closed for the holidays

A printer I work with sent this postcard to inform us of the dates they are closed for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I paid special attention to it, because of my how to snowperson project. I love the snow turkey. How cute! This is much more personal than an email with closing dates, and I will actually keep it, rather than deleting the email.

now that's a photo shoot

Judging by how difficult it is to get a few people to cooperate for a photo shoot, I find this photo truly inspiring. It was made by Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas during WWI and includes over 18,000 military personnel.

two angles on campaign postcard

I was hoping for some crit on my postcard revision. Again, I made two versions and can't decide which is better. Any opinions?

blue moon v. white moon

I can't decide which of these revisions to the opening spread of my classification project is better. Any opinions?

unnecessary instructions show and tell

Instructions on greeting card cellophane: Remove protective wrap before placing in envelope.
I coulda guessed that one.

Instructions on St. Ives Swiss Formula lotion: Smooth into skin as often as needed. Daily use will prevent over-dry skin from recurring.
Okay, so why else would you want lotion?

new logo

My friend is designing a logo for her husband's photography business. What do you think of this? Any suggestions?

What we can learn from Dr. Seuss

I loved Dr. Seuss' books when I was little. In fact, they were the first ones I learned to read. But, I have not opened them in years, and I forgot -- or perhaps never realized the beauty of the language.

His writing is so sensory. I think this is partly due to the way he makes up words to express exactly what he needs to express.

The opening of The Lorax is composed with rhythm, rhyme, consonance, and onomatopoeia. And each stanza leaves me wanting to read on to the next.

At the far end of town
where the Grickle-grass grows
and the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows
and no birds ever sing excepting old crows...
is the Street of the Lifted Lorax.

And deep in the Grickle-grass, some people say,
if you look deep enough you can still see, today,
where the Lorax once stood
just as long as it could
before somebody lifted the Lorax away.

What was the Lorax?
Any why was it there?
And why was it lifted and taken somewhere
from the far end of town where the Grickle-grass grows?
The old Once-ler still lives here.
Ask him. He knows.

You won't see the Once-ler.
Don't knock at his door.
He stays in his Lerkim on top of his store.
He stays in his Lerkim, cold under the roor,
where he makes his own clothes
out of miff-muffered moof.
And on special dank midnights in August,
he peeks out of the shutters
and sometimes he speaks
and tells how the Lorax was lifted away.
He'll tell you, perhaps...if you're willing to pay.

One more stanza. I love the language (especially the invented words) in this passage.

Then again he came back! I was fixing some pipes
when that old nuisance Lorax came back with more gripes.
I am the Lorax, he coughed and he whiffed.
He sneezed and he snuffled. He snarggled. He sniffed.
Once-ler! he cried with a cruffulous croak.
Once-ler! You're making such smogulous smoke!
My poor Swomee-Swans...why, they can't sing a note!
No one can sing who has smog in his throat.

Cruffulous! How perfect.

definition

So, I didn't bring this one to class, because I am not sure of the rules on reading the Bible in state-funded institutions. But, anything goes in cyberspace, and this definition of love from 1 Corinthians 13 is, in my opinion, a beautiful piece of prose.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps not record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
(v. 4-8a)

word of the day

As I was marking some corrections on a proof at work today, I came across one of my favorite words (at least one of my favorite words that appears in Implant Dentistry): polytetrafluoroethylene. This is a real beauty. The hard Ts are mixed in with those luxurious Ls. Lovely. And, you'll never guess what PTFL is. I'll bet it is sitting in your kitchen right now.

Teflon! Yup. It is also in Gore-Tex.

I'm sure the scientists were not out to amuse me when they gave name to this substance, but they concocted a real winner that day. Too bad Stephanie's niece has already been named, or I could have suggested this beautiful appellation (Polly for short).

R. Crumb

So, yet again I am admitting my ignorance, but when I saw the reference to R. Crumb on this week's "daily" (ahem), I wondered, "Hmm...who is that guy? Must be a blogger." Wrong!

Robert Crumb is a famous illustrator who created the illustration above in 1968 for the first issue of Zap Comix (so says wikipedia).

I found a website for the artist, and he is still up to his illustrating tricks. In fact, he is working on an illustration of the Book of Genesis, although he is taking a short sabbatical at the moment.

Although we have been warned that wikipedia is a sub-par reference for academic projects, the blogging world is not bound by such restrictions. Here is a brief boilerplate of the famous "Keep on Truckin'" cartoon:

"Keep on Truckin'" is a one-page comic by Robert Crumb. It was published in the first issue of Zap Comix in 1968. A visual riff on the lyrics of the Blind Boy Fuller song "Truckin' My Blues Away", it shows an assortment of smiling cartoon men drawn in Crumb's distinctive style strutting confidently across an urban landscape. The strip's drawings became iconic images of optimism during the hippie era. Like most underground comics "Keep on Truckin'" was not copyrighted, and its drawings have been widely reproduced on T-shirts, posters, and other items.

In case you are interested in listening to the song, I found this acoustic guitar version on youtube, unfortunately, there are no lyrics (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NksMOYgatRk).

And, just to be well-rounded in my e-sourcing, here is the official R. Crumb website (http://www.crumbproducts.com/). Go crazy!

narration show and tell

The Spider and The Fly

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
"'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I have many curious things to show you when you're there."

"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"

"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"

Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, " Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I 've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome -- will you please to take a slice?"

"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind Sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"

"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I have a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."

"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you 're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again;
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.

Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple -- there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flattering words, came slowly flitting by:
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew --
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue,
Thinking only of her crested head -- poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, into his dismal den,
Within his little parlour -- but she ne'er came out again!

And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale, of the Spider and the Fly.

by Mary Howitt, 1821

for iMovie inspiration

Someone sent me this cute video last week. Anyone who has a cat can relate. I think this simple cartoon was really well done. Too bad it is just a little outside my animation capabilities at this point.

beautiful photo, unfortunate sacrifice

My friend Rich was kind enough to take this spectacular photo of the Bay Lady for me when I needed a photo for my classification project. Unfortunately, I had set my article template for vertical photos. I still liked the angle of the boat better in this photograph than in the vertical one he sent, so I was forced to crop most of the beauty out of it. I thought that the full photo had to be displayed somewhere. Maybe I will find a use for it in the future...like a framed print on my wall.

I am so amazed that he was able to capture this. The lighting was really poor at the time, and he make the shutter speed long enough to increase the light exposure, but short enough so the boat would not blur due to its rocking in the water. Photography is an awesome skill.

vintage ads

I came across these old ads in my recent internet travels. It is interesting to see both the old design style and the old messages.

The second ad is an interesting example of cause and effect. Just look at that happy child.

Paper Cutting Show and Tell

Although passersby glanced quizzically at my group cutting and pasting last Saturday, I found the paper cutting exercise helpful in increasing my awareness of the subject matter on the page. My group paid careful attention to the colors we used and the sizes of our shapes to convey meaning and mood.

Altering the colors and shapes of eyes and mouth indicated a transformation in the characters as much as the engorgement of the pumpkin did.

This project demonstrated the importance of making conscious design choices. Each element in the picture conveyed a meaning.

On antoher note, I included the cartoon above, because I thought the pumpkins were getting a little out of control. Peter needed to keep them in line.