View allAll Photos Tagged reanimator
"It's not a game; it's life!"
('Jason Voorhees' by NECA / Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives - 30th Anniversary Ultimate Jason)
Diorama by RK
Today's story and sketch "by me", this afternoon I am at the Playa Beautimus Retirement Resort visiting JB and Rescue Randy. This weekend Randy the most interesting living tissue crash test dummy in the Cosmos, is the guest first responder celebrity speaker, and will be giving CPR demonstrations at the Playa Beautimus Recreation Center for senior citizens, Randy is an expert at "Ventricular Fibrillation" having his own heart countershocked to revive him hundreds of times before the Martian Reanimation Doctors at "UCSB" installed a Two Hundred Fifty Volt internal unit next to Randy's twenty four pound heart. Randy's Martian heart, sorry to say will have to be a story for another time. Randy will be demonstrating the correct use of the defibrillators that are standard equipment in every retirement unit sold to senior residents at Playa Beautimus, which there are many seniors, some of the Beaked Beings from the Aves Constellation are very senior, some are over three hundred years old, but are very active, like Gweedo a Beaked Puffler from the Planet Helliki you see who bought a helicopter from JB's used chopper sales of Havasu City just minutes ago, and was just landing on his roof to impress his wife Drogena, who thought he had gone to play a few games of shuffleboard. And as you can see the landing was a bit rough, and tonight's conversation during dinner should be interesting, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.
29.01.2019
Minolta X700 with my 75mm-150mm f4 Telezoom on a tripod
shot on a roll of Kono Kolorit 400 Tungsten
shot taken from the docks near Ford factory
exposed for 2min 30sec at f 16
scanned with my Reflecta 7200 Crystalscan
Today's story and sketch "by me", started early this morning when I received an emergency situation alert in the Man Cave, from the life guard in tower seven which is just steps from the Man Cave, the young life guard was screaming in an almost unintelligible babble that a UFO had landed on the water five hundred feet from shore and slowly sank out of site. Luckily JB and Rescue Randy were having lunch at Harbor fish and chips, and also received the emergency call and are on the scene, flying above the scenic Oceanside Pacific Strand above two tourists from the planet Helornita, the Helornitians watched in horror as their friends miscalculated the depth of the landing surface as they slowly sank into the Pacific Ocean. Their home planet Helornita is seventy percent covered in water, but their sea is only one foot deep. The inhabitants of Helornita are known as the Finfoot Beaked Beasts, because they have webbed feet and large beaks like all of the Beaked creatures in the Aves Constellation. Rescue Randy the most interesting living tissue crash test dummy in the Cosmos, you may remember was at the bottom of the ocean for two years, before being rescued himself by a group of Martian Scuba Diving tourists, who took him to the "UCSB" Reanimation Institute, where he was rebuilt with living crash test dummy stuff, like skin tissue and one of the most advanced brains in the galaxy, and other cool stuff that will have to be a story for another time. Now to finish up today's tale, JB lowered Randy down with a cable he connected to the Helornitians flying saucer, raised it and set it down on Tyson Park, where it will dry out hopefully and be flight worthy before it gets a ticket for parking on a playground, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.
"Make them remember what fear tastes like."
('Jason Voorhees' by NECA / Ultimate Jason from "Freddy vs. Jason"/ 'Victim' by McFarlane Toys)
Diorama by RK
"Our mad dream is only half realized. Alone, you have created the man. Now, together, we will create - his mate."
"You mean?"
"Yes, a woman. That should be really interesting."
('Bride of Frankenstein' by NECA)
Diorama by RK
Today's story and sketch"by me" you see a group of Beaked Seekers on Holiday at the Christmas Palm Park in Dimension Five. Above you see Dewey a member of the "MCPPOE" Man Cave Posse Protectors Of Earth, Dewey is a Seeker from the Planet Phelopia has only been a member of "MCPPOE" for a week, and has asked JB for a two weeks paid vacation, so he can meet his buddies at dimension five's popular Christmas Palm Park. Dewey is arriving piloting one of JB's "CDJL" Comfy Dimension Jumping Lounges, JB is letting Dewey test the dimension jumping lounge while Rescue Randy, the most interesting living tissue crash test dummy in the Cosmos, is recovering from a minor crash into the Planet Ossetia, (a minor Rescue Randy crash is considered any impact into a Planet, Asteroid, or any other solid object at less than five hundred miles an hour), as was the case this week when Randy was testing one of JB's "CDJL's" when he was exiting worm hole three and was struck by a very large speeding intersteller school bus, which will have to be a story for another time. But I can report Randy thanks to Dewey's quick response to the crash site, and removing him and the dimension lounge from the grillwork of the crumpled bus, then rushing him to the "UCSB" reanimation clinic so quickly was some quick thinking. Wish everyone a wonderful day, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.
+Half-Deer+ Vintage Distressed Frame - Mint - 3:2 LI:1
.peaches. Skye's Travel Clutter LI:2
.peaches. Vanna Trunk Clutter LI:2
11 - DRD - The Reanimator - Dr Stein's Chair LI:1
Aphrodite mesh shells decorative LI:1
Apple Fall Large Stopwatch LI:4
Atelier Burgundy . Books (gift) LI:1
Ex Machina - Steampunk Desk Lamp LI:2
MINIMAL - Alice Wood Basket LI:1
Mithral * Hanging Hoya Set (White) LI:3
Mithral * Hoya Obovata (Blush) LI:2
Object LI:1
PLAAKA - PaintersDesktopShelf LI:1
Petite Mort- Native Spirit Sawhorse Desk LI:4
SPELL : Nature Scrapbook LI:2
Set of towels 2 LI:3
TBF Earth Globe - Political Map LI:1
TLG - Jiwa Tenang Beach Pot Plant Bamboo LI:5
Trompe Loeil - Hammered Silver Star LI:3
West Village Frederick Tufted Bench - Medium Leather, PG LI:2
[ zerkalo ] Marble Firmness - Sun Fish LI:1
containers LI:1
dust bunny . hoya plant LI:2
dust bunny . storybook living . old backpack LI:1
tarte. paint tubes LI:1
tarte. paintbrush jar LI:2
One of the things I love most about autumn is the ability to visualize wind energy as it influences leaves. Step out on a windy day and your first sense is that the wind is moving across the landscape uniformly. The reality is the complete opposite. Wind is extremely diverse in the way it releases energy. Gusts blow up here, but not there. Some trees sway wildly while nearby ones remain stationary. Eddys and ripples form around objects much the way water in a river reacts to obstructions. Autumn leaves reveal these dynamics much the way a blacklight reveals blood at a crime scene. On this particular day the village was being swept with extreme winds from a low pressure system. These are not the five minutes of wind associated with a thunderstorms. Rather intense storms that take many hours or even days to unwind. I came to this old cemetery to experience the wind in person. It was literally breathtaking at times as the wind pushed the air back into my lungs when I exhaled. The tempest-like winds not only caused trees to sway, but whipped up all manner of debris. Leaves already fallen were reanimated and swept back into the air. Or propelled in a rush along the ground not unlike whitewater in a river. The sky was filled with flying leaves that put me in mind of ghostly sprites. The storm had literally transformed this peaceful burial ground into a maelstrom. For this image I laid flat on the ground as it was the only way to hold still with such long shutter speed. I shot a few unremarkable frames when suddenly the wind roared to life. It was a gust I heard coming well before it reached me. In an instant everything around me was set into motion. Leaves blasted right over me, and the sound was incredible. I just held down the shutter button in continuous mode, using the camera to shield my face. This one frame coneys the peak wind. I noticed later a leaf had blown up on the right side of the frame allowing us to view the background through its veiny, veil-like surface.
