Yay Publicity!

Well, I know I'm just one of the many who will be posting this, but the more the merrier, right?

We've made it to the Big Time!

Blood on the Keys

I look down. There's a red smear across the keys. I look at my hands and there is blood.

Is it mine? I do not know. The last six hours are a blur.

There is a snub-nosed revolver sitting next to me, empty chamber visible in the dim light.

Images flash through my mind, but I don't know if they are real or imaginary. Right now, I'm not sure what is what or if it is anything at all.

There's a bottle of whiskey next to me. I pick it up and take a sip. The last thing I remember before slipping into blackness is those words on the page in the typewriter in front of me.

...In case of my untimely death.

Out of Curiosity

I grew up on red rock in southern Utah and I've always loved how that feels.  I like sandpaper because it reminds me of that.  So here's my question:  should I bind a book in sandpaper?  I know it's feasible, but would it be attractive?  You tell me.

Programming Note

We apologize for the programming blackout. Your regularly scheduled programming will be resuming next week. We thank you for your continued loyalty and support.

Until then, please enjoy a few of our more popular past episodes.
The Shadow Curriculum
A Primer on Dinosaur

Cloudeating

We must have driven this road a thousand times, and ridden the valley below as well.

I look up and the sky is a perfect blue, but around me, all you can see is white.

My mind breaks free of my thoughts and I wonder where we are--outside of being inside a cloudbank.

I search for landmarks but the far ones are gone, eaten by the clouds. So I look inward, searching for the familiar in the jumble.

The touch of sunshine grows on my cheek, and at once, impossible blue abounds, the mountain in front of me shining in full glory, reigning above the clouds, truly a queen.

Down below, the river rushes on, while water turning gray, hinting at the runoff to come. By then, the clouds are but a wispy reminder in the sky, hiding behind the mountain, their queen.

A Primer on Dinosaur

Like Chinese, Dinosaur is an immensely complex language, relying on inflection and tone to convey meaning, due to the limited range of vocables obtainable by dinosaur anatomy.  However, despite these limitations, dinosaur is a language that is both expressive and dynamic.

Like pirate, a large lung volume is essential for proper pronunciation of many of the more... forceful words in dinosaur. That said, force is not everything in speaking dinosaur. Most important is the feeling with which you speak.

To begin learning dinosaur, it is unnecessary to spend time learning the delicate grammatical structures and constructions. The best way to learn dinosaur is to jump in headfirst. And please, try not to get eaten.

The first word any dinosaur learns to pronounce is rawr. Pronounced are with an r on the front--a sof a. It means "I love you," and it is said frequently to young dinosaurs.

Rer, pronounced rare, is a next word to learn. It widely means "what," though it has many known variants when used in context.

Ror, pronounced roar, is the standard dinosaur greeting.

Rir, pronounced rear, means "yes," in dinosaur.

These four basic words, and the sounds underlying them, form the basis for dinosaur. With them, you can begin to understand this beautiful and expressive language.

Stay tuned for my continuing study into this fascinating topic, including a guide to grammar and more vocabulary!

One last word: Ri, pronounced reeeee, means "don't eat me." The longer the i is held, the more desperate and moving the plea.

Ken Sanders Redux

THE ANSWER IS MORE BOOKS

(I apologize--some of the pictures turned out a bit blurry.)

I wish I could share the smells with you. I've talked about them before, I know, but still. It's the smells that stick with you. They can call up poignant memories of the past, of an event, of a person or place.

Favorite Corner

 The aisles are narrow and the floors are cold, but I love this place. Scattered throughout are chairs, perfect for sinking down among the books and reading.

There's a corner of the store I love, and I can't even tell you why. It's at the back, with a window nearby and shelves all around. I stand there and just stand, not even needing to look at the books around me. Total immersion, I guess you can call it. I'm surrounded and it's peaceful.

Turn around and there is the light, the light at the end of the tunnel. Out there, outside, is the real world, a world where things aren't a clear as they are in here. Things make more sense surrounded by books--you know that if you look, you can find an answer.

Standing, looking down from mystery and sci-fi, I feel like Fleming's Bond--he's just on the other side of the aisle. My camera becomes my weapon as I covertly take pictures, attempting to preserve a little bit of this place that holds so much for me.

Wants

Thanks to drafting a ten page paper for today I didn't have time for anything more than this...

all I can say is...YELLOW!

for my tea party

for no reason at all

MUST HAVE!!  anyone want to loan me a few thousand?

and that is all...

The brain is mush

For some reason, I like the word fuzz.

Not in the sense of fuzz being the police. Not too fond of that one.

But the word itself, for some reason, is a cool word.

So is splanchnic.

And rawr.

Yes, I just said rawr.

It's one of my favorites.

