Monday, August 4, 2008

Our little corner of the web

Extraordinary photo by Andif.

30 comments:

Nancy P said...

I just had a root beer float.

Maria Lima said...

Insomnia strikes.

Mmm, root beer float! Nom, nom.

Talked to my stepsister tonight (the actress in LaLa land). We will probably be working on a new project together...new/old that is - a script of Matters of the Blood.

She's looking for a project to pitch/finance/option.

How is this my life?

::puts on the amazement colored glasses::

Of course, I know that in all likelihood, nothing real will happen, but I figure nothing ventured, no movie optioned.

Hope everyone else is sleeping soundly.

AndiF said...

Good morning all.

That's very "wow" news, Maria. Good luck.

Kimberly Frost said...

Morning, everyone:

Maria, that's cool news. A friend of mine just had her book optioned (for a T.V. movie or series), and it was a all very exciting. Especially since she got paid. Always a wonderful thing. ;)

I'm just back from San Francisco and settling in for a day of rain as a tropical storm dumps water on the Gulf Coast.

Have a wonderful day!

Anonymous said...

Love the spider web Andif--
The pattern and how it catches the light is awesome.

Holding hand up for a root beer float. Sounds like a good breakfast with the heat these days.

Maria--An interesting prospect for you. I the newbie and aren't familiar with what you do exactly. Keep us updated.

Kimber--you've been on my mind with Eduoard. I'm jealous of your rain but hope it doesn't get too stormy and flooding. Hope SF was a good experience.

Tenacious Tuesday to all.

Kelly McCullough said...

That's really gorgeous.

Maria, good luck, or perhaps break a leg.

Caffeine...(waves absently as he zombies off)

Nancy P said...

Fingers SO crossed, Maria, plus you and she are going to have so much fun writing this. At least, I hope you will. She needs to let you do the writing and she can just tell you how a script should look. :)

G'morming, Andi, Kimberly, Lisa, Kelly,and all who come next!

Andi, I just can't get over that photo. The color you captured makes it so unusual. Plus, that was a very neat spider.

Larry Kollar said...

Not much going on this morning. I'll take one of those root beer floats, plz.

Yesterday evening got totally shot to hell, writing-wise. I got home, Mrs. Fetched asked me if I'd help her mom pick tomatoes. Sure, especially since she promised to fix something to eat while I was doing that. We ended up getting six (3 gallon ±) buckets (OMG, mah bukkits r fulla maters!).

Sitting down at the computer, for the first time since Friday, the other shoe dropped. I'd forgotten that Mrs. Fetched was going to take M.A.E. (a former girlfriend of The Boy, now in a stable relationship and a mom) some food — her sister ran up the power bill & what they don't dump on groceries they can use to pay the rent & utilities. (The guy does construction, and recent heavy rains have curtailed his hours.) 'Twas 11:30 when we got home, and I went straight to bed.

Hey Maria, I hope that movie option thing comes through for you! At least you don't have to worry about the scriptwriter mangling the plot, right?

AndiF said...

Nancy, I think it must be Hoosier virtues because all my spiders seem to be neat freaks. For example:

[LINK]

[LINK]

[LINK]

(why yes, now that you mention it I do like taking pictures of spider webs)

Anonymous said...

Andi, those are lovely photos of spider webs. You do know though that it would be me that would just happen to walk face first into it. Then you could photograph me freaking out. Walking into a web is like finding yourself drenched in Elmer's Glue. Ew!

Been a long busy week last week. Went to Portland's Flugtag. Was fun watching all the people powered crafts run off a barge and into the Willamette 25 ft below. We were rooting for Space Ball's Winnebago and Widmer Beer Guys.

Waves.

dina said...

Hi, everyone.

Andif - what great spider webs - loved them all. Just the way I like them - far from me.

Maria's news is great and may it lead to much moola and fun casting (which I have volunteered to help with)

And here's to a good night sleep.

Anonymous said...

Nancy, you're Virgin of the Small Plains story...

Twice now in a week I've been the victim of horrible nightmares. Well I can't really call them nightmares as I don't recall the dreams. Just that I wake up in a dead panic. And I'm only in the first few chapters so I'm not sure what even happened to the dead girl.

