#and he learns the terms from the encyclopedia and gets a book with photos of bullfighting paraphernalia

[nimium-amatrix-ingenii-sui]

Other options included:

many families owned a printed encyclopedia (often a whole series of 20+ books with entries sorted A-Z) where you could look things up

using an encyclopedia was practiced from elementary school onwards not just to check spelling but because it was a genuine life skill

if the encyclopedia entry (usually a short summary. think 1-2 paragraphs for most topics, more only for Very Important Stuff) wasn't enough and you didn't happen to know an expert then you usually went to the public library

if you were lucky the library had one or two books on the topic right away

if you were unlucky they'd have to get the books from a different library (bigger city or university library) and you had to wait for 1-2 weeks until you got your info

I once had to do a presentation on Friedrich Engels for history class in grade 10. Not exactly an obscure personage and moreover he was born in my region! Still there was only one book at the local library (later got two more through inter-library loan)

However the library people recommended to visit the Museum of Early Industrialization in Engels' birth town. It not only had the industrialization part but an extra section on Engels inside his parents' old house and also a small library and of course an archive

So I went to the museum three towns over in order to do enough research for a stupid high school presentation

The museum and archive visit was acknowledged and praised as exceptional on high school level ("of course you can't do that for every topic. only when the museum is nearby") but the library part was considered a normal effort. Which may explain that today - while I'm fine with students using online sources - I get depressed when students cite a single wikipedia page and nothing else

if they even use wikipedia. if they don't just give the Google Search Results page as a reference

I realise that this is starting to sound like a 20 miles through the snow with your little sibling on your back. Uphill. Both ways. story but that's how it was.

It was awkward and bad but on the plus side people got creative about acquiring information and understood the effort of it (and understood why retaining information was important I guess. Because you genuinely couldn't just look everything up within seconds)

[karazor--el]

Melissa Benoist explains why directing Supergirl's Lex-centric hour was 'daunting'

Melissa Benoist explains why directing Supergirl's Lex-centric hour was 'daunting'

Supergirl

Supergirl definitely isn't complaining about her latest team-up with Lex Luthor.

This Sunday, The CW's Supergirl returns for the final run of season 5 with a Lex-centric episode that marks Melissa Benoist's long-awaited directorial debut. Benoist has been dying to get behind the camera since season 3, but wasn't able to until now because of scheduling conflicts. Luckily, it seems like it was well-worth the wait because she got to helm an episode that diverges from the show's usual structure and perspective, which she admits was initially quite daunting.

Cleverly titled "Deus Lex Machina," the flashback-heavy hour essentially starts on day one of the post-"Crisis on Infinite Earths" world and sheds light on all of Lex's (Jon Cryer) behind-the-scenes machinations we haven't been aware of — from manipulating Eve Teschmacher (Andrea Brooks) and his sister Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath), to pitting Supergirl against Leviathan. In other words, it's very similar to season 4's "O Brother, Where Art Thou," except this time around the criminal mastermind is trying his hardest to keep his Kryptonian hatred in check so that he can focus on defeating Leviathan.

Below, Benoist walks EW through her experience in the director's chair, working with Cryer, and the challenges of handling such an exposition-heavy episode.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What jumped out at you from a directing perspective when you read the script for the first time?

MELISSA BENOIST: Considering it was the first time in the director's chair for me, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't say how terrified I was. That just went without saying, that I was scared, but reading it also had this thrilling aspect to it because I was going to get to be the one to visualize it and make sure the tone was coming across. I guess only since season 4, we've had these episodes that were a departure from the story and took a step back and gave us Lex Luthor's point of view, and this is one of those episodes. So, I couldn't believe how lucky I was that I got to be the teller of that particular story for our season, where we recap the entire season from Lex Luthor, Jon Cryer's eyes. And I was very excited to get to work with him closely in an actor-director relationship. Aside from the initial terror, and wondering whether or not I was capable of doing it, I was so excited and immediately just imagining what I wanted to do and thinking of shots.

How would you describe the tone of the episode?

Tonally, it's difficult on these kinds of shows when an episode is from the perspective of our, for lack of a better term, villain, and he is one of the ultimate villains in the DC Universe. So I wanted to keep the tone light enough while still having that dark, macabre Luthor feeling to it. I wanted it to still feel like an adventure, like an episode of Supergirl, and he was the hero for our episode, whether you hate him or not. But it's hard to hate Lex Luthor, he's so delicious.

By nature, this episode is very expository because it’s explaining the season from his perspective. What challenges came with that?

I'm glad you pointed that out because that exact point was the most challenging aspect and the most daunting one because there are a lot of time jumps that let the audience follow Lex as he [learns about Earth-Prime]. It starts the day after Crisis. So in the way that we had Kara Danvers wake up after Crisis in her loft and it was this new world, Earth-Prime, this is Lex's telling of that. So, we time jump a lot, there's a lot of exposition, exactly, a lot of themes that we had to catch people up on. So that was a little daunting to make sure that yes, it was expository and informing the audience what they needed to know to understand, but also keeping it moving and entertaining and not just feeling like an encyclopedia, if you will.

One thing that stood out to me when I watched it was that it’s mainly built around scenes in which Lex is having one-on-one conversations with someone like Eve and Lena, often manipulating them. What was it like to work with Jon on those scenes?

I mean, that was the dream. Working with Jon Cryer, I felt so spoiled rotten that he was the primary actor I was getting to work with, and the cast surrounding him too, because we get to see Eve Teschmacher and Lillian Luthor [Brenda Strong] make [their returns]. All these characters that kind of surround his orbit, they're all so deft when it comes to those kinds of scenes where it's really wordy and talkative. He's an evil genius and manipulative, so I had to really keep track of who he was manipulating when and for what reason [Laughs] to make sure that each scene was really clear where it fit into his master plans and where it was taking us, and how it affected the super friends. But working with him, he's just so smart and far more experienced than I as an actor. Honestly, I felt bad. I didn't feel like I really needed to give him that much direction. It was more just playing, which I loved, and that's part of the reason I love being an actor — when you get to really just bite into the words and what's on the page and really play, and there's no wrong answer within the arc you're telling.

The photos from the episode revealed that Kara and Lena finally share a scene together, which they haven’t done since the 100th episode. What can we expect from their interaction?

I don't know how much I can say about how Lena and Kara interact, but they do and it's the first time we've seen them interact in a while. I think people will be excited to see the scenes between Kara and Lena, and that Lena does play a big part, obviously, because this episode revolves around her brother. There's quite a bit of Lena Luthor in there.

A lot of Arrowverse stars have directed episodes: David Harewood, Katie Cassidy, and Caity Lotz. Did you get any advice from them?

Of course. David Ramsey, as well has been really helpful. These shows are so specifically involved as actors already, the schedules are grueling, we’re there so much and we all get to know these so well. we spent a lot of time with each other on a crossover, so I did get quite a bit of advice from David of course. He gave me book recommendations and just every day we would kind of talk, especially when he was directing. I got to watch him and he has such a great fun, positive directing vibe about him. I didn't get to talk to Katie Cassidy much about it, but everyone was very supportive and excited and everyone has great ideas.

How did you feel your experience as an actor influenced your directing approach?

Well, I think, just innately, we approach the script a certain way just without even thinking about it. Thinking about tonally what emotions are there or what is driving a character, our objectives and our goals. But more than that, just for this show specifically, I feel like it's become a second skin and I've spent so much time with the characters, not just the ones I play. So it’s almost a little unfair because since day one, I've just seen how each character's arc has progressed and changed, and grown. So that really informed my approach to it all. And really we all just want to tell good stories, and that was my main focus the whole time.

Supergirl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on The CW.

EW.

[abbyindenhaag]

Bergen from Voss (aka A Hairdresser in Every Boat) [[DRAFT]]

N.B. This post is meant to be second in sequence but I forgot to make a draft post to edit. Things may get put in the proper order eventually.... or not. Enjoy:

After three more days in Bergen, we have moved on (by a train, through some stunning fjords) to Voss, where we are spending the night before starting our first day of cycling tomorrow. I think both Mom and I started to feel that it was About Time to Be Elsewhere somewhere around our 25th trip between the town center and our hotel as we struggled against the tide of cruise ship tourists. At this point, between all of our trips on the first day, and also all of our errands today, I think we have walked by every single hairdresser and garbage dumpster in the city. And there are a LOT of hairdressers.

We forgot to ask Ida why this was the case, so we had to turn to the Internet, where we found posts on Reddit asking the same thing. There was no satisfactory answer, but apparently it’s a regional joke that when the oil runs out, the economy will be sustained by everyone cutting everyone else’s hair. And in case you still think I am over the top, here is a map of (a strict subset of) the many hair salons in *the tourist region* of Bergen. This is a small area about the size of Newbury street in Boston, which has maybe 1 hair salon at best. So!

Anyway. On Sunday morning we visited an archaeological museum, where we learned about the trade routes between Medieval Norway and the rest of Europe. Bergen was actually the location of an outpost of the Hanseatic League, a German league of merchants that... monopolized trade routes? I guess? Not super sure because the museum about it is closed for renovations, and I have no idea how to get information about a topic if there is no convenient museum to teach me about it. Maybe a library book? An encyclopedia? There’s gotta be something.

We also saw some rune sticks, which people used to carve messages on (usually impermanent, frequently trade related but sometimes personal.) I thought it was cool how the qualities of the materials used (wood, knives) dictated the form of the letters (mostly straight lines, if you have seen runes.) There are curved lines, but they seem hard.

The other memorable thing we saw was some very fine combs, which seemed nice until we realized that they were probably used primarily not for, like, making pretty braids, but instead probably for picking lice out of people’s hair. Cute!

We had lunch in an octagonal (or maybe hexagonal) renovated bathhouse-now-pub originally named in honor of Dr. Wiesener, a physician who championed clean living environments in the late 1800’s. The pub’s menu described the bathhouse as being for the “less mediocre classes” (they meant low-income but something got lost in translation and levels of mediocrity is now my standard measuring stick, don’t @ me.) It was very cozy and seemed like a neighborhood place and had blankets for the outdoor seating!

