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Here's what I found in my mailbox today! I won a contest run by Toys'R'Us and got this awesome limited-edition Chrome Lego Darth Vader, made by Lego for the 10th Anniversary of their Lego Star Wars kits (more about this minifig here).
True Value, Shop Rite Hardware and Paint Supply, Silas Deane Hwy Wethersfield, CT, Pics by Mike Mozart
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EXPLORED
You with the sad eyes
Don't be discouraged
Oh I realize
It's hard to take courage
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all
And the darkness there inside you
Makes you feel so small
But I see your true colours
Shining through
I see your true colours
That's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colours
True colours are beautiful,
Like a rainbow.
Lyrics: Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly
I sketched an accompanying Hannibal dead girl & antlers picture but this one I found far more striking. Once again, all things True Detective > Hannible
Humility is often assumed from an outside perspective. They like your smaller pride in what you've got, when you've got less than most. Maybe you'd brag, but you've got no reason. Why should someone say you have it better, when it's you who goes without? There's no romance in being broke; nothing glamorous about having next to nothing. It's only cute, like pugs are while suffocating for reasons intrinsic to their breeding. It's only charming, like a weather-worn house in a picture or painting – somewhere you don't have to call home. A lot of people are impressed by poverty nostalgia, last century's struggles polished to a mirror shine. But they don't see the true reflection, too busy saying: "They don't build 'em like they used to" while your roof comes caving in. Folks who want your vote, complimenting your lack of education and income, when they were born to plenty of both. The honesty I'm after is this in particular – love for the ugly beauty; gratitude for not going back there. Not an ounce of pity for you, and no self-pity for me.
December 10, 2022
Annapolis County, Nova Scotia
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Trade paperback - Ballantine Books-Del Rey - ISBN 978-0-345-46151-3 - first edition published 2003
comments by CR:
The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian - [0745 - 2017-03-27]
My first introduction to "Conan" were the Lancer paperbacks I starting buying in 1966. All of the Lancer editions were edited by or co-written with other authors mostly L. Sprague deCamp. How this "editing and co-authorship" took place 30 years after Howard's death was never adequately explained. Nonetheless I found in the Conan tales a creditable character that excited my teen-age imagination.
Howard was a prolific writer and his Conan stories were one of many characters and general themes he wrote about.
Fortunately readers appreciation for Howard's Conan stories took root and starting approximately 2002 a handsome series of trade paperbacks were published by Ballantine Books. Robert E. Howard (1906-36) is know today primarily as the author who introduced Conan to the reading public which in turn created the genre of sword and sorcery fiction. What is not as well known is that Howard in his short life had published a couple hundred stories. The majority were supernatural themed fictions with gallant protagonists but were not all "Conan" stories.
Ten of the thirteen stories in this Ballantine edition, "The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian" were first published in Wierd Tales magazine during 1932-34. The remaining three were resurrected and published in various publication after his death.
The Stories in the order they appear with first publication in ():
The Phoenix on the Sword (1932)
Conan the barbarian is King(!) and is the subject of a palace coup d'état. An ancient wizard impresses the sign of the phoenix on his sword giving him the measured advantage in a duel with a supernatural foe.
The Frost-Giants Daughter (1976)
After a bloody battle in the frozen north Conan, the sole survivor, is mesmerized by the erotic vision of an ice maiden. Driven by his lust he follows her relentlessly until the Frost-Giant cools his ardor.
The God in the Bowl (1975)
Conan is hired by a foppish courtesan to pilfer a jewel from a museum of mystical artifacts. The museums overseer is found strangled and Conan is suspected but a minion of Set, the evil snake god, is the true perpetrator of the strangulation.
The Tower of the Elephant (1933)
A 150 foot tower houses an evil wizard and his mysterious jewel with magical powers. The tower is enchanted with spells and ghostly guards to deter foolish individuals intend on stealing the Elephant Eyes. Conan is undeterred and seek his fortune at the wizards expense.
The Scarlet Citadel (1933)
Palace intrigue finds Conan usurped from his throne and captive of a very malevolent sorcerer. Armies are on the move - pontoon bridges are employed - fortified cities are under siege - Conan find an unlikely ally in a fellow prisoner who employees mystical means to restore the cosmic balance.
Queen of the Black Coast (1934)
Conan falls in with a vivacious Pirate Queen with a unquenchable lust for plunder - especially jewels. An abandoned city in ruins surrounded by jungle along a turgid river leads to the Queen's undoing. Conan barely survives after battling a gigantic flying ape!
