When you go to a movie, you willingly suspend your beliefs for an hour or two. I’m only asking you to suspend them for a few minutes. This has to do with your happiness, so do pay attention.
You don’t exist. At least not in the way you think you do.
Oh, you’re a human being, alright, a physical contraption with a sophisticated brain that guides you step by step through your earthly journey. You had a mother and a father and perhaps a sibling or two. You’re married or you’re not. You have children or you don’t. You eat, sleep, have sex and recreate. One day you will stop breathing and either be incinerated or put into the ground. At your memorial service a lovingly arranged photo collage will capture the story of your life.
But was it really your life?
This sense of propriety is merely an illusion. The “you” that emerges as you rub the sleep from your eyes in the morning is a waking fantasy. While the figure reflected in the dresser mirror – the one sitting on the edge of a bed wearing a sleepy expression – is real, the idea that it is an independently functioning entity with a “you” manning its control center is a delusion. That “you” is pure fiction. “You” don’t control your actions any more than Homer Simpson does because neither of you exists beyond the borders of your imagination.
Since you no doubt fancy yourself to be a freewheeling individual, this can’t come as good news, at least not at first. Such a notion challenges the validity of your most basic assumptions about life.
The idea that there was a “you” controlling your actions was instilled at an early age. You were praised for smiling and burping, and not long after that you were scolded for throwing your food and pulling the dog’s tail. Well what else were you supposed to think after hearing all that contrary feedback except that you were choosing your actions instead of simply acting? It’s an idea that stuck, and since we were all babies once, we all grew up harboring the same illusion.
As you got older, your identity as an independent doer was corroborated by any number of sources. The concept of individual choice serves as the cornerstone of civilized societies, and why shouldn’t it? Lines governing social behavior have to be drawn somewhere, and individual choice is as good a concept as any to draw them around. If you steal someone’s car, you deserve a stay at the graybar hotel.
And then there’s the continuous drone of happiness gurus telling you that “you “should feel good about “yourself,” as if there are actually two of you squeezed into the same body – one enlightened and one clueless – in need of relationship counseling. That this split screen self-image breeds unhappiness seems to be lost on even on our most esteemed self-help experts.
So if you don’t control your actions, then who does? Why, Mother Nature, of course.
Evolution fated everything in its path, including you, who are but one of 5000 mammals within a larger group of 1.7 million known species. Your brain may be more advanced than a monkey’s, but all that extra horsepower doesn’t always translate into brilliance. How bright is it to conclude that human beings somehow subverted the will of the universe and wrested away control of their own destinies? Science fiction is a feeble substitute for science when probing for answers to life’s big questions.
Relatively speaking, of course, you make choices every day. You choose your hairstyle, your brand of toothpaste and the toppings to adorn your pizza. In the absolute sense, however, this is all a bittersweet fairy tale. You may think you’re choosing pepperoni over anchovies, but it’s your genes and environmental conditioning that are doing the choosing for you. There is no “you” apart from these natural building blocks. Free as you are to will what you do, you cannot will what you will. Like most mothers, Mother Nature insists on retaining some level of control over her children.
What’s all this got to do with your happiness? Only everything.
The source of so much of your unhappiness is your entrenched belief that we’re all choosing our behavior, and often choosing poorly. This belief is a stone in your shoe as you hobble through life judging everyone in sight.
You judge smokers for choosing to damage their lungs. You judge adulterers for choosing to destroy their families. You judge drug addicts for choosing to live in abandoned buildings and eat out of dumpsters. You judge distraught mothers for choosing to drown their children. You believe these people consciously chose tragedy over happiness. Of all the choices available to them, these miserable fates were the ones they really had their hearts set on.
And then you point your finger in the other direction. You judge yourself for choosing to eat too much, exercise too little and set your personal goals too low.
You drive yourself up a wall convinced that we’re all squandering our ability to make better choices.
Well now you can drop your distressing theory of human behavior and replace it with a new one: everyone’s doing the best they can with what life has given them.
It’s straightforward, compact enough to slap on your refrigerator as a reminder, and at least as plausible as any theory you’ve dreamed up so far. With that irritating stone removed from your shoe, you’ll discover a lightness in your step. You’ll stroll through life feeling grateful for what you have been given and sympathetic toward those who have been given less. Freed from the bondage of judgment, you will live in a perpetual state of forgiveness.
If all this is a bit too much for you to swallow – and it probably is, given how long you’ve been clinging to the idea that “you” are in control of your life – don’t despair. I’ve got a Plan B that will afford you the same life-enhancing benefits. Adopt the idea that we’re all doing the best we can as a philosophy. Live as if “you” mulled it over and decided it was an idea worth acting on.
About John Ptacek: My life has been enriched by the teachings of wise men and women, and my essays attempt to demystify these sometimes cryptic teachings so that more may be exposed to their wisdom. They appear on my website, On Second Thought, www.johnptacek.com. I live in Wisconsin with my wife, Kitty.
