Saturday, July 22, 2006

Comic Con and the Over the Line Tournament

Rainman and Reggie Bannister, actor
Phantasm I-IV, Wishmaster
2006 Comic Con San Diego
Rainman and Ken Foree, actor
Dawn of the Dead, X-Files
2006 Comic Con San Diego
Rainman and Sid Haig, actor
Jackie Brown, The Host,
House of 1000 Corpses
2006 Comic Con San Diego
Props from the movie
Pirates of Caribbean Dead Man's Chest
Inside this glass case is a
Black Pearl worth $75,000
More clothing and props from
The Pirates of Caribbean Dead Mans Chest
Brandy Fury
"ah, mom she is a model from Tokyo and
I think she is hot!" =0)
Rainman took lots of pictures and even a video of some really good break dancers! I will post as time permits this weekend.
The temperature in my backyard was 113 degrees at 1:00 p.m., thankfully I was at the OTLT were it was a mere 103! Thank goodness for coolers, gallons of fresh water and fresh fruit.
Lets hope it is a little cooler tomorrow.

N Posted by Rain at 7/22/2006 11:11:00 PM

Friday, July 21, 2006

Arts and Madness~Series Writers


Born: January 25, 1882 -March 28, 1941

Born Adeline Virginia Stephen in London to Sir Leslie Stephen and Julia Princep Duckworth, she was educated by her parents in their literate and well-connected household at 22 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington. Virginia and her seven brothers and sisters all lived in the home at one time. Virginia and her closest sister Vanessa moved from the home in 1904 after her father's death.

The sudden death of her mother from influenza, and that of her half sister Stella two years later, led to the first of Virginia's several nervous breakdowns. The death of her father in 1904 provoked her most alarming collapse and she was briefly institutionalised.

Although she was married to Leonard Woolf from 1912 to her death in 1941, Virginia Woolf's strongest emotional ties had always been with women. Most members of the Bloomsbury Group were involved in extra-marital affairs; whether the member was male or female didn't matter. It was almost expected, and most of the extra-marital relationships were same-sex lesbian or homosexual affairs.

At the end of 1940 Woolf suffered another severe bout of depression, from which she felt she was unable to recover. On March 28, 1941, at the age of 59, Woolf filled her pockets with stones and drowned herself in the River Ouse, near her home in Rodmell. She left two suicide notes; one for her sister Vanessa, the other for her husband: "I feel certain that I am going mad again: I feel we can't go through another of those terrible times. And I shant [sic] recover this time. I begin to hear voices, and can't concentrate. So I am doing what seems the best thing to do. You have given me the greatest possible happiness... I can't fight it any longer, I know that I am spoiling your life, that without me you could work" (The Letters of Virginia Woolf, vol. VI, p. 481).

"Against you I will fling myself, unvanquished and unyielding, O Death!"~Virginia Woolf

"I thought how unpleasant it is to be locked out; and I thought how it is worse, perhaps, to be locked in."~Virginia Woolfhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/woolfv1.shtml

"Things have dropped from me. I have outlived certain desires; I have lost friends, some by death... others through sheer inability to cross the street." ~Virginia Woolf

"As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world. "~ Virginia Woolf

"It is fatal to be a man or woman pure and simple: one must be a woman manly, or a man womanly. "~ Virginia Woolf

Most of a modest woman's life was spent, after all, in denying what, in one day at least of every year, was made obvious.~ Virginia Woolf

The history of men's opposition to women's emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself.~Virginia Woolf

Who shall measure the hat and violence of the poet's heart when caught and tangled in a woman's body?~Virginia Woolf

Vita Sackville-West

March 9, 1892- June 2, 1962

"If one could be friendly with women, what a pleasure - the relationship so secret and private compared with relations with men. Why not write about it truthfully? "~ Virginia Woolf

"The truth is, I often like women. I like their unconventionality. I like their completeness. I like their anonymity."~ Virginia Woolf

"My own brain is to me the most unaccountable of machinery - always buzzing, humming, soaring roaring diving, and then buried in mud. And why? What's this passion for?"~ Virginia Woolf

"On the outskirts of every agony sits some observant fellow who points."~ Virginia Woolf

"Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent."~ Virginia Woolf

"The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages. "~Virginia Woolf

"Those comfortably padded lunatic asylums which are known, euphemistically, as the stately homes of England." ~Virginia Woolf

"It is curious how instinctively one protects the image of oneself from idolatry or any other handling that could make it ridiculous, or too unlike the original to be believed any longer."~Virginia Woolf

Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. ~Virginia Woolf

It's going to be a very busy weekend and I have been warned by those who love me that I may be burning my candle at both ends. Perhaps they are right but, I plan on having lots of fun! Have a safe and hopefully cool weekend everyone!


N Posted by Rain at 7/21/2006 01:49:00 AM

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Being Thankful





Today I am grateful for;

  • The look on Rainman’s face when I handed him a four (including the VIP special preview last night) day passes to San Diego’s Comic Con. He had no idea, this was in the planning stages for months.
  • All the kisses, hugs and words of thanks in return!
  • The joy on his face when I handed him a costume to wear to the Comic Con.
  • The phone call I received after he met Samuel L. Jackson at the preview. Rainman was so excited, I had trouble understanding him!
  • When he came home with a huge bag of freebies including three tee shirts, mugs, stickers, posters, books and wanted to share them with me. Isn’t that sweet?
  • The fact that he wants me to post pictures of his experience, to share with my readers. I really hope they turn out!
  • Rainman’s excitement at the possibility of getting Jason Statham’s autograph.
  • Banana Popsicles. Yummy!
  • Manny, who came to my rescue and fixed my air conditioner. Manny you are awesome!
  • For all of six of my regular readers and commenter’s, thank you!

Blogger is giving me a very hard time right now, so I am going to include this link in case it doesn't show up again after editing. www.comic-con.org


N Posted by Rain at 7/20/2006 01:16:00 AM

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Arts and Madness~Painters Series

Edvard Munch
Dec. 12,1863-Jan.23, 1944
Norwegian expressionist painter and printmaker.



Self-portrait.The night wanderer., 1923-24 Oil on canvas.


Munch's most famous paintings reflect his interior conflicts in intensely subjective images that are often morbid and disturbing. He spent most of his twenties in Paris and Berlin. Paul Gauguin's work particularly influenced him, demonstrating the possibilities of distilling intense emotions into universal experiences through simplified, sinuous forms and evocative blocks of pure color.
By validating the concept of painting one's emotional response to a subject, Munch pointed the way for the development of German Expressionist painting. His most ambitious work, The Frieze of Life, begun in 1888, was never completed. He hoped to create a room for this series of paintings to deal with "the modern life of the soul," but he ended up selling works individually and then making new versions of them. By 1900 Munch had created his most important works.

In 1908 he suffered a nervous breakdown, after which his paintings changed. Instead of the revelation of private despair, he looked into the world for more optimistic and universal symbols. Munch's prints, which often shared subject matter with his paintings, may have been his most influential creations.



The Scream, 1895. Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944)
Lithograph


A text accompanying this drawing states: "I walked with two friends. Then the sun sank. Suddenly the sky turned as red as blood … My friends walked on, and I was left alone, trembling with fear. I felt as if all nature were filled with one mighty unending shriek."


Some art historians believe that the red sky in the background of The Scream reflects the unusually intense sunsets seen throughout the world, following the 1883 eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa.


Starry night, 1923-24. Oil on canvas.


After the Cultural Revolution in China ended, Munch was the first Western artist to have his pictures exhibited at the National Gallery in Beijing.


Anxiety, 1894

Oil on canvas.

Red Virginia Creeper, 1898-1900.

Oil on canvas.

"From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity." Edvard Munch.

My air conditioner is fixed, yay! Thanks to a wonderful reader...you know who you are! ;-)


N Posted by Rain at 7/19/2006 01:37:00 AM

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Over the Line Tournment


53rd annual World Championship Over-the-Line Tournament

7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, and July 22-23;
Fiesta Island, Mission Bay Park

Rules of the Game

If you’re heading to Fiesta Island next weekend, here’s a look at what to watch for during the Over-the-Line games:

Players: Three players per team. Substitutes allowed if player has not played for any other team. A replaced player may not re-enter the same game. Said player may play in subsequent games.

Hit: Defined as a ball hit into fair territory on the fly without being caught by fielders or any ball touched and dropped by fielders or when a fielder crosses “The Line” or its extensions when attempting to catch ball.

Home run: Any ball hit past the last player in fair territory, on the fly, without the player touching it. ( Not necessarily over the head, just past the player.)

Out: Two foul balls. One strike, Fly balls caught by fielders. Ball hitting “The Line” or lines around the out area. Ball touched or dropped by batter or pitcher. Foul tips that hit batter and are in foul territory. Batting out of turn. Pitcher crossing “The Line” after hit ball.

Foul: Any ball landing outside “Out” or “Fair” areas on the fly. Foul line-drives. Any taken pitch. Any false pitch or “Balk.”

Scoring: Three hits in an inning scores one run. Each additional hit in the same inning scores on more run. Home runs ‘clear the bases.” Intentional throwing of the bat is a three-run penalty (officials decision)

Length of game: Games are five innings. If tied at the end of the fifth, teams play an additional inning to break the tie. If tied after six, play one more. If still tied after seven innings, the team with the most hits is the winner. If a tie exists in hits, play additional innings until the tie is broken, either by hits or by runs. Runs take preference over hits in this situation. If at the end of any inning a team has an 11 or more run lead, the game is over.

Field dimensions: 55 feet from point of triangle to the “line” and 55 feet across from foul line to foul line.

Old Mission Bay Athletic Club

Over the years (since I turned 16) I have had a lot of fun at the Over the Line Tournament as a player and a spectator. Thousands of people show up every year from all over the world to play. This year the Over the Line Tournament has teams from over 25 different states!

If you go, remember to pick up a program and a tee shirt as they are collectors items. Have fun, remember to bring sunscreen and a postitive attitude! Brad, Tim and Cindy, I will see you there and good luck!


N Posted by Rain at 7/18/2006 12:54:00 AM

Monday, July 17, 2006

Hunky Monday


N Posted by Rain at 7/17/2006 07:28:00 AM

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Augusts Montague Summers


Augusts Montague Summers was the author of a number of important books on the supernatural including several classic studies on vampires. Very early in life, he began reading widely in some of the more obscure writings by English fiction writers including the gothic genre. In 1899, summers entered Trinity College and pursued a course toward the Anglican ministry. He went on to Lichfield Theological College where he received his bachelor’s degree (1905) and master’s degree (1906). He was ordained as a deacon in 1908 and assigned to a parish in a Bristol suburb. While there, he was charged and tried for pederasty but was found not guilty. In the wake of the trail, however, he left the Church of England and became a Roman Catholic. At some point-whether before or after he left the Church of England was not altogether clear- he was ordained to the priesthood. He was briefly assigned to a parish in London, but in 1911, moved from the parish into teaching school.

During his teaching years, Summers gathered an outstanding collection of books in various languages ( many of which he learned) on occultism and the supernatural, from magic and witchcraft to vampires and werewolves. He also became an enthusiastic fan of Restoration drama and was one of the founders of The Phoenix, a society established to revive Restoration plays, many of a somewhat risqué nature. After 15 years as an instructor in various schools, Summers moved to Oxford and began a period of scholarly writings that was to make him a memorable author of works on the occult and related fields. His first important work, The History of Witchcraft and Demonology, appeared the year he retired from teaching. Largely because of his choice of topics, his books sold well and Summers was able to make a living from his writings.

The first years of his Oxford period focused on his study of vampirism. In 1928, Summers finished his broad survey, The Vampire: His Kith and Kin, in which he traced the presence of vampires and vampire like creatures in the folklore around the world, from ancient times to the present. He also surveyed the rise of the literary and dramatic vampire. Summer’s broad mastery of the mythological, folkloric, anthropological and historical material on the vampire has been obscured by his own Catholic supernaturalism. On Several occasions he expressed his opinion of the evil reality of the vampire, an opinion very much out of step with his secular colleagues.

The following year Summers published his equally valuable The Vampire in Europe, which focused on various vampire accounts in Europe where the legend found it most complete development. Summers combined his reading of the diverse literature with personal observations formulated from visits to some of the more important centers where vampire belief had survived. Summers completed two volumes of a country by country report on vampire lore. While they superseded a number of particulars areas, the volumes remain standard sources for vampire studies.


During the 1930s, Summers continued his prodigious output and successively published: The Werewolf (1933), a companion volume to his vampire studies: The Restoration Theatre (1934); A Popular History of Witchcraft (1937); and The Gothic Quest: a History of the Gothic Novel (1938), an enthusiastic history of gothic fiction. In the 1940s, he added Witchcraft and Black Magic (1946). His last book, The Physical Phenomena of Mysticism, was published posthumously in 1950.


During the last 20 years of his life, summers also edited numerous volumes. He released new editions of some of the most important texts on witchcraft and several anthologies of ghost stories. Toward the end of his life, he produced an autobiographical volume, The Galantry Show, which was eventually published in 1980. Beginning in 1956, many of Summers’ works, including the two vampire books, were reprinted in American editions.


Summers remains an enigma. A defender of a traditional supernatural Catholic faith, he was the target of numerous rumors concerning homosexuality and his seeming fascination with those very subjects which he, on the one hand condemned, and on the other, spent so much time mastering.


Sources:
Frank, Frederick S. Montague Summers: A Bibliographical Portrait. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1988
Summers, Montague. The Galantry Show. London: Cecil Woolf, 1980

As you can tell from the post below, San Diego is in the middle of a record breaking heat wave. Also, there are three fires, (one is contained) in our county. =( Have a safe weekend everyone!


N Posted by Rain at 7/16/2006 01:28:00 AM