North Carolina Piedmont Orchid Society Show
Stowe Botanical Gardens
Belmont, NC
( Read more... )
January 29-31, 2010
Triad Orchid Society Show
Greensboro, NC
May 1-31, 2010
African Pavilion Orchids Show
North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro
Asheboro, NC 27205
Last year, I got a phalaenopsis for Chuck ...sometime around Easter. They had them for sale at a reasonable price at Whole Foods. The blossoms lasted a long, lovely time (in Winston-Salem) and then finally dropped this mortal coil. Now, it has grown a couple of new leaves and has a new spike of blossoms beginning to open.
So, today, I found a double handful of little orchids for sale on a sale rack at Lowe's. They were all different types and colors in 4 inch pots. Some were clearly not going to do well without very special care, but a few looked okay, just without blossoms. I got a purple cattleya (Lake Murray 'Mendenhall'), a pot and some orchid potting mix.
I don't know if the other one just loves Chuck, if his apartment has a better climate than the places I've lived before or if I am just too unkind to them for them to flourish. We are going to leave the cattleya here for a little while to see what happens. As soon as it starts to wither, it's going to W-S.
Rerun, Linus and Lucy’s younger brother, is the star of this 40-minute-long holiday special from 2003. I had no idea that they were making new Peanuts cartoons that late, but the timing explains the subtle, lovely colors of the watercolor-look backgrounds. Even though it was created after Charles Schulz passed, it’s based on original strips by him, so the characters sound right and the jokes are funny and well-observed.
Rerun was best known to me for riding around in a kid seat on the back of his mother’s bicycle, although his name is also a great example of “truth in advertising”, since he looks just like his brother Linus. Here, he’s the one seeking the title pet in a letter to Santa. Rerun is also quite the precocious smart aleck, which he’d have to be, with crabby Lucy and blanket-dependent Linus as siblings.
I have the impression that Linus had a lot of enthusiasm and excitement about things, before he became Lucy’s victim, as she schemed to get his blanket away from him and he was sort of beaten down over the years. As he aged, he seemed to become a more introspective, neurotic character, too, perhaps influenced by hanging around Charlie Brown all the time. So Rerun recaptures the energy of a young boy who hasn’t yet been through the wringer combined with an adult take on such things as family dynamics and going to school. Much of the special is the three of them together doing family things, which is unusual to me, since I’m used to seeing Rerun on his own.
Rerun’s parents, siblings, and friends are concerned that he’s not up to the responsibility of having his own dog. He plays with Snoopy for a while, but that doesn’t last for long. There’s also more than one sibling involved here: Snoopy’s brother Spike shows up to satisfy Rerun’s wish.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this, not having seen or heard of it before. It was a fresh look at the Peanuts characters for me, although not particularly holiday-centered. There are some creative gags, as when Schroder’s music, running across the top of the frame, starts breaking down and falling on Lucy, and the times when Rerun feels put upon and whines have the most accurate kids’ cartoon voice I’ve ever heard. I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown will be broadcast on ABC on December 21 at 8 PM (Eastern/Pacific) if you want to check it out.
The new featurette, Sibling Rivalry: Growing Up Van Pelt, is 11 minutes about Rerun. The character is praised for his independence and creativity, but also for the way he’s more normal than many of the other kids: he wants a dog instead of to win the baseball game when his team has no skill, for example. Nat Gertler, whom you may know from his comic-related writing on such titles as The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel and Panel Two, participates actively as a Peanuts historian. There’s a lot of interesting information in the special that makes Rerun even more involving as a character. He’s rapidly becoming my favorite.
The additional 24-minute special Happy New Year, Charlie Brown (1986), included as a bonus second feature here, is new to DVD. Charlie Brown has to read War and Peace over the holiday vacation, while Peppermint Patty throws a New Year’s party. I liked the scene at dance class, which even has a song about learning to foxtrot, but I can’t figure out what variant of the dance looks like kids all hopping up and down. There’s also a song about how to win musical chairs, sung by Patty in a kind of surf-rock style. Rerun’s ability to blow square balloons was my favorite part of the show. (The studio provided a review copy.)
Similar Posts: Peanuts 1970s Collection Announced § You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown § Peanuts 1970’s Collection § Peanuts 1970’s Collection § Peanuts: Deluxe Holiday CollectionCaptain Action Enterprises and iPhone comic provider Panelfly have teamed up to bring you a free download of Lady Action Special #1.
Until December 22, you can download the complete issue as a PDF for free, instead of buying it at the $4 cover price. On December 23, the issue goes on sale, and the online copy will then cost you a dollar.
They’re billing it as a “done-in-one adventure”, but the book does end with “to be continued” and directs you to Captain Action Special #1, due out in March, for more. Even starring a woman, it’s typical boys’ adventure. The artist, newcomer Jake Minor, needs to figure out how gravity, anatomy, and women’s clothing all work. With a live model posing as Lady Action on their site (where are the live Captain Action photos?) and the boobalicious art, it’s pretty clear their audience is the traditional male superhero comic reader.
In the press release, Moonstone publisher Joe Gentile is quoted as saying, “We wanted retailers to be able to preview this comic. It’s a no-risk way for comic shop owners to see if it’s right for their clientele. And we think they’ll really like this one.” They might, if they weren’t more concerned that their customers no longer need to buy it from them, since it’s being given away. The PDF also contains a short excerpt from Captain Action: The Original Super-Hero Action Figure by Michael Eury about the Super Queens, the line of comic heroine dolls considered a companion product to the Captain Action figures.
Similar Posts: Captain Action Encourages Voter Registration § Moonstone Action Followup § FCBD Dropout § PR: What Not to Do: Promotional Giveaways § Captain Action Book Signing at Baltimore![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
thandrak's fan character, from a sort of mashup of GaoGaiGar and Transformers. Katy is a Headmaster for a modified KouRyu (GaoGaiGar Final mech).( And her cybernetics are a deliberate nod to Circuit Breaker )
- Mood:
artistic
geeky
Doubtless, you've all heard that FlashForward, the ABC TV series based on my novel of the same name, is off the air until March 4, 2010.
A lot of people are spinning this online as a bad thing, or a sign of lack of faith in the show on the part of ABC. I suspect the announcing of the scheduling change could have been handled better, but, in fact, it's a very good thing overall.
See, below is what the air-date schedule was to have looked like for FlashForward, followed by what it will be now (at least as I map it out looking at a calendar).
As you can see, the new schedule, with the final 14 hours running without preemptions, really lets us get our momentum going in a way that the old schedule just wouldn't have:
THE SCHEDULE AS IT WAS ON NOVEMBER 12:
December 3, 2009: Episode 10 airs
December 10, 2009: Preempted
December 17, 2009: Preempted
December 24, 2009: Preempted
December 31, 2009: Preempted
January 7, 2010: Preempted
January 14, 2010: Episode 11 airs
January 21, 2010: Episode 12 airs
January 28, 2010: Preempted
February 4, 2010: Episode 13 airs
February 11, 2010: Episode 14 airs
February 18, 2010: Episode 15 airs
February 25, 2010: Episode 16 airs
March 4, 2010: Preempted
March 11, 2010: Preempted
March 18, 2011: Episode 17 airs (RJS written)
March 25, 2011: Episode 18 airs
April 1, 2001: Episode 19 airs
April 8, 2010: Preempted
April 15, 2010: Preempted
April 22, 2010; Episode 20 airs
April 29, 2010: Episode 21 airs
May 6, 2010: Episode 22 airs
May 13, 2010: Episode 23 airs (two-hour season finale)
THE SCHEDULE AS IT IS NOW:
December 3, 2009: Episode 10 airs
December 10, 2009: Preempted
December 17, 2009: Preempted
December 24, 2009: Preempted
December 31, 2009: Preempted
January 7, 2010: Preempted
January 14, 2010: Preempted
January 21, 2010: Preempted
January 28, 2010: Preempted
February 4, 2010: Preempted
February 11, 2010: Preempted
February 18, 2010: Preempted
February 25, 2010: Preempted
March 4, 2010: Episode 11 airs
March 11, 2010: Episode 12 airs
March 18, 2011: Episode 13 airs
March 25, 2011: Episode 14 airs
April 1, 2001: Episode 15 airs
April 8, 2010: Episode 16 airs
April 15, 2010: Episode 17 airs
April 22, 2010: Episode 18 airs
April 29, 2010: Episode 19 airs (RJS written)
May 6, 2010: Episode 20 airs
May 13, 2010: Episode 21 airs
May 20, 2010: Episode 22 airs
May 27, 2010: Episode 23 airs (two-hour season finale)
Note that, because of some calendar dates we want to reference in-story, and the availability of one of the actors we want to use, the episode I'm writing has been moved from #17 to #19.
There probably was no ideal solution to the scheduling issues, and getting fuller information out earlier might have been helpful, but I like the idea very much of us letting our last half of the season unroll like the juggernaut it is without interruptions.
And, besides, if you really need a FlashForward fix over the next three months, you can always read the the novel it's based on. :)
Visit The Robert J. Sawyer Web Site
and WakeWatchWonder.com
- BBC News – Eye fears over holy shrine ‘visions’
"An Irish eye surgeon has said an "unprecedented" rise in the number of cases of an eye condition could be directly related to people staring at the sun at a holy shrine."
(tags:cult idiots ) - Dear God, please confirm what I already believe – life – 30 November 2009 – New Scientist
"God may have created man in his image, but it seems we return the favour. Believers subconsciously endow God with their own beliefs on controversial issues."
(tags:cult bleeding+obvious ) - CONSTANT SIEGE – jc2 ?Army Of One? piece on tree in front of Jim…
"?Army Of One? piece on tree in front of Jim Kempner, Chelsea. Evidently this is some sort of war protest art."
(tags:photography ) - The Original Coming Anarchy: Violence in West Africa
"…(Guinea's military ruler) Camara was shot in the head, either during the coup, or in the violence that followed, or just days ago (reports vary wildly). Whether or not this is affecting his mental condition is unknown, but the stories we read coming from Guinea suggest a James Bond-esque mad villain ? he sleeps all day and emerges only after dark, broadcasts rambling tirades on the radio that last for hours, and has his official guests wait to meet him in a gallery adorned with life-size portraits of himself…"
(tags:war pol crime )
A note to the makers of Bones
Am I the only one who thinks the sexy tattooed chick hitting on Sweets was reminiscent of Kitty from Arrested Development?
For a while, I had a capture of my twitter feed running here. It ended up doing something weird to my API calls, stopping me from running my desktop client, so I killed it. Which is probably just as well, as I talk a lot of shit on Twitter. It’s basically mental slurry, the wet lumpy bits from a day spent at the keyboard vented off into a trap so the buildup doesn’t blow some crucial valve in my head. Look at these, from the last month:
* THE MANY SUICIDES OF AQUAMAN: The Loneliness Of The Underwater Crimefighter When There’s No Fucking Crime Underwater
* BATMAN’S FATAL HEADSHOT: His Parents Died Twenty Years Ago, But Only Today Did He Find Their Hidden Rape Shed
* My daughter, hanging off the edge of the sofa she’s converted into a sick bed: "I need baconceuticals, old man."
* pitching new tv series SHIT MY DAD SAYS FROM INSIDE HIS CREMATION URN
* constantly disappointed at how few people habitually refer to me as "Love Swami"
(in re: Thanksgiving, and Yanks wishing me a good one:)
* Here in Britain, of course, it’s Thank Fuck We Got Those Weird Jesus Bastards On The Boat Day
* don’t listen to Wil Wheaton. Chloroform is not a flavour.
* LIE TO ME is all I want from evening television: a bloke from London shouting at people and then slapping them around a bit
* If you love something, set it free. With one of those tracker anklets. With a bomb on it.
* Huddled under a grey blanket in an abandoned hospital listening to Leyland Kirby’s doomladen SADLY THE FUTURE IS NO LONGER WHAT IT WAS
* The word that sums up 2009: "moonwater" or "shitbeetles"?
* the term "beard" shall henceforth be replaced by "crackling virility hedge"
* pitching my new tv show BACHELOR ROULETTE: ONE OF THESE WOMEN IS OFF HER ANTI-PSYCHOTICS AND WE GAVE HER A GUN
* I don’t care what anyone says, I’m changing my job description on my passport to "Space Bastard"
* hammer pneumatic fucking drills into that editor’s face until he has arseholes for eyes oh shit twtter’s on hello there
* when i find out who lost every wine opener in this house, i’m going to fucking flay them and sell their skin as cumrags for crackwhores
* @BRIANMBENDIS why don’t you call people back after you sleep with them YOU VENAL SLUT
* #followfriday: the terrifying pill-and-whisky hallucination I had in 1988 @PinocchioWithScreamingCocksForEyes
* #followfriday multi-lobed "human rat king" with intertwined brain stems living under MI5 HQ in London @MisterSexCortex
* Good morning, sinners. One more day of this bullshit to go, and then we can all kill ourselves at the weekend. So SMILE!
* phoning Hollywood to pitch THE MUMMY IV: I SHIT DUST
* Related: also trying to beat out Joss Whedon’s TERMINATOR pitch with TERMINATOR: I SHIT ROBOTS
* But, coming soon, Sandra Bullock romantic comedy I SHIT NEW BOYFRIENDS
* I have 149,935 followers. The 150,000th must kill someone of my choosing or I will murder their family.