After lunch we met up with mom’s old au pair/family friend/sort of aunt Ida and her husband Jon Helge, who were both super super nice. We visited their cabin (“hytte”) and read their “cabin book” (a great idea, basically a scrapbook/journal of every time you visit the cabin, which Chester should have started in 1970-whatever) and visited their sailboat and heard stories of the past and generally reminisced. In addition to viewing old photos of my mom from Ida’s many photo albums, we also took a lot of pictures, which I suspect are somewhat recursively going to end up in the next album. Our conversations gave me the impression that not only does every Norwegian family have at least one cabin, whether in the mountains or on a fjord or possibly both, they all seem to have boats like the Dutch have bikes. At the cabin there were I think three rowboats and a sailboat, not counting the additional sailboat that a son or son-in-law borrowed from a colleague for a recent three-day sailing trip, and every neighboring cabin also seemed to overflow with boats. I know they are a seafaring nation and are all descended from Vikings, but still. Wow.

Apart from some politics, our dinner conversation mostly covered the Norwegian (and other) monarchy, and we learned (among other things) that Norway became independent from Sweden in 1905 and invited a prince of Denmark to become their King. But he became very beloved for leaving the country during the very rapid invasion in 1940 by the Germans and refusing to recognize the new collaborator government. We also learned that Norway faced serious deprivation and famine during and after the war as a result of the occupation and blockades, and it seems to still sit prominently in people’s minds. In the US, WWII was three or four wars ago and not on our soil, but I suppose when you grow up with people still feeling the after effects, things are a lot different.

I have to move a bit more quickly now because otherwise I will spend a day for every day I write about.

Monday was rainy but we still had a lovely time on our horse ride, which we rescheduled to escape the worst of the downpour. Our “mounts” were traditional Norwegian fjord horses - a nice golden color, with Mohawk-style manes that were white on the sides with a stripe of brown down the middle. Very cool looking - and it was fun to recognize them in a painting in a museum of Norwegian art later that afternoon! The museum also had a painting I really liked of a turbulent ocean (yes, there are so many of those, but I liked these colors and also felt like it was very well-done in terms of accuracy of water texture) and one of an orchard in spring that we both liked. Also several of Edvard Munch‘s works (he was pretty depressed!) and also a painting of several people trying to get cows into a boat, which seemed like a difficult proposition.

Tuesday (today) we did a lot of schlepping, as previously described, but we also went to Edvard Grieg’s house for a concert and guided tour. Ex ante, it was possible that all I would learn was that Norway has a lot of melancholy artists names Edvard, but I actually really liked the music we heard (I think it is in the same category as Dvorâk and Chopin, though I’m really not an expert), even though in the past I haven’t enjoyed as much the pieces that feel like they swing between structure and chaos, rather than being tightly patterned like Bach or Mozart or Beethoven. But this was interesting to listen to and dramatic and different and sometimes you need that! Also, the location of the villa was beautiful, so I really can’t complain. I enjoyed seeing Grieg’s composing cabin (hytte), which seems like pretty much the ideal place to do any kind of work (such as, say, research.)

Now we are in Voss, home of extreme sports (including stunt airplane tricks, which they do over the lake) and also a delicious hotel restaurant where we had some really excellent trout with potatoes and vegetables in a cream sauce. The hotel is in the Swiss style, all made of wood and with a large dining room and clearly designed for fancy people to socialize in a beautiful place. It was preserved from bombings in WWII and used as housing for Germans (obviously, we didn’t need the plaque to tell us *that*.) One had an uneasy feeling that the owners may have been Nazi sympathizers, but one hopes it isn’t true. If so, however, they would probably be turning in their graves at the large numbers of Asian tourists who now seem to make up the bulk of the hotel’s clientele. In any case, this was another feature of our trip that made the war seem much closer to the present day than it does in the US.

[templariumrose]

❤: How long have you been RPing?

[themhayonnaise]

May Day: the omnilegence in me

We call ourselves a "bookworm" or a "bibliophile" for loving and reading books. But what do you call a person who loves reading anything/everything (minus your private diary 'cause that would be a chismosa or similar) from advertisements to the biggest encyclopedias?

Today, I spent more time in reading than planned. Sundays used to be a family day (bonding with the fam and stuff), but since this particular Sunday is cozier than expected so some of us chose to just take a loooong nap this afternoon. Well for me, reading made a lot more sense. I felt today was a very nice day to be productive in learning more and reflecting on myself as well.

You read the Bible. So what?

It actually makes me sad that people are thinking they're different from each other because of religion (as one factor). Yes, we have different beliefs, but being in in a religious group cannot define us.

I am a Roman Catholic, and yes, I have a Jehova's Witnesses' Bible. It was given as a gift from a friend who tried to share her beliefs in Jesus. Well, as one  of those millennial kids, I posted a photo of it on IG and surprisingly got few questions like why did I accept the book, and if I changed my beliefs already, and if I were not a Catholic anymore.

I actually don't understand why people are soooo sensitive when it comes to religion when we all believe in the idea of having a "God". And it's funny when people say we have only one God when they are actually celebrating Christmas and other ceremonies. I get that statues and other sculptures are just representations of the saints and people we read from the Bible. But isn't claiming an unsure physical characteristics considers worshipping false Gods?

Anyways, I read the Bible - King James Version and this one. So what? Uhm. I don't see any difference yet, so I believe it's just all in the head of the people who really think we all differ from each other.

The beauty and the blogs.

Visiting some blogs including mine makes me realize I (already) miss editing and that I miss writing again (as in formal literary writing) and that I need to improve more in uhmmm informal writing (or blogging) and photography as well.

There really are good blogs (there's one of my post-it blog library^) that are very interesting that you tend to dig deeper and know more about the subject/idea or even the blogger. My favorite part in reading blogs is when an article pushes me to either make my own version of it or make me react about it. Oooh. Controversy. As of this moment, I have 18 more ideas/prompts grabbed from different blogs/bloggers I have no idea how to start writing about.

Let's talk about the bibliophile in us.

So here's the interesting part. After all the years of reading and letting my eyes hurt, it's just now that I wondered: what would a person call himself if he loves reading more than just books?

I Googled it and learned that the Oxford dictionary suggests a term I wasn't familiar with. "Omnilegent" sounds weird and wrong, I thought, but the word experts are telling us IT IS AN OFFICIAL WORD. So okay. Suddenly, the word "bibliophile" is kinda childish already.

Anyways, going back to being just a bibliophile. Aside from the books queued in my "to read" shelf, I downloaded an app which features self-published books and magazines and honestly these works are as interesting as those that are in the "trending" or "best-sellers" sections. Cheers to the bigger library in the house!

On being formal, corporate, and academic.

It's been almost four years since I graduated and I haven't taken at least one part of the exams yet! I really have to catch up with IA, law, accounting, and taxation if I still want to go with the flow of the competition (if you get what I mean).

As time flies, these books and notes for the exams are getting more and more complicated for me. I have experiences in particular processes and completely none with the others. My experiences makes the review confusing as there are questions popping in my head like why? What if? How about?

But the working life is an advantage as well, because I know the job already, and I'm exposed to the true-to-life challenges. I need to drive myself more into the bright side instead of the dark.

Closing this post with...

the realization that I actually like going back to my studies instead of finishing reading a novel. So instead of having a break from my review, I spend more time online than completing my Goodreads challenge. With the consequence of being annoyed and irritated.

I know I just posted my views on the undying issue in grammar, but I feel like I need to vent about it again today.

Earlier, I've read a Facebook post addressed to the commenters of Maxine's grammatical errors. I'm not a nazi anymore but I just don't get why people can't and don't understand the importance of grammar. Yes, grammar is not the most important thing in communicating, but it doesn't mean it is not important at all. It also affects the meaning of your statements, dearies. Some grammar usage are too poor, you can't even understand wht's she'ssaying anymore. Maybe that's the bigger problem.

It is very unfortunate/disappointing that people are starting issues and huge arguments on little things while not seeing the big picture. Yes, speaking fluently in English doesn't make you smart. Neither hating and bashing and throwing grudges to each other.

By the way, I just started submitting applications for a corporate job. Oh, I miss the "working girl" life. Pray and grind for a better week ahead, people!

[music-of-silence]

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much and not enough

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much detail for a new songwriter I bought this book because I wanted to write songs on guitar, and I liked the fact from the previews that the author labeled which songs had which chord progressions. The physical book is great - nice thick paper, high quality printing, despite being a paperback.I found the material on chords ok, but since I already know about the CAGED system, I'd rather he present the chords that way, which I think is a simpler way of understanding the fretboard. For the lyric writing content, I already have Popular Lyric Writing: 10 Steps to Effective Storytelling and Writing Better Lyrics which I think are better. For music theory as it applies to songwriting, I like: Writing Music For Hit Songs (Omnibus Press)I think the problem is it reads like an encyclopedia. It's a great achievement by Rikky Rooksby to have done this analysis on chord progressions, themes, lyrics and melodies. But ultimately, any songwriter has to analyze their favorite songs to see how and why they work, and then figure out how to add it to their toolkit.This is a nice book to have to see all the ways a song could be broken down, but ultimately you have to do the work for yourself.Good luck! Go to Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars The best songwriting book, ever... hands-down. (I wrote this review eight years ago for the first edition of this book. First, some updates and comparisons, between the first edition and this one):What's new: his writing is a bit toned-down (in the first edition, he knocks on Oasis for being derivative... in this edition, he's much nicer about their music), some of the chord diagrams have been corrected, the color of the diagrams is more streamlined and "natural" (beige, easy on the eyes), full-color photos of the albums in the book of the first edition have been removed (probably to save money), and most importantly- all songs he references now have the ARTIST mentioned right in the same spot he mentions the song (that was really annoying about the first book- he kept mentioning song titles but I was like "who wrote that?!" - oftentimes I didn't feel like flipping to the index of the book), and there are other miscellaneous additions and subtractions. All in all, a very good revision. Now on to my original review from 2002:---------------------------------------------This is the best (and most comprehensive/complete) songwriting book in existence. Seriously. I am a 26-year old multi-instrumentalist who has studied my fair share of songwriting books and techniques... I listen to, write, and study virtually every style of music (even oldschool country and some R+B).What Rikky Rooksby has done is create an easily understood book on modern (and not-so-modern) GOOD songwriting... how to make interesting chord progressions, how to write memorable melodies, what songs use certain chord progressions (from the popular Beatles stuff all the way to The Smiths (!!) and Sixpence None The Richer!Read more › Go to Amazon