Ghost Village
I don’t know how geeky this is, but it’s High Ranking Weird. UK Ministry of Defense evacuates a village in England and uses it for pre-Normandy Invasion training. Except the village is still “abandoned” today.
Long Exposure
Photography using long exposure times can be interesting, but usually that time is measured in seconds, at most minutes. Here’s a picture of Toronto with a 365 day exposure:
Random Band Names
I don’t know what the point of this website is, other than the obvious, but it’s cool and geeky, no doubt. John Scalzi, renown scifi author and blogger extraordinaire has created/helped with/designed (?) a random band-naming web thing:
Spiderman Silk
Scientists are genetically modifying silk worms to produce something more like spider silk, which is stronger than steel.
Money quote from the scientists, when asked about concerns that the modified silkworms might escape into the wild: “It’s hard to see how a silkworm producing spider silk would have any advantage in nature.”
Around the World in 5 Minutes
Guy quits his job, grabs his camera and travels around the world, taking pictures. Watch an amazing set of time-lapse photos from his trip.
D&D 5th Edition
Yes, Wizards of the Coast is talking about a new edition of the venerable RPG. Woo!
MakerBot
A real, available-now 3D printer that you can buy off-the-shelf, fully assembled (or as fully assembled as any printer ever is when shipped). Also, they use corn-based plastics which are fully biodegradable, so when you’re done with your doohickey, just toss in your compost heap. Still, it’s $1800 (not including shipping, I presume).
One Camera, One Picture, Infinite Focus
Imagine taking a picture, just one, and from that picture being able to refocus on anything in the picture AFTER you’ve taken it. Sound like someone drank a little too much something and then watched that scene in Blade Runner over and over again? Well, not quite. By “refocusing”, I don’t mean having an infinite zoom ability — just the ability to focus on something in the foreground or the background using the same image data. How does it work?
Digital Rug
The latest in interactive fabrics — now in a rug!
Apocalypse Later, Surf Now
It’s stunning what you can do with a waterproof camera and some digital effects software. And a boatload of talent, of course.
The Serial Killer Formula
Not a way to write novels or movie scripts. Actual scientists have developed a theory about when a serial killer is likely to kill next, or indeed in some way why they kill. Read on for the math and the neuroscience.
How to Format Your Text for Gibbering Madness
You just know this has to involve Cthulhu in some fashion, and it does! The following are the instructions for how to typeset any text so it looks like it was written by a madman.
About John: John’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).
Geek Credentials: RPG: Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee. Computer: TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w/reel-to-reel backup tape Card games: bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993 Science: Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983 His Blog:http://glenandtyler.blogspot.com
Yes yes I admit it. I love to do seasonally themed items; especially ones that are simple, lower cost and can be done as a family activity.
I had to rack my head a bit thinking about Imbolc and the early part of spring. This is a time of year where I’m out of sync with a lot of the county. I live in Florida so we’ve already left winter completely and are now moving back into Spring temperatures. I asked my peeps on Google + and on Facebook what they associated with Imbolc. I was flooded with many ideas after that.
The idea of white flowers stuck with me and I just couldn’t shake it. I love to work with felt. It’s a very forgiving material, can be inexpensive, and is great for people of all skill levels. What else do we all love? Something pretty to sit on the table or our altars.
The result of all this pondering is that today I bring you a simple felt flower candle holder.
Warning: Do not leave candles unattended. Styrofoam melts when hot and felt will smolder. This is for decoration or short periods of time under supervision only.
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Whatcha Need
• 2 inch Styrofoam ball
• Felt in white, yellow, and green. (Small quantities of the yellow and green)
• White yarn
• Aluminum foil
• Scissors
• Marking pencil
• Taper candle
• Hot glue gun & glue
• 1/2” Clover Pom Pom Maker
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What to Do
At its core this is a Styrofoam ball covered in felt flowers with a place to stick the candle. I did 6 different types of flowers and I’ll show you each one. Not all of them are original to me. I promise to show you my inspiration.
First I cut off the bottom of the Styrofoam ball so I had a solid base.
I then used the tip of my scissors to carve out the hole for the candle. I inserted a small piece of aluminum foil into the bottom. This helps to keep the candle nice and tight. I now have the base to attach all of my flowers to.
I started with a strip of 1 1/2” x 6” white felt. I scalloped the edges to make the petals. Not shown in this picture (but it is in the following one) is I found I needed to make the down cuts larger. Only a 1/4” from the edge.
I cut 2 thin pieces of yellow felt about 2 inches long and first glued them to the far left. I then rolled the piece up using hot glue as I went.
I pulled down the exterior petals a bit to shape the flower.
I also cut two thin green pieces of felt and added them to the sides.
