Wednesday, September 17, 2008

I Have Followers?

Hmm...When I go to my Blogger Dashboard, it now says I have two "Followers". Followers, eh? As opposed to you run of the mill Fiends? What do Followers DO, besides the obvious? Do they get to help me? Carry things? Or just follow where I may go....

Which is currently off to French class, then dog school, and then to Minneapolis for the night. I have to meet a plane at 5:00am tomorrow morning. A welcome chore, but an early one. I can't comment here from my phone, tho I will be reading them. If you want to talk about me like I am not here, or do some stalking, now is your chance.



This is where Cuthulu-carrot came from. It is a mess. And full of creeping things. Very creepy. But surely the Mandrake Root Trapped in a Carrot's body was a fluke...There could not be anything ELSE in there I am sure of it. No, it only FEELS like somethings are watching me when I go out and harvest.....(Cue music and stay tuned for what Might happen next)

If I could see what I was taking a picture of when I took pictures, this would have been a GREAT shot. As it is, here is half a flower.



Remain as sane as you can, my dear Fiends, while I am out in the world. I will be watching. Make me proud!

Love and Magic,
Lorraine

137 Comments:

At 1:29 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

It is far, far to late for sanity.

Or, would it be too early?

Drive safely, dear Ms. Fabulous.

 
At 1:38 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

I bet you it is a feature of blogger. For example I noticed that very recently on Nat's blog profile it says 'Spacedlaw follows these blogs" and yours was listed. I bet that is what it means. Just a feature that lets you list your favourite blogs and show the world that you follow them.... if it is at all like livejournal then this feature allows you to easily follow all your favourite blogs by listing them on a special page of 'friends' (or in this case fiends) so you only have to go to one place to see all the blogs (or maybe just your own profile).

 
At 1:50 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Yeah, "Followers" is new-- it allows you to stick a widget in your sidebar that shows who folows your blog, and it also puts a list of blogs you follow at the bottom of your profile. I've been ignoring it-- I figure people can look at my sidebar blog list if they want to know what I read-- why should I make things easy on anyone? Work for it, suckers! Nyah! ;P

Have a safe trip, Lorraine! We'll stalk you-- I mean speak fondly of you-- from here. Everybody got their binoculars ready? *hides in bushes* :D

 
At 1:51 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

One or the other Adriandalen. Not sure which. But if we are going to continue your idea of controlling others brains as a sport, I suspect the first.

No, Rubious, that is far too mundane. I think they are actual Followers. I can FEEL them Following. For all eternity....Like some sort of Haunted Souls...

 
At 1:52 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I see you in the bushes Jess, can't get me that easily.

Well, I know who all you Fiends are, and the lurkers are slowly crawling in from the shadows, so I don't need another thing to look at to see who everyone IS. If you see what I mean.

I like my idea better.

 
At 1:58 PM , Blogger Arwenn said...

I would think there has to be an oath or something to be considered a Follower. Plus, it's nicer that you are a Leader :)

 
At 2:09 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

An oath or a curse, Arwen, hee-hee...

 
At 2:20 PM , Blogger Phiala said...

And according to Google, there are 68 other subscribers to your blog (I'm one - I use Google Reader to manage RSS thingies).

Followers... stalkers... it's all good!
*hides in bushes with Jess* It's after 5, I can return to stalking people online!

Although it was entirely surreal when, while I was at a weaving conference, the person behind me in line for food looked at my nametag, then up at me. "Your blog says you're at Complex Weavers right now."

Er, yeah, it does, and", looking around, "I am!"

 
At 2:22 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

Perhaps they are new recruits in the worship of Fod?

Yeah for spending the night in the city(ies)!

 
At 2:25 PM , Blogger Phiala said...

Er, there should be more quotation marks scattered around that last line, but you're all smart, you figured it out already, right? :)

My music player ran out of batteries! *pout* How am I supposed to finish this wildly boring project without loud music?????????

 
At 2:28 PM , Blogger Stardustgirl said...

Hmmm.... Followers sounds like something you'd find in a religion. Maybe the Church of Fablo: Our Lady of Perpetual Music and Adventure.

Dunno about the Blogger thing since I put your feed on my Friends List on LJ, so I'm not sure if I qualify as a Follower, or a Follower Once Removed (sort of like that whole cousin thing).

Have a safe journey. 5:30am - Urgh.

 
At 2:53 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

Lorraine, I like the flower photo. If you hadn't said it was accidental I would not have known it.

 
At 3:11 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

I like the flower photo too! Makes me want to put it in some little Funky-cost-plus-impulse-buy-frame!

Good luck with the early morning pickup!

Followers huh? This is the sort of religious gathering i could get into though. I am a minister afterall, i need to be affiliated with something religious right?

 
At 3:33 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

Fablow; as you return to your regulary scheduled duties I salute you! **stands up, salutes, cuppa in hand**


"followers" makes me think of Twitter. I have 'followers' and have no idea who some of them are; but apparently they like things i've said in 140 characters or less..

or they're just trying to sell me something.

:)

 
At 3:34 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

Fablo
Fablo
Fablo


oops

 
At 3:51 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I'll take my followers but we have Fod for the religion . 68, eh? Who knew...

Back from French. Off to Dog School.

Fod help me on my French test tomorrow. Both correct math and spelling apparently COUNT.

 
At 4:01 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

who is Fod anyways? never been quite clear on that? for some reason I had the bad guy from superman in my head but he was actually Zod. hummmmmmm.

