Part-time prevaricator
Like Vonnegut said, “So it goes.” Poo-too-weet!
I made a timelapse video of the clouds while we were at the farm last weekend. It’s about an hour, with photos snapped every 10 seconds.
And since it turned out so well, I did another one yesterday, out my upstairs window. Longer this time—there are about 4½ hours of clouds in this one.
As beautiful, haunting, funny, and brutal as the original novel. The art is amazing, and complements the story perfectly.
My review on Goodreads
I first encountered Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., when my roommate in first-year university was reading Galápagos in an English course. I read the novel and decided it was garbage¹. It just kind of… ended. I didn’t see the point. Vonnegut, I decided, was overrated.
Years later, I decided to give Vonnegut another try, and I read what is, in my mind, his most famous novel: Slaughterhouse-Five. Maybe it’s because I was older, maybe it’s because it was a straight-up antiwar SF novel, maybe it was because I knew better what to expect, but I loved it. I went on to read several other Vonnegut novels (Cat’s Cradle, Breakfast of Champions, Timequake), and I’ve loved each one. Vonnegut’s novels are different, I think, because they don’t generally have a villain. They’re just… the way things are.
So it goes.
And then I heard that Ryan North, of Dinosaur Comics, was involved in a graphic novel retelling of Slaughterhouse-Five, and I knew I had to have it. So I pre-ordered it from McNally Robinson, and it arrived last week.
It’s great. The two-page spreads of Dresden are, respectively, beautiful and horrifying. The story flows like a Vonnegut novel, and the art complements the story so, so well.
Highly recommended for fans of Vonnegut’s novels, graphic novels, or anti-war stories.
¹ When Kurt died and went to Heaven², I re-read Galápagos, and this time I thought it was great.
² At a memorial service for Isaac Asimov, an atheist, Vonnegut—also an atheist—said, “Isaac’s up in Heaven now,” because it was the funniest thing he could think of to say. So it goes. So it goes.
Those who know me know that I much prefer spring and summer to fall. I love the new growth of spring, and I would much rather wear shorts and T‑shirts than long johns and parkas. Autumn’s beginning brings with it the threat of inevitable winter, and it makes me somewhat melancholy.
But I will grudgingly admit that early autumn, before the cold sets in to stay, has its own charms.
Continue reading “All right, autumn can be pretty”
Last night Kathleen suggested I check out Image Hill for some astrophotography. Since it was only five minutes’ drive from the farm, I checked it out.
I got about 25 minutes’ worth of star trails (I set my timer for 30 minutes but my camera battery had other ideas).
We got to the farm last night in the dark, and the skies were clear and starry. So, after visiting for a bit, I took my camera and tripod out in the lane.
We got a call on Thursday evening, late; later than Kathleen’s mom Mary usually calls.
My father-in-law, Ron, died suddenly on Thursday. He’d gone out to clear some broken branches out of the brush, and he didn’t come back in. Mary found him by the tractor.
We spent the weekend out at the farm. On Sunday, I went out in the yard and on the road, and took a few photos, as is my way.
As Kathleen said—and I agree 100%—at least he died doing what he loved: being mad at a tree.
My friend Tim is camping up at Clear Lake this week, so last night after work I headed up for a visit. We had some burgers at the Boardwalk (the Jim Burger, I’m pleased to report, is pretty tasty) and then wandered around the town and beach for a bit. I had my camera and tripod, and was looking for a subject.
Someone, fortuitously, had stacked stones down at the edge of the water.
And on the boat dock, it wasn’t quite sunset yet, but the sun was quite orange as it tried to peek through the clouds.
As we finished up, my phone’s randomizer delivered Corb Lund’s song “Hard on Equipment”, which seemed appropriate, given it reminds my wife of me and reminds me of my dad.
I had my phone playing music throughout the week, and it delivered some gems:
Good times.
Another day, another bunch of garage demolition.
Above: the foreman checks the dumpster’s contents.
Below: some more comparison photos
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And beginning to end.
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There’s still some work to do—mostly cleanup—but we got a lot done in a few days. Huge thanks to Kevin, who lent his expertise, his muscles, and his chainsaw to the removal of the roof.
After, I sat in the yard and took a few more artsy photos.
Above: our foreman, the perpetually-angry Angry Squirrel, who’s losing a safe hiding spot for all the pine cones he’s collected.
Below: before-and-after photos of the roof going down on our garage.
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Smashy smashy!