Leaf texture

This is one of my favorite textures.During autumn, this texture is available on many surfaces and in a variety of shades.


This post's theme word is disphotic, "the zone of the ocean where sunlight reaches, but not enough for photosynthesis; down to about 3,300 feet." The disphotic zone probably lacks this curly, scattered, leafy texture.

Delicious curry

This curry, copied from a dish M. makes, was delicious.
And for once, it was not too spicy for R. and A., upon whom I inflict most of my cooking.


This post's theme word is callithump, "a noisy, boisterous celebration or parade," or "a mock serenade with pots, pans, kettles, etc., given for a newly married couple. Also known as charivari or shivaree." Eat that curry before you head out to the callithump! -- that's our biggest pan!

The Spirit

I just watched The Spirit. I thought I might like it, given my visual enjoyment of other Frank Miller graphic-novel-to-movie adaptations 300 and Sin City. Like those, this movie felt like a graphic novel -- the colors, the lighting, the dramatic shots were all straight off the page. (I know this to be true for 300, and I assume it for the others.)

But this movie was... off.

The acting was so stiff and... empty. Like the actors were told to try to look like characters in a book, and they took that literally. They only moved during their own lines, and otherwise stood nearly motionless (except action sequences). I know it wasn't their fault -- I've seen them act better in other movies.

The plot was inexplicably bad. We all know about the crime/detective genre, right? A hardboiled, experienced detective, with a long-festering love for a woman in (or causing) trouble, finds that she's intricately tangled in his most recent case... The story writes itself, complete with raspy, deep voice-overs and second-camera-team establishing shots panning across cityscapes. Somehow, this story got it wrong. It didn't make sense, every scene was a plot twist whose surprising revealed fact was immediately forgotten in favor of moving to the next scene. Boo.

The whole thing just didn't satisfy. Maybe if I'd read the graphic novel first, but the movie convinced me I don't want to read the graphic novel. Even if it is the delicious black-and-white visual bouquet that the movie attempted to imitate.


This post's theme word: daltonism, "colorblindness, esp. red/green."
This post written like Dan Brown, sadly.

Giant eggplant

No, seriously, look at these eggplants. They are giant.
This post's theme word is steenth, "one sixteenth," or "the latest in an indefinitely long sequence." One steenth of this eggplant is enough for me!

Autumnal self-portrait

I love this season.

This post's theme word: estival, "relating to or occurring in summer." We are now in the post-estival season.

Repetition

It's 10:10, 10/10/10. That is all.


This post's theme word: ploce, "the repetition of a word or phrase for rhetorical emphasis or for extended meaning." Really 10.

Picking flowers

We picked flowers at the farm.It was very, very sunny.


This post's theme word: gimcrack, "showy but worthless."

The erection of hairs

This Nuit Blanche exhibit asked each of us to add a strand of "hair" on our way through. It was an erection of hairs, if you will, although the hairs were not erect...


This post's fantastic theme word: horripilation, "the erection of hairs on the skin due to cold, fear, or excitement."

My nemesis is dead, now what?

I saw this fantastic painting at Nuit Blanche.Art challenges us to ask difficult questions.


This post's theme word: cothurnal, "of or related to tragedy or tragedy acting." Look at his pose!

Ice cream cakes

I made myself a pair of ice cream cakes for my birthday. Mint chocolate-chip ice cream, dense dark chocolate brownies, drizzled with melted chocolate. Dark, of course.
The dense brownies proved a logistical challenge. When frozen, the brownies were hard as stone (though still delicious as brownies).


This post's theme word: ophidian, "snake-like."
This post written like David Foster Wallace.