"He neglected to mention that downtown they call this place Camp Blood."
('Jason Voorhees' by NECA / Friday the 13th Ultimate Part 5 “Dream Sequence” Jason - Sign and dock base by NECA / 'Camp Crystal Lake' accessory set)
Today's story and sketch "by me", this morning I entered the stargate located in the back of the man cave to dimension jump with two children to a Planet in the Z dimension to visit their father Doug who made the mistake of his life by crossing Zooelda the Gypsy Voodoo Princess, owner of the Dimension Two Moon Pie Shop in Broken Drum Indiana. Doug in the course of his duty as a county health inspector, wrote a high priority health violation to the Dimension Two Moon Pie Shop, during Doug's inspection of the shops attic found code violation "BDI,732", Broken Drum Indiana code 732, illegally raising bats in a belfry, or in a Moon Pie Shop attic. Doug had no more than handed Zooelda the official Violation Certificate, instantly she turned him into the Spirit Balsam Fur tree you see full of the very same bats from the attic, he will be spending eternity with them on this Planet. Above you see Rescue Randy, who is not only the most interesting living tissue crash test dummy in the Cosmos, he is also the Galaxies foremost Chiropterologist (Bat Doctor), he studied and received his degree while recovering from a near fatal crash when he was thrown into deep space without a space suit by a group of 17 intergalactic pirates, who were not to lucky it seems, after they had taken over Randy's Interstellar B&R Glider, one of the pirates blew off the door to the Moon Pie Storage Cabinet, which started a chain reaction of events, Randy actually watched in real time, as the Glider broke into thousands of bits into the vacuum of space, Randy was still laughing twelve days later when his body was being tracked by radar before he crashed onto the Martian surface. His body was recovered by the Martian Reanimation clinic, and rebuilt the same time as he was studying for his Chiropterologist Degree, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.
"Someone's out there. What if it's that guy ... Jason?"
('Jason Voorhees' by NECA / Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives - 30th Anniversary Ultimate Jason)
Diorama by RK
Shot with Canon EOS 40D + Sigma 10-20mm
I am back from a 5 day trip to London, which I completely forgot to announce here on flickr.
The trip was nice, the weather so-so.
I went there together with Mandy, and we spent the days exploring and sightseeing.
I did not shoot too much, but still brought some nice images with me.
The trip was nice, the accomodation not so much (Generator Hostel London is not recommendable in my opinion), but altogether a nice vacation with a sad ending.
While waiting for our airport bus in London Victoria, we inadvertently became witnesses of a man
collapsing without apparent reason, who was then tried be reanimated by passerby's who failed to bring him back to life. When we had to leave, he showed no life signs anymore and most certainly did not survive it. It was tough to see this without being able to do something.
I hope you are all well!
More stories and photography?
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines
Taken at my steampunk home in the sky at The Wastelands
Texture by Lenabem-Anna J. Texture - 163
www.flickr.com/photos/lenabem-anna/5657797121/in/photostr...
The Inventor's Clothes:
[ContraptioN] Death's Mourn Top Hat
[ContraptioN] Noble's Tailcoat
[ContraptioN] Dapper Dandy's Gloves
[ContraptioN] Jockey Boots with high-waisted trousers
[Deadwool] Enigma glasses
Flying Machine:
HIDEKI - Steampunk Rocket Wings
Environment:
Angel Manor Estate - Draftsman Desk Period
Drow Science Steampunk Airship Daedalus Miniature
Ex Machina Zeitgeist Clocktower
Ex Machina Vulcano 2
DRD - The Reanimator - Dr Stein's Desk
Drow Science Steampunk Mesh Laptop
Ex Machina Prof Baltazar - Lab Panel 1
Ex Machina Louis Pasteur - Pharmacy
Ex Machina Birokrat 2 - Bookkeeping desk
Animals:
Cat from Jian Cat Deco Collection
Chicken from JIAN :: Chicken Collection
Dog from TLC Animals - Animesh Wearable Companion_Dalmatian
"We've got to survive! Somebody's got to survive!"
('Parts of dead bodies' and 'Zombies' by Reds, Inc. / Cult Cinema Collection - Distributed by Gaga Pictures)
Diorama by RK
DRD - The Reanimator hunt: Find the Steins
maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Death%20Row/125/140/21
Dr Ophelia Stein was telling me all about the new indigestion medication she was working on. As I walked away she insisted on giving me a small bottle. 'For the complexion', she said before tucking it into my hand with her bony fingers....
Access to the internet is a bit spotty this week, so I'm updating while I can.
First, this is my favorite shot of Laura, mainly because it was a complete accident, and I am supremely happy when accidents go my way. Means the universe totally has a crush on me.
Secondly, my trip.
Of note so far in my trip:
-airport security would only have been worse if they'd have slapped on some gloves and gone hunting in my rectum. Utter morons are manning the security areas, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was, secretly, a program to reanimate the dead and give them jobs.
-toronto is like san francisco, but with nicer people. even the homeless folks are nice.
but the croissants are weak.
-katie west's wedding, for those who were wondering, was off the motherfucking hook. Far as I could tell, it went off without a hitch. Her and her husband Matt were, by far, the most chilled out I've ever seen a couple before their wedding.
The food was delicious, the dessert was heavy on the pumpkin (which means it gets an A+ from me), the folks attending were fun to shoot, the music was hilariously perfect, and in the end, I even did a little dancing.
-New York is nothing but surprise after surprise. Plans change faster than a jackrabbit on crank. But the sun's shining, I've met a dozen Flickr folk in the last 24 hours, slept on a comfy couch, have a hot shower waiting for me and breakfast with my oldest friend.
And there's still three days to go.