5.0 out of 5 stars Directionally Great I'm extremely pleased with the book. For me, it hit the spot in terms of expectations vs content. My primary expectation was that I was looking for a book that could give me some direction in terms of song writing. To clarify a bit more as to what I mean. If you have ever attempted to write a song or are (as I am) new to the process getting started can be overwhelming. The beauty (and curse) of song writing are the vast number of options. Even if you have a type of song in mind, sorting through which key, chord progressions, how the melody fits in etc can seem extremely challenging. While the book didn't eliminate or minimize the number of options, it did teach me how to organize them and to systematically sort through which ones directionally would be good additions to the song I wanted to write.Some things that helped me and may help you:- Read through the book completely the first time. My first time through I just wanted to absorb the information and understand how the information was presented.- Come up with an elementary song to use as a template as you go through the book the second time. Don't worry so much about writing the next greatest hit. Just have a simple idea for a song in mind - preferably in the key of C major.- Apply the concepts and information presented in the book to your new song to understand how the various points impact your emerging song.- The book does require, or at least it is helpful to have some understanding of basic music theory. Take the time to grab some additional resource books or go on-line and look up any points you may not understand. However the author does a good job of explaining most of the points.- Another valuable exercise for me was I took a couple of my favorite songs and tore them apart to see how the information in the book applies to them.For me this has been a great learning experience and, in a positive way, I'll never look at a song in the same way again - hope this review helps. Go to Amazon

[artstrings]

July is here, so let me share some of the artists who share the same birth month as me. 

Hands in Prayer 1. Oil on canvas, 4in x 5in.

When I was in grade school and high school I used to scour the library and read just about anything.  We had no encyclopedia nor internet at home.  One time, while poring through one encyclopedia after another I came upon an artist who shared the same birthday as me.

Allow me to share these July babies who, for some reason, have made an impact in my art journey:

Frida Kahlo — July 6

Self portrait. Graphite on paper.

I find millennial artists lucky that they got to know about Frida Kahlo at an early age thanks to the Internet.  Kahlo is noted for her portraits and self-portraits with backdrops and elements that reflect Mexican culture.

The first time I saw her pictures of her paintings I already knew there was a feminist element about her.  She was a renegade in the sense that her paintings were politically-charged with thoughts on gender studies, Mexican politics, and even about herself and her life.  Her paintings were not exact copies of people she painted, and though her husband and their Mexican culture influenced her art style she did not follow any other trend that the art world was into during her time.

My exposure to gender studies in my MA in Literature has made me appreciate Kahlo.  It was her strength as an artist despite all the odds she went through — her polio, the accident, the ups and downs in her love life and public life, and her being self taught as an artist has challenged me to stand for my own passion in art and literature.  Having learned of Kahlo and her works has driven me to go beyond the aesthetics and think deeper on the messages of my artworks.

Amedeo Modigliani — July 12

I Am Not You, You Are Not Me. Oil on Canvas 48in x 36in.

Amedeo Modigliani’s work is characterized by elongated body parts, particularly the face and neck.  His artwork is not much accepted during his time, unlike his contemporaries who were into cubism.

I have been fascinated with Modigliani’s work but did not learn of his name until a few years ago, when I was in a crossroad.  Back then I was already rapidly making up for the lost years I had away from art, so I self studied a few styles and techniques here and there.

I came to a point where I had to make the great hurdle of crossing over to human portrait painting.  I already did some portrait sketches, but never had I painted a portrait.  My artist friends and I were hanging out when we talked about Modigliani, and his art style.

The name had been familiar, so I did a little bit of online researched and realized how Modigliani was a true blue tragic artist — one who died without much pomp and media coverage, but whose work is posthumously appreciated.

A lot of artists living today — myself included — know how difficult it is when the world barely appreciates our work.  Less appreciation means less people will buy your art, which means less earnings and less funding to buy art materials as well as to fill your pockets, and thus less food on the table.  People will either criticize your work or question your sanity for pursuing art.

Mondigliani had such difficulty, but it did not become his barrier in his search for the sublime.  He and other tragic artists like Van Gogh have taught me this.  Humans are meant to reach the sublime — the artist’s path to the sublime just happens to be through art.

Knowing this and Modigliani’s art style, it helped me come up with my paint “I Am Not You, You Are Not Me.”

Gustav Klimt — July 14

  Treasure. Oil on canvas, 24in x 20in Private Collection.

“Bulak sa Kalibutan” (Flower of the World). Mixed media on canvas, 24in x 24in.

Gustav Klimt is a symbolist known for his gold leaf artworks that portray frank eroticism, the female body and charged emotion or messages.  There are traces of Far Eastern influence particularly Japanese in his artworks.

I used to think that the color yellow is such an overbearing color that is quite overused, no thanks to many local artists who seem to have this penchant for copying a national artist’s style of using rural themes and harvest scenes, as well as the frequent use of yellow.

I got so fed up that after my first oil painting that used a lot of the sunshine color (my painting was that of a sunrise, after all), I opted to use more greens and blues.

Until I saw Klimt’s painting.

It was the allure that rose from the play of the gold leaf — that delicate yet erotic subtleties of the various shades of yellow that rose from the gold leaf and the pain in Klimt’s The Kiss that got me working again on the color — not to mention during that time I was working on a painting entitled “Treasure”, and I was still learning how to paint a gold object.

Although “Treasure” seems a far-fetch output of Klimt’s influence on me, looking at Klimt’s painting as well as a couple of others had encouraged me to look for my own gold.

Eventually, when I started working on mixed media and added gold hue and several shades of yellow I realized the true allure of gold.

It is true that the color yellow is bright and highly attractive in paintings, but my pursuit in the various shades of yellow and gold goes beyond rural scenes.  The golden color reflects nostalgia, but art is not just for the old — the current and future generations have to be reeled in, too, if we wish art to grow.

Rembrandt van Rijn — July 15

Hands in Prayer 1. Oil on canvas, 4in x 5in.

Of all the artists in this list, I find Rembrandt van Rijn to have given the most impact in my journey to art, probably because he was the first artist I met through books, aside from Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo.  We also share the same birthday, leading me to think that we may have something in common in terms of personality considering that we have similar birthdays.

I find it important that I first “met” the artist and already started thinking of how his personality and life would impact who I will become during my school years.  Our student years is the time when a human brain is at its most pliant and when influences can really mean a lot in the formation of a personality.

Because I was able to identify Rembrandt van Rijn as a personality to look up to and follow, I started taking interest in his art style.  I did not copy it, of course, but I took the most important element in his work — the play of light and dark, the impact of light and how shadows add beauty to one’s artwork.

Since then I have always aimed to create portraits that give show a relationship between light and shadow — so much so that I get picky with my model, as well as any photo reference were I to use any.  I still have a long way to go — toning and highlighting is serious work, after all — but I am somehow getting by.

Edgar Degas — July 19

“Even the Moonlight Has Colors” Oil on canvas, 20in x 16in. Private collection.

Edgar Degas is considered one of the founders of impressionism (though he prefers to be identified as a realist).  He is known for works depicting dancers and movement.

What I like about Degas’ work is how he paints the color white of his dancers.  White, actually, is not a color, but an amalgam of colors.  Degas’ white are a combination of streaks of colored pigments and white pigment.  What was once an amalgam of colors oil paint becomes streaks of light filtering through layers of tutu, in such a way that the scene of movement could also be “felt.”

Degas’ style has influenced me when I created my semi-abstract painting, “Even Moonlight Has Colors.”

Beatrix Potter — July 28

Who doesn’t know Peter Rabbit?

Beatrix Potter is both a writer and an illustrator.  One of her most famous works is The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  Aside from illustrating children’s books, she also makes merchandise based  on her art.

Her style of marketing her art is similar to how a lot of modern artists do it today — one does not only rely on major works to make sales, but also in merchandise and smaller projects.

I am able to connect with Potter because I, too, have worked as an illustrator for a children’s book, although it was only one of the stories in the book.  I also write a lot, and in some of these writings I even do my own illustration.  I do hope to illustrate more books as I go through my art journey.

There are other artists who are born in the month of July, but so far these are the ones who greatly influenced me.  For your comments, suggestions, and other reactions, please feel free to leave a message below, and like and follow my blog.

6 Artists Who Are July Babies July is here, so let me share some of the artists who share the same birth month as me. 

[nicolecadet]

Painting for a historical fantasy cover

Updated January 2018 - I originally wrote this in 2016 and have made some minor updates

I have an interest in history, which makes me interested in painting historical fantasy art. Although not an active member currently, I was involved in medieval recreation for several years, so have made my own costumes and practical items. I know enough about history to know that I wouldn’t really want to live back in the past. But I love learning about the clothes, the crafts, the stories and mythologies. So when it comes to painting historical fantasy, and even illustrating RPG characters, I tend to look at things as more than just ‘pretty’, delving into books, documentaries and even more pop cultural references.

The Brief

When you get an illustration brief, you have to try and figure out what the client is actually asking for. Some clients say they want ‘historically accurate’, but what they may mean is ‘Hollywood history’ :). Others are more direct and point to pop cultural references, or say they want fantasy elements. Some people will be very specific on the type of sword/ costume/ building type. There’s of course nothing wrong with any type of historical fantasy, however what’s shown in a drama series or a movie may not be 100% accurate. Sometimes what is true to history (or what we currently think we know), may not have the right visual impact. Our ideals of beauty, sexiness, manliness, innocence and other cultural stereotypes are often completely different to the past, not to mention different based on where in the world you are from. For example, Vikings had beards and braids. Some people want clean shaven Vikings which in a fantasy world is fine!

If it’s a magazine that specialises in realistic and historically accuracy information, many of the historical fantasy tropes may not be acceptable. If however the client is an RPG games player, they may actually want armour that is impractical or not historically accurate.

How to get an understanding of what the client wants?

Ask questions

Make references to more commonly known representations when talking to your client, even if they are movie or film references. Having a common starting point is always a good thing, even if it’s absolutly NOT what the client wants. That helps us learn what they DO want

Pay attention to where the artwork is going to be used. Is it trying to sell something (book, game), is it purely for a character representation, is it for a historically knowledgeable crowd? History may matter, however it may not draw in the right kinds of people.

