Edit: This periodically disappears, but it’s back, so I’m updating the post. I wouldn’t have bothered, except I get a ridiculous amount of traffic from people looking for this video. Also, it’s fucking hilarious.
Month: May 2006
In Progress
oil on newspaper adhered to 90lb Stonehenge paper
11 1/4 x 15 inches
This is just a base coat, but until it dries, I can’t do much more with it. The background colors will probably end up a little more muted and the bowl shape and color need to be fine-tuned. After it’s completely dry, I’ll add collage bits–probably some sort of planty thing.
The Sky Above
The weather yesterday was turbulent. High temperature and lots of atmospheric instability led to an impressive storm system blowing through in the late afternoon. Owen County and Monroe County were both under tornado warnings, so I decided to stay at work until the storms passed. I’m glad I did, because as I drove home, the sky was amazing. As I was heading out of town, I noticed a patch of mammatus clouds. I tried to get a couple of shots from my car, while traffic was stopped, but they didn’t turn out very well. Luckily, the clouds held together until I got to a place where I could safely pull over.
25 May 2006, Curry Pike, Monroe County, Indiana
25 May 2006, Intersection of Ratliff Rd. and Starnes Rd., Monroe County, Indiana
A patch of mammatus clouds had begun to pull apart into elongated forms. The frothy clouds in the lower left made the sky look like a turbulent ocean, reminding me of a nineteenth-century shipwreck painting.
Sunset 25 May 2006
Eastern Sky at Sunset 25 May 2006
The sunset was reflecting off the tops of clouds in the east, and the pink glow showed through the clouds.
Belt of Venus 22 May 2006
Spiders in the Dressing Room
A spider has taken up residence outside my bedroom window. I noticed that she’d created an egg sack, so I’ve been keeping an eye on the situation. The babies just hatched out a couple of days ago. The huge black spider was killed yesterday. I wonder if it thought the hatchlings would make a tasty snack? Whatever its reasons for entering the mamma spider’s territory, it was a deadly mistake.
New Letters to Esther
I spent some time this afternoon transcribing and scanning a few more letters. Things have gotten a little testy between Esther and Richard. I really wish there were rough drafts of her replies included in these letters, because I’d love to know what she wrote to him. The letters from Richard stopped soon after, and it would be nice to know why. It’s getting toward the end of the school year for both of them, so I expect that whatever came between them was resolved over the summer break, and that we will never know what happened.
More Thoughts on Control
Recently, there seems to be a recurring theme in several of the online fora I read–from blogs to mail lists to newsgroups–wherein someone in possession of unflattering private information about another person decides to share that knowledge publicly. I can only think of one purpose for doing so: it is a form of punishment. It’s a way for the aggressor–and it is an act of aggression–to get back at the aggressee by publicly humiliating her for being noncompliant.
On the surface, it may seem like a small thing–just one person getting a jab in at another’s expense. That’s the insidious beauty of it, though, because what lurks beneath is, I think, pretty heinous. The underlying motivation comes from the aggressor recognizing that he has lost control of the aggressee. Public shaming is then called upon to bring the wayward party to heel. Moreover, the aggressor can do this while presenting himself as the victim. Flawless victory! It’s perfect, because it not only allows the aggressor to bully himself back into a position of control, but it also dehumanizes and devalues the aggressee in the eyes of others.
Except that that’s not always the case. Sometimes, folks see through the ugly little charade, and when they do, the true aggressor and aggressee are pretty easy to identify.
Mammatus Clouds
Earlier this spring, we had a spectacular storm move through. It passed slowly, with lots and lots of lightning. I got a few pictures, but only one was half-way presentable.
Storm with Lightning and Mammatus Clouds 31 March 2006, Owen County, Indiana
If you look really closely, you can see the bottom curves of mammatus clouds that formed on the back side of the storm. They’re visible as pillowy shapes descending from the mass of black across the top of the frame, backlit by the lightning strike.
The reason I’m reposting this image is that today’s Earth Science Picture of the Day is a photo of mammatus clouds, taken on the same day, of the same storm system, in Avon, Indiana. Avon is west of Indy, and north of where I live.
And, for anyone who wants to be ubergeeky, here’s a cloud identification atlas.
Monday Excitement
A coworker’s car caught on fire this morning. She’d only been here for about 15 minutes when someone came up to tell her that she needed to go down to the parking lot to talk to the police and fire guys. It sounds like it was an electrical problem. The surrounding cars were fine, but a nearby tree got a little scorched. Her car is totalled. Everything from the windshield forward is scorched, including the tires, which melted.
What an awful way to start the week. I would be in tears and probably throwing up if it had been me.
Gratuitous Dogblogging
Harriet Brown Gets Comfy
Family Values in the Culture of Control
Via Feministing.
Apparently, in the city of Black Jack, you must conform to a specific standard of “family” or you’ll be run out of town. According to a CBS News article, city council members in the Missouri town have “rejected a measure allowing unmarried couples with multiple children to live together. The mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face eviction.” The couple has three children in common, yet the city council refuses to grant them permission to live together. Since when is the government in charge of telling folks what forms their families must take? Since when is it appropriate to force families to choose between housing and staying together?
This bit made me laugh (It’s funny, cuz it’s true!):
In the statement, McCourt said, “the city provides information about its occupancy permit requirements to anyone who requests it. … As mayor, I am required by state law to uphold the laws of the city of Black Jack.”
Mr. McCourt is apparently familiar with his Douglas Adams:
‘But Mr Dent, the plans have been available in the local planning office for the last nine months.’
‘Oh yes, well as soon as I heard I went straight round to see them, yesterday afternoon. You hadn’t exactly gone out of your way to call attention to them had you? I mean like actually telling anybody or anything.’
‘But the plans were on display …’
‘On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.’
‘That’s the display department.’
‘With a torch.’
‘Ah, well the lights had probably gone.’
‘So had the stairs.’
‘But look, you found the notice didn’t you?’
‘Yes,’ said Arthur, ‘yes I did. It was on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying Beware of the Leopard.’ A cloud passed overhead. It cast a shadow over Arthur Dent as he lay propped up on his elbow in the cold mud. It cast a shadow over Arthur Dent’s house. Mr Prosser frowned at it. ‘It’s not as if it’s a particularly nice house,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, but I happen to like it.’ ‘You’ll like the bypass.’ ‘Oh shut up,’ said Arthur Dent. ‘Shut up and go away, and take your bloody bypass with you. You haven’t got a leg to stand on and you know it.
red paper boat 