2024-02-14 01:23
On March 19, I was eating breakfast at the table with Mom when Dad came in. He had been up for hours, and had breakfast with his cronies at Cancun's, as he often did. For some reason… Read More
Blog Directory > Arts & Entertainment Blogs > Fatale Abstraction arts-and-entertainment Blog >
2023-10-22 19:01
I have been low-key about this, but decided to post, now that things are in some state of resolution.I noticed something was amiss when I was on a trip in June, and got with my doctor… Read More
2023-08-27 23:00
School starts tomorrow. This summer had many great aspects, but I had a massive health challenge through which I'm working my way. Treatments and medication continue, but hopefull… Read More
2023-08-27 22:55
I finally replaced my phone that had woefully small (32G) storage. Found a great buy on a Samsung xcover, and it seems to be a superior phone, already. However, to upload all my old st… Read More
2023-08-04 13:33
Late last year, I composed a short story about a warrior princess cat who does vermin duty on a large spacefaring cargo ship. Sarah Clithero said "you know, cats in space would be a gr… Read More
2023-08-03 00:26
So, silly me. It's still hot. Not off the hook with this. I'm hoping for maybe a 90 degree average by my birthday in early October. J/K. I'm hoping for a blizzard for my birthday.It tu… Read More
2023-06-30 22:35
...this heat is overwhelming. When I go outside, I quickly feel like a chicken-fried zombie. It's stupefying. Hopefully this is the worst of the summer heat, and hopefully it breaks so… Read More
2023-06-28 22:46
Ugh.It hot. Read More
2023-06-27 23:53
I returned last night from a long weekend in Chattanooga at Libertycon. It was great to see so many friends, old and new, and to have a few days of discussions on storytelling and writ… Read More
2023-06-21 21:22
Father's Day ended more happily than I could have imagined. An urgent heath situation erupted for a friend, and it was stressful but he came through the experience and that is a great… Read More
2023-06-18 14:58
It's been four years, and although it still feels like a knife in my heart that Dad died, I feel he is ever present with me. I'm still very sad, but more than that I am grateful that I… Read More
2023-06-05 20:44
I expect tomorrow at the gym I'll be pre-sore from all the weeding I've done today in the garden. That will make squats with 130# less than happy-making. My neighbor wanted some of my… Read More
2023-06-02 23:10
Yes, I'm posting two days in a row. The weather has been unusually wet this year. We can thank El Niño for this state of affairs. This means that some of my wilder planting… Read More
2023-06-02 02:34
Just a quick note this evening, and a brief one at that. I will do a tremendous amount of writing this Summer. I have so much to do, so the fires are burning and I'm on a mission… Read More
2023-05-23 21:53
May 13 was the first commencement ceremony I attended as a faculty member. It was so different from the feeling of walking into that arena as a graduate, and in many ways, it was so mu… Read More
2023-05-23 21:03
If you get a chance, go hear Orff's Carmina Burana in person. More importantly, if you have the chance, SING in this. Even if you are nervous auditioning, you can do this, and it's a g… Read More
2023-04-19 21:41
Singing in a huge chorus with symphony for a performance of Carmina Burana. I can't wait. I've heard it in person twice, but didn't get to participate. The rehearsals have turned into… Read More
2023-03-26 01:46
It's difficult to believe that Dad died four years ago. This week marked that most terrible anniversary. The week of March 22 in 2019 was a spate of the most beautiful spring days… Read More
2023-02-20 23:26
How'd that happen?This is week 6 of the semester, and I've learned that I'll be employed by my school for another year. HUZZAH! I'm so glad, because I'm really enjoying teaching. Also… Read More
2023-01-28 23:25
Things have been intense, but good, at school. Moments of happiness have snuck up and startled me as I walk across campus to a lecture or have a great exchange wherein the students are engag… Read More
2023-01-09 00:50
Four people I know or knew died in the last two weeks. Three were elderly, but one was younger than me, a wonderful person in great health, and died in his sleep. The elde… Read More
2023-01-02 02:13
Hard to believe, but here is 2023. May it be a better year for good people than was 2022.School begins two weeks from Tuesday. A fair bit of time during the break has been consumed by… Read More
2022-12-28 19:05
It's incredible that 2022 is nearly done, isn't it?I am pleased that I posted more on my blog this year than I did on the previous few years combined. Despite the world's troubles, som… Read More
2022-10-28 02:43
I work to teach my writing students to not make sweeping statements. I'm baffled by the sheer dreck churned out here by one Erika Salen or Sallen-- it was written both ways on the hyperlink… Read More
2022-10-24 02:24
To be called the superlative version of anything is a mighty feat. I just have a problem with people saying crappy things about a bunch of kids who dare to get out there and try someth… Read More
2022-10-03 14:18
Fuel to Fire by the exquisite Agnes Obel Read More
2022-10-02 18:10
I'm super-busy.I've said that many times before, and it's always been true, but never to this degree. Each day is consumed with teaching full time, keeping my online selling business rolling… Read More
2022-09-15 20:55
I don't mean to put words in Johnny Rotten's mouth, but I never believed that his classic punk anthem "God Save the Queen" was actually railing against her, personally, even when he said "sh… Read More
2022-09-11 18:48
Amazing. I began this blog on September 16, 2002. I wanted a creative outlet, and this seemed a good way to go. Oddly enough, I'm thinking back to that time, and remembering that… Read More
2022-08-29 01:25
First week of the semester went well. Oddly enough, one of my students is child of an acquaintance from town, so that is kind of neat. It feels like it is going well, and I'm so thankf… Read More
2022-08-22 23:26
In August 1971, I was a 5 year old little cherub in an adorable blue and white jumper with a wide red cotton sash belt and an sweet matching red/white/blue satchel. It was to be my fir… Read More
2022-08-07 19:17
I have landed a job, looks like. I am quite pleased, and this is a welcome development. I begin next week. Don't tell anyone. It's a secret. I will not believe it until I sign the cont… Read More
2022-07-31 21:17
This is a serious concern.Not sure how long this Redacted segment will remain available on the streaming video service, but I think it should be a wake-up call for people who have not… Read More
2022-07-29 01:24
The heat continues. It was 113F here today. Yuck. It's hot now and has been for some many weeks, but this is not forever. Last night I watched a… Read More
2022-07-24 02:02
The heat has been terrible this year, but it's not the worst. The worst was 2011 or 2012, whatever year it was that we had more than 100 consecutive days over 100 degrees F. And those… Read More
2022-07-01 23:10
What? 2 posts in one year?Yeah, surprise. Just thought I'd yank yer chain.Found a beautiful poem today by Manoel de Barros.O apanhador de desperdiciosI use words to compose my sil… Read More
2022-06-30 20:48
Sorry not to write sooner. To my relief and disbelief, I submitted my Master's thesis earlier this year and my uni saw fit to grant me a degree in spite of it. I hope to publish t… Read More
2021-11-01 19:18
Life continues apace, incredibly busy, with many plates that I work to keep a'spinning. One of these days I'll bring you up to speed. For now, though, I am maintaining. I checked in. I… Read More
2020-06-08 03:49
Lately I've struggled mightily with the grief of losing Dad. I seem to have waves of days in which I cry a great deal, and this weekend has been sort of a tsunami. Maybe it's because Father'… Read More
2020-06-06 17:49
Things have got full sporty up in here.On May 25 in Minneapolis, a gentleman named George Floyd died of positional asphyxiation in police custody, and this is problematic in so so many ways… Read More
2020-06-01 09:18
Generally, I'm sidestepping politics, but sometimes it is unavoidable. Like most people, I have strong feelings about a great number of things. To be utterly frank, I was shocked when Trump… Read More
2020-04-08 19:24
I seem to be pulling out of my illness. I've a lingering cough and my tonsils are still quite swollen, so I'll continue to isolate so I don't expose myself to anything new.The puppies are lo… Read More
2020-03-24 04:12
I surprised myself to note that just three months into this year, I've already blogged several times as often as I did last year. Of course, last year was spent trying to breathe after havin… Read More
2020-03-21 20:44
Baby, life's what you make itCelebrate itAnticipate itYesterday's fadedNothing can change itLife's what you make itEverything's alright Read More
2020-03-20 20:39
It was exactly one year ago today, a Friday, such a beautiful day that was full of the promise of Spring. Two phone calls came from Mom that afternoon, like bookends that framed the worst th… Read More
2020-03-18 01:41
68 hours from now, I will no longer be able to say "My father was alive a year ago."My jaw aches from clenching back the grief of it. He was such a radiant person. He was my sunshine. I alwa… Read More
2020-03-15 19:17
Will write more later.Trying to get a lot done while self semi-quarantined.Interesting times, not necessarily fun.At least the refrigerator is cleaner than it has been in years. Mind you, I'… Read More
2020-02-03 05:54
Like the smudgey little spots up close on canvas that coalesce with distance into an image that is nearly photographic, I see now how something that I thought was disastrous was actually a g… Read More
2019-04-04 00:42
I will write more at length, later, but I have to mark this occasion now. I've written so many times of my lovely, wonderful parents. Well, my darling Father died on March 22, 2019. I don't… Read More
2018-09-30 17:54
Ridiculously busy as I am teaching at my university now. Every day is a learning experience, but almost all classes have been a good experience, so I'm calling this a win. In the mad dash to… Read More
2018-07-04 06:30
May your day be filled with smiles and contentment.Please enjoy this stirring rendition of The Stars & Stripes Forever on the Majestic Bellowphone, performed by the spectacular Len Solom… Read More
2018-06-04 22:55
Mochi is 6 this year, but she will always be a baby, my little guttersnipe Read More
2018-05-29 16:26
In February of 2016, Gay_Cynic came to Texas for a visit, and many friends gathered and we had a grand time. He had a wonderful visit and we hoped for a many tomorrows together, hoped for a… Read More
2018-05-17 19:30
No one ever calls up 9-1-1 to say they are having a good day.Think about that. The very nature of the emergent situations wherein law enforcement officers are called include the very worst a… Read More
2018-05-08 05:37
There's a neat art studio on one of the main drags in Decatur, just a few doors down from Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes. We stopped there on the way to Dallas last week to grab a chicken-fried ribey… Read More
2018-05-07 05:17
Remember a few years back when a news story made a splash about a family leaving a nasty-gram on their credit card receipt to the non-heterosexual person who served them in the restaurant? T… Read More
2018-05-05 17:03
Parking was astonishing, to say the least, but we are here, happily. The crowd is massive, but this convention center seems much larger than those in Houston and St. Louis. I expected the st… Read More
2018-05-05 10:37
It was great to gather with friends for a reunion meal last night in Dallas. We drank deep draughts from the meat faucet that is Texas de Brazil, whose food and staff were impeccable. It was… Read More
2018-05-04 11:28
Twenty three months ago on May 29, 2016, my friend Ray died. Many people knew him as the blogger Gay_Cynic, and he was a dear friend to me and many others in my blogger community for nearly… Read More
2018-05-02 11:28
I attend two classes tomorrow, then take a final literature exam Tuesday and do a presentation of my research paper in my rhetoric class on Thursday week, so I am nearly done. I have a treme… Read More
2018-05-02 04:19
I love the dickens out of Arya Stark, and this scene of her sparring with Brienne of Tarth is fantastic.Someone had a little fun with the addition of light saber effect:Then there's the bit… Read More
2018-05-01 01:58
On Saturday night, I was online watching a bit of the comedian who was the featured speaker at the White House Correspondents Dinner. In most years past, although all speakers take jabs at p… Read More
2018-04-30 16:44
More varmint zen with this glorious video of capybara hot tub hijinks. These clever creatures luxuriate in this spa-like setting all the live-long day, and have even trained their human serv… Read More
2018-04-30 04:38
I heard or read somewhere that a prominent biologist said that if weasels weighed 65 pounds, there would be no other living mammals left on earth. Amazing! Read More
2018-04-27 17:40
I see this video and I want a desk weasel so desperately, and yet I know I can't handle a desk weasel. I have a 15 pound dachshund version of this thing, and I can't handle anything more sma… Read More
2018-04-26 17:25
I was saddened to hear this week of the death of fellow Arkansas native Bob Dorough, who died April 23, aged 94. Most people will remember him one of the male voices of Schoolhouse Rock on t… Read More
2018-04-25 17:22
On Valentine's Day, a former student armed with guns murdered 17 people in a high school in Parkland, Florida. From March 2 through the 21st, a man sent home-made explosive devices to homes… Read More
2018-04-21 19:13
The blog links will come back, but I won't have time to track them all back down until the semester is over and the dust settles somewhat. I am grateful to my dear friend Kim for sending me… Read More
2018-04-19 17:57
I can't believe how quickly this semester has evaporated. I have a great deal of writing to do to complete my tasks, but it is mostly pleasurable writing, and I hope to get at least half of… Read More
2018-04-02 15:15
I absolutely adore this: Read More
2018-03-31 18:43
So often we hear of activity that is borderline or simply outright illegal that is passed by a Grand Jury or that is not even prosecuted. In light of the fact that in recent memory the U.S… Read More
2018-03-31 17:24
I have a few plantings around a boulder in my yard, and I was thrilled recently to notice that my hummingbird mint is already coming back. I had to spend about an hour weeding and prepping t… Read More
2018-03-31 15:26
My Raspberry Delight Salvia is already blooming, and this has never happened so early. I've seen quite a few large butterflies, and I'm ready for the garden to put on more of a show this yea… Read More
2018-03-26 15:50
In September 2002, I needed a creative outlet, and felt the need to begin some kind of record of the tenor of the times and how they affected my life in general. Over the years, my blogging… Read More
2018-03-26 02:11
Friday was National Puppy Day, so I think you deserve a peek at my little houndies. I can't believe the two elders will be 10 this year, and my baby wiener girl is 6, though with her white f… Read More
