news flash ...

In other news, Tennessee is the first state in the nation to implement the controversial "Pedal to the Metal" program to encourage organ donation. Motorists participating in the program are exempt from highway speed limits

grab a pair

grab a pair, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Black walnuts.

rose quartz?

rose quartz?, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

conflict/resolution

I am serious about ending this conflict. Who does it profit?

wait for it

wait for it, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

the high places

There are no maps of the high places. Navigation is far more difficult that I remember, out here beyond the darkness.

There are no words sometimes. Just want.

master

master, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Multimedia message

Multimedia message, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I <3 having a camera phone.

liminal moment

liminal moment, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

threshhold

threshhold, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Drain

Drain, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

The KNS staff is going to have to start manually reviewing images that are snagged by the blog aggregator. Really.

shelf

shelf9, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Some of my books.

Tom Sawyer parties

I have free beer for anyone interested.

That's the bait. The hook is I need some help with painting, hauling a few large items to the curb, and some minor house renovation stuff.

So, I've decided to hold a couple Tom Sawyer parties at my house. I will be doing work on Saturday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 13. If anyone is willing to join me, I will feed ya (world's best beans and cornbread) and bribe you with beer (if you're a drinker) and witty conversation.

Mordenkainen's Sword of Force

Mordenkainen's Sword of Force, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

messing about

messing about, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Made with Oxidizer for Mac.

faust

faust, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

grist

An unpleasant exchange on Utata yesterday led to some equally unpleasant thoughts.

I wonder sometimes at my own complicity in being a victim during the dark times in my life, during school, during my marriage.

There are always choices, although not always pleasant or safe ones. Many times in my lifetime, I'd chosen inaction --the path of simple, passive endurance. I'd chosen the way of need, the way of fear.

I don't like that part of me.

absence

absence, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

heh

Using the memory hole again?

How very brave of you.

supper

supper, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

The green "aioli" may have poisoned me. But it was all good.

mercenary

mercenary, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Had a lovely photo shoot with Amber. Will be posting more.

Another Sky

Another Sky, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Imaginary landscape created in Terragen.

blargh

The good news -- last night's tomato soup with rosemary and hot peppers was great.

The bad news -- I'm suffering from some internal nastiness, possibly because of the pseudo-aioli that I used as a garnish.

Bleh.

messing about

messing about, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Modifying a tutorial script (i.e. entering random numbers).

www.processing.org/

I never met a meme that I didn't like

I never met a meme that I didn't like, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

An oldie but a goody.

I wonder if McGee has a chapter on the secret of really tender mock beefcake.

Red Tower

Okay, now to the post-event debriefing (no, you can't watch ... unless you ask nicely) ...

Had a good time at Red Tower. I arrived on-site at Camp Rutledge at about 1 a.m. Saturday after an evening spent drinking with the good folks of the Atlanta Flickr group.

Discovered that I had out-caroused whoever had been working troll. I found the check-in table abandoned. Was a bit confused about what to do, but I noticed Runoflr's name listed on the cabin assignment sheet, so I scribbled my name next to his, and made my way to my berth.

Found Runolfr still awake (or perhaps newly awakened by my flashlight), so we had a beer and chatted for a bit before finally crashing.

The next morning, I had some irritating experiences with sign-in logistical problems. It took me until around 3 p.m. to get a parking pass. Alas. These things happens.

Arriving on the rapier field, I saw some familiar faces (Don Njall, Charles de Jocelyn, Jean-Michel, Kurt, Sirona, Corbin, Ysabel, Rhys, Raymond the Scott, Thomas of Owl's Nest, Mikolaj, William of Red Sword) and made the acquaintance of some new (His Excellency Duke Sir Orlando, M'Lord Cillian MacCaldwell, Gerrick the Table-Dancer, and some others whose names I, unfortunately, do not recall). In all, there were 34 fencers present. Yves was the event steward, so was not fencing.

The tournament was ... um ... messy.