It's about the same panic feeling that I got when I first layed out the post in Booman about my being attacked and left behind like garbage. Maybe it's all these Republican Candidates and their Fundraiser pals jokes about rape and rape victims in the real news lately that have me double checking my breathing patterns. I dunno. Maybe I'm just edgy for a lot of reasons. :)

But Damn Lady! Good book! I know it's good if I CAN'T put it down or if I HAVE to put it down for an itsy bitsy.

Nancy P said...

Far, you and Mrs. Far are good peeps.

Dina, yes, casting! ::waves::

Janet, really?? They really ran off a barge into water 25 feet below?? Oh, splat!

And Janet, put my book down at once!! It's not supposed to scare you so much. You bring a "special" history to it, alas. ::hugs Janet::

Nancy P said...

Andi, Hoosier virtues, lol. Camera hogs is more like it.

Nicola Slade said...

Sorry - total foreign ignoramus. What's root beer? I know they drink it in American novels but I've never actually looked it up. Roots? Vegetables? Hmmm, parsnip and beetroot beer? Sounds - er - delicious???

Nicky

AndiF said...

DJ, I walk into spider webs all the time. My favorite (yeah, right) is when I get the webs on my glasses -- life suddenly becomes very fractured looking.

Nicola, I was going to explain root beer to you but the wiki on it does a better job than I could. [LINK]

Anonymous said...

Andif,

I am fascinated by the variation of your three additional spider webs.
The 1st a portal to a fantasy land.

The 2nd much more sinister. A warning or temptation to the dark side.

The 3rd a delicate and fragile banner to what is often invisible.

As school gets closer I am continually thinking of activities for my students. These types of pictures get my A D D mind working overtime.

AndiF said...

Lisa, I'm delighted to find the webs helpful (I'm married to a teacher so I'm really happy to be helpful in some way other than grading tests).

So now I can't resist posting a couple of older shots.

I love the delicacy of this one. [LINK]

This is probably my all-time favorite. Warning: spider in this one. [LINK]

And hi to everybody and thanks for all the kind remarks on the pics.

Larry Kollar said...

Janet, the Planet Georgia spiders seem to think it's great fun to string a guy-line at face level. (You know why they're called guy lines, right? Because some guy is gonna walk into it.) Then I use a large quantity of words I prefer to use sparingly online. Once in a while I'll nail the little SOB who did it, but mostly they get away to laugh and plot their next ambush.

A 25ft drop? Um. OK, you win. I'll take the spider web.

Nancy, thanks. Food is something we can share quite easily, so we certainly don't have a problem doing it.

boran2 said...

That really is an extraordinary photo, Andi. Is that sunrise of sunset? Or am I seeing this the wrong way.

I have yet to take any decent photos this summer. Hopefully I'll get some out in Mannyland.

Maria Lima said...

Wow, you guys sure have been chatty today. I, on the other hand, spent most of the day meeting with my Project Manager and working on work things. ::g::

Lisa - In answer to your question, I'm a writer and Matters of the Blood is my first published novel (3/2007). My 2nd book, Blood Bargain, will be out this November. In the day job, I'm Director of Client Services for one of the leading interactive Web agencies in the DC metro area. Whew, a mouthful!

Nancy - so right - she's going to help with the formatting/Holly-speak and I'll do the writing part.

FAR - hee! Plotting, I can do.

Andi - I *adore* the web photos!! Might I use one or more of them to make icons for my LiveJournal? I shall, of course, credit you.

Hope everyone's having a lovely week!!

And Dina, on the casting thing...ha! I wish!

Anonymous said...

Maria -- So your story takes place in the Texas Hill Country. What's your background there? I live in Dallas and own property north of Llano at Cherokee. I'm going to have to get your book. I enjoy reading stories that take place in Texas.

Andif--More webs--you are fabulous
I enjoy that you are showing us the depth of your photographic prowess.

Nicky--I have a friend, a student from years ago that now lives in London. I love to talk to her and hear the slang or British terms she uses. You asking about root beer is so fascinating. We forget that some things aren't universal.

Nancy P said...