As noted by the title, my brain is mush. I'm writing this Thursday night to post at midnight and have been up for over 12 hours. 14, actually. Off of 5 hours of sleep.

So, as a result, I am going to entertain you with a scene or two from last fall's Noir, soon to become April's Noir. And the martini line, it's not mine. That credit goes to my best friend.


“You’re playing a dangerous game, Jessica.” Chief Reynolds said as she leaned in the doorway of his bedroom, “You better watch out. There’s trouble brewing in the city.”
    "I'm not really flirting with disaster right now, Chief. I'm just eyeing it across a smoky bar while holding a martini." She smiles that smoky smile and turns her back on the man, “I won’t tell your wife that I was here.”




I went home and pulled out that book of photographs. Julie had always liked to take pictures, and left me a few of them, to torment me. There was this one, of me at the beach with my mistress. God, I’d forgotten about her, and I don’t even know how. She was one of those women that could capture your soul and never let go. Course, when I met Elaine, things with her started to fall apart, and soon, I was married to Elaine, until she left me for another man. I’d been good, but not good enough, apparently.
    Holding the picture, I sat down on the edge of the bed. Remembering the time I’d spent with her didn’t hurt so much as ached. We’d had a beautiful thing, and I’d dropped it for what I thought was better. Looking at the picture, watching it shake with the movement of my hands, I shook my head.
    “My God.” I said, “I can’t believe it’s her.”

Midterms

Hi Ya'll...

I've got a midterm on Thursday, so once again, I will copy M with my version of the happy book.

1. Falling back in love with science. 2. Sending new problems at the gym. 3. Tell stories of my crazy childhood. 4. Human Anatomy and the awesome stuff it entails. 5. Getting an extension on a project. 6. Blister on my pinky finally being healed enough that I didn't rip it open today. 7. Spreading the word about typewritery goodness. 8. My birthday in the very near future! 9. Counting down to April. 10. Life and just how amazing it really is.

I'll see ya'll on the flip side after this week's midterm... though next week might be more of the same...

The usual

Yes, I (Art) plan on posting tomorrow. But, for the meantime, here are two links that I rather liked.

Delayed Gratification

A very different sort of story

Happy Book Second Edition

1. D.I. book finds
2. being caught up on homework
3. homemade F'zookies
4. a sign that says "MY SISTER LOVES GORDON" at the Jazz game on Saturday, that sister happens to be 5'1"...can you imagine? what a lovely couple
5. job applications
6. Dad borrowing my car for errands when I'm home and filling the tank to make up for what he used driving five blocks to the grocery store
7. the "little sisters" referring to my little sister, my best friend's little sister, AND all their friends
8. tragedy in my pet KBYU miniseries, (oh how I love L.M Montgomery)
9. Meredith's son's fiancee's sister-in-law said...
10. knowing every word to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Hi

Okay, as another Friday rolls around, I'm having trouble figuring out what I want to post. So, I thought that I'd share a post I found a few days back on one of my favorite sites.

Gadget Memories

Hopefully, as this week fades away, I'll be able to get back to posting more regularly, and on things that are actually related to CLUB. I just haven't had time yet.

A

March 2

I'm sitting in a room smelling of old books and pipe tobacco. Behind the blinds, there is dried ivy--it had come through the windows before they removed it from the building. On the wall across from me, there are boxes full of slides and film, and I wonder what is on them. Books have titles like Ghost Dance and the Ochoa Language, and are side by side with government records and reviews on all manner of things. So different than the conference rooms in my department, this is Anthropology.

We sit around a long wood table: two biologists, two anthropologists, and one philosopher. Today's topic is polyandry and polygyny in the Pimbwe, but it is bound to change. Every week, we gather to discuss anthropology and biology and sociology and philosophy and anything else that comes to mind.

This is the kind of thing I thrive on. Intellectual conversation, discussion, with enough humor to keep everything alive. Nothing is off limit here--socialism, religion, and western idealism and racism have all been topics of discussion. Some days, I feel grossly outclassed in intellect among this group, but still, it feels good.


This is the life.

Kicking Off March!

Well folks, it's finally here! March, the month before Script Frenzy, the month of my birthday, and, as I'm pleased to announce, Celebrate Local and Used Bookstores Month! (And you can call it CLUB month for short!)

So... A quick rundown of everything that you can expect to see (at least from me) this month:

April means Script Frenzy. For me, March is all about movies, script, and other sorts of awesomeness. Prepare yourself for my movie talk and the long awaited "A Long Affair."

This year, I'm treating myself for my birthday. So, with a little luck, you'll be seeing the newest addition to my typewriter family here on the blog.

And C.L.U.B... this is one that I'm excited for. I'll be profiling a few more local bookshops, and may even be posting a pictorial or video tour of Ken Sanders!

Well, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm pretty psyched for this month. So, let's get going!!!