Day

In the mid 1990s Leslie Lafeyette, the founder of the Childfree Network, put forward the idea of having a day to celebrate the childfree choice. Her idea is that the holiday would fall on the first Sunday of June, the mid point between Mother's Day and Father's Day. Although the Childfree Network itself is no longer around, the idea of a holiday has stayed. Well yesterday was World Childfree Day. It is another one of those odd little holidays that Jeff and I celebrate that most of the world doesn't.

And although I love the idea of a day to celebrate childfree people I do see one problem with the holiday, at least for Jeff and I. We celebrated the day the same way we do pretty much every day. Jeff stayed up way too late playing World of Warcraft the night before. I spent the morning hanging out in my local coffeehouse writing and drawing. We went out to lunch and then spent the afternoon reading or sitting outside enjoying the nice day. In the evening we scavenged together some dinner (each cooking our own meals) and then raided with the guild until very late. So in all honesty it was a pretty typical Sunday for us.

Jeff and I are blessed in that we have a lot of time to do whatever we want to do. I'm planning to start fencing lessons again soon. I have my writing which lately has been a priority. I'm also suddenly interested in baking and particularly cake decorating. And I have the time to try it. Jeff has the chance to quit work and go back to school because of our childfree status. He also gets plenty of play time in the process. It's a quiet life but one that I love. So while I can see the desire for a childfree holiday, I'm not necessarily sure I see the need. Everyday gets to be a holiday.

Feeder

Jeff had mentioned to me that the hummingbirds were back at my feeder finally. But I hadn't really seen one yet. So today I got a chance to sit outside, let the cat explore the front yard, and read. And in the process saw about eight hummingbirds. It is amazing how often they come with me sitting not five feet away. I can hear their little chirps and even hear the buzz of their wings. Anyway, a hummingbird picture. Sadly this is not one from today but one I took at my parent's house one afternoon. I love the tiny gauzy wings and the total lack of feet when flying.

And a gratuitous cat picture. (I thought about using a different word but figured it would pull a very different type of traffic to the site.)

Poetry Friday

There is only one poem that I can quote from start to finish without issue. One of my father's favorite poems was The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service, which has to be one of the funniest poems about death ever written. All of us kids (and I mean all) know the poem and most of us can recite the opening stanza. But I read Cremation and then went on to read more Service. And fell in love with his poetry. All of it. His most famous stuff is set in the Yukon Territory. The Shooting of Dan McGrue, The Spell of the Yukon, and of course Cremation. But he also wrote in Paris and during World War I. Cremation was too long but click on the link and read it. The ending is worth it.

Here is my other favorite poem by Robert Service, The Men Who Don't Fit In. I can recite this one at will.

The Men That Don't Fit In

There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.

They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.

They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.

And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.

Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.

Cartalog

About two years ago I was in one of the fun local coffee houses in Des Moines Mars Cafe and noticed an incredible sculpture. It was a large Question Mark made out of paper that hung from the ceiling. As I got closer I noticed something about the paper. It was written on. But not just any writing, typing that listed title and author and subject. The entire sculpture was made out of old card catalog cards. And it was not the only one. The coffee house was doing a show of card catalog art.

I didn't buy any of the art at that time and am kicking myself a little bit for it. The question mark that I loved was already purchased but there were a number of other sculptures and paintings that would have looked wonderful in my library. If only I had known.

But today I found a site that fills me with just as much happiness. Cartalog is the brainchild of some people at the University of Iowa who were trying to think of what to do with their old card catalog cards. The card catalog, those old relics of the library, was removed in 2004 and the library was recycling all their old cards. This group grabbed up about a quarter of the cards and have been sending them out to people to create art with. The art is then archived in the university library. As a librarian this makes me incredibly happy. As an art lover, I'm in heaven.

So I spent some time this morning on the site just looking at the interesting art ideas that people have thought of using the cards. There is everything from painting, sculpture, poetry, and paper cuttings. All of it is interesting and all unique. The project closed in 2006 after the full 1 million cards salvaged had gone out. Not all of them have returned to the library in the form of art pieces but there is enough to make a very unique and beautiful collection. Plus they had some other examples of card catalog card artists. And I'll check those out too. Eventually, as a librarian, I will just have to own a piece.