Generic White Petal Flower
This flower was also inspired by the Creative Jewish Mom.
First cut out three flower like shapes. One larger than the other two.
For the two smaller shapes add a bit of hot glue to the center and squish the flower together a little.
Now add a large bead of hot glue to the center of the large shape and stick the two squished ones into it. Arrange so it until it looks nice.
White Loopy Flower
This flower is entirely of my own thought.
I took a piece of 6” x 4” white felt and folded it in half. I cut from the fold towards the end in small slits making sure to leave about a 1/2” inch uncut.
I cut two thin pieces of yellow about 3” long.
Now I added some hot glue between the two pieces of felt at the bottom for stability then rolled it from left to right adding hot glue along the bottom edge as I went.
Pom Pom Mums
The only flower I did that doesn’t use felt. This is done by simply making Pom Poms with white yarn. I used my Clover Pom Pom Maker to make mine.
Felt Rose
This is a very simple felt Rose. I got the instructions from eHow.com. It just starts by drawing a circle on the felt and then drawing a spiral into the center. Those are the cut lines.
Once the spiral is cut out I started out the outside, glue gun in hand rolling the rose up and gluing as I went.
Filler Flowers
These are another of my own thought and there isn’t much too them. They are circles that I freehand drew and cut out.
I then added a spot of glue and pressed the circle together to make four petals. The blue you see is the marking pencil. I actually liked how it looked so I didn’t try to remove it.
Putting it all Together
I made multiple of each type of flower. The final numbers was:
• 6 Iris Type
• 2 Generic
• 6 Loopy Flowers
• 4 Pom-poms
• 2 Roses
• 7 Filler Flowers
Now I just glued them to the Styrofoam ball as I thought looked nice. I could have fit more also. I think they look best when they are really tight together.
These flowers could be used on all sorts of items, from hair accessories, brooches, bags, wreaths or other home decorations. They’re simple, easy and a great craft for children who can confidently use scissors and/or hot glue.
This could be done with regular craft glue but you would need to secure the flowers while they dry, rubber bands would do the trick.
I’d love to see some of the final projects of others who make these. Let me know by joining into the Flickr group, or posting it to the Facebook Fan Page.
Please come back and check out my blog, Treegold and Beegold. I’m currently working on a cute little sheep tutorial I’ll be debuting soon.
1. For my readers who may not be familiar with it, can you tell them about “The Further Adventures of Cupid & Eros”?
THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS is a fantasy romantic comedy about two love gods (the titular Cupid and Eros) trying to set the world and their own love lives right.
While it’s commonly believed that Cupid and Eros are two names for the same god, in our world they are in fact colleagues, each the god of love in their respective pantheon. They still match up mortals and do their best to stem the tide of infidelity and divorce, but besides their common mission they are as different as night and Day. Cupid is the original “nice guy”; sweet, charming, but constantly in the “friend zone”. Eros on the other hand is sexy as hell, and irresistible to anything with a pulse—Mortal, God, or anything in between. He’s the ultimate romantic, she’s the ultimate personification of passion and unbridled sensuality.
When we first meet Cupid he’s still depressed from being dumped by his girlfriend Psyche. Eros has just about had it with his moping and her plans to help him recapture his confidence are what kicks the story off in our first season.
2. Where did the idea of Cupid and Eros doing their job in our modern times come from?
I’m a big nerd. Well OK, that’s not the entire answer, but it’s a big part of it. Ever since I was little, myths (not just Greek, but myths and legends from all cultures) were some of my favorite stories… right next to episodes of The Twilight Zone and just about any comic book I could get my hands on. I guess all that stuff kind of swirled around in my head and I found myself constantly intrigued by the idea of what these mythic figures would be like if they were walking around today.
The thing that set me off towards what would eventually become C&E was actually a panel from a SANDMAN comic by Neil Gaiman. Gaiman presented this banquet with representatives from different pantheons and folklores. I loved that idea of these different mythologies interacting directly… and I thought ‘OK, so Gaiman puts them in a palace, at a banquet… I’m going to put them in a gymnasium at what amounts to an awkward high-school reunion’ That idea, which would eventually become the Inter-Pantheon Mixer we see in episodes 5 and 6, was the beginning of Cupid & Eros.
As for why I chose focus on Cupid… At first it was simply because I thought it’d be funny to show a Cupid who can’t get a date himself… from there… well, lets just say I can relate (perhaps a bit too well) to his plight.
3. In future episodes can we look forward to them coming across competition from other love based deities like Aphrodite, Ishtar, Venus, or Qetesh?
I wouldn’t call it competition exactly, but I do want to feature a lot of those gods you mentioned. Aphrodite and Venus figure prominently in our heroes’ stories… If you go back and read some of those myths (not the least of which is Cupid & Psyche) you realize Cupid’s relationship with his mother was about as neurotic as they come.