Also of note: TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO BUY MY BOOK. AFTER THIS, NO MORE. CLICK HERE, then click on the cover photo
And up on the blog is a shot of New York through a window & screen, just because: blog.louobedlam.com/post/52275639/view-from-where-i-am-at...
Oh, and hey! I got interviewed!! I think this is the first time, so if I sound like an asshole...well, I'm an asshole. Click HERE.
Another view of this antique and decaying house seen in some of my recent uploads. As said before, it sits about 1/2 mile south of US Highway 24 between Beloit and Clay Center, Kansas--or just a couple miles west of Miltonvale, Kansas. Never heard of Miltonvale? I daresay few people have. To me, this image shouts "Kansas" about as well as any--though it could be used as a stand-in for anyplace in the Great Plains. About the only thing I'd do to this setting if I could, would be to reattach the wind vanes to the windmill in the background. Oh! I'd also reanimate the gnarly tree that blew down in front of the house (its remnants are visible here).
If I were to make a print of this photo, I'd use a slightly different crop, lowering the bottom edge a bit, to show a bit more of the post, and put the house in the exact center of the photo, but because of the rectangular aspect of computer screens, I chopped off a bit.
Don't be at all surprised if still more photos of this place trickle into my photostream.
"Just because our parents keep telling us that Jason was only a legend doesn't mean it wasn't true."
('Jason Voorhees' by NECA / Friday the 13th Ultimate Part 3 Jason)
Diorama by RK
Pictured with Ophelia Stein. Photo for the Death Row Designs Reanimator Hunt journal contest. In-world name same as Flickr name. ^_^
"The only way to kill Jason is to send him back to his original resting place where he drowned in 1957.
('Jason Voorhees' by NECA / Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives - 30th Anniversary Ultimate Jason)
Diorama by RK / Rock with Chain by NECA
"natale e la sua sfilza di incidenti.natale e la sua legione di drammi.natale,la notte efferata."
words from "Coule la Seine" by Fred Vargas.
manipulation by mr. HOTB - THE REANIMATOR www.flickr.com/photos/hotb-reanimator
THEME: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUAcDMHuC2E
Introducing my Self-MOC! This is actually the 12th version (12.4 to be exact) and a character reboot, though, and I have revamped the whole thing again since this version, too. I will post a picture showing some of the previous versions (I don't have pictures of pre-7th versions, except for the very first), just so you can get an idea of the evolution of the character.
---DESCRIPTION---
Nicknamed "Rahksha" due to her Makuta heritage, Nyctoria is somewhat of a Toa: the most accurate way to put it is, she's a protector...of sorts. She has a strong link with the Netherverse, enabling her to draw on its dark power to perform necromancy, as well as harvest souls and summon them as Netherwalkers (inhabitants of the Netherverse) with her scythe. She can also reanimate corpses to serve her by using seals on their Kanohi.
However, the power of the Netherverse always takes it toll, and the user's soul - and therefore body - will decay the more they use it. The only way to maintain oneself is to harvest the souls of others. Hence, Nyctoria hunts down villains to defeat and consume.
While Nyctoria does defend others from Makuta and other threats, she is not altrustic in her motives -- she will just as easily consume innocents if there is no other source available, and rarely helps others unless she perceives them or the target as useful in her quest for revenge against her "father", Teridax -- and by extension, her de facto creator, Mutran.
As an individual, Nyctoria is largely anti-social, apathetic and an on-off misanthrope - hardly surprising considering her origins. That being said, she is not without a sense of justice and empathy, although her concept of morality is nonexistent at worst and dubious at best.
---BIO---
NAME: Nyctoria
ALIASES: Rahksha, Daughter of Teridax, Destral's Shadowborne
SPECIES: Rahkshi/Toa (mutant; Kraata infused with energy from a Nui Stone)
GENDER: Female
KANOHI: N/A
ELEMENT: Shadow
WEAPON: Harvest Scythe - "Slayer's Slave"
"They won't run out of food, that's the problem, you see. And they won't run out of food as long as we're still alive."
('Parts of dead bodies' and 'Zombies' by Reds, Inc. / Cult Cinema Collection - Distributed by Gaga Pictures)
Diorama by RK
Did you know that cats have favorite authors and genres? Jarvis Cocker prefers non fiction and so his favorite authors are Claudia Rankine, Sasha Geffen, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Broadcast prefers experimental Asian fiction and so her favorite authors are Haruki Murakami, Ryu Murakami, Bae Suah, Can Xue, Banana Yoshimoto, Kazuo Umezz, Shin Kyung-Sook, Karen Tei Yamashita,Keiichirō Hirano, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Krys Lee and Banana Yoshimoto. PJ Harvey prefers poetry so her favorite authors are Rumi, Hanif Abdurraqib, Naomi Shihab Nye, Ocean Vuong, Nikki Giovanni and Eve L. Ewing. When I asked her what she thought of Nick Cave’s lyrics, you should have seen her reaction! What all my cats can agree on is that Karen Tei Yamashita’s Through the Arc of the Rainforest is a masterpiece and so, I always have to read that one out loud to them during cat story hour. Though I didn’t read Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor this year either, it’s still a solid second choice for our story hour together.
I have to always preface these lists by making the disclaimer that while no human being can read all of the books in existence put out in one year, I read even less this year having only finished a little under 150 books (I read 365 last year). Not all of these books were released this year and some of these books may be released in the future depending on which alternative timeline of reality you exist in. The pandemic really put a dent into my reading because I typically read while on the elliptical at the gym for a couple of hours every day but, with the gyms closed, I had to turn to memorizing K pop dance moves off of Youtube for my exercise for several months (I am not good at this), which caused me to almost get murdered by my downstairs neighbor until I straight up invested in an elliptical a couple of months ago and saved myself from the sudden doom that would have rivaled any gruesome ending of a Chan-wook Park film.
These books represent a few different genres-nonfiction, fiction, graphic novels, poetry-and are in a general order but I decided not to number them as I kept changing the order depending on my mood and that didn’t seem very efficient (I am not a journalist) Feel free to share your favorite books that you read this year. You may be stuck in a black hole reading books that we don’t even have in our reality. I want to hear about those too!
And, without further ado, my feline fanatic friends and literature lovers, gather around for this is my Favorite Books of 2020:
The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
Sometimes it’s actually hard to take science fiction seriously….why? Maybe because it’s so fun and engaging….either way, it’s actually quite hard to write something that is very inventive and also relevant in our modern times. In a way, it speaks to the high ability of the author to also be able to make it grounded in reality enough to be just believable but imaginative enough to get truly lost in a unique story. Such is the case for The City We Became, which has all of the NYC buroughs represented by different humans with vivid personalities fitting their areas who have to work together to stop an evil takeover and, of course, have a really tough time with that pesky and racist ignorant Ms. Staten Island. N.K. Jemisin creates a world of actual monsters and proud boy like art dealer/real estate mogul monsters (the kind we don’t actually have to work hard to imagine because they exist in real life). This looks like what will be the first in hopefully a long series of riveting books!