Black Colossus (1933)
A oracle tells a Queen regent to employ the first man she meets to save the kingdom from an the impend peril of invasion let by the devil himself. Conan, a man with no common sense, instead of jumping out the nearest window says "yes, I'll save the kingdom".
Iron Shadows of the Moon (1934)
Mysterious ruins with menacing statues that come to life in moonlight gives Conan ample opportunity to hack and bash his way to freedom.
Xuthal of the Dark (1933)
Escaping into a barren desert region with a clinging wench is almost Conan undoing until an oasis is spotted. Said oasis is a horror house of drugged pleasure seekers and the demon that feeds off them. Conan is fortunate to break out of the prison-like town with his life.
Pool of the Black One (1933)
Fished out of the ocean after escaping a misunderstanding ashore Conan falls in with a band of freebooters. A uncharted island, a scheming damsel and an evil entity keep Conan busy in this entertaining tale.
Rogues in the House (1934)
As a price for being sprung from prison Conan must dispatch a conniving priest and his half-man half-ape. Complications set it and much blood is spilt.
Vale of Lost Woman (first publication 1967)
A high principled princess is captured by a band of lusty natives. Seeing Conan as her only hope for rescue - and the preserving of her virtue - the princess promises him her "desirable quality" if he can liberate her. Conan obliges but said princess eludes Conan's embrace only to fall in with some "Lost Women" which necessitates a second rescue by Conan..
Devil in Iron (1934)
Another swampy island with a ruined temple leads Conan to an encounter with a supernatural daemon. A magical knife, an encounter with a 40 foot snake(!) and a reluctant half naked damsel in distress cannot deter Conan!
There is something gratifying to possess a book that reflects a publishers and editors respect and admiration for the author and the subject matter; " The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian " is such a book. This Del Ray trade paperback is an original edition published in 2002. The 464-page book includes in addition to the stories outlined above, approximately 100 pages of Conan reference material. These includes Howard's drafts for several of the stories, maps, notes etc. This is a definitive reference for the Howard student and for just curious readers. Quality paper and a very readable font make this a worthy book for fans and collectors.
Each story is illustrated with several quarter page drawings and a near full-page illustration by Mark Schultz. Mr. Schultz provided an article about how he approached drawing Conan.
The majority of the stories were first published in Wierd Tales magazine during 1925-37. The executors of his estate published another group of stories well after Howard's death.
Howard's character Conan is deceptively simple: likes to drink, wench and fight. He is dubious of the gods, uneasy when in the presence of supernatural evil and for the most part a loner. He is also very, very lucky. Howard is a master story teller with a outstanding talent for narrative pacing and descriptive prose. For the most part the stories are entertaining and colorfully written.
The question of genuine significance for potential readers or just the curious is: are the stories worth reading - or are they just historical literary curiosities. answer of course is subjective but if your inclined to these type stories you would do well not to pass up on this collection.
Close up of glass artwork seen through a shop window. 10 shot panorama shot in landscape orientation. Cropped by 75%.
This Willow Tree sculpture represents the love between my good wife and myself .... just a touch of love that continues to last forever!
Our Daily Challenge ~ Touch ...
Stay Safe and Healthy Everyone!
Thanks to everyone who views this photo, adds a note, leaves a comment and of course BIG thanks to anyone who chooses to favourite my photo .... Thanks to you all!
True Value, Shop Rite Hardware and Paint Supply, Silas Deane Hwy Wethersfield, CT, Pics by Mike Mozart , AKA MiMo on Instagram instagram.com/MikeMozart
"True Companion" by Marc Cohn. The song chosen by my daughter and her husband for their first dance at their wedding.
Saturday morning: Going for a stroll on the strand in Manhattan Beach. So much activity, so much to photograph.
At times I would step to the side, find a step, have a seat and photograph what was coming towards me. An observer of the Saturday morning frolics. A chipper Chihuahua was approaching with a bright orange vest. He was accompanied by three large boys and a large man with long hair. I did not beckon him, but he approached me on his own. I was seated near a bowl of water set out for dogs. He sniffed the water and was not interested. On the top ledge of the wall, was a container of dog biscuits. His owner offered him one, but no, not his brand. He refused it.
I assumed his owner was the long-haired friendly guy. A moment at the beach, where strangers come together and have a pleasant interchange.
As the dog came close to me I saw that his orange vest identified him as a Medical Alert Service Dog. How amazing. I have no idea which one of the four fellows he was servicing. It amazes me to think that this tiny creature is being of service to creatures that tower over him. This is a case of man and animal truly working together for the greater good. The dog is well cared for and loved. And he in turn, is serving his master in the highest form.
The beach is a dynamic neighborhood. At any given time, there is a wide array of activity going on. First there is everything to do with the water. Traditional Surfing, body surfing, boogie boarding, long boarding, swimming and wading. Then there is all the play that the beach affords one. Volleyball. Just for fun and more competitive, the tournaments. Sand castles, sun bathing, digging, reading, cooling off, eating, reading, doing nothing. The Strand has its own unique variety of activity. Walking, running, stroller pushing, bicycles of every sort, dog walking, sitting and observing. At some points, the next level would be the metered parking lots. People changing in and out of wet suits. Observing the water, recovering from surfing. Parking to unload a carful of paraphernalia for a day at the beach. Behind the Strand are the homes. From the balconies and tiny yards, more activity. Telescopes, people watching, partying, patio gardening, baby tending. Kids emerging with the Razors, scooting around, in and out of their houses.
It is a relatively small area, but a dynamic hub of activity. People are living in close proximity to each other. Cars and bikes and strollers, trash cans and beach chairs, all within view. Yet each resident has branded their space in a unique fashion. Flags, shells, plants, colors, all define the residents’ individuality. And with all this closeness, a certain amount of tolerance must ensue. A neighbor’s bright light shining in your window. A large car parked across from you in the alley, making coming and going very challenging. And the parties, conflicting music choices, dogs barking.
I did live at the beach once. While we had some good times, we had some challenging times as well.
The most difficult times was having my 1970 VW camper van stolen from our driveway on a hill. All the thief had to do was break in, release the brake, and let it roll down the hill to get it started. After 30 days the police recovered the car. Being without a car in Los Angeles for 30 days is not pleasant. The fellow who stole it was a ‘professional’ car thief. My car was his 29th conquest. He did body work on the van, burned out the VIN number with acid and blew up the engine. His girlfriend was a snitch and turned him in. I wonder if she is still alive. I had left library books in the van and he apparently left them in there too. The police called up the library to find out who the books were checked out to and lo and behold, my name popped up. He was clearly lacking in attention to details. I testified at his trial and he went to County jail for 18 months. I worked with his probation officer and received retribution money after the guy was sprung and got a ‘real job.’ My knight in shining armor, my husband, sprung for a replacement car, a VW bug, which lasted us many years. Not only did he buy it for me, but it did all the maintenance on it as well. I think the good outweighs the bad in this story. But I still remember that feeling of not finding my car in the morning. Occasionally when I space out at a parking lot, I will recall that feeling and go through next steps: Call the police, how to get a ride home, what am I going to do for wheels. Thankfully, that was the only car I lost or had stolen.
The other less than stellar experience at the beach had to do with our neighbors across the alley. They lived in a three-story house which faced a main street and our shared alley. They had a few teenage boys. One of their chores was to take out the trash. And they did, but not exactly in the method I would have preferred. Their method was to take the bag o’ trash, lean over the third floor balcony and drop the bag in or around the trash can, mostly around. At the time I did not have much money and the thought of owning a home seemed beyond anything I could ever achieve. I thought we were living in a pretty high class neighborhood. Watching this lazy teen drop trash from the third story grossed me out. I think in the long run, it did encourage me to better myself and my living situation. We moved to a rental in a residential neighborhood where everyone seemed to manage your trash in a more orderly fashion. But it was not without its flaws either. Those flaws, however, were behind closed doors.
The is my first 'true' lomo image. I took this one with my new Diana F+ camera and the fish eye lens. I couldn't frame the shot properly since I didn't want these people to know that I was taking a picture of them. I just held the camera by my chest and clicked the shutter as I walked by. I didn't even notice the cardboard sign until the film was developed. The dog with his maw wide open is a great touch. This is somewhere on Queen Street West. As true lomographists would know, this was shot on 120 film and processed and scanned at Toronto Image works.
I was thrilled to coming back to film...the mystery and the magic. I had to wait a few days for the development. I didn't even know if this cheap plastic camera worked...but it did.
The camera is an exact replica of the first camera I owned back in the 1960's. It was a gift from my Australian uncle and aunt...they lived so much closer to Hong Kong, the original manufacturing site: the Great Wall Plastic company. (I think).
Back then, with my first roll of film, after every picture, I took, I would remove the back in order to see if the film advanced properly. My father then explained to me that you just can't do that...I must not have had any idea how film works...
Had some fun redressing some of my dolls. Here are the results :)
LOVE this outfit from HauntCouture. I couldn't imagine it on any other doll