 
At 4:07 PM , Blogger mistress mousey said...

I'm with Maureen and Chantrelle. It sounds like a religion I could actually get behind. :)

 
At 4:16 PM , Blogger ivenotime said...

Fod is one of The Fabulous One's most excellent typos, oh no, it was Malena who had this beautiful post about believing in yourself, and then put Fod instead of God. Thankfully Malena has an excellent sense of humor - it was quite funny. So Fod is who we worship - anyone know when that was in particular? Anyway, my students are watching a movie, i get a break, hurrah! but its not near enough time to even read the last postings - aagh, too many, too little time. Lorr, hope the flight comes in ok - 5 am is brutal, but at least there's Caribou Coffee...

 
At 4:39 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Hehe - my actions started a discussion. I'm one of the followers. I discovered the feature mucking around the other day after I'd combined my blogger blog with my wordpress one (Fod knows why, it was easier to export blogger to wordpress)
I get confused - I have all my favorite blogs on Live Bookmarks in Firefox, and get RSS feeds into Thunderbird. I didn't know you had a feed at LJ. I'll subscribe to that too, just so I go totally crazy. Blimey, I could really get an overload of everyone. Did you say something about staying sane Lorraine? (oh, that rhymes)
BTW, how many of we fiends/stalkers/followers ARE on LJ?

 
At 5:00 PM , Blogger Stacy Hurt said...

ivenotime; Thanks! That's totally something I can get behind; a typo is the being we can be all worshipful to.

dragon;
I feel so left out; i have one measley little blog and that's it. No LJ; the facebook thing is so Fod awful confusing I refuse to partake even on the page my friend created for me...

Thank goodness we don't watch TV or I'd never have time catch up on all the 'reading' going on here lately.

Once my machine comes back from the shop though; I'll be scarce too I'm afraid.

Cheers!

 
At 6:58 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

Hi Stacey
one blog is more than most people have! Our family uses Facebook as our interactive photo album - its a great way to keep face-to-face with the rest of my mob who are spread over Australia and a few doing world trips (jealous? me?) as for the rest...its an addiction.

 
At 7:19 PM , Blogger Jess said...

I think Blogger should offer a "Stalkers" gadget in addition to "Followers", just so we all know where we stand.

*stands in bushes*

I think I like Blogger best-- it's very writing-friendly. It feels a more natural environment for sitting back and taking your time reading. I always found LJ a little too frenetic for that-- and people seem to lose interest in whatever's been blogged about more quickly over there. (Don't even get me started on all that whinging nonsense about how Your post is too long and screwing up MY page layout, put it behind a cut. Graah.) I like that you can have long, lazy, organic conversations in the blog threads over here. Also that you actually have to visit people's pages. It's not as much fun reading in a feed-- like being on speakerphone, rather than in the room.

I'll be up at 5:30 too, Lorraine! Which will actually be like 3:30 for you; I'll make sure to send you the telepathic Alertness Rays.
Hummmmmmmmm...

 
At 8:02 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Actually, I said "play" with peoples brains, not necessarily control them. ;)

The Church of Fod began with this post and following comments. :)

 
At 8:07 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sanity? Meh, overrated.

And the flower IS a great shot. Just don't tell anyone your aim was off.;)

I was going to say drive safely, but hey, YOU'RE driving, not Boss, which is more than likely a Very Good Thing, as I'm assuming the jet lag will be horrid. Safe and pleasant journeys:)

 
At 8:10 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Since I completely lost my train of thought on my last post, I'll follow it up with another one.

I'm on LiveJournal. I like it better because comments are threaded. You can write a comment on someone else's comment without having to scroll through new comments. Having said that, obviously I'm doing okay here.

Well...mostly. ;)

 
At 8:16 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

It seems like we need an archivist or a historian!

As I mentioned here before I am hhbarmaid on lj. I like lj -- I like the threaded discussions. I like the ability to filter and lock posts. And the ease with which one could create multiple journals back in the old days of the free-and-ad-free basic accounts.

But I like blogger too -- for all the reasons Jess mentioned.

I guess this is why I now have so many online homes. I just recently got a facebook page in order to connect with an old friend.

When it all gets to be too much I may abandon some of these homes, but this spot is like... like... Cheers or maybe Lorraine's front porch. A great place to come to relax. It is like being at a great party where you can't really keep up with every conversation that all the amazing people around you are having so you have to jump in here and there when something catches your ear.

Or maybe it is a garden party.

A night garden party.

Blessed by Fod!

 
At 8:25 PM , Blogger Dragonsally said...

I'm with Aletamay and Ariandalen on blogs and LJ.
The other great thing about LJ is the groups.

 
At 10:29 PM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

I am pretty sure I registered to follow the blog... You can even put a new toy in your side bar that displays the icons of your followers.
HAD to add that to my two bloggy blogs, it too much fun.
If you click on the follower icon, it will tell you who these people are (unless they have opted to anonymously stalk and lurk).

I am sure there are plenty of mystery creatures lurking in your garden, above and under ground:

Some of them edible to you,
Some who might want to take a nibble of you instead,
Some who are dreaming the things that lurk in your head,
Some who are planning to conquer the world by lunch time,
Some who think the world is not big enough to be bothered about conquest,
Some who are just laying back and looking at the clouds.
Of course some of them are just bugs.
But some of these bugs are looking at the stars.

 
At 10:36 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Hey, as a fellow Scary Driver of Minis, I defend Boss' driving skills! We just drive in a spirited manner, our reflexes finely honed from years of city driving!