If it’s for a cover illustration, research the author, read any sample chapters or scenes they may send though, look at any references they may send through (being aware of copyright!)

Starting your research

I dabble in history. I pick and choose things I’m interested in, and I am by no means an expert on anything. But when you are hired to illustrate something, for that brief, you must become enough of a master that you can make decisions about costumes, weapons, armour, architecture and everyday objects in the paintings. Beginning research for an illustration is like beginning research for an essay, but you’re focusing more on visual elements than words.

Start broad, then refine.

I’ll use Spirit of the Sword as an example (this was heavily directed so was designed within a fairy tight brief). The brief was for a historical fantasy novel set in a Classical Greco-Roman world. This is your starting point – Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. If you know nothing about the topic, look up an encyclopedia or wikipedia, maybe watch a documentary on the general subject. This should give you some key terms that you can further reference, and the beginnings of an understanding for the design aesthetic.

My client made specific references to items he wanted on the cover that are directly linked to his are of historical fantasy

peplos (Miranda’s clothing)

Spatha (type of sword)

Manica (armour covering the arms)

I loved Greek and Roman mythology as a kid so have a number of different books on the subject. But most of these have other artist’s visions. Although these days I tend to start with the Internet, I still love looking through paper books for ideas. Here are a couple of the ‘general’ books I sometimes use for ideas gathering

Another great reference is SketchUp. This is a 3D modelling tool, but there is a warehouse of pre-built models that include historical sites, buildings, and other objects. While most of the models are simple, this can be the basis for more detailed drawings.

Try historical re-enactor forums and sites as well. Be aware that there are degrees of ‘accuracy’, but people that are recreating items from the past, often have some great resources and detailed research, as well as photos of their costumes, weapons, armour and other bits and bobs. Museum sites, flickr collections of photos taken in museums are also great places to research. Always be aware of copyright, but photos of items help bring reality to paintings, drawings or sculptures from history.

Details can matter.

When you are painting fantasy, there are some things you can get away with. But history is a little bit different. A sword is not just a sword. It can almost be a character in the book itself. There are many types of swords, from many different eras and cultures, and used for different reasons. The sword Excalibur from Arthurian myth varies depending on the setting of the tale

Roman Britain

Generic medieval English sword

Purely fantasy representations that would look good at court, but might not be that deadly in an actual battle

Clothes are the same. Those pretty ‘medieval’ gowns with angel winged long sleeves were only in western European court for a relatively short period of time (called a bliaut and worn primarily in France around the 1200s – from known evidence). It was not worn by peasants, and the lesser nobility may have tried to copy it, but it would have been in lesser fabric. Vikings without beards? Only in fantasy. Medieval women with uncovered heads? Only during certain periods or by younger women. Ancient Greece and Rome women often had their head elaborately braided, even adding hair pieces – however it depends on the time period, the specific culture, and the status of the woman. People with slaves could afford time to spend on their appearance.

It drives me nuts seeing a ‘medieval’ historical book set in the 1200’s where the girl on the front is wearing an Elizabethan dress (1600s). Maybe the average Jane Smith won’t notice or care, but it’s easy to look things up on the Internet. If it’s a fantasy world with historical elements, it matters what the author has written.

Also colours and dyes were based on what they could get at the time. They had beautiful dyes available, but colours such as black in medieval Europe (unless it was black wool from a black sheep) were expensive to make, so was generally reserved for richer people. This of course changed later in time (i.e. Victorian era) due to technological changes, and broader trade routes. This goes for richer purples and some blues as well.

Just because it’s historically accurate, does not make it a good artistic decision

Finally, when making an illustration for a book cover, you want an image that tells you a bit about its genre, maybe something about its characters, the mood of the story – basically a teaser on what the reader can expect from the book. Sometimes there will be minor historical inaccuracies, sometimes there are artistic and design decisions. Your job, if it’s for a cover, is to create an image that grabs the reader and makes them want to turn over the book to read the blurb. Work with your client, explain to them why you want to include something that may not be historically accurate, show them how something does not work from an artistic perspective, let them understand your thinking.

And if the client decides they want something a particular way and you disagree, then accept it and move on. If your client is happy, and you’ve worked to the best of your ability, then you’ve done your job.

[luv-engineering]

This is a good extra This is a good extra resource Go to Amazon

Five Stars good info like it alot Go to Amazon

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Five Stars Great information to keep on hand. Go to Amazon

Five Stars Great book!!! Go to Amazon

Grandson liked it Gift for grandson. He liked it. Go to Amazon

Terrific reference book, especially for people new to raising chickens. I have raised chickens previously, but really am not all that well educated on things chicken. This book has really great, concise information on many topics of interest for people raising chickens. It covers anatomy, diseases, structure of eggs, behavior, you name it. Great for getting some broad knowledge about chickens and answering the kinds of questions that arise with daily care of the birds. This is a great reference book for a neophyte like myself. I have four hens in a small coop and run in my backyard. Hobbyist. This book will not give you in-depth discussions of the various topics, and it is laid out alphabetically, as you would expect from an encyclopedia. i.e. It's not a medical or a feed or an anatomy reference, etc. I learned a great deal just flipping through it. Go to Amazon

Great book for all ages Great book for adults and children learning about chickens, eggs, and birth. Lots of photos and explanations. I enjoy it with my 20 month old granddaughter. Go to Amazon

Don't be a chicken Five Stars Five Stars My go-to reference Did not meet my personal needs but a useful reference Too bad for me More like a dictionary of terms used in raising chickens Everything (Almost - is everything really in any one product, this is close)

[mado-science]

This is a good extra This is a good extra resource Go to Amazon

Five Stars good info like it alot Go to Amazon

Five Stars Very good book with lots of information Go to Amazon

Five Stars Great information to keep on hand. Go to Amazon

Five Stars Great book!!! Go to Amazon

Grandson liked it Gift for grandson. He liked it. Go to Amazon

Terrific reference book, especially for people new to raising chickens. I have raised chickens previously, but really am not all that well educated on things chicken. This book has really great, concise information on many topics of interest for people raising chickens. It covers anatomy, diseases, structure of eggs, behavior, you name it. Great for getting some broad knowledge about chickens and answering the kinds of questions that arise with daily care of the birds. This is a great reference book for a neophyte like myself. I have four hens in a small coop and run in my backyard. Hobbyist. This book will not give you in-depth discussions of the various topics, and it is laid out alphabetically, as you would expect from an encyclopedia. i.e. It's not a medical or a feed or an anatomy reference, etc. I learned a great deal just flipping through it. Go to Amazon

Great book for all ages Great book for adults and children learning about chickens, eggs, and birth. Lots of photos and explanations. I enjoy it with my 20 month old granddaughter. Go to Amazon

Don't be a chicken Five Stars Five Stars My go-to reference Did not meet my personal needs but a useful reference Too bad for me More like a dictionary of terms used in raising chickens Everything (Almost - is everything really in any one product, this is close)

[dawnspiration-blog]

Paving Your Path

I woke up this morning at 6 am to a harvest moon on the west of my home and an emerging sunset on the east.

I read the news and this came flowing out onto my page.

This is for all my fellow dreaming and enterprising girls and women who have ever set down this gilded path of Hollywood, and encountered a jagged stone or two along the way.

Embrace your superpower.

**

I have been in the entertainment industry for over 17 years in some capacity.

At times, I have been completely submerged in the glistening waters of Hollywood, and at other times, I have had just a toe dipped into the water out of my own fear and perceived limitations.

I love this industry and I love the creative people in it.

I have found them to be warm, open-hearted, open to ideas and kind.

There are people along the way whom I have learned from, and many who have helped shape who I am.

98% of my experience of the people in Hollywood has been just that.

But there was one time in my first year out here where I experienced the darker side.

I was 23, and an aspiring actress, working for a major film company (that was wonderful to work for) and took an outside lunch meeting with a man who was interested in managing me theatrically.

He had represented an iconic 70s star from my homestate of Texas and he said he saw something similar in me.

When he asked to host the lunch meeting at his hillside estate, I found it odd but as I had learned quickly in Hollywood, "you always take the meeting."

However, I was not naive.

While shooting "Miss Congeniality," the summer before as Sandra Bullock's stand-in, I had read "Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?" by Rachel Abramowitz with insightful knowledge and experience from Hollywood's biggest female power players.

It was my both my encyclopedia and playbook for Hollywood.

I recommend it to every women who aims her star for Hollywood.

I told my mother, my boyfriend at the time and my coworkers exactly where I would be just to be safe. They had the address and they knew that if I hadn't called in a reasonable amount of time, something was wrong.

I showed up at the house and met the 60-year-old man.

We were served a delicious fresh crab salad by his housekeeper who seemed to sadly smile at me.

Very early on in the lunch, I realized that this was not the meeting I had hoped for.

He continually flirted with me, complimented me on my appearance, took pleasure in correcting me once when I got a minor fact wrong, and pointedly told me "There are only two women in Hollywood who ever notoriously slept their way to the top...but relationships are everything."

He told me that I needed to be careful because I was beautiful and smart but I could "be too smart for my own good. And, beauty and brains aren't always what's best here."

What he was really saying of course was: beauty and brains aren't good bedfellows.

He then asked me if he could show me his master suite.

I told him I had to leave.

He didn't like that answer.

He replied, "Now, see? I've said all of these nice things about you and you haven't said one nice thing about me and you won't even see my room."

My stomach churned.

I hightailed it out of there, needing to take a shower like never before and immediately called my mother in Texas.

After the experience, I noticed myself less and less interested in "taking meetings" or pursuing them.

I still wanted to be an actress but there was a patina there unlike before.

My career took a turn around the same time as I ended up focusing on my music, being in a band, working for a celebrity as a personal shopper and later moving to Nashville to pursue what I thought was my singer/songwriter destiny, and casting my dreams of acting aside.

Years later when I was in Nashville, I read a book by actress Teri Hatcher called "Burnt Toast" where she detailed a similar experience in Hollywood. She mentioned that she felt like she had "given up her power" and didn't realize that she had until years later when she was in therapy where she participated in an exercise where she literally seized her power back.

When I read her words, I cried.

I realized that I had abandoned a dream because - in part - I too felt like I had given up a bit of my power to this man so many years ago.

