Monday, January 28, 2008

Name This Photograph

Quick! Somebody give me a good headline or caption for this lovely photo by Andif. Aren't the colors subtle and beautiful? The instant I saw it I thought it "looked like" a poem, though I haven't stopped to figure out why it strikes me thus. Am I grateful for her photos on these days when I have absolutely nothing to say? Why, yes I am, thank you for asking. I'm guessing you guys will have fascinating, hilarious, friendly, or creative things to say, so I'll see you in the comments.

66 comments:

Nancy P said...

I want to tell you that Marie Callendar makes the most delicious apple crumb pie you can possible imagine. And served hot, with ice cream? Oh, my.

G'night.

Family Man said...

Good morning Nancy.

I've never been good at naming things, but the picture reminds me of a SF kind of world. At the top where you can see the frozen atmosphere and then different landscapes below.

I've tried different Marie Callendar frozen entrees before, but haven't tried the apple crumb pie yet. I think your recommendation just made up my mind for me. :)

AndiF said...

Caption: Damn, I guess I need to get my bifocals adjusted again.

Nancy! It happened ... just like I said it would. It's warmed up and the picture is melting!!!!

Morning FM.

Rick Bylina said...

Not sure about a title, but that eye staring back from under the water freaks me out.

Anonymous said...

Morning, andi, fam, and Rick (and Nancy, when you get up). I just love this picture - and the melting one! But boy does that water look cold...

I ate Moravian sugar cake all weekend, so will have to forego the apple crumb pie for a while...but I'll enjoy it vicariously here.

Larry Kollar said...

I'm with FM, "Alien Landscape" works. I think Europa is supposed to have liquid oceans under its ice, maybe "Europa Landscape"? Great pic, Andi… too bad it melted.

I used to loooove Marie Callendar meals, Nancy… then I started looking at the labels. OMG, the sodium! Why can't they make something that good w/o all the freeking salt?

Hey Rick… do you think that eye belongs to Lot's wife? :-)

Beth, sugar cake? That sounds… dangerous.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, Far. "Yeast-raised dough, rolled out and topped with an irresistible combination of cinnamon, pure butter and brown sugar, then baked until golden brown."

Nuked for 15 seconds...I gained 2 pounds this weekend on it!

Jen said...

Frozen Ripple

(Hey, did somebody say Ripple?)

::yawns:: Mornin' y'all. Floridians will attempt to vote in the primaries today, but we've secretly replaced their ballots with alien generated SAT exams. Will they notice? Let's watch!

Anonymous said...

Hey, Jen. Good to see you out and about. I'll be staying inside with the TV off today, as the Republicans duke it out in our fair state. You're right - I doubt they'll notice...

Maria Lima said...

Top of the morning to you all!

Nancy - mmm, pie!! Sounds like a dream pre-bed treat.

I survived the all-day meeting yesterday and got back to the office in time to do more work. Yippee?

For those of you interested, the first season of Farscape is now available for download on iTunes. (It's out on DVD, yes, but out of print and copies on eBay and such are running to the ridiculous amounts of $$)

Re: the photo, I like the idea of calling it "It's Melting" - per Andi's comment. ::g::

Hope you all have a fabulous day!

katiebird said...

And I defiantly had a scone yesterday, so I'll have to pass as well.

I love the colors and the impression of motion in today's photo. It IS ice, right? But somehow it looks like A game of Marbles.

AndiF said...

Hey all you writers, I bring you true inspiration -- our forecast, which has enough drama to power any number of short stories.

Today: Periods of showers and possibly a thunderstorm, mainly after 1pm. Some of the storms could produce gusty winds. High near 54. Breezy, with a south southwest wind between 17 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Tonight: Periods of rain showers before 10pm, then a chance of snow between 10pm and 1am. Some thunder is also possible. Low around 13. Breezy, with a west southwest wind between 22 and 29 mph, with gusts as high as 46 mph.

Nancy P said...

Poem #1

"Europa"

An SF kind of world,
alien landscape,
rozen ripple,
eye under water
freaks me out,
a game of marbles--
it's melting.

Nancy P said...

Poem #2

"Served Hot"

Yeast-raised dough
made up my mind for me.
Adjust my bifocals,
oh, my god,
the sodium.
Lot's wife,
freeking.

I defiantly
had a scone.

katiebird said...

I defiantly
had a scone.