I'll be up at 4ish my time, Quiche -- must work out before I leave for lovely Saltmine U., where I will flog minions and make pretty trash.

Did you happen to get my email, btw?

 
At 10:41 PM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Oh and about LJ, yes, I am with you girls. And you can spell check and edits both posts AND your own comments, which is a great option.
The communities are great.
I am going to miss posting my NaNoWriMo story on a dedicated LJ this year - I don't want to have adds and don't like the idea of paying to maintain the site add free - but I might think of something else.

Blogger has the plus (for me at least) that you can upload pictures directly from your computer to the post (reason why my two blogs are picture based). LJ has progressed in that aspect but I still prefer the blogger format.

Lorraine, you do have to do written exercise and write those words over and over. French does not have any fool-proof logical spelling (or pronunciation) rules so you can only learn by exercising. That is what kids do at school when learning new words and it works fine. It's tedious but it works.
Au travail!

 
At 1:19 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi FabulousLorraine,

I have been one of the lurkers outside leaving fog on your glass from my nose pushed up against your window.

I didn't consider myself worthy enough to be amongst such illustrious company.

Thank you for inviting me in and do you mind if I just sit in the corner and watch for awhile?

Cheers

 
At 1:30 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

No watching allowed.
You HAVE to join in the madness. Like tell us which wacky sport you'd like to see in alternative olympics.
It is so much more fun that way.
Besides, we put spiders and creatures from the deep in every corners. Or maybe they put themselves there. They might have been just leaking from another dimension and they staid for the show...

 
At 4:31 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Spacedlaw,

I've seen you featured quite a lot in this blog and it's always entertaining. I thought you were up late, or you're in another dimension - like me.

What a great ice-breaker, alternative olympic sports.

This is copied/inspired by an Australian series called "We can be heroes". It is a series on lameness, as in mediocrity. We do lame really well.

What I'd like to see in alternative olympics is rolling, as in rolling down hills. I would also like to see the highest bounce in a kids jumping castle.

 
At 4:43 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Highest bounce is VERY good.
In some places in Italy (where I live) there are championships of rolling wheels of cheese down a hill.
The quickest (and best in shape) arrived wins. We could have that too.

 
At 5:03 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

I always feel like
Some veggie's watching me
And I have no privacy
I always feel like
Somebody's following me
Tell me is it just a dream

When I come home at night
I bolt the door real tight
People comment on the blog
I'm trying to keep up
But can people on the web see me
Or am I just paranoid

When I'm in the shower
I'm afraid to wash my hair
'Cause I might open my eyes
And find tentacles growing there

 
At 5:07 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Hehehe!
Great song, Dan.

 
At 5:10 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Spacelaw! Stop scaring my lurkers!!! We want them to feel safe here, at least for a bit. Welcome, Jaquib! I suspect you won't be silent long, rolling down hills! With CHeese!

Oh, the guys don't get to play beach volleyball. Sorry.

Fod is our Fod and is everything good, and all that is good about all religions rolled into one.

And Fods I am tired. Pretty mcuh not sleep yet, but we are back, and I am for a nap...Missed you all!

 
At 5:17 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

Good job once again transporting the boss safely home! Enjoy your nap.

 
At 5:18 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Have a nap, dear, it is more than well deserved.

 
At 5:28 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Thanks, as soon as things settle I am getting some SLEEP.

Oh, Dan Guy, I need to put that to music, ok? For Paul and I to do...

 
At 6:25 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

Dan, I laughed so hard reading that (as the tune ran through my head) that the cat jumped, ran and almost spilled my coffee. You slay me! (Don't really though, K?)

I confess that I did not read all of comments on the previous posts. I love being in school but it cuts into my reading here and it is starting to bug me!!!

Val, love the new photo. You're so hot! ;)

Jess and Phiala, I will bring cosmos and join you in the bushes.

I hope you are having a fabulous nap Ms Fabulous! Well deserved.

I am taking M to gymnastics and then packing. Oh, and yes laundry is a sport but I think we need to add 50 or so feral zombie cats running around trying to pee on the clean clothes. The contestant who gets everything folded and put away before it gets peed on wins.

 
At 6:34 AM , Blogger Jess said...

I'm afraid Rockwell beat you to it by about twenty years. ;) I'd really love to see a Paul & Lorraine parody of that song with Dan's lyrics, though. And bagpipes! :D

Nathalie, I'm saving that poem for night garden posterity! Also, I like your hat.

Hi Jaqui! *waves* Hee hee, more fiends for our fiendish following... your night garden contribution is due in one week. Then: French test. Get studying!

(I'm teasing. It's obvious I'm teasing, right?)

Well I'm off, seieng it's naptime. Sweet dreams.

*tiptoes out*

 
At 6:51 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Hat! Hat! Hat!
Hat on a rat,
Hat on a bat,
Hat on a cat.
Hat! Hat! Hat!

Leather hat,
Bowler hat,
Feather hat,
Boater hat.

Hat! Hat! Hat!
Hat to jest at,
Hat to pick at,
Combat hat!
Hat! Hat! Hat!

(Don't mind her, she's a fetishist - a mad hatter)

 
At 7:16 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Of course you know this means war. War by Poetry:

The Space-Lawyer's Hat

I'm dreaming of you crowned in leather,
eyes shaded by a duck-bill visor.
You might be a policewoman, or
a traffic warden, writing tickets
on the double-parked car of my heart.