I let this man make me feel that not only I couldn't be an actress without bending morals I just was not willing to bend but also that I was too smart for my own good when it came to both men and the business.

I performed the same visualization exercise that Teri had in her book and almost instantly found a peace there.

Three days later, in a Nashville parking garage, I heard on the radio that the manager had passed away.

I smiled.

My power was back.

For today's young women paving their path in this wonderful world of entertainment, I wish for you to know your worth. To be unshakable in your dreams and goals.

And, to sit ever-so-firmly in your power.

I wish I could go back and talk to that girl I once was and tell her that that was just one experience and that not every meeting would feel like that.

That beauty and brains are a SUPERPOWER in this town.

That 98% of people in Hollywood are people who will inspire you and cheer you on, and to seek out that even smaller percentage who will be your much-needed mentors, champions and brain trust in this world.

It is a beautiful, golden world to be in.

I love it.

When I stepped into my first trailer with my name on it as an actress on a film set over a year ago, I remembered that girl I was back then.

And, I smiled in the lighted mirror at her, telling her,

"We did it, kid. You finally get to say you're an actress. You did it on your own terms and in your own time...just as it was meant to be.

And, you wouldn't be who you are today without getting that power back and finally embracing your superpower."

EMBRACE YOUR SUPERPOWER.

Photo credit: Natalie Hovee Ographr

[ianmkeenan]

Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Growing Handbook

Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Growing Handbook:

Impressions of Ed Rosenthal

Reactions from Customers

Buy Marijuana Grower’s Handbook

Cannabis connoisseurs have likely heard of a strain called Ed Rosenthal Super Bud. It is a creation of one of the most reputable seed banks in the world – Sensi Seeds. In honor of a friend and an activist who inspired many others, they named it after Ed Rosenthal.

He is also the author of a book that most people in the marijuana community considers as their bible. So, in this article, we will take a look at Marijuana Grower’s Handbook.

Subtitled “You Complete Guide for Medical and Personal Marijuana Cultivation,” will this book live up to expectations?

Nowadays, everything we need to know, we can look for them using the Internet. After all, that is what Google is for, right? However, because of so many useless articles online, searching for the right information is extremely hard. Considering that growing cannabis remains a vast minority, the abundance of materials is still overwhelming. Besides, many of the reference articles were written by someone who probably has never even used cannabis nor planted one.

Instead of going from one article to another, jumping from one topic to another, Ed Rosenthal published a comprehensive guide to growing marijuana. If memory serves right, Ed published the book in 1989. Back then, it makes a lot of sense to buy the book. Of course, technology evolved and most people think they can find information on anything and everything online.

But as mentioned, it is not easy for beginners to know what to learn and in the process, may make more mistakes. As frustration sets in, they may decide that cultivating cannabis is not for them.

In that sense, that makes Ed’s book much more valuable. It contains information that helps beginners learn the fundamentals of cultivating marijuana. Furthermore, even experienced growers can also benefit from the advanced knowledge the book can provide. Finally, everything one needs to know is contained in one book. There is no need to for more research online.

Impressions of Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Grower’s Handbook

The book was last updated on 2009. Hence, it contains up-to-date information to get anyone started. Granted that there have been more innovations with tools and equipment, it still provides the core information all growers need to know. Whether one chooses to plant indoor or outdoor, the ideas presented here is meant to help people begin planting more efficiently. At the same time, it also equips growers with enough knowledge that with practice, turns them from novice to experts in the earliest possible date.

Marijuana Grower’s Handbook comes with 500 pages including high-quality colored photos and illustrations to make it easier for beginners visualize and have a better understanding. From setting up and through all stages of cultivation and culminating with harvesting the buds, the book covers all that.

Here are the individual chapters:

PART 1 MARIJUANA THE PLANT

How Marijuana Gets You High

Marijuana the Plant

Indica and Sativa, Ruderalis and Kush

Choosing Varieties

PART II WHAT ARE PLANTS AND WHAT DO THEY WANT?

Marijuana Plant Life Cycle

Light

Carbon Dioxide

Water

Nutrients and Fertilizers

Temperature, Humidity and Air Quality

PART III SETTING UP YOUR GARDEN

Your Goals

Light, Space, and Yield

Plant Size and Number: Growing in the Limits

Designing the Space

Soil

Hydroponics

Security

PART IV LET’S GET GROWING!

Getting Started

Vegetative Growth

Flowering

PART V HARVEST AND BEYOND

Harvesting

Restarting the Garden

Post-Harvest

Ed was not kidding when he subtitled the book as a complete guide. Indeed, the content contains a lot of details that make it feel like an encyclopedia. While most people will find incredible value with this book, not everyone shares the same appreciation. In other words, this book is not for the lazy readers.

For beginners with no idea of growing any plant at all, it is best to read the book thoroughly before moving on to the next step, and that is to prepare the materials and equipment needed. As for seasoned growers, the book is incredibly useful as it covers a lot more that can only enhance their skill levels and knowledge of planting cannabis.

Reactions from Customers

At Amazon, we use the net customer satisfaction rating to determine how happy people are with their purchases. Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Grower’s Handbook scored a fantastic 86%. Not a lot of products on Amazon can lay claim to ratings breaching 80%. In other words, a vast majority of verified buyers are satisfied with their purchase.

Still, it is not without its fair share of criticisms. Some of the common observations include the use of too much technical terms. Others complain about the lack of information on other aspects of cultivation. For instance, it does not have reference to training methods such as LST (low-stress training). Finally, another typical complaint is that it does not really get one started with a step-by-step guide.

Considering that a vast majority are pleased, it appears that the issue some brought up could have been avoided were they to have a better understanding of that the book can or cannot do. Hence, we deemed it necessary to include the individual chapters and topics covered in the post.

Buy Marijuana Grower’s Handbook by Ed Rosenthal

Kindle version is available for $9.99. Even if it was to be sold at $20 more, our recommendation is the same. By the way, the paperback edition costs $23.14. Get this book.

There are several books on growing marijuana. However, none are as detailed as this one from a leading horticulturist in the industry. Still, no one book can be truly comprehensive. Used as a reference, this book contains more than enough information to help one become expert growers fast. But it is not the only means for learning. At the end of the day, it is up to the individuals to get their hands dirty and go about planting cannabis.

Of all the books on the same subject matter, this one ranks right there on top of the list, and none comes close matching it with depth and accuracy of information provided. Buy Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Growing Handbook Here!

The post Ed Rosenthal’s Marijuana Growing Handbook appeared first on I Love Growing Marijuana.

[caveartfair]

Abigail Reynolds Traveled the World to Document Libraries That No Longer Exist

You can no longer visit China’s Xianyang Palace, a tour guide informs artist Abigail Reynolds as she arrives in Xi’an. It ceased to exist some 2,400 years ago, he says, suggesting instead that she visit the city’s famed Terracotta Army. But she insists. For the British artist, the palace’s absence is precisely the point.

Reynolds arrived in China last September in search of lost libraries, institutions of learning along the ancient Silk Road that have been variously destroyed or abandoned over the centuries. The Xianyang Palace was her second stop, preceded by the Baisikou pagodas in Yinchuan. It was also the oldest site on her list. Constructed by the First Emperor Qin Shi Huang, it was destroyed in 206 B.C., following his death. Rumors hold that the palace library was burned to the ground, and those who frequented it were buried alive.

Portrait of Abigail Reynolds in London by Elliot Kennedy for Artsy.

Reynolds’s wide-ranging journey—to libraries scattered across China, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, Italy, and Egypt—signals a departure for the artist, whose previous works have been deeply rooted in the history of London and Cornwall. But as the third winner of the BMW Art Journey, which offers emerging artists the chance to develop their practice through an all-expenses-paid trip of their choosing, Reynolds felt compelled to widen her scope.

“It just seemed to me a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to think on this huge, macro scale,” she said over the phone from Cornwall this January, a few weeks after completing the third and final leg of her five-month-long trek. Reynolds said that rather than continuing to focus her practice so tightly on the culture that she grew out of, she decided “to just go to the absolute opposite end of the spectrum and cross huge amounts of the globe.”

27.09.2016, Uzbekistan. Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

The BMW Art Journey program was launched in 2015, as part of the German automaker’s sponsorship of Art Basel. Two artists are awarded the prize each year: one from the Discoveries sector at Art Basel in Hong Kong and one from the Positions sector at Art Basel in Miami Beach. An independent panel of judges shortlists three artists from each fair, who are then tasked with crafting an itinerary for their proposed journey. Reynolds was selected from the 2016 Hong Kong shortlist, for a project she titled “The Ruins of Time: Lost Libraries of the Silk Road.”

Reynolds’s fascination with books is longstanding. She studied English literature at Oxford University before changing course and pursuing fine art, first at Chelsea College of Art and then at Goldsmiths. But even as she launched her artistic career, Reynolds remained immersed in words through a part-time job at the Oxford English Dictionary. Each day, she would spend several hours holed up in Duke Humfrey’s Library on the Oxford campus, locating proof of the first time a particular word in the English language was used in print.

08.12.2016, Pergamum. Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

“Working for a dictionary gives you an incredible respect for libraries, for voices traveling through time and the attempt to be encyclopedic about knowledge, even if it’s doomed to fail,” she said. Her art journey offered “an opportunity to inhabit both of those worlds for a bit,” she said, “to connect my enjoyment of books and what they are and libraries and what they meant to me with my visual work.”

As an artist, Reynolds is perhaps best known for her collages, which splice together archival images in geometric, three-dimensional patterns. She is particularly interested in the passage of time, scouring old bookstores and flea markets for encyclopedias or guidebooks that offer decades-old views of a given landscape.

She also incorporates images of what she terms “communal structures”���protest marches, highways, colleges. “They are portraits of a community rather than of an individual, and for me that’s what a library is,” Reynolds said.

“That is why they are often destroyed, because it’s a really quick way to damage a group identity,” she continued, referencing the recent destruction of libraries in the former ISIS stronghold of Mosul. “It feels like a body blow to lose all of those texts.”

To plan her itinerary last spring, Reynolds spent several breathless weeks reaching out to academics and conducting her own intensive research into the world of lost libraries. In the end, she settled on 16 locations placed loosely along the path of the Silk Road.

