Tricks and Treats

It's time for Halloween.  We got in the festive mood this year and decorated the house.  We carved pumpkins this year too.  

Here's my spooky Jack pumpkin

And Ed's dragon

After we were done carving, I roasted pumpkin seeds.  Yummy treat!

Suncatchers

These are made from pony beads.  Crafty day with a client.  One of my coworkers showed me how to make these.  Very simple.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cook for about 20 mins or until beads are melted.  Leave an open space for a hanging hole, or you can insert a metal washer before melting.

Personal culture project

Line drawing

Finished color

This is a project that I created for school.  It is a small market bag that I decorated with Copic markers.  The assignment was to create a culture box.  Each of the elements on the bag represents an element of my personal culture.

New art for my casa

I made new art for my apartment.  Collage work on painted plywood. This is on the wall behind my couch

And an accent piece for one of the side walls.

Here is my gun. Freeze!

I discovered this week that it isn't a good idea to tell the clerk at the hardware store that you're building a freeze ray gun...especially if you have purple hair.

These are my staring components

And, close to finished project. Still needs a little bit of work

Copic drawing for a raffle basket for work.

Dream of Space

I love all-things vintage sci-fi, especially work from the 1950s and early 1960s. Much of my own writing is inspired by old sci-fi movies, books, and art.

Today, instead of posting a new poem I would like to share one of my favorite blogs.
Dream of Space is a beautiful collection of space-related print media marketed to children. The archives contain wonderful artwork about visions of space travel and adventures on other planets - some serious and scholarly, others pure flights of fancy. I hope that you will take some time to enjoy this blog.

Somewhat related...

At some point in the 1980s, I remember reading a futuristic short story about two children who find a book in storage. The children grew up reading on electronic screens and had never seen a book before. The story is about the children discovering the process of reading the printed word. It was written at the point when home computers were starting to become readily available - though at the time electronic transmission of information was still limited and it would be another decade before Internet access for the common consumer would be marketable. I don't remember the name of the story, but it still sticks with me today. Every time I see a Kindle or a Nook I think about that short story and I smile.

"The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps" Carl Sagan, 1994

Ed Versluis Memorial contest

I entered the Ed Versluis Memorial Contest at Southern Oregon University again this year and I placed first for poetry - second year in a row!

The poem is printed on the Cognito blog, which is run by students in the English/Writing program at SOU. All of the winning entries can be read by clicking HERE.

Congratulations to all of the finalists.

Currently Reading...

Fables, volume 6
Unwritten
Mr. Hyde
The Walking Dead

fun with photoshop

Currently Reading...

Locke & Key, Volume 2
Fables, Volume 3
Axe Cop

Currently Reading...

The Guild
(AKA...super cool Christmas present from a friend)

Currently Reading...

Starship Troopers
The Walking Dead, volume 4

Sex Advice From Poets

If The Ezra Pound was a sex position, what would it be?
It would last longer than it should, you’d never know what’s going on, and it would get you thrown in an asylum.

Read more at Nerve.

Rik Mayall Recites Angry Poetry

Probably best known in the States as Drop Dead Fred. He seriously brings the funny.

Katie Loves Star Wars

This is a deviation from the normal postings that appear at Sweet Lozey, but I felt that I needed to share with you this story that tugged at my heart.

This story is about little girl named Katie who is being bullied for bringing a Star Wars water bottle to school. This girl is awesome and she's courageous. She felt like she had to conform to the norms in her school and carry a pink water bottle instead. But, after talking to her mom about what was happening at school, she decided to stand up for herself. Not only did she decide to keep the Star Wars water bottle, but she also rocked her Star Wars t-shirt at school.

I am proud of kiddos who are bold enough to stand up for what they believe in, even if it's the right to be a Star Wars fan. And, I am proud of kiddos who are comfortable with being different and don't give in to group pressure to conform.

Please read Katie's story. And, if you're a Star Wars lovin' chica, please leave a comment on her blog post and let her know. Her mom is letting her read all of the positive feedback so she will get to hear your encouragement.

Katie Loves Star Wars

bleep bloop bleep

Pipe cleaner art from a training that I went to this weekend.

Currently Reading...

Scott Pilgrim, Volumes 1-6
Flat Broke With Children

poetry at work

I work overnight shifts at a youth shelter. Sometimes in my down time in the middle of the night I write poetry on the walls in the dining room.

Wednesday night's poetry included: Claude McKay, Bob Perleman, Rodney Koeneke, and Ron Padgett.

An ecclectic, but fun, mix of poems.

Shadow Poetics

This is an interesting read. All writers, in my opinion, benefit from instruction and mentorship. Even those with the greatest amount of natural talent find discipline with instruction. But the rising cost of university tuition is making college-level study increasingly difficult to attain - leaving more and more students in debt when they graduate. I love the idea of trading jam and publishing services for literature and poetry classes.

Rethinking Poetics on SwoonRocket