A Place for A Picture and Every Picture In Its Place

One thing on my list of ways to improve my treehouse is to put all my special pictures and posters in frames. I had a good start but ran into the annoying snag of having quite a few pieces that aren't exactly standard frame size. That means I'll have to go and get them framed, which, to be perfectly honest is not a chore I'm not hopping up to do. I don't know why. It would be easy enough. It's just such a hassle. You have to take your pictures into the store, let someone else look at them, pick out the frame style, wait while it's framed and then you can finally take them home.

I know I shouldn't complain. At least I don't have to cut wood and frame them myself. Ha! That would be a laugh. When shop class projects go bad!

Anywho, I found these nice classic style frames at Marshall's which I was very happy with. If you don't look too close they look antiquy.



And ok, I couldn't help posting this particular shot. When the flash went off it made it look like I caught a ghost on my camera. So there you go. Guess the treehouse is haunted. Leftovers from last year's Halloween party no doubt. :)

Welp, that's all I got for today. Frames. Pictures. On the to do list. No reason not to, except for having a touch of the lazy bones.

Rene's Recommendation: Tiff's Treats

I'm not kidding. If you have never had cookies from Tiff's Treats, run, don't walk to the nearest location if you are fortunate enough to live in either Austin or Dallas (because those are the only two cities I'm aware they've opened up stores in.) Hands down these are the best cookies I've ever eaten. There I said it. Sorry to all you cookie bakers who have let me enjoy your baked goods over the years. Tiff's Treats are like the the crack cocaine of the cookie world. I don't know why they're so good. They must sprinkle real live magic into them or something. Oh Tiff's Treats...how long has it been? Too long. Too long...

Beautiful Goths

Generally I think Goths get a bad rap. I think that's unfortunate. It all boils down to books and their covers and all that jazz. I've been blessed to know some very nice Goths in my time. But I'm not here to write a social commentary on those who favor our modern day Gothic style of dress, I only want to draw attention to the style itself.

Personally I love the combination of sharp contrasts. For example, my glass apothecary jar that holds nature-born quail eggs. Or when flowery Victorian style meets brass and iron machines to create the coolness of Steampunk. And so, here too, with Goths you have what could be called contrasting art in motion. It begins with the natural hue of humans. Their subdued earthy tones of beige, brown, peach, olive skin, etc., coming together with stark contrasting colors, clothes and accessories that clearly weren't there when they were born.

If I had the courage I'd love to seek Goths out and take pictures of them and put them in a book. But some people don't like people taking pictures of them. It freaks them out. So that probably won't happen unless I get some street cred for being a good photographer, an unlikely possibility at this time. Oh well. I wanted to post a few pictures of the beautiful Goths I found while surfing.







“It's beauty that captures your attention;
personality which captures your heart.”
-Anonymous


Rene's Recommendation: Galaxy Quest


Opening weekend this film didn't do well at the box office. But since that time the film has gone on to be a smashing success. It was my mom who brought it home for us to watch. It's funny because the movie is funny the first time you watch it but as it grows on you it gets reeeally funny.

It's especially fun for all you Trekkies out there because it plays off a lot of Star Trek show episodes. Besides that--for the screenwriter buffs--it has a good story arc and I happen to know first hand it's a favorite of the renowned script doctor David Trotter (the author of the The Screenwriter's Bible). Anyway, if you're looking for a good PG rated comedy I would definitely suggest you see this movie if you never have. And if you have seen it, well...you should see it again!!

A Rose Above Any Other Sheet...

I am quite smitten with bed headboards. I think a bed without a headboard is like a boat without a sail. Yes you may look nice sitting in sleep harbour with your fancy duvet but how will you move through the ocean of your dreams without a sail? That's what a headboard is for. Ahhh. Yes. (And preferably a footboard as well.) :)

I found a really excellent article about headboards that I had to post:
http://www.articlesbase.com/history-articles/headboards-through-the-ages-773182.html

It kind of gives the history of headboards, and highlights that their function is not only practical but can define the aesthetics of a room based on what kind of headboard it is.

My current head and footboard have been in my possession for a number of years now. I like them a lot but at some point I'd love to get something a bit more intricate in detail. But until I have the money for that I decided to spruce up what I had with a garland of (very Victorian) roses.