27.12.2016, Rome. Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

Some were lost centuries ago: Trajan’s Column is all that remains of Rome’s Bibliotheca Ulpia, which disappeared around A.D. 600. Others were destroyed during her own lifetime, and even this decade—the most recent on Reynolds’s list is Cairo’s Institute of Egypt, which was ransacked during a clash between protestors and the military in December 2011.

“I think that the scope and scale of her travels—going to a lost library that was destroyed 200 years before Christ, the Xianyang Palace in China, to another library destroyed by Genghis Khan—brings together many of these things that she’s interested in when it comes to archiving, collecting, creating a cultural heritage,” said Thomas Girst, head of cultural engagement for BMW Group. “But at the same time, she’s exploring the vulnerability of these places and how essential knowledge can get lost and can get eradicated.”

When Reynolds proposed this journey to the panel of five judges—including Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and Claire Hsu, director of Asia Art Archive—they selected her project by unanimous vote, Girst revealed.

11.12.2016, Nysa. Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

Reynolds was announced the winner in March 2016, and five months later she set out on the first portion of her journey. When she wasn’t flying, she traveled via motorcycle; she’d learned to ride several years earlier. Reynolds also brought along a Bolex camera, which, at five-and-a-half pounds, was “heavy and awkward and the opposite of digital filming because it’s so slow and old-fashioned.” But she appreciated its complicated set-up, she said, because it helped structure her visits to sites where often little or nothing remained.

Reynolds’s stop at Xianyang Palace was in many ways emblematic of the entire trip. Despite her guide’s resistance, she was able to pinpoint the location of the former library and visit the heritage museum constructed in its place. But it turned out to be dusty and underwhelming and smelled suffocatingly of mold. In short, it retained nothing of the place it was meant to memorialize.

“I was making this huge effort to travel and arrive in the present moment at spaces where every meaningful shred that was there was evacuated thousands of years ago, and to just stand there,” she said. “And that was also very dislocating.”

19.09.2016, X’ian (西安) Forest of Stone Steles Museum (碑林博物馆). Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

This sense of dislocation was heightened, Reynolds said, by the cultural differences between the West and the places that she visited. She understood neither the language nor the customs she was exposed to, making the whole experience “very discombobulating.” In Cairo, she was even arrested for filming the Institute of Egypt, although the authorities released her after a scolding.

“Very often I couldn’t get to the place I wanted to get to because of barriers that were in my way,” she said. “Often these were bureaucratic, sometimes they were deliberate obfuscation.”

The resulting frustration imbues the works she’s produced for the 2017 edition of Art Basel in Hong Kong and led her to consider the motif of a screen or grille of the sort one would find in a confessional. “I was traveling to these blanks, these places where there was nothing. So the sense of the deflected look, a screen or structure that was impeding flow but also seeming to allow it—those kind of elements have become important in the work.”

The Bolex footage, for example, is concealed behind two-way mirrors and textured glass. “I wanted to take something of my emotional state while I traveled,” she said. “It felt like constantly being on a threshold. I could sense the other side in some way, or I knew things about it, but very often I couldn’t reach it.”

Abigail Reynolds, Buried, Burnt, Forgotten, Defaced, Hidden, Stolen, 2017. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Her final destination was the Library of Alexandria, which was famously (and accidentally) burned to the ground by Julius Caesar when he came to Cleopatra’s aid during an Egyptian civil war. Despite its storied history, particularly for the West, Reynolds found it deeply disappointing—a “public relations exercise” with a collection that was almost entirely digital.

Instead, she was struck most by a lost library in the Iranian town of Nishapur. The structure’s bloody history belies its name—Shadiyakh, or the “Palace of Happiness.” Legend has it that when the husband of Genghis Khan’s daughter was murdered in Nishapur in 1221, all 1.7 million residents of the city were put to death in retaliation. But that violent past, true or not, has slowly been subsumed. Now, small hills of hard-packed dirt are all that’s left of the complex.

14.12.2016, Nishapur نیشابور and The Palace of Happiness شادیاخ. Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

14.12.2016, Nishapur نیشابور and The Palace of Happiness شادیاخ. Photograph courtesy of Abigail Reynolds and BMW Art Journey.

“There used to be this incredible seat of learning and wealth and culture,” she said. “Now it’s just a playground for teenage boys on their motorbikes. And I felt very happy there.”

—Abigail Cain

from Artsy News

[juliatakesnotes]

Experience as Art: A Trip to Oaxaca with Pocoapoco's Jessica Chrastil | Apiece Apart

Can you share more about your upbringing? What led you to explore this space of living a creative life outside the role of an "artist"? 

I grew up in a family that loved learning for learning’s sake. My mother (not an artist by any known definition) has always viewed reading and researching — on nearly any topic — as the most thrilling way a person could possibly spend a day. As a child, boredom was never an option, the fact that knowledge was out there waiting to be had was like open access to an goldmine. As a kid I loved skimming through the encyclopedia —  science, people, art, countries, beliefs — so much information available in one place and context and because of its basic proximity it all appeared connected no matter how disparate it was. So comforting and exciting.

My father is the same way about people as my mother is about information — he never misses the chance to talk with anyone, hear their story, find an avenue for connection no matter how brief the interaction. In this vein, I have so many friends and people in my life who are not practicing artists, but who have the most most creative, diverse, innovative, and engaged approach to day to day work and life, as well as in the way they choose to document or share this work/ knowledge. It’s endlessly inspiring.

The process of learning, of experiencing, of connecting has always seemed like this fantastic project of sorts that never has to become a piece of art or even a means to an end but is more like the continuous building of a personal library. 

Are there any texts / quotes that have been particularly significant in thinking or researching more about this?

Essays in general are a favorite, writers that write non-fiction in a way that is as dynamic, experimental, and rich as fiction. Of course Joan Didion, her language of experience and research. I like Alain de Botton’s approach to philosophy, or anyone who manages to convey knowledge and a thought process through an unlikely shape or voice (can be anyone: My five-year-old nephew makes the most amazing drawings of the periodic table and the history of the British monarchy...)

What are some realizations about life, art, and the connection thereof that the residents have taught you? 

I get to see Oaxaca through new eyes each time a new person or resident comes through. The way people react to and connect with a new place or community is fascinating — especially when they come at it exploring whatever they are passionate about. It's like seeing each person wear the same shirt with an amazing, yet completely different outfit to a party. 

So much innovation and creative output stems from a person's deep knowledge of and subsequent ease with their particular craft or topic. Photographers become so obsessed and vocal about light that for weeks all I can see are the shapes of shadows on walls. Florists use little purple bananas to create beautiful floral designs and centerpieces. Chefs seem to use the same bags of beans I see everyday to create meals so distinctly different from each other. One favorite project was a designer who photographed "mistake sculptures" all over the city, random stacks of objects that people here use to hold parking spaces. Yet when he presented photos of the mistake sculptures they looked so intentional.  

That said, I think I originally had an idea that people were going to be most excited about what specifically they were researching but I believe people have been most excited and inspired by the connections they’ve made with people here, people from/in Oaxaca, as well as the others taking part in the residency. 

Why Oaxaca?

Pocoapoco, or poco a poco, means “little by little” or “slowly,” “gradually.” It says a lot about the approach to this residency project, and definitely about life in Oaxaca. Maybe subconsciously it came from what I was looking for upon leaving New York — more time to let things unfold, more time to learn, less about finishing, and more about experiencing and creating a space for anyone to do the same. It’s a commonly discussed fact that Oaxaca is a great place for ideas but can be an impossible place to actually get things done. 

In general, the residency provides a space for those looking to explore or expand their creative work. We host artists and non-artists in a variety of fields to support research, conversation, and community surrounding this work, process, and purpose.  This happens through month-long residencies as well as week-long residency / workshops, and a variety of individual projects and collaborations. A large part of this is about working closely with individuals and organizations in the Oaxaca area to provide education, inspiration, and cross–cultural exchange within these creative dialogues.   

Prior to moving to Oaxaca I was in New York and before that California for a so long, working in food and restaurants. In New York I was creative director at an NGO, we worked with artisan businesses around the world. I traveled a lot and spent a huge amount of time talking with people all over about how and why they create — also exploring how travel and culture and experience is so deeply embedded into and influential on the work we do, artistic or otherwise. One of these projects was in Oaxaca, and I suppose I fell in love with the place. There was very little logic involved in moving. I had lived north, west, east. Now south. This is a stopping point.    

Talk more about the difficulties that come with being an outsider in a new place. And on the flip side, what is gained? 

There is a deep level of awkwardness and self-consciousness (at least personally) on entering a new place, especially a place with such deep history and customs and roots. On trying to simultaneously respect that place, understand those terms, navigate your way into it and meld with it, and still maintain the sense of self that is so crucial to any good relationship. It’s hard and makes me feel like such a floppy ridiculous adolescent all over again.  

That said, I think self-consciousness is important and it keeps us on our toes. But there is also a fine line between self-consciousness and being crippled by over-analyzation which puts a wrench into making any connection with anything. I’ve gone through so many iterations of this balance in the past year and a half.   like to think that lately there are fewer wrenches, a bit less awkwardness. A little more trust and commitment.  

People come down often and glamorize life here, but this has definitely been one of the hardest transitions of my life. I suppose this is also because building the residency has meant navigating Oaxaca and how to most gracefully enter this place, while also quickly becoming a bridge for so many others coming through. This is wonderful and so fun but also brings a sense of responsibility and nervous protection on both ends. It feels important that the residents are understanding and considerate of this balance —  when to bring a strong sense of self, ideas, and needs to the table, and when to step back and just listen, learn, observe. I suppose that is why to do it here, because Oaxaca has made the residency project not just about a "residency" but about exploring the connections between places and people and ideas, about thoughtful interaction, about how to be a responsible traveler and artist, a compassionate and curious human.   

Below is a list of questions that one of our partners here wrote for a group of photographers coming down in hopes of getting them thinking about what it meant to be behind the camera here. I think it’s pretty relevant to everyone coming through to explore a topic or project. 

How does the photographer affect the context/environment? Is it possible to capture those effects?

How does the environment affect the photographer? Is it possible to capture these effects?

What is the difference between a touristic photo and documentary photo?

When taking photos, are you giving and creating, or are you extracting something? 

Are you on safari or are you creating meaningful interactions?