And because in our world the different pantheons co-exist, I see different gods of the same thing as being like cops from another precinct… there’s some competition but there’s also the need for cooperation. I have a story I want to tell where Cupid ends up having to work with Kama (or Kamadeva, the hindu god of love). Kama is also an archer so there’s no way the two wouldn’t have a bit of a professional rivalry.
4. In the first episode it’s revealed that Psyche left Cupid for a dermatologist. How did you decide that out of all the occupations that would be the one of Psyche’s love interest?
Well, Psyche’s beauty is so central to her myth, but I figure if your boyfriend’s mom is Venus… after a while wouldn’t you start to worry that you might not live up? And wouldn’t you constantly look for ways to preserve that beauty both in the godly realms and on the mortal plane?
Also I lived in in NYC up until 2006 and there’s a dermatologist whose subway ads are legendary… in my mind that’s who Psyche is currently shacking up with 🙂
5. I’m a big fan of the deity Quan Yin (Kwan Yin). I think she’d be an excellent “straight man” in a comedy setting, any chance I could see her in a future episode?
Believe it or not, a version of her is actually present at the Inter-Pantheon Mixer! If you look very closely at the name tag on the young goddess who Cupid mistakenly believes is smiling at him, you’ll see it actually reads “Guan Yin,” one of the alternate spellings for Quan Yin. I liked the idea that a goddess of mercy would unintentionally shoot down our hero… and I figured she’d be the kind of goddess Cupid would be drawn to. Plus there’s a real treasure trove of legends about her and ways in which she’s been presented. I think you’re right she would be a great addition to the cast.
In fact, almost every single extra at the mixer is actually tied to a real deity that we wanted to potentially bring in to the show in the future… but we did take care to be a bit vague about it so that we would have some flexibility down the road.
6. Are there any particular deities you’re fond of that might make an appearance in future episodes?
Oh man, there are so many. As mentioned, Venus, Aphrodite and Kama all figure into stories I want to tell. And Neikea, our villain at the end of season 1, has a whole family (not least of which is her mother, the goddess of discord Eris) who aren’t too fond of love gods.
I love the Egyptian and African pantheons and would love to bring them in. As much as I love putting modern spins on the Greek/Roman pantheons part of the fun of the show is calling attention deities that most westerners really don’t think about.
7. You’re the creator, writer, and director of “Cupid & Eros”. Can you describe the process of taking your ideas and ending up with an episode?
Things changed a bit episode to episode, but the basic plan of attack remained the same.
I started by writing our scripts. In all but one case I knew who my actors would be so I could write with them in mind. It’s one of the perks of having so many insanely talented friends. What’s more, my key crew – Director of Photography Jefferson Loftfield, Production Designer Vicky Chan, Gaffer Edwin Kim and Costume Designer Tera Struck – had all come on board as I was writing our first few episodes. Because they were with me from the beginning, I knew that we were all on the same page even before we shot our first frame of footage.
I wrote all of season one in 3 episode story arcs, so after I had a draft of each arc I would send it to my co-producer Andy Wells. Andy would then look at the draft, and in addition to making any story suggestions, he would identify areas that might have been problematic for our budget. One of Andy’s strengths, and one of the reasons why I was so fortunate to have him at my side, is his ability to figure out ways to stretch every dollar to the max. He was the definition of the creative producer.
Once our scripts were locked Andy would handle most of the details organizing the shoot so I could concentrate on working with my cast and crew on the creative side of things. One of the great things about working on something episodic like a web series is that we all grew with the show as the shoot progressed.
Yes I always had final say, but I knew that my colleagues understood the show, its world and its characters just as I did. A director is only ever as good as his crew and I truly believe I worked with some of the best.
Once production wrapped I moved to the editing room. I’m fortunate to have a phenomenal editor, Matthew Smith (who also edits The Guild, a web series created by Felica Day that is largely considered the mark by which other web series are measured). I would do a first cut of each episode and then Matt would come in and take my ideas and polish them, often suggesting even better ways to structure a scene or pace an episode.
While we did our best to stay ahead of the curve, we often found ourselves working right up until the night before an episode was due to go live. All in all we were actively in production and post production from roughly February of 2010 to February of 2011.
8. Where can our readers go to see episodes of “Further Adventures of Cupid & Eros”?
Our home base is at www.cupidanderos.com There you can watch all of our first season, learn more about the show and the people behind it, and get updates on screenings, new content, etc. This month you’ll also be able to go there to buy our Season 1 DVD which is going to be filled with not just our 9 episode first season, but all our additional content, photos, and audio commentaries.
9. Do you have other projects our readers can look forward to? Can readers look forward to more episodes of “Cupid & Eros”?