Tropic of Orange: Karen Tei Yamashita
I read Through the Arc of the Rainforest last year and this year Tropic of Orange was my exceptional read by this Japanese American author who is so imaginative in the way she writes both memorable characters and interwoven plots. I can’t predict any endings for any of their lives and that is quite something indeed. If you don’t like magical realism or complex storylines, you may miss out on the brilliance that is Yamashita and the bulk of her work. But, if you find yourself wanting to explore what creative literature is capable of, please look no further!
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi-
Just released this year and highly recommended by me! This book was philosophically engaging from start to finish. Set in the fictional town of Lucille, the residents have conquered all of the “monsters” (who are basically Trump voters and the like) until an angel (who looks like a monster) emerges from a painting to find a “family monster” who is abusing a child. The protagonist is a trans adolescent whose mom reads the great Nnedi Okorafor to her and speaks through sign language. I loved the layers of moral complexity here. Pet gets into what truly makes a monster and how insidious monsters (again, basically republicans) can hide in plain sight and if a monster is redeemable too. I liked Freshwater (Emezi’s 1st novel) but this was 100x better imo
Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi
This novel is both imaginative and also heart breaking…its main plot involves a country overtaken by American forces who also can’t trust their own government and a corpse that reanimates from other corpses to seek revenge. Though it delves into a little bit of black comedy and takes on a creature who may seem more familiar to those who enjoy the horror genre, it’s the horror of reality with the violence of the American invasion of Iraq that the novel is actually about. What Saadawi does is to create a vivid metaphor that evolves throughout the book and forces us to think deeply about morality. We must remember that Saadawi may also be coming to terms with his own grief, mortality, and the modern reality of living in Iraq. He has had friends lost through suicide bombs that he narrowly missed being killed in himself, for instance.
Catherine Lacey: Pew
I am always a little hesitant to promote the work of someone who is white when there are many women of color who are under-recognized and struggling to earn both critical acclaim and also just a living. So, I will just say that I found Catherine Lacey’s very recent novel Pew incredibly moving and relevant for our times. She writes about race and gender identity in a way that feels fully realized. This book is about identity that words cannot define and the frustrations that result in a white community (who considers themselves super religious) because they cannot take ownership over human identity. There’s a real sense of the frustration of language and lack of it and of not being in control and the way these humans handle that feeling. It is a postmodern masterpiece and I would highly recommend it. On a side note, it doesn’t really matter or seem worth mentioning the personal romantic life of a female author but, in this case, I must mention that she is currently the partner of one of my favorite authors who also resides in Chicago, Jesse Ball, and has a funny statement about him at the end in the thank-you section that is worth taking a look at.
Elif Shafak’s 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
This novel is fiercely feminist following so many female friends from all walks of life in Turkey and the way the body lives on after death. This book starts with death but is really filled with life! As our heroine protagonist, murdered yet still filled with extreme senses, dies a little more on each page, we find out a little more about her and what in her life brought her to this point. And therein lies the largest devastation of this novel because we fall in love with dear Leila but it’s too late to save her. Her life was doomed from the beginning because she happened to be born female and poor and did not have any rights to make her own happiness despite having all the ambitions to do so.
Imani Perry: Breathe, A Letter to My Sons:
This book was a little reminiscent of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “Between the World and Me” but I actually was even more moved by this mothers take on raising her two boys in America with it’s racist past and present. Really wise and incredible. This was such a gift to be added to the canon of American literature and as a resource to help nurture the modern African American family and was both honest and insightful.
Yaa Gyasi: Transendent Kingdom
Yaa Gyasi’s second novel is quite a bit different than her first, Homegoing. This one is about a family from Ghana but one that lives in Alabama and struggles to make their way in the American South. It is a portrait of a family in turmoil as the family unit as a whole is severed in a couple of major ways…and, I am hesitant to say more on that end as I don’t want to spoil the novel. Gyasi writes us a very strong female protagonist in Gifty who is a neuroscientist studying mice and both reward seeking and inhibition in her quest to understand and make sense of addiction. It is one of those soul searching types of books that is well worth reading and without artifice or cliché, which is sometimes quite a challenge to find in literature.
The Liar by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen
In some ways, this was not as profound as an earlier fiction work by this Israeli author, Waking Lions, but is still however very meaningful and relevant about lies that take on a life and storyline of their own between Israel and Poland and between both a young and a much older female protagonist. To me, this book was incredibly relevant especially in these times about how a little bit of dishonesty ends up leading to incredibly different results in the lives of humans. It’s a short read but very worthwhile in the way it makes you think of the role of truth in one’s life.
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Dr. Monique W. Morris
This was a really difficult read by the Founder and President of the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI). Yet, it was also an important read for me not just as an educator but as someone who also wants to do right by all students I support. Morris gets into some of the facts behind racial profiling in schools and does well to expose how it is often overlooked what impact early racism in schools has on young women (although, it is often acknowledged and still very damaging for young Black men). The treatment of young women in a place of learning is very important and could be instrumental in nurturing and encouraging these girls to succeed and to set ambitious yet achievable goals but they have to not only be taught skills but believe in their own worth. We also need to recognize signs of trauma and ensure that we are addressing the whole child. We cannot ignore these facts and we cannot assume that every educator before us was kind and acted within the best interest of every student. So, when we consider what a child’s perception of education may be, for a student of color especially a young human who may be Black, there may be a lot of work to do in changing a negative sense of school. What we see in our schools is not “safe spaces” but punishment that sets the stage for a cruel future. Do we really want this as a society? We must accept that we have failed and that we must change.
We must actively change schools across America! It is a gift to be able to teach and nurture and abuses of power are the most heinous kind. On a personal note, I spent much of my time this summer protesting against police brutality and cops in schools. Our mayor and Board of Ed. in Chicago has kept a few incidents of racially motivated violence against students in schools from the public and, instead of hiring nurses and ending our contract with the cops, tax payers are still footing the bill. They’ll make us take a mandatory online training about stopping the school to prison pipeline but, in terms of policy and where our tax dollars are going, Chicago is far from walking the same walk they are preaching.
Brit Bennett-The Vanishing Half
This reminded me of a modern day Passing by Nella Larsen and a great follow up novel to The Mothers. Bennett shows a portrait of two sisters, one who decides to pass and leads a much different life than the other who ends up having a child with a man who has a much darker skin tone than herself and returns to their small town in Louisiana where there is an obsession about shades of skin. This novel is as much an examination about race as it is about the human desperation driven by racism and what humans are capable of denying about themselves and others they love to continue to live safely within a certain space and level of comfort. There is also a second layer that is about transitioning genders that adds to the storyline and characters overall.