Hi, b2, and a top o' the evenin' to ya.

Maria? Does your cousin want to play the lead? :) You ARE going to find a place for "Spike" in it, right?

Nicola, root beer has, to me, a strong biting taste. Needs to be *very* cold and, if it's plain root beer and not a "float," it should be served in an iced mug from which little sheets of ice fall off inside and outside the glass, like sleet. Yum. Vanilla ice cream for the float, of course. You've made me wonder if anybody ever comes to it as an adult, or if you have to approach it first as an innocent child with virgin taste buds. Hee.

Anonymous said...

Yup a 25ft drop. It's called Flugtag - it was sorta like MTV meets the Xgames. It was really odd seeing all this stuff in the river since Portland is one of the most green cities. But they picked it all, the requirement was it was to be made out of recycled and safe for the environment, up with a crane and some canoer types.

((((Nancy))))), No worries babydoll, I don't break. Boot I'mza gonna' reads it nozmadda what. :)

Farfetched, my husband totally fuhhhreaks out about spiders. It's the ONE thing he just can't stand. But I'm the one who always seems to get webbed. Or Jellyfished, but that's another story. :)

Nicola can either wiki rootbeer or ask the ultimate Rain Man in rootbeer, beach boys or James Bond. My son. :) Right now Virgils is his favorite and coinkydinky it was listed as the best rootbeer in the Portland Monthly as well as some fancy schmancy beer/wine/spirits magazine. I forget which. I have working Mom braifartitus tonight.

waves from a boiling Oregon...

AndiF said...

b2, it is sunrise. And you will definitely have lots of fine photo ops out in Tucson. And my rec for the not-to-be-missed is the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Favorite hike: Hugh Norris Trail in Saguaro National Park (west division).

Maria, feel to use whichever of the web photos you want.

Lisa, ::blush::

Maria Lima said...

Lisa - I'm a former Texan - moved there at 14 and left about 8 years ago. Spent my high school years primarily in Lago Vista (about 40 mi. NW of Auatin) and then post-HS in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and back to SA. I have a special place in my heart for the Hill Country.

Nancy - I don't know if my stepsis wants to play Keira. It would be a bit of a long shot, but she could probably play Bea. :) (And there's *always* room for James Marsters...)

Andi - thanks so much! Soon as my mad Photoshop skillz (more like amateur skills) come back (e.g., I have more energy), I'm going to play with the pics.

I'm toddling off to an early bed/reading time as I'm exhausted. Insomnia last night kept me up past 2 a.m. The ensuing restless night + long work day = a tired Lima.

Bonne nuit a tout!

Anonymous said...

Nicola is from the UK??

That's where Wes' favorite root beer is from. Virgils. Good stuff.

And Nancy had it spot on about how to enjoy root beer. ICE COLD.

A little secret I learned when working at Baskin & Robbins ice cream shop was instead of using Vanilla ice cream for milkshakes and floats... use FRENCH VANILLA ice cream. More creamier and makes for a thicker shake. I think it's due to the egg yolk being used in French versus Plain.

(((Andi))) one thing about walking into webs is that you are just CERTAIN the spider in still in your hair. When it's probably lurking in some corner cursing that they'll have to spin it all over again. :)

AndiF said...

Well DJ as long as they eat any ticks they find while they're in my hair, I'm fine with them being there.

And with that, I believe I'll follow Maria's excellent example and head off to bed. Night all.

Nancy P said...

What a good idea, DJ--French vanilla ice cream in a float. I think I'll get the ingredients and surprise my mother with one this week. (Mugs Up Root Beer for me.)

Nicola Slade said...

Aha, thank you, Andif and everyone. So it's sarsaparilla? I've heard of that, also sassafras tea. (OK, the place I heard it was in the Katy books,but I've come across root beer in modern books.)
Yes, cultural differences are fascinating. I have a friend in Vermont and we met when we both lived in Egypt; I remember her being fascinated by the word 'nappy' where you'd say 'diaper' and she also thought 'fortnight' was hysterical! For my part I though the word 'tardy' on school reports (kids at American school in Cairo) was charminly quaint and oldfashioned!

Blogging is sooooooo educational!
Nicky