Yes, I'm aware that it's achingly girly. But I made sure the roses were dark, almost a maroon color and for some reason they really do go so well with the wrought iron. It was also exciting to find that it was a perfect length as well. I suppose it was meant to be. I love bringing the essence of outdoors indoors, even if I do find it at Hobby Lobby.

Rene's Recommendation: Baby Name Books

Ok, today's recommendation is for all you fiction writers out there. I can't tell you what a dread it is to read the same names in book after book after book when there are so many amazing names to use. If you need ideas I would suggest going to your nearest book store and picking out a baby name book. Yes, you could probably find names online but there is something about skimming through pages in your hand before hitting upon the perfect name. I'd also like to suggest that as a writer, when naming your characters, that you find the balance between weird and unoriginal.

Yes, you can give your alien a name with no vowels but how is a reader supposed to pronounce that in their head? Or worse, when you read the name out loud to a group of people, will you want to say a name over and over that has three, four or five syllables in it? Try to make it at least somewhat relatable. On the other end of the spectrum, please name your characters something other then the top ten baby names from at least the last five years. For fear of insulting anyone with a particular name, I won't give examples but you can easily find out what they are. Unless you consciously make the decision to pick one of those names please put some thought into it. Go get a baby name book, write down a list of your favorite names for a character, and think about how that character makes you feel. Would it define his/her personality? What's in a name you say? Worlds. World's are in a name.

The World As it Stands

At some point I'd love to get an armillary sphere for my tree house. The armillary (though not invented in Victorian times) still has a solid presence in our modern day world.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica the armillary sphere is an:

early astronomical device for representing the great circles of the heavens, [often] including...the horizon, meridian, Equator, tropics, polar circles, and an ecliptic hoop. The sphere is a skeleton celestial globe, with circles divided into degrees for angular measurement.

In the 17th and 18th centuries such models—either suspended, rested on a stand, or affixed to a handle—were used to show the difference between the Ptolemaic theory of a central Earth and the Copernican theory of a central Sun.

You might have seen cruder versions of this device as you were walking around in furniture stores. For some reason that's where I've often seen them sold.

Either way I'd love to get one for myself. A nice one though. I really like this one from Overstock.com and the price is decent to boot.



In my opinion, it would be a really nice addition to any steampunk collector's decor. Maybe I'll get one some day if I wish upon a falling star. :)

Rene's Recommendation: Elliptical Trainer

About a year ago I joined a gym. I had to quit my gym membership because I was moving, but before I did I discovered the magical wonder of the elliptical trainer. Now, granted, gym equipment has always frightened me. I feel stupid on it, don't know if I'm using it right and dread someone coming over and having to "correct" me on how it's done. But after a few weeks of using the treadmill at the gym, for some crazy reason, I'd thought I'd give the elliptical a try. It was a little scary at first but easy to figure out.

And let me say, it was thrilling once I realized how much fun it was. For one thing the elliptical is easier on your joints. So you can go faster with less work. It's like running in mid-air. I'd always like to watch and see how fast I could get my heart rate up. If I put on the right music it really was like flying. I probably looked ridiculous acting like I was running through a battlefield even though I wasn't going anywhere. Point being, if you're at the gym and want to try something easy and new, hop on the elliptical. It's a blast!

A Tip of My Hat To You Mr. Robinson

Tonight's post will be short because I'll be off adventuring tomorrow and I need to get ready. But I wanted to highlight one of my favorite poems. It was written by the Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry, Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869–1935) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Arlington_Robinson). Like so many other brilliant writers, Mr. Robinson lived through some pretty difficult experiences. But I guess, often, the best writing seeps from the pen of a person who's experienced some amount of deep personal angst.

Anyway, here is probably his best known poem, and of course one of my favorites. I'd often thought about writing a story around this Richard Cory character, in some form or fashion. The irony of this poem is brilliant and it reminds me of all the ridiculously successful celebrities who seem to have everything and yet can't enjoy life enough to take good care of themselves.

Richard Cory
(Published: 1897)

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.

And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
"Good-morning," and he glittered when he walked.

And he was rich, richer than a king,
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.

So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.

~Edwin Arlington Robinson

Rene's Recommendation: Drink More Water

I prefer filtered water myself. I'm very picky about the taste. I know some people say they can't taste it but it all tastes pretty different to me. I like my water out of my Brita pitcher, ice cold, straight from the fridge. It's like my coffee in the morning. Some people find it hard to wake up to a bracing cup of cold water but it works for me. Doctor's say you should drink at least eight cups a water a day. I probably get closer to five but I should drink more. The only reason I'm posting such an obvious recommendation is because sometimes even I forget how important just drinking plain old water is. Not guava juice or chocolate milk or an espresso, just good old life giving water. Drink up! It's good for you my dear blog readers!

Atlantis Box

For a long time I kept trying to make all my home decorations myself. I admit, I'm still attached to some of them. But I had one piece in particular that, although it began with good intentions, it should never have been put on display.

I had an old Pepperidge Farm Pirouette cookie can that I'd stuck inspirational words all over in a sort of collage. Like I said, good idea, bad execution. So I decided it needed to go and be replaced by something much cooler. I found this priceless artifact as I was scuba diving off the coast of Greece hunting the Mediterranean for remains of the lost city of Atlantis...Ha! No I'm just kidding. I found it at Marshalls Clothing Store. But it looks like I could have dug it up out of the sand right?




Now as cool as the box is, in retrospect, it's not the most convenient container for pens, pencils and the like. For one thing the top is kind of heavy. With the open cookie can I was able to pull a pen out at will but with this new box I kind of have to commit to whatever writing implement I decide I need. Because once that top goes down it's going to be an effort to lift it again.

But I decided that I like it nonetheless. And worse case scenario I just use it for something else later. And as I've mentioned before, the world moves too fast. The opening and closing of the box not only makes me slow down but makes me consider carefully the pen, pencil or high lighter I will be using for the next few minutes. Yep, take that modern 21st century. I'm making it hard on myself, and going old school! ;D

Rene's Recommendation: Life of Pi by by Yann Martel

Every time someone asks me to recommend a book, this is the one that comes to mind. Not sure why, it just stuck out as a really fantastic book. It's funny because it's a fiction story and half way through I kept trying to figure it out if it really happened. You know an author did it right when they can almost convince you a piece of fiction is real.

Logline: While traveling to America via a freighter, a sixteen year old Indian boy becomes shipwrecked in the Pacific. Left to fend for himself on a twenty six foot life raft with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra and a Bengal tiger, Pi survives for a year through faith and strength.

The character's are magnetic. The imagery is stunning. It feels like real life and a fairy tale all wrapped up in one. Anyway, if you're in the book store and hankering for a well written adventure I wouldn't pass this one up.

Where Are All the Dragons?

To go off on a bit of a tangent today I wanted to discuss something that I think about off and on.

Ok, I am very happy to live in the United States, and Texas definitely has it's positive points but one of the things I wish we had more of here is an appreciation for fantasy/fairy tale things.

It seems like mostly everyone around here is into football and Longhorns and having a beer out by the lake and I'm like, uh?

Instead of football why can't we all be into jousting? Or why can't we decorate our sidewalks with with pretend giant foot prints or have iron fairy decorations hanging from our lamp posts (sorry street lights, because when was the last time anyone put up a decent lamp post around here.)

I don't mean to be ungrateful and I know it's not exactly in our heritage to celebrate these sorts of things. But it bugs me that this stuff is generally thought of as uncool around here.

People who are medieval "geeks" or who like fantasy comic books or who would rather where a shirt with a dragon on it instead of the standard "Don't Mess With Texas" t-shirt are put in a little corner and told by the rest of Texas to go play there by themselves. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. We did just have a Sherwood Forest Faire happen not that long ago in McDade, Texas. But still...I know I'm just living in the wrong state.

That was one of the things I loved when I went to Ireland. I went there a few summers ago and they knew how to celebrate the mystery of the fairy tale in their every day life. I miss that. So to show how it's done I am putting up links to a few of my favorite Bank of Ireland commercials that you should watch. They're really cute and the graphics are great. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.



Bank of Ireland Dragon-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeylhqfmOgo&feature=PlayList&p=A3BD490D3821566C&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=9

Bank of Ireland Elf-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axJWo527xQ4

Bank of Ireland Boogey Man-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1fsk2FBd7E&feature=related

Rene's Recommendation: Get Rid of Things You Aren't Crazy About

Now this recommendation is not only a little hypocritical but also kind of vague. But I thought I'd write it because when I finally realized what my true sense of style was I started getting rid of things that didn't fit that style. I'm not saying throw out everything and buy everything new. (This isn't a reality tv show where they give you $5000 to redecorate) but you can start replacing little things. Maybe one thing a week and soon all the things you use in your house will be your favorite instead of just tolerable.