The Ciel Show

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Monday, December 15, 2008

It's cold!

When I got up this morning into a very cold house--even with the woodstove still putting out some heat from the last of the wood that went in just before bedtime--and later, driving out down the icy local roads about 4 miles, it was more than ever certain that driving across half the country this week would have been a bad idea. There's a bit of wind, and a lot of ice, but clear sky and no more snow coming for a few days--so, presumeably quite a bit milder than up in the mountains. And even so,... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The snow is coming down...

...and I can enjoy it! It's Davy's first snow, and I am hoping it gets deep enough to amaze him. Anything over two inches is a rarity in our corner of the woods. Once again, I am glad to be staying home after watching some news photos of vehicles not making it up the ramp and over the bridge--had no idea that tire-tracks could make those kinds of shapes...! When it gets really cold here, I get a fire going in the woodstove, and start the fans--one blows over the stove from behind, the other, a... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Too bad...

Wouldn't you know, after such a mild late autumn, the first major winter storm of the season is swooping down upon the western states and provinces this weekend, and next week will be deep in snow throughout the route I had proposed driving to Colorado. And it will be very, very cold. Part of me was a bit leary of this first proposed long-distance road-trip with Davy--used to going out at will overnight through the handy doggy-door to solve any little biological problems that might occur to... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Happiness runs... sometimes, it drives!

Yesterday the decision was made: gas prices are down enough, I am going to drive out to pick up Charlie at school for his winter break. It will still cost more than flying, but about a third what the summer trip cost. And it will be a lot more fun than the brief drive to the airport and back! And I will get to take pictures of the West in winter. This time Davy is going along. He is pleased to ride in the truck now, gazing out the window. He is learning to restrain his frantic barking at people... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, December 5, 2008

I've been reading...

Will and Ariel Durant's THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION. This was a requested Christmas present last year, after I spotted it in a secondhand store, the entire set of 11 volumes, the least one of which is over 700 pages of quite readable history and analysis. The original intent was to read it in the order in which it was written, a project which itself took some 40 years: the first book is copyright 1935, the last, 1975. But I got distracted, and now I am reading it like a reference, searching out... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, December 1, 2008

The Other Wall

By the time I got there today with all the little caption signs to post by the photos, The New Moon Cafe was well into breakfast, and the owner told me he'd already had some inquiries about whether the pictures are for sale or not. That's an encouraging sign! Charlie and I had an excellent breakfast while I put up the signs. Here are the photos that went up on the other wall: These are all from a September morning in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone--at least some were posted in earlier pages... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Show went in today!

Two walls, lots of room, two themes filled them nicely! These are the photos that went up on the first wall... The dimensions of each frame are not quite true to life, some of them have 8x10 openings and some are 5x7. And none of them are actually square. Also, they're displayed in a line across the wall, not like this stack, and the wall is not black. Tomorrow after I put some finishing touches on the display, I will take some pictures of the pictures to show you how the show actually looks.... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Speaking of music...

I get to take Charlie to his first grand concert! We have tickets--main floor, right in the center--for Seattle Symphony's performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in January. What a treat, to hear it again! What an even better treat to be able to be there with Charlie! Yesterday we sat and watched Peter O'Toole in Man of La Mancha, and now he is busy learning the songs. He's like that. Not a spectacular voice, but not too bad, and he likes to sing whole musicals, like Les Miserables, and... Sign in to see full entry.

Have I finally had enough?

Am I withdrawing finally from life-on-the-computer? I have spent more time on the computer than anywhere else in the past several years. I create here, I recreate, communicate and research. I get news here. I process and print photos here. I bank and order pharmaceuticals and buy books and camera stuff here. The lack of balance in my life has been an increasing matter of discontent. Balance. So--no, I am not abandoning Blogit or Middle-earth or e-mail... But just yesterday I bought, and today... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Reality vs Virtuality

There are so, so many virtual worlds, so many virtual lives one can live online... While it is entertainment, pure and simple relief and escape from work and routine, for some players, it takes on all the hues of addiction. There was a time, in the first flush of excitement and the novelty of it all, that I could not walk past the computer without sitting down to play 'for a few minutes.' Well, a few minutes turns into a few hours and you don't even notice. You forget or ignore your body's... Sign in to see full entry.

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