Nancy, All I can say is you HAVE to read the post I've scheduled for 9:30 this morning. It's not up yet -- but it's written.

I want that on the record. I already wrote it.

PS: Cool poetry

Jen said...

Hi Beth, I keep meaning to email you and I keep spacing it -- my grandmother was delighted with the gift certificate I sent her and the place turned out to be less than 2 miles from her condo, so thanks again for your help with that. Much appreciated by me and my happy Gram. :)

Nancy P said...

Poem #1

"Europa"

An SF kind of world,
alien landscape,
frozen ripple,
eye under water
freaks me out,
a game of marbles--
it's melting.

Nancy P said...

I retyped the first one cause of a missing "f". Somebody else's bifocals need adjusting, too.

::note to self: 9:30 at kb's place::

Anonymous said...

And I kept meaning to ask, Jen. I'm SO glad she liked it!! Thanks for letting me know. Aren't you coming down this way soonish?

Nice poems, Nancy - sort of warped haikus! :-)

You guys are making me hungry again...

katiebird said...

Ah, never mind Nancy -- having read back through the thread I see that there's nothing particularly magic about it at all.

(sigh)) Half-wit, signing out.

Jen said...

B, I was hoping to come for my grandmother's birthday in March but it was sort-of a long shot d/t my chronic illness. Now that my baby sister has announced a July wedding, I'm aiming for a summer trip, but it's still pretty dicey as to whether I'll be able to make it.

You're leaving FL in the spring, right? Where to next?

Anonymous said...

Marie Callendar is evil - she came up with the idea of those miniature pies. Living alone I could never justify baking a whole pie - but a miniature pie? Evil. Just evil.

g'morning all.

Jen - the question is whether aliens with the technology to come to earth could actually get a high score on our SAT tests. I doubt it. I'm thinking no one will notice the ballot switching either. (And .. aliens again?)

ooh Andi could get Thunder Snow. Hope you've stocked up!

Anonymous said...

No kidding, mary. Now if the calories were just as miniature!

Leaving the first of April, Jen, heading for Colorado. Stopping to see andi, kb and Nancy on the way -sounds like Ghost and Far will be out of town, so I'll miss them. Then on to Idaho to pick up my stuff and back to CO...maybe back here next winter. I can't plan that far in advance! Sorry you won't be down here in March, but it's understandable.

AndiF said...

Nancy, neat comment-created random poetry.

Jen, a alien generated SAT is wonderful concept. XZCFDFDAD is to frastnap as debglub is to an orgasm. (some things are truly universal)

Mary, I love snow thunderstorms; I just prefer them without the 40 degree temperature drop in under 12 hours and the 50 mph winds.

Maria, thanks for the info on Farscape. I have all the other seasons and I'd love to have the full set.

Larry Kollar said...

Sounds like dramatic weather coming your way, Andi! That's one helluva cold front to take you from 54 to 13 in a night.

Nancy, great poetry. Now you weren't posting the Cormac poems anonymously, were you? :-)

Larry Kollar said...

Beth, we'll be out of town, and in Florida… maybe an hour or two from your winter retreat. :-P

Nancy P said...

"XZCFDFDAD is to frastnap as debglub is to an orgasm"


LOL!! (Did you hear the one about the aliens who took a course in Origami, thinking it was a course in Orgasms? They didn't get no satisfaction, but their planet is now the paper crane capital of the universe.)

Nancy P said...

T'weren't me, farfetched! I suspect Ghostfolk. I mean, have we ever seen Carmac and Ghost in a comment section at the same time?

Nancy P said...

True confession: I lost 10 pounds on a Marie Callendar Frozen dinner diet. Of course, I turned into the aforementioned pillar of salt, but hey, what's a heart attack compared to fitting into your old jeans?

Nancy P said...

lol! The very first line of kb's front page post on her own blog today:

I've been like a defiant child lately (I WILL have this scone.

Anonymous said...

Don't think it was Ghostie - he asked me who I thought it was...

You lost 10 pounds on Marie Callendars? (running to supermarket)

I'll wave as I drive past you, Far - bad timing on my part. But at least you'll be warm!

Nancy P said...

Ghost could be trying to mislead us. :)

I hope I didn't scare off Anon. yesterday with my rather blunt joke based on his/her words. I really love his/her contributions.

I always tried to pick the Callendar frozen dinners that didn't have any more than 350 calories per. I'm sick of them now, but I loved them for long enough to lose the weight--which has stayed off.