Don't clamp my heart. Don't tow it away,
lock it up in the impounding lot;
don't make me pay my fine in Euros
stronger than any dollar I have.
Not in that hat. Anything but that.

 
At 7:18 AM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Welcome, Jacqib!

Thanks, Gayle. I changed it again, though; can't decide which one I like best. And trust me, I'm only hot on alternate Thursdays. ;)

Why do the guys not get to play beach volleyballs? Exactly which event am I supposed to slaver over them in, then?

I need coffee.

 
At 7:19 AM , Blogger Dread Val said...

War by poetry?!

I'll hire myself out as a mercenary in this war, to the highest bidder. ;)

 
At 7:21 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Mad hatter, they say,
Eyes fixed on leather so black.
First autumn chills lurk.

 
At 7:52 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Oh, bring it, why don't you:

That night black hat will
keep your head warm in autumn.
Shake your hair free now.


Hmm: well, Val, I'm told the payment on my car will go through soon, so the best I can offer is three buttons, some lint, and this art-glass guy's business card. Will that do?

 
At 7:56 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Hihi! Haiku pingpong!
(not like the original - it only works with people in the same place)

Peeping from within
Hermit crab in her cow shell.
Glad for falling leaves.

 
At 8:14 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

All this talk of hats
leaves me quite bewilderèd.
Some eat what's beneath.

Wait, what's that again?
Ha! You see what I did there?
A zombie haiku!

 
At 8:19 AM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Depends on the buttons, I suppose.

 
At 8:19 AM , Blogger Jess said...

That would be fun, actually. :)

BUT THIS IS WAR!

Clams on a half-shell,
April crayfish in the pan.
Rémoulade to taste.


Now I'm hungry!

 
At 8:20 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Haiku ping pong would be fun, I meant! But I think Dan just won. :D

 
At 8:23 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

He did!
I am going home (I am hungry too so you win as well)

 
At 8:54 AM , Blogger Arwenn said...

Nathalie slumbers.
Jess is left victorious.
Lonely at the top.

 
At 9:00 AM , Blogger Kitty Cat said...

that Bela Fleck is HANDSOME.
and did i see 182 comments on your last post?
what the!?
i go and work one lousy Janet Jackson show (yes, LL Cool J opened) and all hell breaks loose.
WOW.
see you in ONE WEEK.
xoxox

 
At 9:04 AM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Kitty! While you were gone, I finished that painting I was telling you about! My Going Wodwo painting, let me show you it. I think it's still going to be up for a few more weeks, if you are passing by the studio.

 
At 9:06 AM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

OMG, Janet Jackson *and* LL Cool J?! "I need love" and "Nasty Boys" on one stage...that is almost too much cheese (and, embarrassingly, nostalgia) to handle!

I keep seeing Jonas boys in the various gossipy news headlines now...i didn't know who they were before you went on tour. The girls seem to LOVE those boys!

 
At 9:11 AM , Blogger ivenotime said...

lovely pic val! sigh this is going way too fast for me to catch but hats? hats? haiku hats? sigh, i wish i had a job that permitted me some computer time, or more at home time to sit and read. tho i nominate for a new olympic sport: underbrush running, done while chasing two small dogs who delight in going thru the woods where all the small trees threaten to take my eyes out. preferably done in the morning with a bathrobe on (oh yes, todays delight) or when you are in the grubbiest clothes possible thru the neighbors party. embarassment with sweating mandatory. extra points for not having combed your hair yet. (and welcome jac, to fiendville)

 
At 9:22 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

"All are punishèd."
Years after Romeo's end
Ladies Love Cool James.

"Out, out damn nip slip!"
Lady Macbeth was unsexed;
Janet, the reverse.

 
At 9:25 AM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

Dan - brilliant.

 
At 10:03 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

Very exciting War of the Words here people.

And, yes, welcome to Jacquib.

I have to draw and then write a paper about Merchant of Venice. I suppose I should get to it. Have a wonderful evening all! And happy almost Friday.

 
At 10:06 AM , Blogger ariandalen said...

Hi, Jacquib!
Now that we know you're here...life will never be the same. ;)

MWAHAHAHAHA!


::Darn. I've got to get the illusion spell on my horns working better.::

Some days are better than others. Today started at 2:30 AM with my youngest wanting the music back on. Fortunately for me, it was Daddy she called. Then, at 5:35 AM, I awoke to the lovely sound of my cat trying to puke. He was pointed at a pile of books, though I did get him moved before he hurled. The alarm went off at 5:55 AM. ::sigh:: And I actually got to be before midnight last night.

Loving all the poetry, Dan, Nathilie, and Jess. Sorry for any misspellings.

Speaking of spelling skills...Ms. Fabulous, have you been tested for dyslexia? Just a thought.

 
At 10:08 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Hee hee! Dan, I love it.

Webgoblin likes his
archaic end-syllable
stresses. Doesn't he?


;P

 
At 10:11 AM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Not able to stay out of the poetry war, I've finished my night garden sestina.

Once, the night desert was nearly our death.
Sand ran in sheets of sharp water down our 
dry skin; flooded through my clothes and parched mouth. 
Adan cursed me. Hot wind whipped my mare's black 
hair, and her bridle sang, as Bilal prayed.
His muezzin's call now: God, give us water.

It was two days since we last drank water.
Two days off our path. I wondered when death
would come to claim us. Perhaps if we prayed
devoutly, Bilal said, we would find our
way to a riyadh. But in a storm's black
night, all prayer is only sounds in a mouth.