Naxx

Okay I've been officially chastised. And when it comes down from the guild leader, well...you know you have to say at least something. For those of you World of Warcraft players keeping track at home, our guild officially finished Naxxramas on Monday. It took us from April to the end of May to finish with a mostly two night a week schedule. The Plague Quarter and the Arachnid Quarter is almost at farming level for us by now. And we were having good success with Military. Other than Gluth we could handle Construct Quarter. And that just left the big boys.


We finished with Thaddius late Sunday night. Midnight server time, 11 my time. We clicked on the portal to head back to the start only to come face to face with a huge bone dragon. This is Sapphiron, the second to last boss. Image pulled from WOW Insider.




Although it was bedtime for nearly half the group we decided to give him one shot. What could it hurt? We spread out all on the left side and started hitting him hard. He's a toughish fight with two phases. The first is a ground phase where he hits us with a blizzard and hit the tank with some serious frost breath. Then he heads up into the air for the second phase and turns two people into blocks of ice. Everyone then rushes to get behind the blocks before he blasts us with a frost wave. We got him to about 50% I think, before he demolished us. Time for bed but with a promise to head back on a rare Monday night.


The next night we figured we had all night to try him. So we started slow, and wiped. And wiped again. On the third attempt it was suggested that we spread out on both sides to move the blizzard around a bit more. And with only a death or two, we managed to bring him down. Yay! And the night was still young. So we headed on to the final boss, Kel'Thuzad.


I figured the final boss of a huge ten man raid would be tough...and boy I was right. KT has two (maybe three) phases. The first one is interesting. The group stands in the middle of the floor, back to back in a big green circle as he sends mob after mob after you. My job was banshees, the casters who moved slow but were deadly if they reached the circle. This phase wasn't much of a stress for us. Then KT joins the fight. And he is tough. He turns people into iceblocks as well but these blocks are deadly if they aren't healed through. We lost a ton of people to these until we noticed the warnings and could keep an eye out. But we had to spread out because if you are standing too close to anyone else, you both get blocked.


He also mana bombs someone during the fight. That will explode and hurt others if you are again standing too close. Oh yes and he likes to randomly drain health. This is a healers nightmare. We wiped a couple of times but again the night was young so spirits were high. On the last attempt we got him down to over halfway and he called on two scarabs (3rd phase?) to join the fight. That was the moment when our main-tank paladin went down. It was also the same moment that our off-tank (feral druid) stepped up and took on both KT and two scarabs. It was amazing. I died shortly after the scarabs joined and watching and waiting was excruciating. It was literally edge of your seat, crossed fingers, praying moment. And the guild was able to pull it off. One tank on a two tank fight, four dead group mates, and one dead Kel'thuzad. And we were done. It was a huge moment. And yes I have been a bit remiss for not posting anything yet. So Nez, are you happy now?

Devilishly Gorey

I haven't posted in a couple days which feels really weird. Work has been crazy these last two days and I haven't been feeling great. Yeah I know, want a little cheese to go with that whine? Needless to say I'm feeling better and thing should be a little more back to normal tomorrow. My job tends to be feast or famine and this week is beyond feast. Which wipes my brain and doesn't allow for thoughts beyond just home, food, sleep. Even this won't be my best post, but hey, at least it's something.

I could say that my mood has been a bit dark. But that could just be the the Gorey stuff I've been reading. Not horror novels, although they can be fun. Instead I've been reading a lot of Edward Gorey. Even if you don't know the name you know his style. Gorey is known for cross-hatched artwork that combines old fashioned images with a wonderfully morbid sense of humor. Gorey's characters often die in unusual ways. His stories are like little comic strips that only run a couple of pages. His most famous book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, is an alphabet book where each child dies in a strange or unusual way. (A is for Agnes Who Fell Down the Stairs). His cartoons are not for everyone but there is definitely a sense of humor about them. I was shocked to learn that Gorey died just nine years ago. Looking at his illustration work I would have assumed that he had written at the turn of the century.


I've been picking up his books from the library and have been enjoying the brief stories and dark images. Over the weekend I read Gashlycrumb Tinies, Amphigorey Too, and Amphigorey Also. Not sure why this is appealing to me suddenly although Cabinet of Wonders did mention him recently. But I was raised on Gorey along with Chas Addams (creator of the Addams Family), Gahan Wilson, and Gary Larson. We had all kinds of reading material but I tended to gravitate towards some of the more unusual ones. There is a darkness to these cartoonists and a humor that make them perfect for me. I tend to have a bit of a morbid sense of humor. Comes from having a doctor for a father. And Gorey is just too devilishly fun to pass up.