How does the camera make you closer to or separate you from the experience and the context?

How are you present in your pictures? Does objectivity exist in photos? If you are portraying reality, what does everything else portray? 

Is your personal story present in the photos you take? Can you show this in them while photographing others?

Is it possible to portray the similarities between you and the people you are taking pictures from? The differences? 

Which long lasting elements, as opposed to instantaneous, do you find in your photos? Why would they be important for the future?

Could you describe an image from your life which is not a photo? Why would an image be different if you have it physically? Do you think it’ll portray what you’ve been thinking all this time? 

Do “mental photos” exist? How would you share with others what you see if you could not take photos? Could you start a photography project with the idea to take as few photos as possible? 

Do you ever feel lonely or in a strange place of being a conduit to others’ creative process?

I’m doing it by myself but am rarely alone. I’m always working with someone doing something though those things and people change. I’ve gotten a chance to work with so many of my closest friends and so many people I respect, both from Oaxaca and from the US. I feel less like a conduit and more like a beneficiary. I get to take part in all these processes that I never would have been able to otherwise. When I was a kid one project my mother gave us was to make small books profiling different categories of artists —  names and biographies of baroque composers, impressionist painters, etc. It was this idea that if you couldn't be a musician and a painter, learning about the lives and work of musicians or painters is the second best thing. That’s kind of my life right now. Loneliness can be hard…but I assume that’s part of being human. 

  (via Experience as Art: A Trip to Oaxaca with Pocoapoco's Jessica Chrastil | Apiece Apart)

[doedipus]

LP D&D: Tumble in the Tundra

It’s like the Rumble in the Jungle, except not in central Africa.

Something about the concept of magic items really tickles my fancy, moreso than a lot of other fantasy tropes. Stuff like the Moonlight Greatsword from the Dark Souls games, Link’s heaping arsenal of hyper-specialized tools, and Guts’ berserker suit and robot hand strike me as being super cool. If I had to rationalize it, I guess it comes down to gadget-based heroes being more fundamentally human in my mind than someone with the innate ability to light things on fire with their brain, and in the context of tabletop games, magic items can provide some more flavor to combat and river crossing puzzles than a party of totally mundane humans. Like, the time when Coy ended the battle at the late Lord Hier’s dinner party by crashing the airship through clever use of the teleport hat was wayyy cooler than the dozens of other encounters the party just brute forced their way through.

One of these days, I really want to run a campaign in a low-genre game like Call of Cthulhu, Delta Green or something, and use quadcopters or smartphones the same way our DM in this game uses the helm of teleportation or the cloak of the bat.

I’m bringing all this up because the map the party had been carting around this whole time is basically a smartphone. As usual, content under the break.

Teller redrew the map

While he was drawing, a woman’s face appears in the map and speaks to the party

Her name is Natalie

She’s the map

Of Amarak //The last empire to control western Faerun

Natalie is having none of our berk questions

Connie asks about the sisters, Natalie gives an info-dump

They were anti-imperialist

Minnia formed a pact with some demons

Amarak successfully repelled them, and recorded their strategies in Natalie

Lucas asks about Minnia’s location

Apparently she was split into 5 pieces, and her remains scattered

One near Luskan and Syrup Leaf

One near Calimport

One near Shulk

One near Amathar

One in Winterkeep

One in Candlekeep

Natalie can give the party more detailed advice as we get close

“You seem kind of full of yourself. I like that. I’m also kind of full of myself”-Lucas

Coy asks Natalie what she knows about what’s-her-name

My responses are limited. You must ask the right question.

Max works through his headache and remembers names

Natalie has an image of her on file

Graham realizes something is off about the map

Coy and Graham take a closer look

The kingdom of Demara was apparently bigger in the past

It was slightly smaller than Amarak, and its ally

Graham puts his ear to the map

Natalie recommends he clean his ears

He does. On Natalie.

Natalie is violated

Lucas tries to concuss Graham, but he’s doing the dance of his people

Natalie dislikes being called “Map”

Coy recommends the party go check out the giblets at Syrup Leaf

Lucas is confus. What’s a syrup leaf?

Coy attempts to explain

Natalie wants to map out a relationship chart for the party

Esmeralda is a lady

no srs guys

Telepathy sex dungeon //from Sigil trip one

Lucas denies any knowledge of this “Rolen” //Rich also denies any knowledge of this “Rolen.”

He literally has no knowledge of Rolen

Or the drow attack on Amnswater

Graham reveals he’s never learned anyone else’s name

Coy considers storage options for Natalie

Can we laminate her?

Can she survive in a bag of holding?

Natalie the smartphone can keep track of our quests. How convenient! //Not like we tend to think in terms of “quests” anyway. We mostly just bumble around and then things happen

Connie asks about the Sigil portal

The ruins of the Sigil-Amarak trade hub is nearby

It’s by the crags

Graham has a question for Map

Where’s Catarina?

There isn’t one lol

It’s recently independent obvs

What’s the dog to milk ratio?

It’s 3:1, Rap

Coy asks for a brief overview of the war

Amarak allied with nearby kingdoms

They cornered Minnia in Beydale and dismembered her

There was also a golem army, which Natalie can activate

Escrima asks about extraplanar creatures

They came out through the underchasm

He asks about mother

Apparently, she patroned a few generals during the war

Callie Thorngage, Nedda Brushgather, and Escrima Smith

Natalie shows images of said generals

They bear a striking resemblance to Graham, Connie, and Escrima Smith, respectively

//From what little we know so far, Callie Thorngage was ostensibly a cis woman. The implication is pretty clearly that the members of the current party are reincarnations of these other three folks, with Escrima being the Gordon Freeman to MOTHER’s G-man. So like, why would Graham’s previous incarnation be a cis girl? Wouldn’t it make more sense if the old Graham was also a dude, and the trans thing happened because he was literally a dude dumped into a girl’s body? I swear, cis folk have no idea how to write this sort of thing.

They made it out of the war okay, and joined mother in the ether

Escrima accuses Natalie of tripping balls

She is a map. She does not trip

Amarak awarded mother some sort of reward for its assistance

Other team photos are revealed

There’s doppelgangers of Greg and Eva too.

Greg’s clone being the son of Theodin, King of Amarak

In a painting of the dicing of Minnia, a soldier uses The Cleaver to cut up Minnia’s body

The Cleaver is stored near the Sea of Fallen Stars, in a vault

Vaults are scattered around the continent, full of puzzles and treasure

Well ain’t that somethin’!

Graham and Escrima develop a plan to shoulder check the sisters and the bits of Minnia into the ocean, and then burn down the ocean. They will play their victory jingle on a triangle made of snakes

The hammer is also a snake

Coy accidentally lets slip that she has a soft stummy

Graham wants to touch it

Coy tries to be intimidating, but fails

Lucas prays to Oghma to try and figure out all that Rolen nonsense

All his memories are starting to get fuzzy, come to think of it

Eva’s are getting pretty strong, though

Lucas decides to take a look

She kept a Lucas shrine back in Candlekeep

She reduced it down to a drawing of Lucas, hidden in her cape

Lucas finds the picture. It’s of the two of them getting married.

The gang interrupts Lucas’ meditation session

He’s crying a bit, so he tries to use thaumaturgy to cover it

He makes flames come out of his eyes (by accident?)

Coy throws a potion of healing in his face

He feels very healthy

Coy explains to Lucas about the information the gang gleaned from the map

Lucas would rather Natalie just give him the information herself

Natalie recalls MOTHER as the “entity of dreams”  

Lucas wants to know if it’s good or evil.

Natalie gives him a cryptic answer

It’s a force of stability more than anything

Lucas asks Natalie if the Escrimas are the same

The one in the painting was 23 at the time of the war

Escrima always assumed he was 18

Natalie displays the group portrait with the generals, not-Greg, and not-Eva

not-Greg was named “Silifrey”

not-Eva was named “Merla Terlef,” and was married to Silifrey

Coy is irritated she doesn’t have a double

Lucas Explains Proskur to the party

He regrets getting involved, and blames himself for Eva’s pseudo death

Lucas goes to bed, as does Coy

Connie goes to the bathhouse

There’s a human man and an elf woman in the bath already

They’re married. Damn.

They’re here to open their business selling devices, gadgets and things

It’s a clock, but portable. Astounding!

Escrima wants to talk to Natalie

Coy opens the map, and prudently decides not to let Escrima touch it

Escrima asks about the generals

They were adventurers before joining the war

Lots of dragons killed, innocents saved, etc.

He wants to know about Callie Thorngage

She was a lady knight in the army of Amarak

Part of the agreement between Theodin V and mother was for the three to become generals

He asks to see the stats of the sister’s army

Several million gnolls, orcs, drow, and, oddly, fiends

The sister’s army had some generals too

They’re doubles of Lucas and legacy edition Coy. what?

//Again, why would Coy’s past-self-apparent be a dude? Grumble grumgle grumble

not-Coy was named “KUNG” in all-caps. Most dragonborn were on the sisters’ side. KUNG was killed in battle

not-Lucas’ name was Cefrey, who was the lead mage in their army. He was a necromancer who led a legion of undead

He looks like edgiest Lucas

Escrima and Coy go show Lucas

Lucas is appalled at Cefrey’s fashion sense

Lucas contemplates joining Minnia

The trio contemplate soul recycling, and realize it’s totally possible

Something or other did this intentionally

Natalie points the gang towards the planes

Lucas asks Natalie who put her in the box

It looks like Rocky. It’s probably Rocky.

Torix resumes control

Zerander heads for the bathhouse

The gang manages to sleep soundly for once

Lucas dreams about spiders

Connie has her recurring dream again

The next morning, Lucas goes to the scroll place. He spends the day copying spells

Zerander visits the blacksmith

He wants to get a silver zweihander

The smith agrees to make it out of the silver the gang sold to the armorer

Connie wants to take Nat 20 to the library

She tracks down Coy, and retrieves Natalie

She makes her way to the library in the main castle

Nat 20 has limited space, and can only absorb like 50 books

Connie feeds her a bunch of atlases and encyclopedias

She takes a bit too much pleasure from absorbing books

Zerander and Coy continue shopping

He visits an apothecary looking for alchemist’s fire

Coy bought all the fire in town

Graham goes looking for a way to upgrade grey matter //His hammer

Most of the people he asks are kids for some reason

He ends up at the blacksmith anyway

The smith upgrades it a dice class

In order to reduce the price, he spends the day working under the smith

Zerander goes looking for firearms

A shop sells old-timey hand cannons

The cannon and five rounds are 650gp

1d12 + 6 blunt damage!