The Atlas of Reds and Blues by Devi S. Laskar
The story of racism that a Bengali immigrant family experiences in the American south (in a suburb of Atlanta) is important but what elevates this work is the unique writing style. I literally felt like I was slipping to and fro through time and seeing these glimpses of a vivid life in all its joys and sorrows. Laskar is incredibly poetic in her exploration of police violence and trauma and was also herself a victim of racial profiling. She’s another author who I hope continues to gain readers and write more books. For a debut, this is exceptional and really reads like it come from an author who has written her whole life.
Disability / Visibility edited and FW by Alice Wong
This is nonfiction at its finest because it has the power to open your mind to the struggles of a group of humans you may not have had a clue about before you opened the first page. Wong did an excellent job of finding an incredibly diverse group of perspectives not just in terms of race, class and religion but also in terms of ability level and opinions on ableism and world perspectives. Keah Brown and Haben Girma are probably the most well known authors in this collection but each of these essays is enlightening in a different way-some focus more on technological aspects, others on fashion, others on abortion, and still others on deficits in terms of public transport. All of these perspectives are valid and insightful and should give able bodied humans a clue as to what obstacles need to be examined and removed in our society to make a better world exist.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho.
In an alternative reality where white American born humans also need to pass a citizenship test, this would be required reading. Acho comes from Nigerian parents and grew up in Texas. I didn’t realize he wasn’t just a political science philosopher type of author (He’s also an NFL player) when I started reading as I don’t really follow the actual sports game but he does a fantastic job with these questions, which are actual questions submitted by white people in America. Some of these questions show a huge lack of understanding of history and privilege. Other questions are more related to wanting to help and be anti-racist but not knowing where to start. Acho calmly rewinds and takes us through some background and gives suggestions on how to live differently and be better as well as some valuable resources. And, in order to keep in mind white privilege, I will say that it is definitely not the responsibility of Black or African American humans to educate us but when they do make an effort (and hopefully like Acho are compensated for it), it’s definitely our duty to listen. As ignorant as some of these questions seem, we must all be humble and willing to ask questions and all the more willing to listen to the answers. It’s also worth noting that this nonfiction was written after the murder of George Floyd so it is incredibly current and Acho also writes very calmly and in a way that most people probably won’t find having a huge adverse reaction to when confronting white privilege and entitlement.
A Man by Keiichirō Hirano
What an engaging read! I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel that so effectively skirted the line of experimental fiction in its exploration of identity and story lines before. First, there is the identity based on an exchanged one and a lie for a human being who lives a quiet life as someone else. But, then there is the exploration of identify of what it means to be S. Korean and living in Japan and the xenophobia experienced by humans in this predicament. In some ways, A Man reads like a thriller and mystery novel but in many other ways, it is a deeply philosophical work that cannot be contained by genre but makes you wonder about and question the human stories were are assigned, we tell ourselves, and that we make up altogether. I can’t wait for At the End of the Matinee to be released April 15th, 2021!
Hidden Colors by Nillu Nasser
The book explores the struggles of Syrian refugees in Berlin putting on a magical circus but after a couple of years. the anti-immigrant sentiment rises and politicians and journalists have to choose which side to take. This book feels fantastical in the sense of the circus production but realistic in its depiction of the hardship of existence as a mere pawn in politics and left vulnerable to political whims and opinions of the public. There’s a great deal here about the ethics of journalism as well and the responsibilities in terms of telling of the human story. Though this book is technically a work of fiction, it is highly relevant to our current world.
A Fortune For Your Disaster by Hanif Andurraqib
I didn’t do as much poetry reading this year as I did last year but this one definitely stood out. I read it for book club. Full disclosure-I love everything by Hanif and would recommend Go Ahead in the Rain, his nonfiction regarding A Tribe Called Quest if you are fan of the band. I follow Hanif on Twitter and am a fan of him both in terms of his politically conscious side and his human side where he bakes and talks about his love of music and Columbus, Ohio. He’s also great to see speak. He’s an incredibly lovable human. Anyway, this poetry is so rich with imagery and soul and, though it definitely explores topics of racism, I would also say that it explores the full range of what it means to be human and does so artfully. So many of the lines should be read more than once and contemplated. Read a poem and put it down for a while and think about the full complexity of what Hanif was exploring and picture the photograph he created with his masterful words that appears in your head.
Just Us by Claudia Rankine:
Rankine is an extraordinary poet who is also insightful when it comes to race in America and her observations based on both casual encounters and a whole lot of systemic racism. At the end of the day, Rankine is aware of the damning impact of white supremacy and she wants humans to heal and for the world to become a better and safer place for all human to exist in. And, that isn’t going to happen without some conversations taking place that are sometimes challenging to initiate and to explore. We find ourselves sometimes in situations that might at first seem perplexing but have a history based in reality. If you haven’t read Citizen, the collection of poetry by Rankine, you might be blown away but this work of nonfiction. If, like me, you have read Citizen, you might at this point be more impressed by the fact that with all of the facts and insights Rankine has, she still is willing to have conversations about race and that speaks to the kind of beautiful human being she is.
The Drifting Classroom Volume 1-3 by Kazuo Umezz
This is a riveting 700+ page graphic novel about a school that disappears from the present and travels to a desolate future with a lot of human psychological issues of those trapped in this new reality. I will say one key thing in this epic journey through the minds and choices of these young children is that both the surreal storyline and the art work are captivating and I was soon hooked and couldn’t wait for the third volume to be released a couple of months ago. I devoured it like a piece of decadent chocolate cake while soaking in my bathtub for night after night. I became very invested in these creatures who first had to fight for their lives when there was a struggle for power and then when their dreams came alive and then when there was a plague and then when there was still extreme scarcity of food and water….and somehow our hero and protagonist is able to community at some points with his mom living in the time and reality they came from even though they are far from it. Just a fantastic imaginative series for Japanese graphic novel fans especially.
Myla Goldberg’s Feast Your Eyes-
Tis is a very well done and complex portrait of a photographer living in NYC in the 60s-70s who didn’t actually exist but you’ll be convinced did exist by the way this book is laid out describing her photographs with fictional journal entries and fictional accounts of friends and family. This is a lot about artistic rights and the line between art and child protection. Interesting philosophically and based on several other female photographers who actually did exist like Vivian Maier and Diane Arbus. It really reads like a very engaging nonfiction work instead of fiction, which is an interesting experience for the reader.