I hope we get to do more “Cupid & Eros” but at present we’re on a bit of a break. Our first season was completely self-funded and the stark reality at the moment is that I don’t have the resources to do that again… not without either dropping the quality of the show or asking my cast and crew to work for free, both of which I’m simply not willing to do.
We’re using what we have to build our audience (which is why I’m so thankful for chances like this) and hopefully we’ll soon get to a point where we can move forward with season 2. I’ve got a lot of stories left to tell and the next two seasons are already plotted out, so it’s just a question of finances (as it often is with independent filmmaking).
To that end, if people dig what we’re doing they can help by spreading the word far and wide. Following us on twitter/liking us on Facebook. Subscribing to our channel on YouTube or Blip.tv. If people wish, they can also donate directly to the show via our website. But the most important thing people can do to help is just watch and encouraging others to do the same.
In the meantime, I do have other work out there. My other web series The Silver Lake Badminton and Adventurers Club ( – co-created and directed by my C&E Editor Matthew Smith) has it’s first episode out and can be seen at www.slbaac.com. Some of my short films are available online and can be seen at my website www.highway9pictures.com or on my Youtube page, youtube.com/user/aglijansky
10. Parting shot! Ask us here at The Magical Buffet any one question!
You already mentioned your affinity for Quan Yin, what other gods or goddesses would you like to see re-envisioned for 2012? I promise to give you credit if we steal… I mean, borrow your idea 🙂
Oh geez, don’t ask Mom to pick a favorite! Of course here on the website I’ve gotten to discuss a lot of my favorites already, that’s the joy of having your own site! We already mentioned Kuan Yin. I haven’t gotten to her on the site yet, but I have an affection for Kali. I tend to have a soft for figures who have been misunderstood or who have gotten a bad rap, so I list Set, Pandora, and Haephaetus amongst my favorites. I love Pele because in my opinion, what woman doesn’t? And I could go on, and on. But a real favorite of mine was technically an actual woman, but in my mind she is as legendary of a figure as an mythological character of her era, and that is Phryne, the courtesan of ancient Greece who lived a life larger than perhaps the Gods themselves.
About Avi Glijansky: Avi Glijansky is an independent filmmaker living in Los Angeles, CA. He is the Writer and Director of several short films including OCEAN CITY (Haig Manoogian Post Production Award, NYU; Opening Night Film, Cape May NJ State Film Festival; Nominee Best Student Short, Ashland Independent Film Festival, First Glance Philadelphia Film Festival, Rehobooth Beach Film Festival; Nominee Best Dramatic Short, Ohio Independent Film Festival). In 2005, a draft of his feature film screenplay, 30TH STREET, took 2nd place in the “25 and Under” category of the annual Set in Philadelphia Screenplay Competition organized by the Philadelphia Film Office. In 2006, Avi and his producing partner, Adam Spielberg (Ramin Bahrani’s PLASTIC BAG), were among the final 15 filmmakers considered by Jonathan Lethem when he held a contest to give away the option to his novel YOU DON’T LOVE ME YET. Avi also adapted the novel MESSIAH, by Gore Vidal, for producers Mark Petracca (WILDWOOD DAYS) and Michael Butler (HAIR). From January 2007 through January 2009, Avi was a Production and Development Executive at Los Angeles-based Upload Films. During his time at Upload, Avi was intimately involved in all of the company’s projects including SHOTGUN STORIES, THE BABYSITTERS, PRINT, and DROOL. Avi is the Writer/Director/Co-Producer of THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS, an original web series about the love god Cupid and his terrible love life. Season 1, which features guest appearances by Bradford Anderson (GENERAL HOSPITAL) Jeff Cannata (THE TOTALLY RAD SHOW) and Taryn O’Neill (COMPULSIONS), had its finale on Feb 28th 2011. The show was one of six winners of NYU’s Inaugural Web Series Showcase and has received great reviews from Tubefilter, Eguiders, ThoseVideoGuys, Indie Intertube PopCultureMonster and tVadio. Most recently, Avi, co-created, co-wrote and produced THE SILVERLAKE BADMINTON AND ADVENTURERS CLUB which won the judges prize at the Celebrate the Web 4: Raising the Bar Web Pilot Festival.
Hey Folks! Rebecca here. I told Avi that I was going to embed the first episode, “I’m Fine”, of “The Further Adventures of Cupid and Eros” here at the end of the interview. I told him that after my readers saw the first 5 minute episode they wouldn’t be able to resist watching the rest of the series. So go ahead, give it a try. We’ll talk in the comments after you watched the rest of the series. 🙂
So this is a news story I stumbled across forever ago that I meant to kind of rant about and somehow it just kind of got lost in my giant, ever shifting, to-do stack. The main thrust is that despite Ray Bradbury’s dislike of technology and the e-book format, his iconic book “Fahrenheit 451” has been published in the format.