* Even when the darkest clouds are in the sky/ You mustn’t sigh and you mustn’t cry/ Spread a little stabbiness as you go by
* i wish to ride into battle upon a school of Mongolian Terror Trout
* and by "ride into battle" i mean "go to the pub"
(Automatically crossposted from warrenellis.com. Feel free to comment here or at my internet church at Whitechapel. If anything in this post looks weird, it's because LJ is run on steampipes and rubber bands -- please click through to the main site.)...everything seems to change: different hour, different day, different life. I am not living the life I was a few minutes ago. I don't think I ever shall again.
- 15:48 I'm in love RT@slashfilm Slingers Sizzle Reel: A Massively Stylish ’60s Heist Movie, in Space, on TV | /Film bit.ly/5ddeof #
- 00:13 Someone tell Rhianna that chain mail looks lousy under red lights. #
- 00:16 And now my iPhone seems to have forgotten how to access WiFi. Feh. #
As I got up from my computer chair just now, it felt as if a bone shifted in my ankle. And suddenly the pain was gone.
I'd better not put this to the test, but... What a relief.
Early this year, Boom! Studios launched their kids’ comics line with Muppet Show, Incredibles, and Toy Story titles. However, they were limited series, only four-issue runs meant to test the waters and then be collected for the bookstore market. They were quite successful, often selling out and going to additional printings.
So on Wednesday, December 9, Boom! will relaunch The Muppet Show and Toy Story comics as ongoing series. Each debuts with a #0 issue and multiple covers (unfortunate remnants of the collector mentality in the comic direct market) but the stories are fun.
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The first two Muppet Show #0 covers are by the series writer/artist Roger Langridge, while the other is by Amy Mebberson. The story has Fozzie Bear and Rizzo the Rat pitching a Pigs in Space movie to Hollywood bigwigs as “Flash Gordon meets Animal Farm”, an on-the-nose comparison that had me laughing. The moon’s been stolen, and the crew of the Swinetrek must find and retrieve it. Along the way, there are lots of scifi references and alien jokes, plus Sweetums, a favorite, gets to guest star. You’ve got to see Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s Matrix-style makeover!
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| by Michael Cavallaro | by Brent Schoonover | by Mike DeCarlo & Nathan Watson |
Toy Story #0, in a plot reminiscent of the second movie, is about Andy getting another Buzz toy from Grandma. I like that the comic has room for more characters, with additional toys being part of the gang, even if they do seem to be scared most of the time. “Oh, no, another toy, maybe Andy will like it better!” And I’m not sure I would have chosen to end the first issue on a cliffhanger; I would have preferred to save that for issue #1. The character voices are on-target, though, and the emotions the toys express — uncertainty, jealousy, fear of someone else being liked more, friendship, loyalty — are ones kids can relate to.
Similar Posts: Boom! Launches Kids Imprint § Comics for Kids: Disney Moves to Boom!, Henson to Archaia § The Muppet Show #1, The Incredibles #1: The First Boom! Kids Titles § Kids’ Comics: Little Mouse, Rose, Muppet Show, Toy Story, Lunch Lady § Wall*E Comics! And Other Pixar TitlesProfile
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- mary_mayhem : Orchid Shows in NC in 2010 [+0]
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comicsworthread : Naoki Urasawa’s Monster DVD Set Out December 8 [+0] ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
ottawa :: leitadlifi : glow in the dark stars [+2] - mary_mayhem : <a href="http://www.orchidtrail.com/gallery/gallery3.html>Orchids</a> [+0]
- comicsworthread : I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown [+0]
- comicsworthread : Read Lady Action for Free Online [+0]
- dvandom : Katy Dragon [+0]
- seanchaidh : Damn. [+0]
- cbc_ottawa : Ottawa woman safe after Antarctica ordeal [+0]
- rob_sawyer_blog : FlashForward hiatus a good thing [+0]
- warren_ellis : Links for 2009-12-06 [+0]
- james_nicoll : A note to the makers of Bones [+9]
- dewline_artblog : An experiment in fiction-mapping [+0]
- warren_ellis : Twitter: The Grease Trap Of The Human Meat Computer [+5]
- thesaucernews : flash in the pan [+1]
- coppervale : At Midnight... [+1]
- thebitterguy : (no subject) [+0]
- fajrdrako : Bounce... [+0]
- fajrdrako : More ankle oddities... [+4]
- comicsworthread : Boom! Muppet, Toy Story Ongoing Comic Titles Launch This Week [+0]