Giving up on God, I covered my mouth,
the better to keep my hot breath's water.
Adan fell deeply into a cold black
mood, muttering how he might bring me death.
We had long since passed any hunger; our
swift end a fate for which I now half-prayed.

Through the wind, I saw a dark wall, and prayed.
A sharp shout burst from Adan's cracking mouth, 
and he scaled the smooth walls using our
backs. His voice was sweeter than fresh water, 
then silent. Had he been found by his death?
I lifted Balil, a shadow in black. 

From inside the walled garden's leaves, all black
I heard Balil, who -- of course! -- knelt and prayed,
giving thanks for God's mercy, staying death;
while Adan's curses flowed, a river's mouth
of profane praise for the fountain's water.
Hands raw, I climbed in the garden of our

shaken faith and doubt, where at last all our
hungers were sated. But seeing the black
desert outside -- with no hope, no water --
how many others were exhausted, prayed
out? The water dried to dust in my mouth.
I saddled my mare and rode to race death,

to tell the lost of water and of our
lives spared from death, in a black night's garden.
Come, I prayed, my mouth dry; find what you seek.

 
At 10:17 AM , Blogger ariandalen said...

::clapping::
Well done, Pantagruel!

 
At 10:19 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

HURRAY! I just got a call that my class tonight is canceled. More time for me to procrastinate. I suppose I could pack. :)

I am dyslexic (why they chose such a spelling of such a word for such a thing?) and I am allowed a dictionary in most of my classes for quizzes and such. Otherwise I sound like an idiot. Well, more of an idiot. ;)

OK, Pantagruel, did you just do that now? Seriously you rock! And I like the photo you have up now. Very pretty.

 
At 10:19 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

Jess :: I just love the *sound* of the archaic end-syllable stresses, don't you?

pantagruel :: Wow. *bows* Amazing!

 
At 10:22 AM , Blogger Rubius said...

Wow Val, and i say again.... wow.

Well done. Beautiful imagery.

 
At 10:26 AM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Gaypet -- Thanks. ;) No, I did this in a couple of hours on Monday night; and then finished it off late last night, just before bed. Why? Do I need to throw down and write one under a time limit? :) I can, provided I don't have any meetings this afternoon.

Dan, Ariandalen, Rubius -- thanks, all. You're too kind. ;)

 
At 10:31 AM , Blogger Jess said...

I really do like that, Val. :) The voice of it just rings like a bell. It feels like the desert to me-- narratively, and in the way the language moves. Good good good.

That's three new poems we've got now, Lorraine, if you're wondering what the score is: the one in Nathalie's comment up above, about what's in the garden (I know she wasn't intending to contribute it, but I vote we sneak it in anyway! :) ), Gayle's two-part poem, and Val's. Huzzah to all!

Ariandalen, you lived a poem this morning! Look:

Some days are better than others.
Today started at 2:30 AM:
my youngest wanted the music
back on. Fortunately
it was Daddy she called.

At 5:35 I awoke to the sound
of my cat trying to puke,
pointed at a pile of books.
I moved him before he hurled.
The alarm went off at 5:55. Sigh.


Or maybe I've just got poetry on the brain. :)

 
At 10:34 AM , Blogger Jess said...

Dan-- I do, actually. I think they should bring them back. :)

 
At 10:35 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

No, no time limit necessary. :) It's magical!

 
At 10:49 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Whee-hoo! Hey! I'm up and feeling much better. I asked you to make me proud, my fiends! You certainly exceeded THAT and then some!

Haiku war! Yes, Dan won. HE may play beach volleyball. You may ooggle him Val. Nice pics by the way. I'm not reading your poem tho until I get home tonight. Hastily drinking tea, catching up before going to work is NOT the time.

But tonight....Then we shall curl up together, this sestnia and I.

What else? I am mildly dyslexic, not enough to get in the way tho..Much.

Morning Kitty, yes, keep up or get culled fromt he pack! (ANother Sport?) Less than a week!

AN interesting sidebar, I managed to not have contacts or glasss this morning! Drove to the airport blind as a bat. Boss drove home.

And did it rather well. Not once was I in terror. I speak the truth.

 
At 10:49 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Vivid tale, Val and a master piece.
I am most ashamed of my paltry attempts, taking the name of poetry in vain...
(Well, not in vain completely since at least you lot seem to know what it is all about)
Well done all.

 
At 10:50 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I think I missed what danguy is bringing back..Help me catch up! Is this the strange stesses on last sylabbles?

 
At 10:52 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Haaaa! That IS terrifying! How did you manage that? You must have had at least either one or the others the night before...

 
At 10:53 AM , Blogger ariandalen said...

:P Blogger just ate my comment on dyslexia.

I guess I shouldn't have asked if it made sense.


Jess, yes you have poetry on the brain. best time to write it. :)

 
At 10:54 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Well, it's more stupid than anything else, I have disposable contacts, and the replacment pacs I bought were empty, and the others thrown away.

It was not bad until I hot construction on the freeway...

 
At 10:55 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I hate it when Blogger does that!

I agree, if it is there write it. I'm getting inspired...

 
At 11:00 AM , Blogger Dan Guy said...

I don't think I "won". I just came in late and went silly.

Archaic end stresses are, for example, pronouncing "blessed" as "bless-ed" rather than "blest". That accented 'e' there tips you off. Shakespeare did it a lot, and if it's good enough for him then it's way too good for the likes of me.

 
At 11:03 AM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

It's like in French Lorraine. If you put an accent on the e then you pronounce it. La voyelle est stressée.

 
At 11:04 AM , Blogger ivenotime said...

beautiful sestina pantagruel! just lovely

 
At 11:06 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

I suppose it is less frightening to be a passenger if you can't see what is about to happen. :) Very glad you made it home safely!

I have always loved "All are punish-ed!" Sounds so much more ominous. When in doubt one need only look to the rhyme scheme.

 
At 11:14 AM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

It's hard to remain sane when you have three younger brothers. Don't expect too much of me!

~Emily

 
At 11:14 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Got it! One of my favorites, I had not known it went away....

Hmmm...Could have a point about not being able to see....

 
At 11:20 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Emily, good point, and sympathy. Remember tho, sane is over rated...

 
At 11:27 AM , Blogger gaypet said...

OK, naming contest! I have a dog that needs a name. She is small and ginger colored. She looks like a Australian Cattle Dog Basenji cross. Ideas? The dog she will be spending most of her time will is called Zelda. If that helps.

 
At 11:44 AM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

What about the name Lucia? (It can be LOO-sha, loo-CHEE-a, or loo-SEE-a.)

And yes, Lorraine -- sanity IS overrated.

~Emily

 
At 11:45 AM , Blogger ivenotime said...

due to an extremely dedicated gaming daughter: link (from the legend of zelda series)

 
At 11:45 AM , Blogger Arwenn said...

In honor of Zelda Fitzgerald I like Sayre (her maiden name) or Scottie (her daughter's name).
Playing around on the naming sites it looks like Sayre means "woodworker", and Scottie is a form of Scott meaning "Scottish" or "wanderer".

 
At 11:54 AM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Hmmm..Don't know. Mostly they seem to tell you.

Tho Jungle Loves one and Two still haven't told me their names...

 
At 11:58 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was going to compliment Dan on his hilarious post on Boss' Blog, but then he had to go further by winning the War of Poetry (with a ZOMBIE poem), and parodying Rockwell! You're killing me..in a good way! lol

Pantagruel that is a gorgeous sestina. You can feel the dryness and the dust in the air..it's lovely. (And I stand corrected about drivers of Minis:)

Welcome Jacquib, we're all fiends here.:)

Lorraine I only wish I could drive without glasses. Sadly I'm VERY nearsighted. Three cheers for Boss not driving scarily though!

 
At 12:07 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Not sure I would do that again tho....

Bad idea....

 
At 12:07 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

I agree that they usually tell you. This ones not talkin' yet so I wanted to try a few on. I wish I could say that Zelda was named for Fitzgerald but she is named for the game. I lost most of my childhood to the original Nintendo.

I thought maybe M would be able to hear her but she is a little too upset. Nothing yet.

When I was a Nanny in Berkeley I found a dog that I put in my car with both of the two year old boys I was watching. I asked them what we should call the dog and one of them said "Rock". Um, OK, I thought we will call him Rock. There was a number on the tag but no name. I called and left a message for the owners. They called me back a few hours later and said, "We think you have our dog, Rockie." Ya, that kid had a gift!

 
At 12:07 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

I vote Link!!!

 
At 12:09 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

Actually I haven't wasted hours on that game ... but I plan to!!! one day.. one day when I can afford a Wii.

 
At 12:10 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

or when I trade my console with my friend and we switch games (Ocarina of Time here I come)...

but the point is I WOULD have wasted days of my life on it if I could have.

 
At 12:16 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

I have not had the time or $ to play the new games either. I am a PC gamer when I have time. Which is never for the last (hold old is M?) 4 years. ;)

 
At 12:32 PM , Blogger ariandalen said...

So, first you work on calming the puppy. Then she'll let you know, or not. "Pretty Girl" and "Handsome Boy" always work in the interim.

For the past couple of weeks we've had three stray kittens visiting us. Actually, they're visiting Lavender's food bowl. ::sigh:: My daughters decided to name them: Princess, Nela and Foofoo. Princess and Nela a both black, though Princess is slightly larger and has a white spot on her chest. Foofoo is gray with barely seen tabby stripes, and as of this morning, confirmed male. I fear that we will soon need to trap them and get them to the vet to be altered. Lavender is my daughters' dog, half Great Pyrenees and, apparently, half pointer.

 
At 12:37 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

I am one of those 'guilty gamers'. I have been given a vast collection of excellent games (that were 99% gifts) and I don't really play any of them (sad but true). I have a stack of (probably) over 100 PC games (some of which I know are excellent fun) and I haven't touched them. I (vaguely and from the sidelines) follow 4 games only, Sims (and the old Simcity stuff), Zelda (only ever really watched people play), Mario (I own a dinosaur original Nintendo console from when I was like 8 that only has Mario 3... all the rest I suck at... and I kinda suck at that one too) and Final Fantasy (I love it way too much). Sims 2 and FF are the exceptions to the rule... every so often I break out the Sims game and build build build houses and yards... and I am currently playing FFIX since I recently picked it up and have never tried it... and then I got way too hooked for my own good. So technically this is the first time in years that I am addicted to a game. Most of the time I feel EXTREMELY guilty wasting any time and therefore avoid games like the plague. It is something I am trying to change since I need to be able to allow myself some downtime sometimes too. It is hard for me to do that though.

 
At 12:39 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

If more people were like you both, the animals in the world would be better off.

A toast to rescuing strays and the people who do it!

 
At 12:40 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

Here here!!!

 
At 12:46 PM , Blogger spacedlaw said...

Hear Hear...

 
At 1:38 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

I'll drink to that. :)

Good for you, Ariandalen, for trapping and altering them!! You probably know this but many communities have special programs for low cost spay/neuter for ferals. Good luck.

 
At 1:39 PM , Blogger Jess said...

Hear here! Oh, someone had to say it. ;)

Rubius: You don't want to hear about that time I mainly played Oblivion for a month. :D It's the only one I do play (well okay-- I also played Neverwinter Nights for a while), but oh gosharootie what a giant vortex of life-loss that one is. You sit down and tell yourself, half an hour, and the next thing you know, three hours have gone. I've managed to stay away from it lately, but don't think for a moment that I don't miss my level fifty-two Ranger Monk. She kicks ass.

 
At 1:55 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Wait… did I read that Boss drove you, and you weren't terrified? Surely not. I wonder if you just don't like Minis, and it has nothing to do with their drivers…

Childishly, I want you to read my poem now, and for Kitty and Boss to look at my painting. I feel like I am back in school, waiting to be graded. But curling up with the sestina tonight works, too. :)

 
At 1:55 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Would you believe I have never played a video game? I used to watch my bandmates play, oh fods, what was it? I loved that game...

Halo. That was it. Then I found that site on the web where they had the game going with running commentary, which made me laugh forever, but that's it.

 
At 1:57 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

oh Jess... lol.

Gotta love those Ranger Monks!!

Neverwinter Nights came pre-installed on the computer my friend gave me... ooohhh did I ever drool. That was one of the very few I did play of those I was given. I probably should add Baldur's Gate to that list of games that I used to follow. NWN was great fun... but really, I miss my D&D group. There is something about actually 'socializing' during a game that makes it so much more fun.

Val - I love your painting (I forgot to say this above). I think it is great. Excellent light. I love the expression on his face. I too adore that poem/song. It makes me crazy when I think about it too much (not that that is hard to do)... and I think the painting captures it very well.

 
At 2:00 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

I've never been into video games either. Except for in an old household we all played the first three Myst games, which I loved since they were all solving puzzles and not "shoot em up" games. We bought the fourth right after our son was born... I think it's still in the box. The Wii looks really interesting and probably something I can get really addicted to but it would probably hurt my wrists so I should probably avoid it.

I haven't had a chance to read the sestina yet either. Had to take hubby to work today because he was taking in kegs of homebrew and that doesn't really work when you commute on a motorcycle. So while we were over there in the area, I went to the Japanese grocery store and picked up sushi fish, along with dried bits of things from the ocean for cooking in the future (bonito, kelp, etc.)

 
At 2:00 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

We didn't have the mini, we had the dogs car, a much larger vehicle. And remember I couldn't see, and hadn't slept, so may not have been in my right mind, but I stand by my statement that he drove just fine.

Give me a link to your painting and I will make sure they see it., oh, wait, you did...

And ok, will read your sestina NOW.....

Wow. I have some things to say, but you are going to have to wait till I have a moment to do a new post to hear them. Gayle, you too....

We are so good.

 
At 2:01 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Your husband takes kegs of beer to work????

Does he work with Val?

 
At 2:04 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

no, but he works on the same campus as your boss's son (don't think they know each other though!)

I just saw this headline on the news: "Mpls drivers honk approval for replacement bridge" and my first thought was maybe they were honking at a blind Lorraine ;-)

 
At 2:12 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

I am sad to have missed the full contact haiku competition. I may incorporate some in my night garden project.

Val -- really really really loved that poem. It really transported me. Thanks.

Here is something I really think you guys will love! Very Short List does it again!! Some of those images would look good in my night garden -- but I don't think I should steal them.

:ponders theft:

Friends don't let friends drive visually impaired. That is a scary, scary story. But I am glad it worked out and that you did not have to drive home!

 
At 2:12 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Heehee-no not for me.

What worries me about that bridge was that they got it done close to 100 days ahead of schedule.

And for every day they got it done ahead of schedule, every DAY, they got a $200,000 bonus.

No, that is not a typo.

 
At 2:15 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Aleta! I don't think you can STEAL for the night garden, not images anyway.

Hearts, souls, lost loves, brains, a little blood, beguiling the hapless traveler, sure. But not images.

 
At 2:19 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Sweet! Thank you, Quiche! You are the best ever for reading it now. :)

Thanks, Aleta and Rubius!

Chantrelle, here's some trivia for you -- my friend and teacher, Ron, did most of Myst III's art. Small world. ;) I wish there were kegs of beer here at Saltmine U. Well, in the office at any rate -- there's plenty in the frat houses up the street, I'm sure.

Damn, now I must go to Mitsuwa and restock my miso supply. And… ohh, sake.

 
At 2:20 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

Mitsuwa is where i went! I got 3 bottles of sake...2 faves and one pricey new one to try.

 
At 2:21 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

WAs Myst III the one with plant world and that damn cuttlefish? (it was a really cool world but we couldn't get out!!)

 
At 2:24 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

I will not steal images. But did you look at those. So cool. I can not imagine having the patience and focus to do that!

I will be content with my own images and words. I will not steal. I won't. Really.

:ponders borrowing:

 
At 2:24 PM , Blogger Phiala said...

Wow, it's been busy around here!

Pantagruel, I love the sestina. It's one of my favorite forms to read, though I've never tried to write one. Painting AND poetry... Fods! :)

I have a Wii. There are a number of games that suit my lifestyle - I can play for 15 minutes of intense silliness, then go back to whatever I'm supposed to be doing. I enjoy more engrossing video games, but rarely have the time to complete them before I get busy and forget what I was doing.

 
At 2:30 PM , Blogger AletaMay said...

Oh I loved Myst sooooo much. I have not done the last couple -- there was one that kept crashing my computer so I didn't really go back to it. But those first three -- it was so magical when computer games were new and having those sorts of graphics was so amazing.

Sadly I find that I can spend way more time than I will ever admit to playing the most silly games on my computer. At least when it is a puzzle solving sort of game -- like Myst and others of that sort -- I feel like I am working my mind. But several hours of Chuzzle. Not so much.

 
At 2:42 PM , Blogger Phiala said...

Zuma is my current timewaster of choice. No brain needed, but a level is only 1-3 minutes. Though if you can play only one you are a much stronger person than I am...

 
At 2:58 PM , Blogger Rubius said...

I love puzzle games... I have seen Myst... never played it.. but it did look GOOD when I saw it. The one that springs to mind for me is an oldie that I played when I was little.. it was called 'Are we there yet' and was a puzzle game of my old 386. It drove me crazy because I couldn't finish it. There were two puzzles with NO solution!!! Drove me NUTS.

I like those lemming style games too.

 
At 2:59 PM , Blogger EmilyLady said...

So then the levels must be like squares of Cadbury chocolate, Phiala .... although I have to admit that video games tend to bore me to death, although my two youngest brothers have video game mania -- something the rest of the family tries (in vain) to control. When I was a little girl I really liked playing "Backyard Baseball". It was very cute.

~Emily

 
At 3:07 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

Mitsuwa is awesome! Which sake did you get? I like Hakutsuru's sakes for everyday. And yes, Myst III was the one with the plant world (my friend said that was his favorite to design).

Phiala -- just sit down and write a sestina sometime; you will not die. (Though you might want to, somewhere in the middle of stanza five.) And thank you. ;) I paint and write, I suppose, because in LA, when you're not one of the beautiful people, you have to compensate somehow.

 
At 3:09 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Hmm..I do recollect that I did once play a video game as a child. It seems a lot has happened since the days of Pong...

Great images, Aleta. I was tempted to go to Nathilies sight and steal some of her pictures for my blog tonight, but them remembered what I had said to you.

Hmmph. Works both ways. So I went to the garden to try take two of the sunflower od doom...

Now we download and see....

 
At 3:11 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

I am so begging to differ on that beautiful thing....

(tho the "Beautiful People" you speak of are a majority useless bunch, in my book. Give me brains any-day.)

(Zombies be starving out there, hee-hee)

 
At 3:14 PM , Blogger Chantrelle said...

given that you're in SoCal, it's a different Mitsuwa but probably, in essence, the same-store. My favorite sakes are Ozeki Yamada Nishiki, Kanchiku (not sure if I spelled that right) and the new one I got was quite pricey for a 720 mL bottle: Meisousui. Haven't opened it yet, but I bought it for the quote on the bottle:
Time went by.
It's time to meditate,
listen to the voice of universe,
with clear heart.

Your friend did a beautiful job on plant world. Can't wait to tell my husband about the connection... although we did curse that world quite often, we still loved it.

I had an Intellivision as a kid. I always wanted an Atari with a real joystick rather than the weird little disc keypad I had. I played a lot of pitfall, skiing, and poker/blackjack.

 
At 3:16 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

The last video games I ever played with any regularity were the ancient computer versions of Castle Wolfenstein and Doom. Oh, and for a short time I had a playstation because I liked the game MidEvil. I've mostly had to give up on games because by the time I figure how to use the controllers my hands are mostly numb. So now I just play little online puzzle-y stuff like Poppit and Bounceout when I'm bored.
If my computer wasn't so old and creaky I'd be all over those online jigsaw puzzles though.

 
At 3:22 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Heeheeehee...Pantagruel, whenever I hear the phrase, "the Beautiful People" Marilyn Manson starts singing in my head. (I don't like many of his songs, but that one's a keeper.) It always makes me laugh.

Lorraine you're right, even the zombies would be gaunt out there, LOL. And Pong..I remember when that was the Biggest Thing Evarr. LOL

 
At 3:34 PM , Blogger Dread Val said...

I have been coveting the Meisousui! Please report on it. :) Funny we should talk about the plant world in Myst III -- at the moment, I'm suffering through the environmental design class Ron teaches. Last week, he had us make a mining colony out of a flower.

Aw yeah, I remember Pong. And Infocom games. I'm an old-school gamer geek, and so, thought this was hilarious.

The gaunts certainly are gaunt, here. ;)

 
At 3:48 PM , Blogger gaypet said...

Speaking of dyslexia, I just realized that the title today is not "I've got Flowers". :)

 
At 3:49 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

A mining company out of a flower???

I just tried to take a picture of one and explain how it made me feel, hee-hee..You might be the one to tell me what I am trying to say tonight...

Man, my brian is going...Zombies be starving to death here too.

 
At 3:50 PM , Blogger FabulousLorraine said...

Snort!!!!

Gayle, you crack me up! (been there, done that)

 
At 5:26 PM , Blogger Erin Underwood said...

Followers? Has anyone drunk the carothulu juice yet?

;-)

 

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