I came across the story on the BBC news site, where they said Bradbury had “previously claimed electronic books ‘smell like burned fuel’,” and that he had told the Los Angeles Times in 2010 that, “I was approached three times during the last year by internet companies wanting to put my books on an electronic reading device. I said to Yahoo: ‘Prick up your ears and go to hell.’”
However, the BBC story states “Mr. Bradbury’s agent said the rights for the author’s books had been close to expiring and the publisher had insisted the new contract include e-book rights.” His agent said he explained to Bradbury that, “a new contract wouldn’t be possible without e-book rights.”
Now let me step in here for a moment. This is Ray Bradbury, right? Ray, I wrote “Something Wicked This Way Comes”, “The Martian Chronicles”, and oh yeah, motherf’ing “Fahrenheit 451” Bradbury. It seems to me if this Ray Bradbury fellow would like to find a publisher for his books with the caveat of no e-books there should be plenty of grateful publishers happy to say, yeah, we totally publish Bradbury books. It’s not like Bradbury was being sleazy and looking to publish e-books on the sly, or with some other company, or on his own. Bradbury no likey e-bookies. Seems to me a writer of his stature should have been able to get the respect he deserved from a publishing company out there where they would have published his work in the formats he wished. Sigh….I wonder at what temperature the Kindle burns.
The BBC article indicates that Bradbury was persuaded and now his overall views on the matter have changed. Now I’d like to think the previous paragraph made it abundantly clear, but if it didn’t, let me speak it plainly for you; Ray Bradbury is a bad ass. I mean he’s the man who wrote “Fahrenheit 451”! The man is a legend, a wordsmithing hero, and nothing that I’m about to say changes that one bit, okay? I’m willing to bet that 90% of you reading this own a beat up paperback copy of “Fahrenheit 451”. How many of you out there own an e-book version of it? I’m guessing almost none. The portable electronic reading device is new, and still a growing and expanding market, and a lot of people are going to start recreating, or building up, their perfect e-book libraries. That’s a lot of people that will potentially be buying an e-book version of “Fahrenheit 451”, and with the US publisher Simon & Schuster selling it at a list price of $9.99 (which FYI is more expensive than the physical paperback book is on Barnes and Noble’s website and Amazon.com) we’re talking about some serious cash. That’s right folks, I’m a total asshole. I’m suggesting that Ray Bradbury is looking to get paid.
What I want to end with is, good for him. There’s nothing wrong with the man getting paid. It’s not like he’s doing paid advertisements for a book burning organization or something, he just put aside his dislike of the e-book and allowed his own work to be published for it. And honestly, the e-book thing is here to stay, so better he sign a contract, do it now, and get paid now, rather than have it all happen via his estate after he’s gone.
Of course, I’ll never buy “Fahrenheit 451” as an e-book….
Often times when people, sometimes including myself, talk about different tarot decks we can get tied up discussing detailed symbolism, the history and/or credentials of the designer, or the mechanics of the deck itself. What I’m saying is that although interesting, sometimes we suck the fun right out of a deck.
With the deck I have for you today, I don’t want to talk too much about it. I just want you to try and experience the joy and whimsy of it. In fact, it’s called the “Joie de Vivre Tarot” by Paulina Cassidy and joie de vivre is French for the joy of living!
I don’t think my scans really do them justice, but just look at Cassidy’s “High Priestess” and “The Fool”.
The High PriestessThe Fool
And folks, it’s been a long time since the Minor Arcana has thrilled me. When is the last time a “Seven of Cups” has delighted you this much?
Seven of Cups
The introduction to the book accompanying the deck says, “The Joie de Vivre tarot deck is designed to access the child-like energy in each one of us to help stimulate, enhance, and inspire joy in our own lives.”
A month or so a go I went to a book signing for the lovely ladies who wrote “Wicca: What’s the Real Deal?” because if you recall I quite liked the book. The signing was at a used book store in Rensselaer, NY called Good Buy Books so of course Jim and I had to do a little shopping, right? One of my finds that day was a book called “Zen Speaks: Shouts of Nothingness” by Tsai Chih Chung and translated by Brian Bruya. Little had I realized what level of awesomeness I had stumbled upon, for unbeknownst to me, I had picked up a little bit of Taiwanese art/publication history.
Tsai Chih Chung (C.C. Tsai, Cai Zhizhong) is an artist, an animator, a cartoonist. At the age of 15 he started his career in comics as an assistant at a cartoon company, and his career continued to blossom from there. However, it was when he decided that retelling some of the greatest stories and philosophies from Chinese history in an artistic comic format with more modern updated language that his work reached a global audience. When his first book of this kind, “Zhuangzi Speaks: The Music of Nature”, came out in Taiwan it was an immediate success. Soon four of Tsai’s books of this kind occupied the top four spots on the bestseller list, until other authors insisted that comic books no longer be included on lists with “serious literature”. (Sound familiar Gaiman?)