Her Majesty Queen Lethrenn and Her Excellency Baroness Caroljane Ravenridge of the South Downs became embroiled in a dispute involving the honor for the kingdom and the barony. They settled the matter through the fencers present, sending wave after wave of champions against each other.

I fought the Honorable Lady Svana Mjobeinn, who was later appointed the Queen's Rapier Champion (huzzah!), and M'Lord Jean-Michel, who served as the champion during the last reign). Lady Svana and I double-killed then refought the match. I took her with a dagger strike to the side.

I then faced Jean-Michel, who had lost the use of his dagger hand. I greatly respect his skill, so I fought with both rapier and dagger. I parried his thrust down toward my left, passed forward, and stabbed him in the belly with my dagger.

Had some very enjoyable pick-up games afterwards, especially with Duke Orlando. He's quite good.

It was a pleasure to see Runolfr again. I've decided he's Good Folks. I served as his second as he heroically defended the Iron Ring of Meridies against five challengers. He beat the first four, but then lost to Sigurd during a cruel and grueling dagger-based contest that Corbin and I had easily devised. He fought magnificently and with honor.

Corbin and I did some sparring, too, which is always educational. Since he was talking about it to other people at Red Tower, I reckon that it's okay to mention that he has taken me on as his first official student as a member of the Meridian Order of the Blade. I'm honored and pleased.

Made two new friends, m'ladies Ameris of Erlinstar and Verena Marre. I enjoyed their company greatly.

The feast was excellent. I ate lots of grilled sausage. Hmmm.

Out of energy to write further at the moment, so I'll finish this later.

happy feet (stealth gothic version)

happy feet (stealth gothic version), originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

And, yeah, I'm pigeon-toed.

Make something about it.

I dare you.

mollie montana

mollie montana, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I met up with members of the Atlanta Flickr group on my way to Red Tower on Friday. This here adorable lady is Mollie Montana. She was giving Slingerdoo, another Flickrite, such a look.

tucked

tucked, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I <3 my tanker boots. :)

to do: 9/21/07

Buy black fingernail polish to paint some potential rust spots on my fencing mask.

liminal moment

liminal moment, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Thursday

I dreamed about her again the other night.

In my dream, someone had e-mailed me a link to her Flickr profile. Against my better judgement, I clicked and found a drunken message from her, saying that she'd like to hear from me, that it was okay to talk a little.

I clicked into her photostream and the pictures starting rolling across the screen, like a demented slideshow. I couldn't find the link to send a message, the pictures blurring in front of my eyes.

Then I woke up, feeling sick and disoriented. It was just a bit before 6 a.m. Second morning in a row, I'd woken up early and discombobulated.

I'm going to go back to abusing Benadryl if this keeps up.

Just for the record, I haven't looked at her photostream in waking life in almost year. I don't intend to do so, either.

Got home earlier in the week and fought through all that evening with the desire to go buy some beer. Walked it out. Ended up at Fountain City Park where I decided to swing for a bit. Got some odd looks from walkers, me with my graying goatee and tanker boots, blissing out on a swing set.

I just wish I had been brave enough to jump out of the swing at my highest point. I was wondering about the landing, though, and whether I'd catch the landscaping timbers.

Will be heading to Georgia on Friday for Red Tower. Will be meeting up with some Flickrites in Atlanta before making to the camp.

Red Tower will be the last spite-inspired goal that I set for myself in the aftermath of last year. Not that spite has been the motivating factor in what I do for months and months now, but, this will mark a passage into new territory. From here on out, whatever I do is for myself alone.

I need to start planning another road trip to keep the crazy away. Driving long distances, which taps my endurance, is cathartic. Also, I think, the processing power that it takes to be in a new situation, bleeds off energy from the the mental and emotional subprocesses that aggravate depression, the feedback loops and obsessive thoughts.

Adventures are mandatory for me, I'm thinking, if I want to stay sane.