Zerander talks the shopkeeper down to 600

He also goes to buy some basic supplies

He gets some holy water from the temple of Oghma

The priests want a donation of knowledge as payment

Zerander tells them about the time he fought a bear

Escrima spent the day swimming in the boiling hot river

He finds 5gp

He also finds a constitution saving throw

The water he drank is... not great

His goal was to get all wrinkly, and counts that as a success

During the night, Graham goes to check on Escrima

There’s puke everywhere. It smells disgusting

A maid tries to clean it up

Escrima asks Graham how he’s handling Nat 20’s info dump

Graham can barely understand a ham sandwich 

Escrima suggests they go to the bathhouse and turn it into puke water

They instead decide to try to become frogs

For some reason, they are unsuccessful

They’re not even green

Mother tells Escrima that she has more things to do

Escrima feels rebellious. He wants a piercing.

Graham considers having the blacksmith make Escrima a lily pad-shaped helmet

Lucas tries to relax in the hot spring

Distracted by current events, he fails to notice Coy and Zerander in the springs when he got in

Zerander explains the boomstick

Lucas doesn’t pay attention, and is instead transfixed by Zerander’s giant dong

It’s like, the size of his leg

“Eyes up here!”

Lucas comments that Coy looked better when she was a guy //Damn it, Rich

Lucas and Zerander fail their diversity training courses miserably

//Specifically, Zerander calls Coy “it.” Of all the shitty things to call a trans or intersex person, “it” stings the most in my mind. We’re human too, damn it. I’m still a bit sore about this whole interaction, but I guess this is the sort of thing that happens when you hang out with cis people in stealth. Since opening up to the players about being trans, it really hasn’t been an issue.

The gang goes to retrieve the items they ordered

Graham also has the lily pad hat made

He dubs Escrima “Sir Escrima of the Lotus Helm”

He tries to remove the hat, and fails

Lucas is informed of the frog plan, and polymorphs him into one

Graham kisses frogscrima, returning him to normal

Lucas turns him back in the middle of this

Lucas then polymorphs Graham

Graham attempts to pee on Lucas

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Coy buys a crossbow that she can fire grappling hooks out of

Zerander goes to find a boxing ring

He meets a half-orc boxer named “GGrumsh”

GGrumsh wants to fight. The organizer sets up a match for that night

The whole of Neverwinter will be there

Connie asks Nat 20 about airships

Invented by dorfs on the continent of shulk

Big business in Neverwinter

Denyr’s Mechanical Marvels

The gang heads over to the shipyard to check things out

Their couches are okay

The boss mentions that they’re manufacturing ships for the sisters of dawn

Coy remarks that the sister’s ship was poorly made, having had firsthand experience

Coy has Connie message Rocky about the appraisal of the diamond

Janice, Rocky’s secretary answers back, which is odd

It was worth 1,125,000

The gang asks about types of construction

They gravitate towards rune-fueled, heavier than air flight

They pass a few of the sister’s ships on the way out

As Lucas wraps up, he hears some murmurs about the fight between GGrumsh and a foreigner. It’s starting soon!

The gang goes to watch the fight

Zerander strips down to boxing gear

The crowd cheers for GGrumsh

They boo Zerander as he enters. He flips them off

Graham bets on Zerander, and Lucas bets on Zerander’s dick

Battle against Ultraheavyweight GGrumsh of Neverwinter

Zerander pulls a “Well! What is it!” to try and goad his opponent into attacking

...which he does.

Zerander trips GGrumsh

GGrumsh regains his balance and attacks

He calls his attacks like a true monk

Zerander tries to trip him again, but sneak attacks only work once!

He then tries to grapple GGrumsh, and again fails

GGrumsh releases a flurry of blows, wounding Zerander

Zerander pins GGrumsh to the ground and slugs him several times

GGrumsh tries to get up, but is unable to get out from under the goliath

Zerander continues to pummel GGrumsh

GGrumsh manages to land a solid hit from his compromised position

He continues to try to escape the grapple, but fails

Zerander continues to pulverize GGrumsh

Zerander pulls out an elbow drop!

GGrumsh yields to nobody

Zerander picks him up, and slams him into the ground, knocking him unconscious

Zerander is awarded a belt adorned with the crest of Neverwinter

It grants +1 CHA

Also 250gp

Graham won 80gp on the fight

Escrima christened him “Dong, Champion of the Crucible”

The crowd begins calling him that, angering Zerander

The next day, Zerander goes to the smith, and asks about melding it into his armor

You can’t do that

Coy has pancakes

The gang heads to the old trade hub

It’s abandoned

They venture deeper into the castle, and find a courtyard

The castle is covered in seals of Amarak and other kingdoms

The party is curious as to why the castle was abandoned, and consult Nat 20

It has teleportation circles to Calimport and Baldur’s Gate

Lucas asks Natalie whether or not we could easily travel back and forth from Calimport

Probably, if the return portal is still active

Escrima expresses distress at the idea of going back to Calimshan

The temple Escrima was living in was ransacked, and the perpetrators are likely still there

He fled with another acolyte from Calimport to Candlekeep

“Now I gotta go take a shit in that bush”

Lucas opens the door to the portal rooms

There are a number of safety measures in the complex designed to brutally murder invaders

DAE acid?

As they go deeper, they hear a deep moaning noise coming from the portal room

Lucas uses an arcane eye to see into the portal room

There’s a beholder in there!

END

[ebthblog]

Tips of the Trade: How to Shop for Vintage Jewelry

Danielle Miele’s jewelry box can fit over 300 rings in it before it reaches max capacity (not counting her extensive antique baby ring collection). “I’ve been learning how to edit my collection, which is why I’m selling so many–including all of these with EBTH,” she shares.

For the gemologist, collector, and Gem Gossip blog founder, the hobby started early. At the tender age of four, she remembers piling on her mother’s jewels and poring over her favorite page in the family encyclopedia: D–for diamonds, of course.

Since then, her passion for jewelry has evolved into a career, a blog, and a following of over 147,000 on Instagram alone. Her blog, Gem Gossip, began in 2008 while she was working at a local antique jewelry store. It was a way for Danielle to document her favorite jewelry, discuss trends, books, upcoming auctions and designers shops around the world, all while honing her craft for appraisal and achieving a gemology degree from the Gemological Institute of America.

You can follow Danielle on her journey across the country as she visits different jewelry shops and designers for the current Gem Gossip project, #JewelryRoadTrip, which she describes as, “The perfect way for my thousands of antique jewelry fans to treasure hunt without leaving the house!”

Educate Yourself

Jewelry books are my go-to when I want to educate myself because they cover so many topics, both broad and specialized. My first jewelry book was called “Understanding Jewellery” which gives an extensive overview of jewelry in every period.

Figure out Your Style

Browsing photos online and on antique jewelry auction sites will help determine which pieces strike your fancy, and which just aren’t for you. I love Edwardian and Art Deco diamond rings, as well as Victorian sentimental rings, while I don’t care so much for Retro Era pieces or Georgian hair jewelry. Every collector is different, so find what speaks to you!

Find Instagram Accounts and Jewelry Blogs to Follow

Following social media accounts will also help educate and hone your style. You can follow me on Instagram @gemgossip and search my hashtag #showmeyourrings to find others who are posting pieces from their collection. We are a big and inviting community of antique jewelry lovers, so you don’t want to miss all the fun.

Visit Antique Shops and Always Ask Questions

Sure, you can browse for hours online, but out in the real world is where you can see, touch, ask and converse with dealers to learn as much as you can. Be curious and don’t be afraid to ask a “dumb question.” My experience is that the most part, seasoned veterans of the antique jewelry business love to educate, so be ready to soak up the knowledge.

Start Small with Your First Purchase

Most of my first purchases were smaller items — you don’t really want to start off on the higher end of the spectrum when you’re first learning. I’ve made mistakes in the beginning, both in terms of style (things I wouldn’t really wear today) and authenticity (I bought a couple rings that were sold to me as Victorian, but were reproductions). Luckily these items weren’t too expensive, so my mistakes didn’t hurt me.

Don’t Be Afraid to Mix Metals or Style Eras

Feel free to not play by the rules — or at least, the rules that you’ve heard along the way. Sometimes I hear people say some crazy things that get stuck in their head and they won’t seem to budge because of them. For example: “I can’t wear opals because it’s not my birthstone,” or, “You can’t mix white gold and yellow gold together.” Break free from those random rules you’ve mysteriously adapted to over the years.

Shop at Auction

Auctions are some of the best places to buy vintage rings. Not only can you get some great deals, but you’re exposed to items from around the world, with styles and price points beyond imagination. EBTH is one of my top go-to sites to hunt for jewelry. I love how everything is authenticated and clearly described. One of my favorite finds came from EBTH!

Plan on Road Tripping to Antique Jewelry Shops or Shows

I document lots of fabulous jewelry stores across the US on my blog (#JewelryRoadTrip). Whether you live in Seattle, LA, NYC, Miami, or anywhere in between, there are some amazing jewelry stores near you! Plan a little road trip to visit some that grab your attention for an ultimate vintage ring shopping experience. And the abundance of antique jewelry shows is fun— you can mark your calendar and attend so you can have access to several great dealers that may be set up at these shows.

Always Haggle

When you’re ready to make the purchase, always haggle. Cash is also another great option and helps with getting a better deal. You never know just how long the seller has had a certain piece, so he or she may be willing to give a bigger discount than you first suspected.

Take Care of Your Collection, Always Edit, and Repeat

Once you’ve collected several vintage rings, make sure you are taking proper care of them by cleaning them when needed, storing them in a safe place and not wearing them while performing vigorous tasks. Editing your collection is a vital part of collecting, so sell items you no longer wear and refine your collection to your best pieces. Of course, I like to say we can always start back at the top of this list, and keep collecting! Happy hunting!

Start discovering one-of-a-kind vintage jewelry at EBTH. Hundreds of new items are added to our online jewelry auctions every day!

Shop Vintage Rings: