Skip to content

Posts authored by leems

Your brain on your computer

Your brain on your computer published on No Comments on Your brain on your computer

How did I not know about this?  Years moaning over the inability to affix tags and notes to word and excel documents to make file browsing more coherent.  Years of making lists and documenting and organizing my creative pursuits in unwieldy Microsoft folder systems.   How did I not know or even consider that someone with more code intelligence than I had already tackled the problem?  HOW?

Can you tell I’m broken up about this?  I am both frustrated and excited.  So this is how it works.  Somehow, in the midst of looking for something else I found code {4} lib.  And I thought, ‘Wow, this is a fabulous online journal on stuff I’m professionally interested in, in speak that’s a little over my head’ – which translates to: learn new things LeEtta, go go go!   code {4} lib is also a blog, conference, community and listserv.  I promptly subscribed to the listserv because I could find no other way to feed information from code {4} lib into my head and I didn’t want it to be forgotten in my plethora of bookmarks.

The listserv lead me to The Brain -a mind mapping software that allows for mapping and organizing files and thoughts, interrelating those thoughts, adding notes and tags to those thoughts, and finally, making everything searchable.  It’s fabulous.  The introductory webinar recording (oh, and they have live webinar question/answer sessions weekly), mentioned a few other products.  One of these was FreeMind – an open source and free mind mapping software.  FreeMind is also nice enough to list out alternatives so I’m not going to go into them here.

I’m thinking of trying out The Brain‘s free version/trial.  It looks a little more like what I wanted to do with my filing system to make it more navigable.  But I’m kind of inspired by FreeMind‘s 2D-ness.  It would’ve been indispensable when I was trying to map out a choose your own adventure story.  That was a clunky challenge.  I’ve got another one in the works, so…I will explore.  And, I’ll probably report back.

 

A Dream I Had

A Dream I Had published on No Comments on A Dream I Had

 

 

 

 

 

In an epic battle in the middle of some desert the gods were fighting.  All manner of mythical beast fought each other and this lady here was one of the grandest – and the biggest.  She was like the battling ram for the good guys (and yeah, she kinda looks like someone I know – that’s how dreams work, right?).

So she charged in and made it over the walls to the enemy fortress but is taken down by the bad king’s bow and arrow, which look more like a harpoon gun.

And then, from her inert form spring twin angels with bows and arrows.  Their mind is one mind and, speaking without saying anything, they shoot the king.  And, I wake up.

Recipes – cous-egg-gus

Recipes – cous-egg-gus published on No Comments on Recipes – cous-egg-gus

I was inspired to this by an honest to goodness recipe, or something, that I saw online during the days when I had enough time to look at food photo blogs.  Ah!  those were the days!  Anyway, I modified it a little and it is a solid ‘everyone loves it’ dinner for any time of year.

Ingredients:  Cous cous (I like the parmesan one though the original makes more), asparagus, eggs, parmesan cheese

Do:  get the cous cous started in a pot with the directions on the box and put the asparagus in a pan with some oil.  Saute saute saute the asparagus.  When the cous cous is done, add some parmesan cheese (even if you got the parmesan cheese one).  Dish on to plates.  Layer the sauteed asparagus on top of cous cous.  Now comes the tricky part.  I like to fry my eggs in the same pan I sauteed the asparagus with because I hate extra dishes.  This can require some finesse and has resulted in some smokey kitchens in my time.  You don’t have to use the same pan if you don’t want to – it might be less tricky to get the temperatures right.  Finally, layer fried egg on asparagus that already on cous cous and shake a liberal helping of parmesan on top.  There you have it.

I only gave it a name here because ‘egg on asparagus on cous cous with parmesan’ was too long for the title.  Oh, and I hear there are places in the states that cannot get asparagus year round, so my comment about any time of year could be incorrect.  I’m sorry for you if you cannot; that is a terrible state of affairs.

Airplane study

Airplane study published on No Comments on Airplane study

Mini-comics day success

Mini-comics day success published on No Comments on Mini-comics day success

Well I succeeded in drawing out a mini-15 page story about a memory I have of going to Weeki Wachee water park as a kid.  I am fairly certain they couldn’t get away with a rope swing into the river any more.  I think the days of condoned childhood danger are over.  And that makes no sense to you because you haven’t seen the story yet!  Don’t worry.  I am going to load it up and run it from my Comic page.  Look back for it next week – I want to give some time to get the finished product in the mail for those that requested it.

Mini-comic day going going going

Mini-comic day going going going published on No Comments on Mini-comic day going going going

The cover for my min-comic.  I am assembling as I type.  Well…not really, I can’t assemble and type at the same time.  But, I’ll be assembling as soon as I stop typing and I was doing some assembling before I began typing.  Yes.

Need a sandwich.

IT’S MINI COMICS DAY!!!!

IT’S MINI COMICS DAY!!!! published on No Comments on IT’S MINI COMICS DAY!!!!

And after a hard morning of chores I am GO!

http://www.minicomics.org/

John Allison’s Scary Go Round

John Allison’s Scary Go Round published on No Comments on John Allison’s Scary Go Round

I talked about Scary Go Round by John Allison before.  I love the stories.  I love the style.  Mr. Allison is a fantastic comic artist and story teller.  At some point during my frequent visits to his site he managed to tug the strings of poor artist empathy in me while at the same time wooing me with pulpy and palpable copies of the comics I love online.   I am endlessly impressed by artists who do not fill their time with solid reliable work the way I did.  John Allison is just such a person.  Instead he valiantly struggles on as an independent cartooner.

If you have not yet, you should check out Scary Go Round presents Bad Machinery.  And use your reliable paychecks to pick from the fabulous things for sale in his shop.

At the Expense of the Listener: Bonjour French Ladies

At the Expense of the Listener: Bonjour French Ladies published on No Comments on At the Expense of the Listener: Bonjour French Ladies

Hey, I blog over At the Expense of the Listener, did you know?  It’s all music and music videos.  Check it out: Bonjour French Ladies.

Unicorns

Unicorns published on No Comments on Unicorns

I can’t really explain it.  I must have been feeling my inner my little pony.

The Sketchbook Project 2013

The Sketchbook Project 2013 published on No Comments on The Sketchbook Project 2013

The Sketchbook Project 2013 is the most fabulous thing I have read about all year, maybe longer.  A library in Brooklyn has a collection of artists sketchbooks.  You can buy one of their specially made sketchbooks, fill it up, and they will keep it and tend it in true library tradition.  It may even go on a gallery trip across the country.  I finally have a terrible and driving reason to go to New York.  I must see the sketchbooks.  An article in the New York Times talks a little more about it.

Calendar

Calendar published on No Comments on Calendar

I went in search of a calendar plug-in because I wanted help remembering when mini-comics day was and the next challenge and the next.  While filling it out I tried to gather up every call for comics that I could locate with due dates that hadn’t past since I like those challenges too.  It irks me that there’s no place where these are gathered up.  If I were more active in forums I suppose I’d be more informed; if I could find the right forum.  But oh well.  I have a calendar now.  And it has links to places I found while searching.

Something a little different

Something a little different published on No Comments on Something a little different

Fairy tale anthology try outs

Fairy tale anthology try outs published on 1 Comment on Fairy tale anthology try outs

Hey, I am currently waiting with baited breath to hear if my submission to GuruKitties ‘Once Upon a Time’ Fairy Tale comic anthology will be accepted.  I put in a piece for the cover art as well.

This dude here is my wolf.  Surprised right?  – that I could choose a fairy tale with a wolf character in it?  I mean, it’s not as if you couldn’t toss a rock in the land of fairy tales and hit a story with a wolf in it.

Anyway, I hope I hope I hope I get into it.  I’m tired of all this success publishing articles and chapters professionally as a librarian.  I want some success publishing as a comicker!  I’m just kidding, I’m not tired of professional publishing success, but I do want some art/comicking/novelist publishing success too.

So, keep your fingers crossed for me!

Dinner challenge turned recipe

Dinner challenge turned recipe published on No Comments on Dinner challenge turned recipe

Ok, the challenge was:  a variety of chicken things from various dinner stops at the Fresh Market.  That is, LEFTOVERS.  And I hate it when food goes to waste, I mean really.  People make fun of me for how upset I get when food is wasted in my house.

So there was chicken from inside a chicken Ceasar wrap, market chicken salad (really nice big pieces of chicken without much goop), and chopped chicken liver.  There were also some eggs to be used and a half bag of frozen homemade stuffing in the freezer from previous left overs. (the stuffing was crazy heavy on carrots and celery which is the reason for the picture)

The solution:  mix it all up into a big chicken parts stuffing cake and EAT IT.  And serve it to others to eat.  Mix it is what I did, in a big old bowl and used the eggs for binder before spooning it into a greased casserole dish. Then I topped with some seasoned bread crumbs and baked at 350 until I smelled all the ingredients and the bread crumbs were browned.

Verdict:  success!  it was well received and loved – enough to get its own name and maybe be repeated again.  But honestly, how often am I going to have frozen leftover stuffing, chicken salad, chicken bits, and chicken liver on hand to make it?

Primary Sidebar