Needless to say, I love “Zen Speaks”. I’m no stranger to the mini Zen tale, having worn out the spine on my copy of “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones”, but Tsai Chih Chung’s art and perspective breath new life into many of these stories. And his art, his adorable, adorable, adorable monks, well, I love them populating my favorite tales.
Here is one of my favorites, “Carrying A Woman Across A River”.
Apparently at some point they did an animated version of Tsai Chih Chung’s work, because here is “Carrying A Woman Across A River”.
I thought the original art was better. And by better, I mean the original monks were cuter, and thusly, better.
Since I loved “Zen Speaks” so much my husband surprised me and for Hanukkah he got me copies of “Zhuangzi Speaks” The Music of Nature” and “Sunzi Speaks: The Art of War”. I’d love to tell you how they are, but I’ve only flipped through them, but haven’t read them yet. Here are my problems; one, I keep rereading “Zen Speaks”, two, when I finally convince myself to set aside “Zen Speaks” to start another one I freeze with indecision flipping through both books unable to decide which one to read next because they both look so good which leads to me rereading “Zen Speaks” again.
Tsai Chih Chung’s comics of the Chinese classics are not the easiest to come by, and are priced varyingly, but if you stumble across one somewhere, or happen to be poking around online and find one at an inexpensive price, I hope you consider giving it a try.
This is a video for the line of animated videos they’ve made based on the books. It’s in English and does give a little bit of an overview of the work.
You can also learn a little more about the artist at TSAI Gallery.
Readers may remember that at the end of December 2011 I interviewed Dawn Hunt about the cookbook “Tastes From the Temple: Kitchen Witchery from the Temple of Witchcraft” which she wrote along with the Temple of Witchcraft community. Well this past Sunday, January 15, 2012, Dawn was doing a book signing for “Tastes From the Temple” at Muse Gifts & Books in Marlborough, NH, and you guys know how I love Marlborough, so of course I was there!
When Jim and I first hit town we parked right in front of Zeppelin & Kaleidoscope, a vegetarian cafe. Last time we were in Marlborough I just had one of their muffins, but this time we both came hungry. I had The Original wrap, which is a wheat wrap (my choice) stuffed with chopped vegetables, mayo, and provolone cheese, and Jim had their vegetarian version of The Reuben, which he announced to be “quite serviceable”. While we waited for our orders we checked out their small grocery selection and sipped Stewart’s brand sodas.
After lunch it was time to head over to Muse Gifts & Books for some serious shopping! As always I was blown away by Kevin’s beautiful store and how it manages to be packed full of great stuff and there is still so much breathing room. And today a lot of that extra space was being used for two different events. Juliet Bell was there doing palm readings AND Dawn Hunt was there signing copies of “Tastes From the Temple”!
First on the agenda was picking up my very own signed copy of “Tastes From the Temple”. Actually, I picked up four. Yes, I like the book that much. What can I say? I like food. I like Dawn and her Cucina Aurora stuff. I like the folks at the Temple of Witchcraft. As usual Dawn was full of warmth and enthusiasm, and her husband Justin was there also, who is a member of the band Featherscale that was interviewed here on the site. By the way, the latest Featherscale album “Gypsy Heart” is very good too. However, it’s not as good as “Tastes From the Temple”. Remember, I’m a wife and thus I am required by the universe to always side with all things “wife”.
Dawn Hunt signing copies of Tastes From the Temple.
With my signed copies in hand it was off to do other shopping at Muse, but what to get? There’s always so much great stuff it’s hard to choose! I decided to keep the cookbook theme going and I picked up a copy of “Celtic Folklore Cooking” by Joanne Asala, Jim insisted on feeding his addiction, so we grabbed another bottle of Rosemary Oregano Infused Olive Oil made by Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery (See? I said I like her stuff!), and lastly I picked up a candle from Crystal Journey Candles to try. (The copy of “Celtic Folklore Cooking” is already bristling with bookmarks of recipes we want to try, the bottle of Rosemary Olive Oil is half empty, and the candle has a wonderful scent and has been surprisingly long lasting.)
With that you would think the day was complete, but we couldn’t leave Marlborough without stopping into Inkubus, the awesome clothing store just across the street! Last time we were there we bought the supplies that later became Stan the Sugar Skull! And folks, they still have sugar skull making supplies in stock if you’re in the area and interested! They also had a big basket full of decorated sugar skulls that looked fantastic! Now lean in and listen my friends, when visiting Inkubus do not, I repeat, do not neglect their trunk of clearance stuff. I got the most bad ass shirt out of it for only $15.00, and I almost fell over when the woman working there pulled out a matching skirt that was only $5.00. That’s right, a brand new skirt for $5.00. Jim, a man who loves a skinny tie, found a black skinny tie with a skull and spade on it. I’m not entirely sure when he’ll get to wear it, until then we found someone who likes the tie just fine.