Sharks in the Time of Saviors: by Kawai Strong Washburn
I had two books by native authors, this one and Rebecca Roanhorse’s Black Sun become available around the same time from my Chicago Public Library holds list and they couldn’t be more different. But while I did love the imagination of Black Sun overall, I didn’t feel as connected to the characters and just saw it as a starting point for hopefully a long series whereas Sharks in the Time of Saviors feels like a truly stand alone work. This book is, in many ways, a portrait of a native Hawaiian family struggling to get by and having a son with healing powers. There is a bit of a leap in terms of what you can believe here but it is written with enough reality that the surreality is very effective. Our hero Noa is trying to find himself and come to terms with a crucial error he makes. In the meantime, his brother and sister are also floundering between not being the most brilliant basketball star (former) and with same sex preferences (latter) and no one has any money to fly home to Hawaii from college because, of course, it’s just far too expensive even for the natives to get home. What is the most interesting to me is how the relationships between family members is explored and the idea that you shouldn’t ever encourage someone to define their identity with just one main thing or being good at one thing because it destines them to an unhappy sort of life and failure. I found the writing here very engaging and it dealt with some of the real issues Natives face in our country, especially in areas where cost of living has become insurmountable.
A Burning: by Megha Majumbar
This was a very difficult book to read, primarily because Majumbar writes us a story where you easily feel connected to and devastated by the chain of events that bring our heroine, Jivan, a poor Muslim girl in the Indian slums to a prison cell wrongfully accused of being a terrorist. In some ways, it made me think of a modern day Kafka-esque tale where it just seems all odds are stacked against our protagonist and it just keeps getting worse. Majumbar explores the corruption in modern day India but also interestingly enough explores the life and rise of a transgender fried of the protagonist at the very same time. This book is filled with politicians and political opportunists and liars who don’t seem to mind making Jivan a fall girl for their own political agenda and it made me wonder how possible all of this might actually be, especially as Majumdar was born and raised in Kolkata herself though is now living in NYC. This is Majumdar’s first novel and shows a promising career.
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
One of the reasons why this nonfiction is so powerful is because these voices are so often not heard or misheard. Johnson takes us through his life and what it was like to grow up with two identities, sometimes at odds with himself and what it meant to be both an African American and one who questioned his gender and preferred humans of the same sex to his biologically given gender. Johnson takes us through his very harrowing struggle to fit in and the relief of finding members in his family who at least partially understood what he was going through. He takes through what it’s like to be sexually abused and have assumptions made about him. It is harrowing and honest and makes you grateful that he has created something that shows us the whole range of humanity and helps some of us find comfort in who we are and others of us understand how to be better and more compassionate humans.
Glitter up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary by Sasha Geffen
Sasha Geffen is a human who has devoted countless hours to exploring how we came to this exact moment in music history and all of the steps that led us here in an all inclusive non fiction epic journey examining how, in just about every genre of music I can think of, gender identity and transforming gender norms was a part of both image and sound of musicians. I am a huge fan of music and many of these musicians and bands I was already familiar with and own albums by. However, Geffen caused me to view many songs, concerts, and even album covers a different way and I also learned about many artists I was not familiar with. This is a must read for those who love music and for those who seek to accept and appreciate all genders (male, female, and non-binary) and their artistic contributions within this very flawed yet sometimes quite beautiful world.
A Partial History of Lost Causes by Jennifer duBois
This book fascinated me….Irina knows she is going to die and it is going to possibly be horrible and painful when she does the genetic testing and finds out she inherited Huntington’s Disease. She knows what the future holds because she saw her father progressively lose abilities and she starts to lose control in ways that signal to her what her future could hold. And so, she decides she’s going to go on adventure to Russia in order to find a chess master who is an active political opponent of Putin because, after all, what exactly does she have to lose? This book is about the idea of taking your life into your own hands and controlling your destiny instead of letting genetics define you. It is also about trying to make the most out of a life that many others would consider doomed. It also has a really great joke about Adam and Eve actually being soviets and it takes a lot to make me laugh in the middle of a pandemic.
Vivian by Christina Hesselholdt
This work explores all ll different points of view including Vivian Maier’s own on life and photography with interesting narrator interjections and musings based on what is known of this photographer. I have to admit that I have a personal bias of loving many of Maier’s photographic works so this was a very engaging read for me based on my familiarity with and admiration of the photographer that was the focus of this technically “biographical fiction” work. I think it might be a key point to get acquainted with some of Maier’s photographs and read this book if you are enamored. But, you might also enjoy this book if you in general love photography and think often about what might a photographer be like as a human and what makes for a good photographer as well.
Empire of Wild: Cherie Dimaline
This is the first novel I have read by a Métis (Native French Canadian) author and I really loved it. It was definitely wild and centered around the traditional Native myth of the Rogarou as it kills and steals souls. This was as much about human deception and religion and racism as it was about this creature and it was impossible for me to not visualize the horror while, at the same time, see Rogarou as a metaphor for white opportunists who will do whatever it takes to steal Native land. I had my heart in my throat for a lot of this journey and I think the power of the writing really showed its effectiveness.
Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves edited by Glory Edim.
Fantastic autobiographical accounts of prominent African American female authors of today and how they were inspired by literature that uniquely spoke to them. This book does well to emphasize the importance of representation and I would advocate that those who define curricula across the country on every level should start considering whether we are really celebrating our current list of authors because they were talented and had something relevant to say then and now or whether it goes within our nation’s history of white supremacy to promote primarily white male authors as the definitive standard even though they had every advantage over their women of color possible colleagues. What is hopeful is that now more than ever talented women of color are being published and truly heard but, in my opinion, there is still a lot of history around celebrating only or primarily only white male authors that should be challenged in this country. In any case, this collection features a great deal of talented contemporary female authors such as Jesmyn Ward, Jacqueline Woodson, Zinzi Clemmons, N. K. Jemisin, Tayari Jones and more and speaks to the power of literature and it’s transformative qualities!
The Nocturnal Brain: Nightmares, Neuroscience, and the Secret World of Sleep by Guy Leschziner.
I thought this was nonfiction about dreams but it was mainly about different sleep disorders…still very interesting and informative though! Did you know you can have something called Restless Chest Syndrome? Yikes! I tend to love neuroscience and yet besides this book and The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn, I didn’t read nearly as many science oriented books in 2020. I read far more nonfiction books about race, gender, and immigrant memoirs. Still, I love to learn about all facets of the human brain and I believe in life long learning. The case studies in this book were especially fascinating and made me feel like my reoccurring insomnia is really not so bad at all compared to what it could be!