Discovered the joy that is Google Book Search a couple days ago. Have scored PDFs of the complete masques of Ben Johnson, the collected poems of Yeats and Rossetti, several plays by Yeats, De Profundis by Wilde, an 1884 work on visualizing tesseracts, The Renaissance by Pater, and lots of other goodness.

I'm going to get a mental stomach-ache. I have no restraint.

moved!

moved!, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I've moved my bed into the library. Now, my old room will be a staging area for getting the rest of the house finally put back together in preparation for a) not going crazy again and b) taking on a boarder at some point.

The morning light is much nicer in this room.

mr. burke sends his regards

mr. burke sends his regards, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

sammiches

sammiches, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Sauteed turnip greens with garlic, onion, hot peppers, and a little blue cheese.

final scene

final scene, originally uploaded by Black Jack Marvell.

For Iron Photographer 31.

the pirate king lays out his waredrobe for the evening

the pirate king lays out his waredrobe for the evening, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day. I have rechristened my Flickr id as "Black Jack Marvell" in honor of the day. Arrrrr!

this is too cool

From The Renaissance: Studies in Art and Poetry By Walter Pater: "To burn always with this hard gemlike flame to maintain this ecstasy is success in life."

I quoted that from within Google Book Search. I <3 widgets.

making news

Coverage of our Friday demo in the Shopper-News. I generally write the news, not appear in it. :)

rapier thoughts

Had a great demo at the University of Tennessee on Friday. We performed for 600 screaming kids in total. I could get used to people cheering when I'm fighting.

The biggest issue in my fighting lately has been mental. I had been something of a slump for the past couple months, since even before Pennsic. I forget, sometimes, how to be aggressive and fast.

But, the last few practices, I've started remembering. Also, I've been doing a lot more single sword, to get back to basics as it were, because I'd been forgetting my hand parries given my concentration on rapier and dagger.

I've had some great sparring with Joseph, pretty much going 50-50 with him lately. It definitely is a speed workout.

Also had a chance to fight one of our top-level rapier fighters a couple weeks back. I really need to work on my long distance game to face him properly, though I did get in a good head shot ("lightning strike" he called it) when he let his sword drift up a bit too high, so I shot up and to the left to push his sword out, then rolled my hand into fourth to bring the point back online with his face. I've been able to perform that shot on several opponents these last months.

Also, had an epiphany of sorts. I've been thinking about tempo and Fabris and his insistence on keeping the arm extended and the superiority of the lunge to simply shooting with the arm.

Well, I thought back and realized that during many of my fights, I have a, well, not quite pattern, but I tend to dart in, take a quick shot at someone's face, usually miss by a couple inches, then do a backward pass out of the range of their return shot.

And, you know, I realize that if I have enough time to back out of range because my opponent has not had time to react to that near-miss then I sure as heck have enough time to, while keeping my arm extended and the point on-line, start a forward pass and move that couple inches to make contact.

Now, putting this into action is difficult. I have months and months of muscle memory and training to overcome, but I figure if I start drilling, I can break that reflex or modify it to start stepping forward.

gooshy

gooshy, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Apple brown betty with ice cream. Twas quite yum.

cedar brain

cedar brain, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I've always wondered what these things are.

apples

pie

pie, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I made a pie for me.

And I eated it.

With ice cream.

And sharp cheddar cheese.

todo 9/15/07

Starting submitting to juried art shows. I've got the photographic chops. Time to do something with it.

Traumgeist

Traumgeist, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

... Halloween is never too far away.

there goes the neighborhood

there goes the neighborhood, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

tanker boots

tanker_boots, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Have new boots for regular wear/garb. I'm tired to blowing the heels out on my fencing boots.

wheel

wheel, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

who is that masked sheep?

who is that masked sheep?, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

quirked

quirked, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I do like my new gear. :)

words to ponder

"Hope springs eternal, but reality tends to duck."

-Me


From the Department of Butting In To Other Conversations:

"There is a lot of difference between a wedding announcement and a funeral notice," said the paginator to my co-worker."

"Really?" I asked.

No, I'm not bitter. Really.

;p

fresh start

fresh start, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

hail to the king, baby!

I'm a benevolent ruler, according to the Kingdomality test.

What are you?

pawpaws

Back on September 8, I wrote about wanting to make a pawpaw pie.

The estimable Bakerina asked:

What variety of pawpaw pie? Plain old pawpaw pie, custard pie, chiffon pie, all of the above?

Well, I'd lean toward chiffon pie, for some reason, but, the plan was not to be.

I found no pawpaws anywhere --not at the creek below my parents house, not in the back 40 of certain properties accessible from the railroad track. Nuffin.

I was talking to a professor of forestry at UT and asked him if the drought conditions could have inhibited pawpaw fruit growth. He said it was probably the Easter freeze we had down here, might have killed all the blossoms before they could pollinate.

Alas.

waiting for the bus

geek bona fides

Well, as some of you are quite aware, geek boys grow up into . . . well, whatever the hell we grow up into.

Myself, I am a rare adult form of the even rarer geek subspecies, Homo Geekius Appalachius -- the fabled hillbilly geek.

So, my readers, what are your geek bona fides?

I played 1st edition AD&D. I've attended two International Comic Cons in San Diego and a Gen-Con in Milwaukee.

My favorite comic book is the Legion of Super Heroes.

I'm probably the only person that remembers the cartoon "The Secret Life of Waldo Kitty."

I've played most of the Final Fantasy games for Super Nintendo via a software emulator on my PC.

My all time favorite computer game is Dungeons of Daggorath from my beloved TRS-80 Color Computer II.

I have a soft spot for the 1980 or so Flash Gordon movie. I like playing the old arcade game Vanguard just for the music when you power up.

I know what the phrase "Elf is about to die" means.

Confess. It's good for the soul.

--

Repackaged from my initial post in the Geek Bona Fides thread on Utata.

programmer as journalist

programmer as journalist, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

An interesting interview with Adrian Holovaty

Maters

I need a prep cook. Any volunteers?

books

11th of September

Remember, but remember to keep living, too. Nurture joy.

in my garden

cooking with trisk (mostly monochromatic edition)

What's cooking?

Breakfast, it's what's for ... breakfast.

new fighting garb

new fighting garb2, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

New (to me) fighting garb, bartered in exchange for my photographic services. Well, 'barter' makes my part of the transaction sound far more active than it was. A very nice gentle brought me the garb, then asked for some photography in return. Sweet deal. :)

pair

pair, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Utata threads

Should ya'll ever end up on Utata, I'd suggest participating in one of these threads:

Books I'll Never Read

Geek Bona Fides

You May Bow

constraints

Ask Auntie Etymology

Redtata

Yeah, I started 'em. And now I'm promoting them. Sue me.

House of the Rising Sun

The Messiah Will Come Again

"The Messiah Will Come Again"
by Roy Buchanan
- as recorded by Roy Buchanan and the Snakestretchers on the 1972 album "Roy Buchanan".

Just a smile, just a glance
The prince of darkness, he just walked past
There's been a lot of people
And they've had a lot to say
But this time, I'm gonna tell it my way

There was a town
There was a strange little town they called "The World"
It was a lonely, lonely, lonely town
Till one day a stranger appeared and their hearts rejoiced
And the sad little town was happy again

But there were some that doubted
They disbelieved, so they mocked Him
And a stranger He went away
Now the sad little town that was sad yesterday
Is a lot sadder today

I walked in a lotta places I never should have been
But I know that the Messiah, He will come again

If I ever had the chops to perform this, I'd have to do a mash-up with "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats, just to be irreverent.

"The Second Coming"
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Bonus Gary Moore version:

Wolf Thoughts on House Mountain

walking the rails

todo: 9/8/07

If the pawpaws are ripe, I need to make pie, by damn!

poke berry palm

poke berry palm, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Sometimes you just gotta squash some poke berries. There are times one must make ludicrious decisions.

Actually, there are times one must make ludic decisions.

borderlands

borderlands, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Not feeling all that great physically today. My stomach doesn't much like me. To be honest, been drinking too much beer on too regular of a basis.

Habit, really. It's funny. Now that my depression is in remission, I'm discovering that I don't really have any idea of how to live on a normal day-to-day basis. Those skills have atrophied during the past years.

I'm happier than I've been in years. My emotions are stable. The depression is not plaguing me. But, I can't answer two very important questions: "What now?" and "How?"

an anniversary of sorts

It's been nearly a year since the last time I physically spoke to M. As the calendar spirals toward that particular anniversary, I've been thinking about our time together.

Do I have hard feelings? Well, yes. At the same time, I still regret how things turned out. We had such potential together. So much passion. I regret it was wasted.

I wish we could have found some way to at least be friends. I miss talking photography.

Still, I'm in far better shape now --mentally, emotionally, and physically-- than I was 12 months ago. There are many blessings in my life.

Ah well. Life continues. The spiral turns.

sideways

sideways, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

fair

fair, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

The Tennessee Valley Fair.

down

down, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

I took my son to the Tennessee Valley Fair. He loved it. :)

Unorthodox Tools

Unorthodox Tools, originally uploaded by Ragnvaeig.

Ragnvaeig and I think alike when it comes to being tool-using monkeys in the kitchen.

Above is her butternut squash-opening toolkit. Below is pictured my approach to dealing with rutabaga:

a wrinkle in time

Madeleine L'Engle died Thursday.

Her books gave me some nice, shiny brain toys that I still play with. Spend some time visualizing a tesseract in her honor.

unexpected distortions

unexpected distortions, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Amber @ Waterville. I had water in the lens. Still, a beautiful shot. She's a lovely lady.

magenta

magenta, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

posted

posted, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Mailed off my admission fees for Red Tower today.

Given the events of a year ago, attending is not optional. It's the principle of the matter. Though, in some ways I've already won a war that I'm no longer waging. I've reclaimed my good name just by being the person I am. That should be enough.

obvious ploy

laigs, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

"Here Knoxnews lurkers, lurkers, lurkers. Here lurkers. Fresh bait."

;)

savory mess

savory mess, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Leftover beans and cold cornbread, heated and garnished with chopped onion and a pickled pepper.

new shoes

new shoes, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Just found out about Knoxville's new Steve and Berry's store. They sell Starbury shoes. Some NBA player decided that the world needed quality $14.95 sneakers. I'm all over that.

unpaid media drones

Jen V

Hmmm, looks like the News-Sentinel is trying to put us bloggers to work for free. Not sure my blog fits into the virtual neighborhood. It's a bit like finding a Ghurka knife in a cutlery drawer.

Heh. I'll post some cheesecake to see how many News-Sentinel readers bite.

quantum personality

quantum personality, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

wards island postscript

wards island postscript, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

remembered fire
is not fire

some nights,
want reliving

but the days
are forgetting

what sounds
did you make,
skin slippery
beneath me?

I can't recall.

there no dream lies

there no dream lies, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

failed

failed, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

The blunt on my secondary rapier failed at some point during a fight. Luckily, my instructor noticed it before I popped him anywhere tender!

cornbread

cornbread, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

peppers

peppers, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

ridge runner

popper

I was bored.

self portrait while bouldering

self portrait while bouldering, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

So, I'm not satisfied with simply crawling up a boulder, soaking wet from the creek. I just have to try to take a picture of myself at the same time.

softly now

softly now, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

Splash!

Jumping

afraid

afraid, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

cartwheels ...

... hurt like a [bleep!].

Heh. I'm going to have to keep practicing. :)

I felt the impact in my hip and in the hinge of my foot/ankle where I twanged the muscles while running through the Pennsic woods like a lunatic in my Errol Flynn boots.

I will master 'em, though.

And, I'm going to take some more capoeira lessons one of these days.

poke

poke, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

wonderland

wonderland, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

spire

spire, originally uploaded by The Triskaidekagrammatron.

NYC.

I wonder what building it is?