2018-03-15 16:54
Kelly Grayson said this elsewhere on the web today, and I could not have said it more perfectly myself:On kids protesting gun violence and demanding our leaders do something about it:BRAVO.W… Read More
2018-03-10 21:14
If a young American person is lucky, she will grow up with parents who teach her about boundaries. These boundaries are founded on the principles of selfhood ranging from intellectual freedo… Read More
2018-03-07 03:09
I am delighted that I have to read some of my favorite literature for a class this semester, most notably Howards End by E.M. Forster. After so many hours spent reading stuff that feels like… Read More
2018-03-05 18:27
The U.S. Postal Service has a gorgeous series of stamps called "Protect Pollinators" and I picked up a sheet of them last week, and intend to get a few more before they are gone. They are "f… Read More
2018-03-04 22:21
No credit to me, of course, but the wondrous beauty will come at the end in the form of a marvelous piece of music which I hope will delight you as it did me.I've meant to post for ever so l… Read More
2017-10-22 13:00
2017-10-16 14:00
Gardening this year has been the best so far in this house. Several plants are well established, and they have put on a grand show. Among these is my Texas Star Hibiscus. I planted this abou… Read More
2017-10-15 23:05
Yes, this is long overdue. This is the most recent photo of my darlings, although its not the best photo. I thought you should have a peek at them. Will try to post another photo soon.They h… Read More
2017-10-13 21:22
If you have a minute and are bored, do yourself and search google images for Ernest Delune (1857-1949), a master architect who created some of the most glorious Art Nouveau structures i… Read More
2017-10-12 20:45
The grad students have been told that this is a vital time for us to attend conferences and submit proposals for inclusion in those conferences. Today I had an idea for a paper that I hope w… Read More
2017-10-11 23:36
Time is a nutty business. Amazingly, it's been almost three months since I checked in here. Sorry for the silence, but things have been busy, to put it mildly.My 7th week of grad school… Read More
2017-07-17 09:00
I admit I have a particular bias, but I do know objectively that this book is outstanding, and I highly recommend it. LawDog's writing is evocative of the cowboy philosopher/poet… Read More
2017-07-03 15:51
In case anyone hasn't noticed, Donald Trump is rather good at marketing. Image is something of which he has a keen understanding. To that end, he has effectively whipped his opponents into a… Read More
2017-06-18 18:15
Like my dear Mom, I can't say enough nice things about my wonderful Father. I am well, truly, richly blessed for parents, and I couldn't be more proud Read More
2017-05-14 14:48
I am so grateful for the countless ways you have supported me, Mom. Your encouragement means more to me than I can possibly convey. I love you. Thank you for everything Read More
2017-05-14 14:41
Today is my first full day as a college graduate. :)Earning my degree took longer than I expected when I buckled down to finish about 2012, but I also knew that road bumps were a possibility… Read More
2017-04-24 04:54
It's been in the 50s and 60s here the past few days, and it has been glorious. If you didn't know better, you'd swear it was January! I love it. Chuy, however, hates to be in the shade, and… Read More
2017-04-18 01:29
I have less than a month remaining in the completion of my undergrad degree. It is dazzling to consider, because it's been so long since I half-heartedly enrolled in a few courses at NTSU fo… Read More
2017-04-13 15:30
I have blogged so infrequently in the past year that I am remiss in spreading news on some good books that have come out.My dear friend JL Curtis published a good book not quite a year ago… Read More
2017-04-11 00:59
Y'all is owed a puppy photo. Here we have the butts of the elder pooches, while Mochi's head is sticking out. Yes, Chuy's claws are long and evil. It's hard to get out of bed, though… Read More
2017-03-30 02:33
I can't believe it's been more than two months since I posted. In my defense, this is my final undergrad semester, and I'll be graduating in mid-May, so things have been brutally hectic. Con… Read More
2017-03-30 02:18
My friend Peter has just published his second in a series of western novels. Rocky Mountain Retribution is out on Amazon now, and it's already had a handful of nice reviews. :) Read More
2017-01-13 04:20
I'm sorry for yet another grand pause in blogging. The holidays were a bit rocky, and I'm learning a couple of parts for Opera scenes at school for my final semester. I'll be sin… Read More
2016-12-11 10:02
Life continues apace.Sorry for my long absence, but this semester has been hectic. I applied for May graduation in early October, and although I await confirmation from the Registrar… Read More
2016-10-22 16:52
Here's a link to Old NFO's Wordless Wednesday post. If a high ranking pol from any political party but the DNC were videotaped laughing about the prevalence of their election fraud, do… Read More
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