Wow, No Thank You: Samantha Irby
This nonfiction collection of essays made me laugh so hard (especially the chapter on cat vs. dog ownership) that I instantly fell in love with Irby as both an author and as a human being and, though she no longer lives in Chicago, it was cool to see what living in Chicago twenty or so years ago was like through her eyes. Irby is happily married and has encountered both homophobia and racism in her life and these essays showed both an intellectual and a quick witted approach to dealing with it. Irby is so candid and does not hold anything back when it comes to her own biology, either, which is almost shocking (and also appreciated) at times in its brutal honesty and well worth reading. Irby is also my age so I could relate to some of these chapters quite a bit because of that. Hello 911, filled with imagined 911 calls as well as Love and Marriage where she answers ridiculous questions are also not to be missed chapters if you want to laugh hysterically.
The Monk of Mokha (Story of Mokhtar Alkhanshali) told by Dave Eggers
I actually led a two hour remote book club on this book last month and, though I love discussing books, what is odd is that I liked the book better before the discussion. This is an incredible story of a Yemeni American man who risks literally his life more than once to bring back viable coffee beans and establish a coffee trade between his homeland of Yemen and the United States. Dave Eggers insists emphatically that this is 100% nonfiction and it is unfathomable the lengths that Mokhtar goes to. There’s an undying sense of the human spirit that can be both courageous and also lucky in this book. There’s also a component of the struggle itself against both the violent conflict situation in Yemen and the racism encountered in America. In any case, if you are interested, here’s an article about the book.
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/dave-eggers-te...
I Don’t Expect Anyone to Believe Me: Juan Pablo Villalobos
Good, because they probably won’t! This is an adventure in surrealist experimental fiction walking the line between humor and existential dread. In the end, you honestly don’t know exactly what really happened and if the protagonist is even still alive. There are doubling of characters, journal entries, a talking dog, and lots of unsavory types I wouldn’t trust with my favorite pencil (or even my least favorite pencil). Our extremely flawed hero is a Mexican intellectual who wants to study humor in literature in Catalonia, Spain but is side tracked before he can even get there by a group of mafia like henchmen in an impossible scheme his cousin roped him into involving seducing a woman identifying as a lesbian amongst other crazy shenanigans. This is a wild ride! If you’re an intellectual who dislikes thrillers, try this one out to see if maybe it was just the writing style in those other books wasn’t enough for you in the first place.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
I expected a lot from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens because of the human (a coworker and friend) who recommended it to me and I did think it was worth reading. I like the sense of looking into isolationism and classism as well as the justice system in the American South plus there’s a courtroom cat! (Sunday Justice) but probably best of all was the fierce individualism of the female protagonist, Kya, the “Marsh Girl” who learns to make her own way in life. Kya’s unusual personality and talents drew me into the story line as a whole but it was the ending that made it truly worthwhile and landed it on my best of 2020 list.
Junji Ito’s Yon & Mu:
This is a super adorable autobiographical #catlife graphic nonfiction about his wife’s 2 cats that he learns to 💕 and who turn him into a cat person. I loved the drawings in this book and the little stories about getting his cat neutered, going on a business trip and missing his cats, cats around his chair where the heater was, cats on his lap, cats in his bed….you know the drill. A lot of these are relatable and silly but sweet and the book also includes photos! I’ve read Ito’s harrowing fiction, graphic horror novels and this was quite a departure but it gave me a glimpse into his lovable human side. Though this was maybe not the best book I read critically, it was still definitely one of my favorites as someone who is a fan of Ito’s graphic novels and cats!
Cats of the Louvre: Taiyo Matsumoto
Full disclosure here that I didn’t really think anyone would take me seriously if I started with these last two books/graphic novels because, honestly, I love cats and so I cannot be objective about extreme cat topics and/or cat protagonists. This one is perfection-a wildly imaginative storyline centered around the cats that live in Le Louvre. What more do you need to know? Ok, there’s a human trapped in a painting and also all the cats take on human traits at night when no on is looking. Is this not a good enough reason to read this book right now?!?! Oh wait, you’re a dog lover??? Well, forget you anyway! 😹
Honorable mentions:
Ok, so again this list only represents about 30% of the books I read this year. I can’t write about 100+ more books but here are the books I would still recommend:
Little Gods by Meng Jin
I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Eatheater by Dolores Reyes
Dear Girls by Ali Wong (so funny!)
Telephone by Percival Everett
The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire by David Mura
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Telomere Effect by Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn
1919 by Eve L. Ewing
**All photos are copyrighted**
For years Solast had been fascinated with the Great Kanohi Tryna, mask of reanimation, with one goal in mind: Immortality. He thought that if he can reanimate the dead then maybe, if used on himself, he could reverse his own death. After mastering his Tryna on dead rahi, Solast decided that it is time to test his powers on a more complex being, a Toa. (See next picture for continuation.)
"...aagghh!...Argh...fuck!! Gaagghh..."
JD: ".........."
"...you....you think this is it, huh?! This is the end, right here right now!?"
JD: "........."
"Well you damn right it is! Only one of us if getting off this roof, and it sure as fuck ain't gonna be you!...."
JD: "........."
K: ".....if this persists. The mighty Bloodfall, afraid of a reanimated remnant of his origins. It's pathetic. It's....human......"
JD: "........."
K: "Your history must be destroyed, here and now. For the sake of everything you hold dear. And if I have to make you bleed to see it happen, I will."
JD: "....fine. You wanna dance? Let's dance!"
K: "Excellent! A proper final battle! This will be absolutely Prime, J! One shall stand!..."
JD: "And one shall fall! YOU, CALLEY!!!"
"rraaaaaAAAAAAGGHHH---!!!"
JD: "rraaaaaAAAAAAGGHHH---!!!"
(^same time^)
*SSSMMMMCCKK*
After the FIGHT, subsided in part by gendarmes and the monks, there remained one towering load of grain which, together with the priests and the people, was escorted to the Mother Church in the churchyard where the bags were arranged in heaps and distributed to poor people who were not able to go or had not arrived in time. The Pomaricani after the fight and successful distribution of the remaining grain which happened in the churchyard of the Old Church met in the evening with the merchant. He told them that a few days before a good-looking gentleman was presented to him under the name of "Michael Pomarico" and he ordered the wheat be taken to a country town that was on a hill called Pomarico. Michele pledged his ring set with a diamond stone. The dealer, together with the authorities, went in Piazza V. Veneto, the new square of Pomarico, with its shops and its wineries, looking for some Michael who fit the description. When no-one did, at the suggestion of a villager, he decided to go to the mother church. The seller, looking at the statue of the Archangel Michael donated to the people of Pomarico by Francesco del Balzo, (now housed in the glass case at the entrance of the Mother Church) he recognized the face of the ring owner. Then everyone realized that the Holy finger was missing the ring with the diamond in it, donated by the magnificent Porfida Giannulli on May 3, 1713, which the statue of the saint is still wearing in the morning procession of 8 May. The merchant and the population suddenly realized and shouted to the miracle. The seller, then, excited and stunned put the ring on the Saints finger waiving fees agreed with St. Michael the Archangel. There was general commotion culminating in joyful applause. The small town, where life flowed calm and sleepy, was reanimated. For a week the streets and the alleys were crossed by people coming and going, their faces showing the signs of a joy never experienced before. All spoke of the miracle and felt proud to witness an extraordinary event. Since that year, the Patron Saint became more and more honored.
Butehamon Outer Sarcophagus (1076-944 BCE - Third Intermediate Period - Middle Kingdom Twenty-first Dynasty) - Painted wood - 210 x 74 x 43 cm. Provenance: Deir el-Medina - Egyptian Museum, Turin, Italy
Butehamon’s set of coffins, probably found in the tomb of Nakhtmin (Theban Tomb 291), is already the typical one for the Third Intermediate Period: an outer coffin, an inner coffin, and a “false lid”. Nothing is known of the whereabouts of his mummy. The outer coffin shows stylistic features that are still typical for the Ramesside period (1292 – 1076 BC), but the growing space devoted to images is a feature of the new “yellow coffin” style. The image repertoire is expanded, combining typical New Kingdom elements with Third Intermediate Period Theological creations. Offering and mythological scenes are alternated in the decoration of the outer coffin. The lid shows a board collar with lotus flower, a pectoral dominated by the Khepri scarab (the morning sun), and the winged figure of Nut on the abdomen. The lower half of the top of the lid, instead, is subdivided into frames showing a number of offering scenes. An exceptional feature is the long hieratic text painted on the inside of both the lid and the mummy board. It contains the “Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth”, a very old religious text whose purpose was to reanimate the mummy. Recent scientific tests have shown that Butehamon, in spite of his high rank, used pieces of earlier coffins to assemble his outer coffin.
Sembla que n'hi ha que volen sortir d'on no hi ha sortida...
Foto presa amb una Nikon FM2n, fabricada cap al 1989-1991; Sigma Mini-Wide f2.8 / 28mm; Ilford FP4+ revelat "stand" en Rodinal durant 45minuts.
I sí, he agafat el titol de la fotografia del mitic album d'Iron Maiden, probablement el millor que mai feren.
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_After_Death_(%C3%A0lbum)
======================
It seems as if somebody, or something wants to exit from where there's no exit...
Picture taken with a Nikon FM2n, made c.1989-1991; Sigma Mini-Wide f2.8/28mm; Ilford FP4+ stand developed in Rodinal for 45 minutes.
... and yes, I got the title of the picture from Iron Maiden's 1985 album. Up the Irons!
Well, I can think of another alternative. Since these things seem to congregate in heavily populated areas and since we have not touched upon any of our nuclear resources ... why don't we drop bombs on all the big cities ?"
('Zombie' by Reds, Inc. / Cult Cinema Collection)
Diorama by RK
31.01.2019
Minolta X700 with my 75mm-150mm f4 Telezoom on a tripod
shot on a roll of Kono Kolorit 400 Tungsten
shot taken from the bridge above the docks
exposed for 2min at f 16
scanned with my Reflecta 7200 Crystalscan
Undetected after being trapped in the darkness of the ceiling rafters and becoming a Reanimate, Ceiling Zombie gazes down at Cordelia with unrestrained hunger.....
At some days a perfect mixture of ambition, never letting loose till perfection is close (not there cuz it never is) and exploring unknown border ends up in a messy stroke of genius.
A revived carp:
former;
an inanimate, unspectacular piece of hollowed out meat bathing back then in pale wintersun on the beach while a gang of black crows continues to enjoy a sterling banquette of his eyeball, stomach and anus potpourri. Basis of natural order, get what you can while you can but not a glorious ending. No clue where he might have appeared from as a sweetwater fish neither. Instead of endless wondering I decided to send him back straight into his usuall habitat. Dead but never resting now s/he is;
Prey ahoi!!
17,8 x 24 cm print
Scanner: EPSON 2580
Enlanger: Kaiser VC 35
Paper: ILFORD Ilfospeed 1.24M - expired// 07.2003
Developer: Adox MCC DEVELOPER 1:4
Stop: Adox ADOSTOP 1:9
Fixer: Agfa AGEFIX 1:9
2sec +5 D&B x 11f
+ Fingerpainting
35mm Negative Development:
ADOX Rodinal 1:40/ca 20°C/about ten minutes
SOLIGOR 35-70mm/2.5-3.5f
Canon NEW F1
EFKE 25
(exp.)
With the war leaving the land in dire need of revitalization, Marin Monkey, now a veteran mech pilot of Fabu-Force, repurposed his old farming truck for uprooting dead trees.
360° gif in the first comment.
The idea behind Mech Monday was to post one model of a mech, robot or drone per week, each Monday of 2019. Markus did all 52 models last year. For personal reasons, I did only the first half. This year, I’m doing the remaining 26 weekly themes.
Join in on the fun in the Mech Monday group.
If you want a challenge or need inspiration, next week’s theme is “Reanimation.”
See you next Monday!
Today's story and sketch "by me" is an update on the honeymoon couple Benjamin and Dr. Linda Lou Pudzer, who in the last Blog crash landed here at the Playa Beautimus Resort on their honeymoon, Linda Lou had no idea Benjamin was possibly the worst glider pilot in the Cosmos, he had failed his pilot's license on five occasions, in all of the last five years, and was flying the rented Glider on a forged learners permit, he had purchased from wwwboguscredentialsareus.com. But at this point the bogus permit, has very little to do with the horrendous crash which I am sorry to say was nearly fatal, I say nearly because Rescue Randy the most interesting living tissue crash test dummy, and most admired "EMT" Extraterrestrial Medical Technician in this or any other Galaxy. Randy pulled apart the crumpled glider, extracted Benj and Linda Lou, who were no longer at room temperature. Randy gathered and bagged the parts, and did something wonderful, he flew directly to the best reanimation physicians in the Cosmos at the "UCSB" Martian Reanimation Institute, the same Martians who were sport diving in the Santa Barbara Channel, when they found a lifeless body with the name tag Randy, he was 500 feet beneath the Exxon Hondo platform. They took the body back to the institute, and It was a miracle within a week the Martians had transformed the Anthropomorphic body into the most interesting living tissue crash test dummy in the Cosmos, at a cost of 50 million dollars, Rescue Randy is also the most expensive. Luckily the Martian physicians had some free time, and took on the challenge to rebuild and reanimate Benjamin and Linda Lou, who you see are now living tissue supernaturals, and are back enjoying their Honeymoon here at the Playa Beautimus Resort, above in the Galaxy Glider is Dr Bhutan one of the Martian from UCSB who has come to check out his patients, who seem to look a bit weird, but are in love and enjoying their honeymoon, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.