Fred the Phrenology Head wearing Jim's tie from Inkubus.My bad ass shirt from Inkubus.
As I was last time, I’m smitten by Marlborough and the people I find there. The only thing I dislike about Marlborough, NH is that it’s not closer.
Just before Christmas the Swedish government agency Kammarkollegiet registered the Church of Kopimism as a religious organization within their country. Kopimism, founded by 19-year-old philosophy student Isak Gerson, claims that “kopyacting” – sharing information through copying – is akin to a religious service.
Gerson, in a statement quoted in a January 5, 2012 BBC article says, “For the Church of Kopimism, information is holy and copying is a sacrament. Information holds a value, in itself and in what it contains and the value multiplies through copying. Therefore copying is central for the organisation and its members.”
The BBC article goes on to state, “The church, which holds CTRL+C and CTRL+V (shortcuts for copy and paste) as sacred symbols, does not directly promote illegal file sharing, focusing instead on the open distribution of knowledge to all,” But that, “Despite the new-found interest in the organisation, experts said religious status for file-sharing would have little effect on the global crackdown on piracy.”
I’m always intrigued by the idea of new religions and this one is certainly a good time. I’m not sure how I feel about the BBC applying quotes to the title of spiritual leader when referencing Isak Gerson, I mean the story is how the religion was officially recognized. On the other hand, I love how the BBC keeps thumbing their noses at Myanmar by calling them Burma, so can I get too bent out of shape when they get cheeky with a month old religion?
A trip to the Swedish website reveals a lot of excitement and enthusiasm. And a lot of stuff I can’t read! However a healthy chunk of the content is in English, and there is a link to a just starting out site for the United States. Although keep in mind that Kopimism is only officially recognized as a religion in Sweden.
Of course what you’re really asking yourself is, can Kopimism be a “real” religion? A religious philosophy founded on the idea that information intrinsically has value and that copying the information is an important task, increasing the value of the information and insuring the information’s survival in the vastness of the internet? There are certainly stranger things out there, we’ve got deities made out of pasta for His Noodly Appendaged sake!
Is it “real”? Is it teenage idealism? Is it a hustle? Only time will tell, that’s why it’s so much fun.
Not too long ago while at our localish comic book store I saw not one, but two graphic novels for Zatanna on their shelves. Since my usual comic book store closed I’ve lost all connection with the comic book world. So while once I would have known new Zatanna comics were coming out, now I found out by being shocked at seeing two graphic novels on the shelf. Of course I bought them both.
For those of you unfamiliar with Zatanna, Wikipedia offers the nice summary of, “Zatanna Zatara is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Murphy Anderson, Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman vol. 1 #4 (October–November 1964). The character, both a stage magician and a real magician like her father Giovanni “John” Zatara, is known for her involvement with the Justice League, her retconned childhood association with Batman, and her crossing of the Vertigo line with characters such as romantic partner John Constantine and protégé Timothy Hunter.”
I’ve always liked Zatanna. I was introduced to her when she popped up in assorted Vertigo comic titles, since Vertigo was my introduction to comic books in general. I’ve often made the argument that if Hollywood is looking for a female superhero to launch a franchise, they should forget such a divisive figure like Wonder Woman, and take a good long look at my girl Zatanna. She’s superhero enough for the Justice League, so that should be superhero enough for Hollywood. But let’s get back on track here…..
Unbeknownst to me at least two Zatanna graphic novels came out, “The Mistress of Magic” and Shades of the Past”. Had I missed more? My husband helpfully hopped onto to Amazon.com to see if there were more. The good news is, I hadn’t missed out on any others. However, while he was searching Amazon Jim had a Zatanna Halloween costume come up. He commented that it wasn’t too bad but then he noticed something, “Hey, it doesn’t come with a top hat!” I told him that had to be an error, you can’t be Zatanna without a black top hat. So he showed me.
The Hatless Official DC Zatanna Costume
What’s worse is that this is actually the official DC Comics Zatanna costume! And no black top hat! Even the official Playboy Magician costume comes with a black top hat!
Playboy gives their Magician a Black Top Hat!
Even this random Magician’s Assistant costume has a tiny black top hat with it! Full disclosure, I really kind of dig this costume.
It's not a full size Black Top Hat, but it's a Hat.
While ranting about Zatanna’s black top hat it struck me, I had really been under whelmed with the covers of both Zatanna graphic novels I had just purchased. Why? Could it be the lack of black top hat?
The Mistress of Magic - No HatShades of the Past - Again, No Hat.
I just can’t help it, call me a snob, or old-fashioned, but it’s not like she has to have it on all the time, but when she’s a cover girl, when you’re recreating her iconic look, Zatanna has a black top hat.
About John Ptacek:
