What I totally meant to write about yesterday, but didn't, because the entry got waaaay too long
Highlights of my weekend included such diverse activities as:
-the first writing party since September. Pizza, socializing, some gift exchanging, and writing/drawing. I'm progressing on the Jack Rabbit story, though I'm hitting a few bumps in the road (or should I say Road?). I guess the lesson I'm walking away from with this is that it seriously helps avoid confusion if I try to write a short story in relatively chronological order, regardless of whether I have an outline or not. Or, if I do choose to write a couple of later scenes if they 'come to me,' then I had better take my sweet time reading things over from the beginning before working those later scenes in.
-Saturday during the day, I took a walk along Murray Ave. and Forbes to do some Christmas shopping. Not only was my trip successful, but I saw carolers! They were part of some a capella group called "In Accord" (though I have no idea if they spell it something like "In A Chord" or what), and they were really, really good. Very clean entrances and cut-offs, very 'together' sound, clear diction. And no one obviously 'conducting,' either. Of course, when you're an a capella group, you've gotta be really good because there's no music to cover up your mistakes. Anyway, they also receive "Jen Thinks You're Cool" points because one of the songs they sang was the Grinch song :D
-Sunday's temperature reached the lower 60's! O.o Granted, I do like having white wonderland Christmases, but at the same time, warmer temperatures make driving and shopping a much more pleasant (and safer) experience.
Backing up waaaay back, I return to last Thursday. The weather was similarly balmy, and as I left work, I saw the clouds turning bright pink on the other side of the library. Curious to see the sun set, I walked behind the library and up Flagstaff Hill. The view of the setting sun was amazing from up there! A bunch of other people must've thought so too, because there were about 4 or 5 others watching the sunset with me. Bright pink clouds against the blue, the pink fading to peach and gold on the horizon. Phipps conservatory was all lit up in the soft copper light of the streetlamps, like a beautiful frosted glass bulb. And when I really took in the whole landscape, I also saw how beautiful the sunset looked against the black-silhouetted hills dotted with little orange pinprick lights. Whenever I've watched the sun set or rise, I've tended to ignore the landscape it's set against, but that part's beautiful too, in its own way. The negative space has a part to play.
Then, since I've been reading The Neverending Story lately, I wondered what a person from a fantasy world would think if they suddenly came to Flagstaff Hill at that moment. Sure, Fantastica is full of things I'd find wondrous and beautiful (the Ivory Towers, the Silver City of Amarganth, etc.), but to different eyes, would this world seem just as beautiful? When people from fantasy worlds are transported to the real world in stories or movies, their reaction is usually either shock/horror at our degenerate values or wonder at our technological advances. But they're never awestruck by the sheer beauty of our world. Sure, there are a lot of butt-ugly buildings in the world, but there are also places like Phipps Conservatory, that are just--really, really gorgeous to look at.
That said, I was glad to have the opportunity to watch the sunset on Flagstaff Hill, to see the frosted glass bulb of Phipps and the black, pinpricked hills, and the copper-lit road winding at the bottom of the hill like a molten river.
-the first writing party since September. Pizza, socializing, some gift exchanging, and writing/drawing. I'm progressing on the Jack Rabbit story, though I'm hitting a few bumps in the road (or should I say Road?). I guess the lesson I'm walking away from with this is that it seriously helps avoid confusion if I try to write a short story in relatively chronological order, regardless of whether I have an outline or not. Or, if I do choose to write a couple of later scenes if they 'come to me,' then I had better take my sweet time reading things over from the beginning before working those later scenes in.
-Saturday during the day, I took a walk along Murray Ave. and Forbes to do some Christmas shopping. Not only was my trip successful, but I saw carolers! They were part of some a capella group called "In Accord" (though I have no idea if they spell it something like "In A Chord" or what), and they were really, really good. Very clean entrances and cut-offs, very 'together' sound, clear diction. And no one obviously 'conducting,' either. Of course, when you're an a capella group, you've gotta be really good because there's no music to cover up your mistakes. Anyway, they also receive "Jen Thinks You're Cool" points because one of the songs they sang was the Grinch song :D
-Sunday's temperature reached the lower 60's! O.o Granted, I do like having white wonderland Christmases, but at the same time, warmer temperatures make driving and shopping a much more pleasant (and safer) experience.
Backing up waaaay back, I return to last Thursday. The weather was similarly balmy, and as I left work, I saw the clouds turning bright pink on the other side of the library. Curious to see the sun set, I walked behind the library and up Flagstaff Hill. The view of the setting sun was amazing from up there! A bunch of other people must've thought so too, because there were about 4 or 5 others watching the sunset with me. Bright pink clouds against the blue, the pink fading to peach and gold on the horizon. Phipps conservatory was all lit up in the soft copper light of the streetlamps, like a beautiful frosted glass bulb. And when I really took in the whole landscape, I also saw how beautiful the sunset looked against the black-silhouetted hills dotted with little orange pinprick lights. Whenever I've watched the sun set or rise, I've tended to ignore the landscape it's set against, but that part's beautiful too, in its own way. The negative space has a part to play.
Then, since I've been reading The Neverending Story lately, I wondered what a person from a fantasy world would think if they suddenly came to Flagstaff Hill at that moment. Sure, Fantastica is full of things I'd find wondrous and beautiful (the Ivory Towers, the Silver City of Amarganth, etc.), but to different eyes, would this world seem just as beautiful? When people from fantasy worlds are transported to the real world in stories or movies, their reaction is usually either shock/horror at our degenerate values or wonder at our technological advances. But they're never awestruck by the sheer beauty of our world. Sure, there are a lot of butt-ugly buildings in the world, but there are also places like Phipps Conservatory, that are just--really, really gorgeous to look at.
That said, I was glad to have the opportunity to watch the sunset on Flagstaff Hill, to see the frosted glass bulb of Phipps and the black, pinpricked hills, and the copper-lit road winding at the bottom of the hill like a molten river.