Anonymous said...

Come back, anon! We like you - we miss your contributions!

True, Nancy, he could be, the sly devil...

I'll have to go look at them - they'd be a nice addition to my cereal and salad diet! Yay that you kept it off, too.

Kelly McCullough said...

Howdy all,

It's damn cold here and getting colder. Was raining yesterday which turned to black ice last night and now we're getting a coating of snow over the top. My commute from bedroom to front room has rarely looked better.

I'll happily take the pie, and maybe a scone too, oh and some fantasy tea since there wasn't any waiting for me this morning--Laura's cutting back on the caffeine.

On titles, how about "A Reflection of Saturn's Rings," as that's what it made me think of?

Nancy P said...

Hi, Kelly. Your influence has me drinking a cup o' tea a day lately.

Great title. We'll start a new poem with it.

katiebird said...

It was 54 degrees & sunny as I drove to work this morning.

Now, it's 14 degrees and there's almost an inch of snow on the ground.

What a bummer that my inner brat can't take refuge in a scone and hot chocolate today!

katiebird said...

Ah, Nancy -- are you going to the EVENT today?

Anonymous said...

Wow, kb, what wild weather - and same with andi...I hear Idaho is getting dumped on. Conda, are you out there somewhere, staying dry and safe?

I have an extra room down here! Stay warm, everyone.

Spank that inner brat, kb!!

katiebird said...

Spank it? Are you sure? I was thinking about going across the street. Just to look, I promise?

Anonymous said...

No no! Don't go look! That's the first step. Then actually walking in and buying is too close. They'll be there when you've lost the weight - and the anticipation will make them taste all that much better.

If you can't see them, they don't exist. Beth's rule of dieting. :-) Blissful oblivion.

katiebird said...

(shaking my head) That's the really sad part. Now matter how long I hold off, they'll be waiting. Just waiting for me. I think that's the problem.

Blissful Oblivion -- another line to steal!

Anonymous said...

Steal away! :-)

But that's the good part. If it was only around today, you'd HAVE to have it. But there will always be scones. And at some point you can have them again. One every now and then. Everything in moderation...

Nancy P said...

kb, I'm going outside right now to shovel and check on conditions. If you don't hear back from me within the hour, send dogs with brandy.

Nancy P said...

Heck, that was easy. Shoveled our front walk and our neighbors', but didn't have to do the shared driveway because the wind was already blown off of it.

kb, I think I won't go. Too cold, and none of my political buddies are available to go with me, and I don't want to just go and wait by myself for several hours. I know this sounds like boo-hoo, but it's a relief to have an extra excuse not to get out on the snowy roads.

I'll happily read about it later.

katiebird said...

Nancy, you were out shoveling snow at the exact same time I was walking (in the big-empty-room -- not outside) I knew it was especially fun (and I think FARfetched joined us too!)

About the EVENT, judging by the others I've read about, you probably should have left by 9am if you wanted to get in the venue.

And it would have been a miserable wait today.

Funny, though -- it looks sort of sunny out now. What a weird day.

maryb said...

Well, the weather is almost here. I had no idea you were sending me ... snow! I thought it was just frigid temperatures. It was 70 degrees this morning and now it's in the 40's and it's supposed to get down into the teens tonight. Weird weather. But no thunder snow.

katiebird said...

I forgot to mention the Snow Thunder! But we did have that.

GhostFolk.com said...

Hey, anonymous isn't me, kids.

Besides, I thought it said "-cormac make coffee"

I also couldn't really tell if he was shooting the deer or the deer was shooting him. :-)

Nancy P said...

Hey, Ghost! Well, lol, and damn. I hope he/she comes back.


Are you writing cat stories like mad? Or, like, happy?

Say something to inspire me, okay?

Rick Bylina said...

Nancy...for your inspiration...

We were talking about gratuitous sex and senseless violence in stories on another site. The same territory was being covered, and I got bored. So I wrote...

...Neither gratuitous sax or scentless violets elevates story telling

I will never write a scene with someone playing a sax for a gratuity and just keep on and on and on long after the point is made that that's what is occurring. I mean, once he's done playing with his horn, fingering all the correct holes of the instrument in question, making Stardust Memories come alive by squealing the last notes, what's the point? Once the climax of the song in the scene is reached, everything else is just showing off...on to the next scene please. The story is being held captive by some sour notes at that point.

And it's simple. Violets with a strong scent makes sense as a strong message; scentless violets make no sense. Scenes filled with scentless violets stymies stories. Scentless violets don't stir strong emotions other than revulsion. Better to stir someone's senses with compelling violets that accentuate story sense.

God Bless you Rosanna Rosannadanna.

Go forth and write.

katiebird said...

What's the point of canceling a meeting (for bad weather) if you don't TELL the people who are planning on attending that you've canceled it?

I fight traffic (and 3 wrecks) across town only to find a hand-scratched sign saying Evening Meeting Canceled. It doesn't even say WHAT meeting.

Luckily a kind security guard confirmed that it WAS my meeting that was canceled.

F*ck!

katiebird said...

I guess the weather kept a lot of people away. From the news there's room for more people.

boran2 said...

Photo caption: That was the worst hangover ever.

Anonymous said...

the long morning showed the coming fury

i prepared for hours

a strong west wind blew in pushing rain then sleet then thundersnow let me know mother nature passed through and I should respect her and not stand in the way like other mens foolishness

shut the storm windows (something crashes in the darkness) marie callendar i dont know doughnuts and coffee help me hunker down and sharpen my resolve for another night of writing on paper with candles electricity will flee

sleep eludes me during storms the electricity excites me the pitch of danger explores my mind and I must capture the essence of the exultation until I am exhausted

i peek at a hundred year old cottonwood fallen by the creek ending its full life

Moses and Isabel stand ass faced into the wind. Moses is too stubborn and Isabel too cautious to move twenty feet to the barn shelter. when they get hungry or the snow stings too much or the moisture clings like ice crystals and clink like a cheap wind chime they will move

Fluffy lays across my feet

dumb name for a ninety pound dog

i appreciate the gesture

-cormac mccarthy

Nancy P said...

Brilliant, Rick! Or, if you prefer, Brilliant Rick.

But I fear you have inspired me only to wish you were writing my book instead of me.

Commit Scentless Sax of Violets?

Nancy P said...

cormac! What a wonderful use of today's comments.

"I appreciate the gesture."

:)

Rick Bylina said...

LOL. With nearly 500 rejections for my novels, I'm sure you don't want me writing yours.

Nancy P said...

Poem #3

(from the comments)

"A Reflection"

Saturn's rings!
That was the worst hangover ever;
Marie Callendar is evil.
Carmac, make coffee.

katiebird said...

I love the poetry. Have you ever thought of publishing?

Nancy P said...

You're talking to carmac, right, kb? I'm curious, too. Do you think it could be Rick, or Far?

Before I turned to a life of crime, I committed random acts of poetry and published some in a few undistinguished places. Now I can only do it by stealing lines from the comments that you guys write. :) It's fun. Want to try it?

katiebird said...

I thought you were writing the poetry?? Me? Try? no. {{shudder}}

Oh! I somehow missed the anonymous entry!

That's nice too.

GhostFolk.com said...

Rick (and Nancy!):

Go froth and right!

Larry Kollar said...

Not me, Nancy. I write haiku. I've never been able to do that stream of consciousness type of poetry and pull it off so regularly. I can appreciate a job well-done, and He Who Signs Cormac's Name is appreciated.

Rick, I played sax back in the day. They have keys, not holes. Clarinets and oboes have holes.

Awright, lemme give this a shot…

twiddling the keys
an occasional squawk punctuates the music
the dog looks at me reproachfully
my daughter rolls her eyes and cranks up
the volume on her iPod

I think at first I am getting some percussion
accompaniment
but it is only the wife
crashing pots and pans in the kitchen
trying to drown out my attempt to play
an instrument I have not touched
since 1977.

See? Not nearly as fluid.

GhostFolk.com said...

Cormac. Clues begin to accumulate. Arizona, New Mexico? I'm thinking more Zuni than Hopi. A little bit tall. And brilliantly shy to just peek. :-)

i peek at a hundred year old cottonwood fallen by the creek ending its full life

Fluffy is a wonderful name for a 90-pound dog. I am so jealous!

Nancy P said...

Far, actually I loved that, and it made me laugh--the lines about thinking you had a percussion accompaniment, but it was your wife crashing pans.

Maryb, sorry about the weather gift. :(

Ghost, it's fun not knowing, isn't it?

Rick Bylina said...

Yawn! Morning. Unfortunately, all I want to do is punctuate Carmax.