2008 in Review

It's the last day of the year, time to take stock of the year gone by. What an exciting year it has been!

I created a number of artworks I'm proud of. I drove across and around the country with my wife, something I've wanted to do for many years. And I continued to immerse myself in painting and sculpture by visiting museums around the country and really enjoying many of the works I saw. I don't know which one to show on today's post, but I guess it will come to me before I finish the post. The museums I visited this year include:

• Barnes Foundation, Merion PA
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
• Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
• University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA
• Delaware Art Museum
• Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts
• Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Metropolitan Museum, New York
• Guggenheim Museum, New York
• Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
• Frick Museum, New York
• Neue Galerie, New York
• New York City Waterfalls (Olafur Eliasson)
• Dia Beacon, Beacon NY
• Mass MoCA, North Adams MA
• Bruce Museum, Greenwich CT
• Baltimore Art Museum
• Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Louis Comfort Tiffany collection), Winter Park FL
• Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College, Winter Park FL
• Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, Winter Park FL
• National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
• Phillips Collection, Washington DC
• Corcoran Gallery, Washington DC
• Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC
• Laguna Beach Museum of Art, CA
• Frederick R Weisman Foundation, Beverly Hills CA
• LA MOCA, Los Angeles CA
• Kimbell Art Museum, Ft Worth TX
• Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Ft Worth TX
• Dallas Museum of Art
• Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas TX
• Georgia O'Keefe Museum, Santa Fe NM
• LA County Museum of Art (LACMA)
• Broad Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles CA
• Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach CA
• Denver Museum of Art (including preview of Clyfford Still Museum collection)
• Denver Contemporary Art Museum
• Whitney Museum of Western Art, Cody WY
• Sculpture Garden, Buffalo Bill Museum, Cody WY
• Frederick R Weisman Museum at U of MN, Minneapolis MN
• Walker Art Center, Minneapolis MN
• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Aside from creating art and visiting museums, I also read Hilary Spurling's extensive 2 volume biography of Henri Matisse which I thoroughly enjoyed, Matisse's essay Notes of a Painter, Kandinsky's Concerning the Spiritual in Art, an illuminating collection of essays and letters called Writings on Art - Mark Rothko, and The Writings of Robert Motherwell. And now I've embarked on John Richardson's 3 volume biography A Life of Picasso! I also read several national art magazines each month.

I've finally selected not one but two images to go with this post, both colorful although created 500 years apart, and both from the Kimbell Art Museum in Ft Worth TX, our first scheduled art museum stop on our cross country trip (I visited all the art museums from the Kimbell to the end of the list on our summer cross country trip). Fra Angelico's 1429-1430 small painting The Apostle Saint James the Greater Freeing the Magician Hermogenes, and a late Henri Matisse from 1946, Asia.

I didn't know I'd done so much this year! No wonder I feel like I've been busy. A review really is very valuable for appreciating all one has accomplished. I hope you've had a great year too. Thanks for reading my blog.

I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!

You can view some of my 3-D paintings and mixed media works on my website, www.jayrolfe.com/.

Good Morning, A New Years Eve Manifesto

Zane Grey in Australia. Zane Grey wrote westerns. It is such an idiosyncratic picture.

Good Morning

Right now, I am reading The Merchant of Dennis The Menace The Autobiography of Hank Ketcham. Hank Ketcham new he was going to be a cartoonist from time he was six years old. He was an incredibly focused man. I can see parallels between the life of Hank Ketcham and Charles Schulz. Both were very clean, middle american white anglo saxon protestants. The book is profusely illustrated with black and white photographs and cartoons.

Today is a half day at work.

I picked up a copy of the dvd Capote about Truman Capote. I heard that it was a very goood film. I liked In Cold Blood and was wondering what the life of the writer Truman Capote was like. I could not finish the movie because the dvd was scratched. This happens sometimes. I'll have to return it and request another one. The first part of the movie was very interesting. It makes me interested enough to maybe read some of hist other works.

I am trying out a Tumblr account. http://bookcalendar.tumblr.com/ . It looks like an interesting sharing network for a variety of different things from links to videos to picures.

Baker & Taylor is laying off 60 people from their retail division which is bad sign. It means that less people will be buying books from bookstores. If less people buy books from stores they are likely to use the library more. However, because less money is being spent there will be less tax money for libraries. It is a kind of vicious circle. The coming year will be about increasing efficiency without increasing costs. This means a lot more will be expected of people.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6625720.html

This poem is after the style of the Beat poets, it is a kind of lyrical nonsense poem in an attempt at a jazz kind of rhyme. I am thinking of Bob Kaufman the beat poet who wrote the Abomunist Manifesto when I am writing this.

A New Years Manifesto

I manifest a festive festival

This festival of manifestos

New years festival on all days

To remind your mind to enjoy

Manifests positive manifestations

Affirm your new years affirmations

Resolve to resolve your resolutions

And remember to remember joy

Happy New Years!

Daily Thoughts

Jane Austen

Good Morning

There are a lot of people who come into our library to use the wireless internet access. Many of them are accountants, (numbers people) or computer people, (system administrators, web designers or programmers). I try and talk to them to see what they want in our computer books section. Because of this I have ordered books on Ubuntu linux, Suse Linux and Oracle for the systems side, and Crystal Reports, Dreamweaver, and web design for the design side.

They usually come in and sit in a quiet corner. A lot of them want an outlet so they don't have to rely on batteries. I like when professionals come into the library to work. They are usually quiet and don't ask a huge amount of questions unless the wireless internet goes down. Also, I think they make an excellent constituency for keeping the library open. It is a place to work.

I spent a bit more placing orders in different carts for January in Baker and Taylor. I think I have my initial orders in for mass market paperbacks (all categories), Job Information Center, 650s (Business management and accounting), computers, graphic novels and manga, and 300s mainly social science.

These are some beautiful pictures of the inside of a refurbished convent library. I found the link on the Kimbooktu, blog. http://www.fotoreport.at/galerie/stifte/admont/

On another note, I have the new list for low circulation items from the cental computer office. This has already speeded up the weeding somewhat for the 300s.

I also finished reading The January Dancer by Michael Flynn. It has a rather nice surprise ending. The book might take me a little bit of time to write up properly as there are some interesting aspects to the story I have not seen in a while in current science fiction.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon

George Orwell

Good Morning

I have just started reading The January Dancer a science fiction novel by Michael Flynn.

I found another social networking site for books. This one looks fairly interesting. I am hoping that it does not fold like the other sites which I joined earlier. It is in alpha right now, so it should improve considerably. Lit Minds http://home.litminds.org/index.html It is also a .org which makes a slight difference in how its funded.

Good Afternoon

I am getting the hang of using the Baker and Taylor order system. It is speeding up my ordering process for new books. I am readying next years orders.

I also had a chance to go through letters sent to us from various performers for library programs. They all want you to spend $200-400 for an hour or an hour and half program. Mostly it is musicians, mainly jazz and ragtime music. There are several Brazilian jazz musicians offering to do programs. There is also a lady who wants to teach tarot and a watercolor artist. Sistah Souljah wants $5000 to do a short program at our library.

Getting Things Done The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen

Getting Things Done The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen.

This book is about how to be more organized. It describes how to use organization to become more productive towards reaching your goals. The methods are focused on a combination of workflows, peak productivity, and translating your goals into immediate actions.

I have very mixed reactions to this book. I rather like the idea of a to do list being a list of actions instead of goals. This makes sense for me. I believe in the principle of actions leading towards finishing goals. This is very similar to the idea of MBO (Management by Objectives).

One of the things I don't like is the work flow charts he uses to show how to accomplish goals. They seem much too complicated in my eyes. They look like something a consultant might cook up to get extra billable hours.

I also didn't like the idea of creating daily folders 1-31, and monthly folders, January-December. It seemed like this would work if you had an executive assistant to help you, but not if you were on your own. They system is called a tickler file system.

I also don't like the long process he uses before you decide to act: 1. Ask why you are doing this. 2. Look at the principles behind the goal. 3. Envision a clear outcome. 4. Brainstorm about the outcome. 5. Organize your brainstorming. 6. Perform the action. It is much too long in my opinion.

He claims that if you process all your stuff until you can do things one at a time, you will enter a zen like state of peak performance. This seems a little unreal to me. There is nothing about the meditative practices to do this. To do this you must go through absolutely everything you are doing and write it down.

Parts of his organizational ideas make sense. Keep the systems you need to organize your office simple and straightforward, use manila folders, staplers, a labeling machine, paperclips, a calendar, in box trays, pens, and a wastebasket. Have a few filing cabinets and a clear workspace. Do this for both your home and your business. It is imperative to be organized in both places.

Another idea that makes sense is to always keep a noteboook and pen with you so you can write down ideas that come to you when you least expect them. I have started carrying a small notebook and pen with me.

I also like the way he envisions things. What is immediately in front of you is on a horizontal plane, what is to be done in the future is on a vertical plane going higher and higher like an airplane. In the airplane idea, you start on the runway with immediate goals then rise into the air finally reaching life goals.

It reminds me that I have to focus a little more on future goals; learning microsoft office products, attending conferences, and longer career goals. I am going to pay my Westchester Library Association dues because the book reminded me about it. Because the airplane starts on the

He reminds us that we should keep a file for future ideas in our drawers, things which we cannot do immediately. Also a file for important documents that you might need to reference in the future.

This book is such a mix of good and bad ideas that I think you will probably learn a few things as well ask yourself why is he suggesting that? David Allen's suggestions can be a real puzzler sometimes. I think it could have been simplified and clarified more in a few parts.

The writing is typical of most business writing. I would call it simple and practical, but not that entertaining. The quotes in the margins are interesting-- "We must strive to reach that simplicity that lies beyond sophistication."-- John Gardner. There was an index in the back of the book, but no bibliography or notes.

Getting Things Done is a bestseller on the New York Times Bestseller business list.

Good Morning

James Carroll Beckwith Portrait of Mark Twain -- 1890. "The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one."-- Mark Twain.

Good Morning.

I tried to read Dead to Me by Anton Strout, but the opening seemed very flat. I think it would have appealed to a much younger person than myself who was still caught in the world of the street and having a good time. It seemed like something which passed me by a long time ago. I lost interest in the story very quickly. The idea of a person with psychometry skills is interesting, but the execution and place seemed off.

I put in my membership dues for Westchester Library Association. This should make it easier for me to go to their conference in May. Earlier, I had put in my dues for the American Library Association, I am a member of the Intellectural Freedom Roundtable and the RUSA (Reference and User Services Association) as well. I also put in my membership for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund which provides legal defense for the comics industry in the United States.

This is a short statement by Neil Gaiman on why he supports the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Christmas in Cape Town

Well Christmas 2008 has come and gone and in Cape Town, we had glorious weather to enjoy our usual outdoor Christmas lunch. This is a picture of our friend, Dawne - nuclear physicist turned cello maker - relaxing after a rather large meal.

And I have discovered the person who belongs to my painting. Her name is Jo Ann Elig and she lives in Rhode Island in the United States. Check our her blog. This is the original picture and I've posted my painting again as a comparison.

Good Afternoon

This is the classic exercise I had to do for penmanship and for learning typing. The sentence, The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog, contains all of the letters in the english language. It familiarizes you with the letters on the keyboard as well as cursive script.

Good Afternoon

This morning I walked up the block to my local library and dropped off my books and picked up a new one, The January Dancer by Michael Flynn, a science fiction novel. I did not feel inclined to stay long. I simply was not in the mood to sit at the computers, I wanted to get home quickly. Still the walk was pleasant, even though it was a bit chilly outside. I even picked up two cups of coffee from the local deli.

I have started reading Getting Things Done The Art of Stress Free Productivity by Dave Allen. It is a national bestselling business book. One of the things I like about the book is that he has put numerous short quotes in the margins of the book, "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."-- Anonymous or "What lies in our power to do, lies in our power not to do." -- Aristotle. The book has inspired me to putter about the house a bit and put small things away...

I tried to watch Healing Yoga for Common Conditions, but found the instructor was more attractive than the content of the video. The workout did not seem any better than the one I am currently doing every day. Also the explanation of the workout did not have very much depth. I'll probably continue looking for other videos.

Spunk & Bite A Writer's Guide to Punchier, more engagings language & Style by Arthur Plotnik

Spunk and Bite A writer's guide to punchier, more engagings language and Style. by Arthur Plotnik


This book is about how to put fire into your words. Change them from common things like blue and building to cerulean and tower. Make the castle a monstrous edifice and the suit concrete specked gray.


It invites you to change your language, sound less ordinary, and add some bite. Speak with the diction of a street hustler or Generation Y.


Pay attention to your language; maybe use a thesaurus to find new words apart from the ordinary; or use a visual dictionary to learn all the parts of that boat you are writing about.


Maybe you need a little onomatopoeia to give your character some squishiness, bang, or explosiveness. Make your novel sound the like the world around you. No dull sentences filled with the ordinary every day grey.


Arthur Plotnik gives you permission to use sentence fragments when it adds spice: to use foreign terms like udon or caramba: and even shows you how to create your own words. Isn't that just swish.


He wants you to use less common adverbs, burble and bubble with neologisms, and write with force and character.


Use of language allows you to rise out of the common slush pile and onto the editors desk. Break the rules of grammar if you need to sound interesting. Use non-standard formatting for dialogue. Make your language flow with feng shui; all the pieces opening and closing properly.


The only parts that didn't flow too well for me were the sections on grammar; what is the point of the colon and semicolon. I don't know, the sections on words were much better. Also, I found his writing on sentence structure to be a bit tedious. Read this book to learn about words and how to use them.


This is a book about language and making writing come alive. The book is quite lively and readable. You might even call it entertaining. I think it might help the writer who needs to add some color and vividness to their writing. Read it if you want to add a little Spunk & Bite to your writing.


Arthur Plotnik is the author of The Elements of Editing

A Year In Review

Father Time. Sculptor is John Flanagan (1865–1952). Photographed in 2007 by Carol Highsmith (1946–), who explicitly plaed the photograph in the public domain.

A Year In Review

I am writing my thoughts freehand right now. I am thinking about the last year I have been blogging. It has been an interesting and useful experience. I learned a lot about myself and my own inclinations.

I rather enjoy writing. This blog has probably improved my writing considerably. I try to write every single day of the week for at least a short time. I also try and read every day.

This blog reflects what I have been reading; these are most, but not all of the authors I have written about.

Business: Chris Andersen, Paul Hawken, Gary Hirshberg, Jonathan Pond, Jack Welch, and Muhammad Yunus

Children's Literature: Lewis Carroll, Beatrix Potter, Dr. Seuss

Classic illustration and comics: Hokusai, Lynd Ward, Winsor McKay

Comics: Sergio Aragones, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Hideyuki Kikuchi, Tony Millionaire, Alan Moore, Osamu Tezuka, Marjane Satrapi, Joann Sfar, Craig Thomson, Bill Willingham

Fantasy: Toby Barlow, Michael Chabon, Steven Erikson, Robert E. Howard, Diana Wynn Jones, Ellen Kushner, Ursula Le Guin, Martin Millar, Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, Ekaterina Sedia, Sherri S. Tepper, Terri Windling, Jane Yolen

Horror: H.P. Lovecraft, Brian Lumley, Edgar Allen Poe

Internet/Computer: Paul Krug, Don Tapscott, Jonathan Zittrain

Poetry: Charles Bukowski, Kahlil Gibran, Mary Oliver, Rumi, Diane Wakoski

Science Fiction: Paolo Bacigalupi, Iain Banks, Tobias Buckell, Peter David, Cory Doctorow, David Drake, Joe Haldeman, Charles Stross, Ann and Jeff Vandermeer.

For some reason, I remember the titles on the books on clean technology more than I remember the authors; Here are a few of them:

Apollo's Fire, Cradle to Cradle, Freedom From Oil, Green Investing, Natural Capitalism, The Clean Tech Revolution

I like to think how we invest our money and make choices in technology will affect our future tremendously. Invest responsibly and green. Take the time to think about a different future; a cleaner future. One of the futures I like to imagine is turbine powered future; wind, wave, hydroelectric, biofuel turbines, solar turbines, and turbine engines.

Another theme in this blog is visiting a variety of places in New York that have to do with comics or books, the Queens Central Library, the Strand Bookstore, Housing Works Used Book Cafe, Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, the Puck Building, the Jacob Javits Center, Midtown Comics, Forbidden Planet, and Roger's Time Tunnel, and The McGraw Hill Building. Often this coincides with specific events like The Day of Dialog Between Publishers and Librarians, The Book Expo America, New York Comic Con, and the MOCCA Art Festival.

I also write about social networking a bit. I have stopped focusing on gaining traffic through sites like Entrecard, Stumbleupon, and Technorati. Instead I am focusing on networks that are more interactive like Twitter (microblogging), Fuelmyblog, and Blogcatalog all of which have built a set of tools for dialog as well as thumbnail images. I think three sites is about all I can handle for social networking.

I try to include images of authors or images that are literary in nature when I post to my blog. I also sometimes include Youtube videos of authors speaking or short cartoons like Felix the Cat, Superman, or Popeye.

For a while I tried advertising on this blog, adsense, and projectwonderful but I realized it was not worth it for the amount of time spent on the ads. I think that for the most part it is very hard to make money blogging. This blog turned into a noncommercial blog.

Good Morning, New Years Resolutions

The incomparable Dr. Seuss (Ted Geisel) drawing How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Good Morning

I had a nice holiday at the relatives. No reading yesterday and a little bit too much to eat. I watched Happy Feet on dvd yesterday which was light entertainment. It was pleasant fun. I also got lost on the freeway home for an hour. Google Maps didn't turn out too well for me. The last time we used Mapquest and were only lost for fifteen minutes. I think I prefer Mapquest online for finding directions.

I am heading in to work this morning. I have to spend some time learning how to use the Baker & Taylor ordering system a little better. I think my day is going to be rather busy. I am finding it very easy to use. The entry of orders is quite fast.

On the train in to work, I read some more of Spunk and Bite. The book is about how to use words much more effectively. Sound effects (bang! zoom!) , using foreign words (umami), and even creating new words were covered in separate chapters (bloggerific you blogerati).

I especially liked this quote, "something will stimulate you if you continue reading." Surprisingly, I found a few moments of reverie where I closed the book and looked at the ceiling pondering the meaning of what was written.

Two books which I had on hold came in through interchange, James P. Blaylock, The Knights of the Cornerstone and A New And Expanded Woe Is I, The Gramarphobes Guide To Better English In Plain English, Plus A Word To The Wired-- A Whole New Chapter On Language In the Age of Email by Patricia T. O'Conner.
New Years Resolutions

1. Get organized, much more organized in all three aspects of organization: tidiness, time management, and planning for results both in my professional and personal life.
2. Write every single day in my blog if possible. Improve my writing skills in both nonfiction and poetry in the process.
3. Lose weight and get in shape. This is per my doctors orders. I have to take off the weight. Specifically lose 5 lbs ever two weeks, 10 pounds a month for the next six months. Do yoga and walk a bit every single day.
4. Enjoy the coming year. Make sure I spend enough time with family and friends.
5. Keep my finances in better order. Keep better records, and try to be more frugal. I still have not gotten my hands around the coupons concept very well.
6. Attend a number of professional conferences. Make new contacts, learn something new at the conferences.

Image of the Parable of the Sower. Have a happy holiday and sow peace and prosperity in the coming year.

Good Afternoon

Ivan Kramskoy. Portrait of Leo Tolstoy. 1873. Oil on canvas. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia

Good Afternoon

Today was another half day. I read a bunch of magazines, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. It was mostly typical material. I also prepared some more orders to go out for different kinds of books. It went fairly smoothly. On P.19, December 22, 2008 in Publishers Weekly, there is an article about Sony ebooks. Apparently, they sold 300,000 Sony ebook readers this year. The e-ink technology is changing the way ebooks are being read. There are still no figures for the Amazon Kindle ebook reader that have come out. But, this means there are going to be a lot more ebooks produced. Apparently Oprah Winfrey has come out in support of the Kindle ebook reader.

We have the new agreement for film permisions to show movies during the next year. There will be Sunday matinees coming up for family films. There also will probably be young adult films as well. Also, everything is in place in the calendar for January- February. I am still wondering about the new brochure being produced.

I had a chance to read some more of Spunk & Bite. The book is about how to improve your expressiveness and descriptive phrases so far. For example, you might say cerulean blue, or create a surprising phrase like tiny hamhanded man, or chocolate brown notebook, or savage hamster. There are reminders about style and diction. I try to keep my diction my own, not high handed or high minded in the least.

I find something particularly annoying about thesauri. It reminds me of teenage vocabularly building books. I often think it is more important to make your children read the classics to improve vocabulary than rely on pedantic lists of prosaic words. The best way to improve ones vocabulary is to read constantly. I read the advertisements on the subways, the contents of food packages (one of the main ingredients in many brands of bread these days is high fructose corn syrup), newspapers, the internet, community bulletin boards, and many other things.

The Society of Midnight Wanderers is no more. Psalms From The Wilderness http://jdrbeaudoin.wordpress.com/ told me it had gone defunct. It is one of the first places that I had posted a book review outside of my blog.

I am thinking of putting a list of links to favorite authors on my blog in the sidebar. Could you tell me if you would like this? It is something I have been thinking of for a while.

DSFDF - My Challenge

Ohmygosh I was so nervous about entering Karin's challenge, but thought if I don't do it now, then I'll never get past my misgivings about my abilities. So here she is, the artist I was sent to paint. It was certainly a challenge as I have no idea what she is like as a person. All I could see were those stunning eyes, and what an amazing mouth. I hope you like it, whoever you are.


HAVE A FANTASTIC FESTIVE SEASON !!

Good Afternoon

Lady Ise, Japanese Court Poet

This morning on the way to work, I finished reading Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies by Suzanne Gilad. The last section was about working as a copyrighter or proofreader. It is not something which I plan on doing anytime soon. However, they had an excellent example of a freelancers invoice which I might use somewhere else. Also, they gave some good tips on how to build clientele if you are working on your own.

I found the book quite interesting. There is of course a reminder to not eat while you are editing a document, no one likes food stains on their work. At the library we find a variety of things in books; food stains, dollar bills, old photographs, bookmarks, credit cards, and bus passes. I am going to add to the not eating part. Please don't read a library book in the bathtub. Soaked books are no fun.

If you want to get a better understanding of what an editor or proofreader does this book is quite good. I can recommend it highly.

I spent a little bit of time this morning compiling patron requests for items at our library. I also filled in for someone at the morning reference desk.

On the train home, I plan on reading Spunk & Bite A writer's guide to punchier, more engaging language & style by Arthur Plotnik.

I have read the opening of chapter of Spunk & Bite. It starts with the argument of the descriptivists versus the proscriptivists. Descriptives believe that language gains its relevancy from actual use. Grammar and structure should reflect how people currently use language. Proscriptivists believe grammar should follow proscribed fixed rules of use.

I tend towards the descriptivist side; maybe this is because I am good at describing things clearly, but am prone to make mistakes according to proscribed rules. This might also be the story of my life. If I follow what I think is right, I often succeed better than if I follow the "letter of the law."

Good Evening

Marcel Proust 1900.

Good Evening.

Today was another very busy day. I put in my requests for conferences with my boss and am negotiating with him and the director about them. I will have to see exactly how it goes.

I spent some more time weeding the social science section. I contacted the system office to get a circulation list to check for items with low circulation to speed up the process. I am hoping I will get it soon.

I also had a meeting with reference staff and the library director discussing collection development and weeding. We are going to rearrange the layout of the library soon. It should be an interesting challenge.

I also spent a bunch more time ordering from the Baker & Taylor Paperclips catalog. I finished doing it today. I've gone through a years worth of mass market paperback titles and selected the ones which I think we should have. This covers fantasy, fiction, historical fiction, horror, mystery, religious fiction, romance, street lit (urban fiction), suspense, and a few nonfiction titles. There were also some computer titles as well.

This morning I read some of Copyediting & Proofreading for Dummies on the train. The book gives descriptions of the job duties of a copyeditor and a proofreader. It also explains the process and gives examples of copyediting and proofreading. There is a complete listing of all the major proofreaders marks with examples of how they are used. I am finding this very helpful in understanding how to make a document presentable to an editor. The book recommends, Woe Is I, a book on grammar which I have put on hold.

The book had a few interesting things which I had not seen before. There was a section with four different stylesheets from editors which was interesting to look at. The stylesheets set down rules on grammar and design for a particular publisher. I have seen proofreading tests, but not stylesheets.

The book also covers an interesting phenomenon. Most books are edited and proofread completely electronically. Manuscripts are forwarded back and forth by email between the editor, publisher, and author. A lot of proofreaders work from home. Reducing the amount of paper used in making books reduces costs and saves time. Yet, the physical book itself is still mostly a printed object.

Occassionally, you come across an interesting tidbit of information. Google has a define: command which allows you to look up information like a dictionary. I don't use dictionaries that often, unless I am looking up words for someone else. Then I tend to use The American Heritage Dictionary and Merriam Websters 11th Edition. The last dictionary I used was http://www.dictionary.com

A few style manuals are suggested. I have the Chicago Manual of Style at home. It is currently in storage in the attic. I tried to read it from front to back, but found it was very boring and hard to read. It was something which you would use as a reference not something to read for entertainment. In contrast, I have Words Into Type, a now long out of print style manual which I found quite enjoyable to read.

Lion Kings

I have been corresponding with an amazing artist in Austin, Texas. Her forte is sketching but her paintings are magnificent. Virginia's blog, V ... Vaughn is an incredible collection of wildlife and domestic animal artwork. Because she's so good at it, I sent her a picture of a lion taken at the Kruger National Park and she's already done a pencil sketch prior to painting it.

Before I started writing to V, I had done my own little watercolour of two lions, also taken from a photo from the KNP. Although I don't have V's ability, I thought I would post it just for interest sake.

Check our her blog and website. She's really good.

Thinking About Style

Maya Angelou with Bloomberg and Nadler in the background. This picture was taken as part of a government event, the commemoration of the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City on October 5, 2007. Therefore it is in the public domain.

Thinking About Style

I am reading Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies by Suzanne Gilad. I enjoy reading this kind of book. It is for my own entertainment. Writersinthesky mentioned it on Twitter. http://twitter.com/writersinthesky . Words fascinate me, especially written words.

Reading Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies has made me think of some of the stylistic choices I make in writing this blog. I sometimes write my posts out longhand then type them up in Wordpad before posting them. I want to keep the process as simple as possible, so I don't use Wordperfect which has a grammar and spellchecker built in. This probably leads to more grammar and spelling mistakes. But, it also makes the style much more personal. There is a certain charm in not being quite perfect.

I realize that my grammar is not perfect. I try and focus on using grammar to provide clear statements about what I am writing about. I am not as much concerned about the finer technical points of grammar and structure. Like most bloggers, I don't have an assistant or editor to check what I am writing.

There are a few stylistic points which I would like to make. I don't indent paragraphs, instead, I put in a line break between paragraphs. I also break my posts into sections with headings that are bolded. I think this makes it easier for people to read my blog. I put in my own paragraph and line breaks using html.

I also write out the full url of any links which I put in. This is because of a style of web searching which called stripping. I like to see the whole url when I am going to a blog or website. This allows me to parse the url into sections; I can then use pieces of the url to go to different parts of a website. I also can use various search commands to find information about a website; the url command allows me to find all the pieces of a website, the link command allows me to find who is linking to a web site, and the document type at the end of the url allows me to search for specific types of documents attached to a specific website.

I try to include an image with each post I write. This is usually of something writing, publishing, or library related. I often use Wikimedia http://www.wikimedia.org/ ; or public domain image websites listed in Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain_image_resources . I try to use public domain images as much as possible.

Somtimes, I will include a Youtube video. This is usually something which is directly related to the post which I am writing about. For example if I am writing a review of a Neil Gaiman book, I might try and find a Youtube video of Neil Gaiman reading from the book which I am reviewing.

My writing is also not formal. I am not writing to have my work published in magazines. Although recently, I have submitted a book review to The Society of Midnight Wanderers, book reviews to the Book Review Blogcarnival, and to some of the Blogcatalog threads: http://www.blogcatalog.com/group/book-readers/discuss/entry/the-book-review-thread

I have also been picked up with links from several different authors for the reviews I have written. This is a link from Slow Train To Arcturus by Dave Freer and Eric Flint. http://davefreer.livejournal.com/#entry_82576

I may have to reconsider the formality of my writing style. David Henderson who wrote The Media Savvy Leader Visibility, Influence, and Results in a Competitive World sent me a copy of his book for reviewing purposes. I was very surprised and pleased with this. I also enjoyed the book a lot. http://twitter.com/davidhenderson

I am constantly trying to improve the quality of my writing. I don't mind if people criticize me for the content that I am writing. I want to improve considerably. This is one of the reasons I am reading Copyrighting & Proofreading for Dummies. I have read numerous other books on writing and reviewed a few of them here. One of my favorites was Writing Begins With The Breath by Laraine Herring. http://bookcalendar.blogspot.com/2008/10/writing-begins-with-breath-laraine.html

Style is of course a matter of personal taste.

Getting Results For Dummies by Mark H. McCormack

Getting Results For Dummies Get Organized, Stay Focused, and Get Things Done! by Mark H. McCormack

This is a very straightforward book. It is about how to organize your life and get results using simple, straightforward principles.

Mark H. McCormack uses a legal pad, a pen, and a plan to organize his life. He carries his legal pads wherever he goes. The book tells you to find a simple place to write things down which you can always have with you. Technology does not always work.

Using the example of Arnold Palmer, he tells you that being organized is not uptight nor does it create a deficit to creativity. Leonardo Da Vinci was quite organized.

Once you have your notebook, you have to write everything down which you plan to do, prioritize by number, then approximate the time it takes to do what needs to be done. Give yourself extra time to finish what you are supposed to do. "A schedule is a list with an established time frame."

Having a priority list is not enough for a week, you need to plan for a month, a year, five years. This leads to long term objectives. According to Mark H. McCormack, writing everything down and managing your time is part of the philosophy of Management by Objective (MBO). I personally find this idea rather appealing. Management by objective is an accepted business practice.

The chapters in this book go over many other subjects in addition to schedules and objectives. He describes how to declutter, organize your finances, store your goods, manage email and phones, organize your money, and plan.

There are numerous tips throughout the book: A pile on a desk is a sign of disorganization, write everything down don't rely on memory, television is a waste of time, and don't be afraid to say no.

The style of this book is rather interesting; examples come from various sports figures; Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Se Ri Pak, Martina Navratilova, and Michael Jordan are described as being very results driven. Mark H. McCormack runs International Management Group, the worlds largest sports marketing organization. The author understands what it takes to win. He also wrote the bestselling book, What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School: Notes From A Street Smart Executive.

Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Library News

Woodcut of the Roman, Cicero writing his letters.

On the train in to work this Saturday, I read some more Getting Results for Dummies. It had a few very nice tips, "A schedule is a list with an established time frame." He reminds the reader to include the amount of time they are going to give each item on your daily to do list. He also gives the truism that I believe wholeheartedly television is a waste of time.

The author, Mark H. McCormack also ties in a daily to do list and time schedule to the management practice of management by objectives or (MBO), showing how organization and time management combine to make for successful planning and goal setting. He reminds us that to become truly effective we must schedule both our home and business life, include time to rest in a schedule, as well as allow for interruptions and emergencies. This book looks like something I might read again.

I spent some more time this morning weeding the social science books. Right now, I am in the law section of our library. We have a lot of Nolo self help law books, Nutshell Books, Sphinx Legal, and Legal Almanac books. These four series are books which explain the law for the layman. They are summaries of different kinds of legal practice; everything from neighbor law, music law, criminal law, business law, patent law to school law is covered in these three series. Of the four publishers, I find the Nolo books are the easiest to read. Nolo has several different blogs on a variety of legal subjects. http://www.nolo.com/blogs.cfm

I am doing more ordering from Baker and Taylor, from the Paperclips catalog as well. Basically, I am trying to fill in some of the gaps in our mass market ordering so the collection is a little more complete.

Good Afternoon

Once again, I am placing books to read on hold. The first one is Razor Girl by Marianne Mancusi. It is billed as a postapocalyptic zombie romance novel. The heroine is seeking the Magic Kingdom in disneyland. Sounds over the top.

The next one is James Blaylock, The Knights of the Cornerstone. This is supposed to be a modern fantasy novel like Jonathan Carroll, Neil Gaiman, or John Crowley's books. I am hoping it will be entertaining.

Frank Miller is directing the film Buck Rogers. I think it might be interesting to see. I actually haven't seen 300 or Sin City. I might see them one day, but not now. The Spirit is also coming out soon directed by Frank Miller. I want to see Buck Rogers more than the other films he has done. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i8cb71d29182efee693ef8a7f2501824a

Library News

I regularly read Library Journal online to see some recent news about libraries. http://www.libraryjournal.com/ . There are also two news aggregators for libraries that are kind of interesting.

Library Information Science News

http://www.lisnews.org/

Library Information Science Wire-- This is mainly press releases.

http://www.liswire.com/latest

Good Morning, Conferences

Isaac Asimov in his younger days. Did you know the early term for science fiction in 1925 was scientifiction?

Good Morning

On the train to work I started reading Getting Results For Dummies by Mark H. McCormack. This book is really interesting because the author is in sports management. When he gives examples he uses famous sports figures like Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer. He also uses a lot of anecdotes and real world examples. I rather like this quote, "A pen, a legal pad, and a plan are all you need to get organized."

When I came into work the book Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies was waiting for me. I think that will be the next book which I read.

I organized the main display on the floor, did some weeding in the social sciences, and made a phone call to confirm that Westchester Residential Opportunities was going to do a "Foreclosure Information Workshop" at the library on January 29, 2008. I am looking forward to seeing this done. I have also contacted the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America about doing another workshop on foreclosure as well.

Today was a snow day. City employees got to go home early. I rushed to finish another set of orders for mass market paperbacks from Baker and Taylor's Paperclips and finished an order with ten minutes to spare before one o'clock.

Then it was into the snow and freezing rain. The trains were very slow and crowded, but I still had a chance to read some more of Getting Results for Dummies. I also had a large cup of coffee to keep my insides warm. I am enjoying the book despite the mundane subject. The author is a surprisingly good writer.

Conferences

I am hoping I can attend a wide variety of conferences this year.

On February 6-8, 2009 is New York Comic Con at the Jacob Javits Center. It looks to be a very good conference this year. I look forward to going there. Hopefully, I will collect a lot of material for the library there. http://www.nycomiccon.com/App/homepage.cfm?moduleid=2577&appname=100453

On Friday, May 8, 2009 is the Westchester Library Association. I am going there as well. The conference is titled: Making A Difference: Changing Libraries for Changing TimesDoubletree Hotel, Tarrytown NY

On May 28-31, 2009 is Book Expo America at the Jacob Javits Center. I am definitely going to try and be there as well. Book Expo America is held every other year in New York. I plan on collecting a very large amount of publishing catalogs when I go there as well as requesting to put our library on publishing mailing lists.

http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/

Necropath A Bengal Station Novel by Eric Brown

Necropath A Bengal Station Novel by Eric Brown

This is a science fiction novel. The main character, Jeff Vaughan is a telepath who scans incoming ships for contraband from alien worlds. His job is to watch for the thoughts and feelings that are out of place on the incoming ships.

Jeff Vaughan discovers a strange problem, the station director is hiding something, but the director kills himself before Vaughan can scan him.

Thus begins a story of intrigue involving a strange alien drug which leads to a feeling of unity, and a cult that is connected to alien beings.

The setting is very interesting. Bengal Station is a bustling space port situated on the ocean. It is a mix of Thai and Hindi culture which enlivens the setting. The setting is mainly the bustling streets, except for a visit to an offworld colony.

This is the first time I have ever read this author. I was pleasantly surprised. Even though I read science fiction novels regularly, I had not seen this author before despite him having won two British Science Fiction Awards.

His writing is very gritty and dark, but at the same time fulfilling. There is quite a bit of the darker side of life in this novel, prostitution, begging, police corruption, and dark secrets. Despite, this there is still a sense of hope in this novel.

It looks like the publisher of this novel, Solar Books is also relatively new. I see titles going back to 2007, but nothing before that. This means, I may get a chance to find a whole new set of authors. This book was published in October of 2008. http://www.solarisbooks.com/science-fiction.asp

Pablo Picasso's "Boy Leading a Horse"

What else did Leo and Gertrude Stein hang in their apartment?

In 1906 they also acquired and hung the 7 feet tall Picasso, "Boy Leading a Horse." While not as avant garde as Matisse's two paintings featured in my most recent posts, it was not traditional. Leo Stein showed Picasso both Matisse's and Picasso's own paintings hanging in his apartment, encouraging a rivalry. When Picasso saw the three paintings side-by-side, Hilary Spurling in The Unknown Matisse says, "Picasso had been shaken by 'Woman in a Hat', and seriously perturbed by 'Le Bonheur de Vivre'." The rest, as they say, is history, art history!

Today Picasso's "Boy Leading a Horse" hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Here's a link to the web page about it. http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=79994

You can view some of my 3-D paintings at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Daily Thoughts

Robert Frost on a Postage Stamp.

Daily Thoughts

Although, I finished reading Guerrilla Negotiating, I don't think I am going to review it. I'm beginning to realize some of the material I am reading lately is a bit off topic for most people who are reading the blong. I'm going to bring it back to the library with the other book on negotiating I read.

I had the day off this morning, so I had a chance to watch The Dark Knight Returns. It took about a month of waiting for me to get it from my library. I really enjoyed the DVD. Keith Ledger did an excellent job as the joker. Christian Bale also did an excellent job as batman. It was probably the best batman I have ever seen so far. I really liked how they presented the story of Harvey Dent as well. It had a nice surprise ending. I also likd that two of the main characters died. This made it a much darker film than most superhero films.

It was also a chance to do my yoga exercises while watching the movie, then eat my lunch. This is one of the reasons I like watching films at home. It gives me a chance to do light exercise, maybe have a snack and relax.

I am walking up to my local library to drop off some books in a few minutes. Here I am, I've dropped off my books, now I am sitting at the computer typing away here. I picked up three books, The Merchant of Dennis The Autobiography of Hank Ketcham, c2005 Fantagraphic Books. This looks very good. It has lots and lots of cartoons and photographs in the book. The next book is Spunk and Bite A Writer's Guide to Punchier More Engaging Language & Style by Arthur Plotnick. He was a publishing executive and wrote The Elements of Editing. The third book is another practical business oriented book, Getting Results For Dummies by Mark H. McCormack. Mark H. McCormack is the founder of the largest international sports marketing organization, International Management Group.

I admit, I have a few too many books to read right now. I have them on my desk at work and at home in piles ready to go. I will eventually catch up with them. You get a brief lull then something happens and you have something interesting to do. I enjoy looking at and examining books.

Henri Matisse's "The Joy of Life"

Shortly after the 1905 Salon d'Automne at which he debuted "Woman in a Hat," featured in my most recent two posts, Matisse painted the large "Le Bonheur de Vivre" ("The Joy of Life") over the winter of 1905-1906. Rosa Arpino, an Italian woman who modelled for art schools in Paris, was the female model for all the female figures in the almost 6 feet by 8 feet painting.

"Le Bonheur de Vivre" was exhibited in April 1906 at the Salon d'Independants in Paris, and at the end of the exhibit on April 30, Leo Stein bought "Le Bonheur de Vivre." It's a beautiful painting, one I've seen many times at the Barnes Foundation in Merion PA. Although it hung in the living room of the Steins, it hangs above the landing of the staircase from the first to the second floor at the Barnes Foundation. It's interesting that there is a small circle of dancing women in "Le Bonheur de Vivre" and Matisse would produce "The Dancers" three years later in 1909 for Sergei Shchukin, the Moscow textile magnate, which was to hang in the staircase of his mansion. The second version of "The Dancers" now hangs above the staircase landing in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. What's with all these staircase paintings?

So the Steins had Matisse's "Woman in a Hat" and Matisse's "Le Bonheur de Vivre" on their walls. What fabulous paintings to have hanging in your home, although in that day they were considered scandalous.

You can view some of my 3-D paintings at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Good Evening

Fyodor Dostoyevsky is one of my favorite writers of classic fiction, The Brothers Karamazov is one of my favorite books.

Good Evening

Today has been another extremely busy day. I spent time preparing to show a Tyler Perry film at the library. I really enjoyed it. We had seven people who sat through the whole film and a few others who came in and out. It seems that I am doing much better with the poetry readings than the films. They are moving the films to a Sunday matinee for families once a week. I think this will work bettter.

Right now, they are showing an anime film, Claymore, in the fiction room. There is an anime club at our library which brings in the teenagers. They also play Magic the Gathering card game at the club as well. It looks like the attendance is decent.

I also spent some time talking to an artist who did papercrafts in the childrens room. She also teaches tissue paper watercolors, as well as illustration. About a year ago, she started doing manga classes. The manga classes are what interest me most. I was thinking we could do a program that would be for teens and adults to draw manga.

Of course, I did the regular activities as well, more weeding in the social science section, and maintaining the central display.

On the way home, I tried to read How To Do Everything With Your Web 2.0 Blog by Todd Stauffer, but found I had already done everything that I wanted to do listed in the book. I am not going to start a wiki, or do podcasts, start a forum, or do video blogging, at least not yet. I am not that fond of Technorati, and I already have Sitemeter. This book would be a good introduction to blogging, but I have found I am past the introductory stage at this point. It did, however remind me to ping my blog with pingomatic.

After the Fire

As Cathy Gatland noted in her post, yesterday was a holiday here in South Africa. Now known as Heritage Day, it was originally known as Dingaan's Day in honour of the battle of Blood River when the Boers and the Zulus came to blows and so many thousands died. It has gone through a few changes - from Dingaan's Day to Family Day, Day of the Covenant and finally now, Heritage Day. But more importantly, it is still viewed as a day of peace.

It also heralds the start of the 'silly season' when we get hundreds of visitors from upcountry to our lovely beaches and mountains, where the beach parties are in full swing, sun drenched bikini clad bodies soak up the sun on Clifton Fourth Beach, tanned muscular bodies play beach volleyball, surfers in Muizenberg, hikers on Table Mountain, sometimes losing their way - and of course, everyone eats too much on Christmas Day.

But the summer 'silly season' is also Fire Season. The wind blows, someone throws out a cigarette butt and, whooosh, the mountain starts burning. It's just taken some very brave firefighters five days and nights to bring the fires in Gordon's Bay and the Strand, just outside Cape Town, under control. It wiped out three houses in the process. Out of control fires are also the nightmare of the informal settlements where not just one, but usually up to 20 shack dwellings can be destroyed.

The fires also have their uses. The king protea (which is the national flower of South Africa and the official emblem of our cricket team) and all the other species of protea, need fire to germinate. This also applies to a number of indigenous flowers in the Western Cape. Whilst walking near Greyton, I came across the result of a fire. These burned out proteas were so stark against the new grasses growing nearby.

Good Evening

Langston Huges, A Harlem Renaissance author and wonderful poet.

Today, I did everything I usually do; weed some books, arrange the central display, and sit at the reference desk. It was a pretty good day.

I also went through January through Marches Paperclips catalog to order mass market paperbacks for the library. I am going to go through three months worth of the catalog at a time. It is the kind of work which requires patience and focus.

Me and my colleague handed in the first draft of the new brochure describing services at our library. It is a simple two page brochure. I am trying to get the brochure so it will fit on a single piece of paper front and back. It is really designed so we will have something to give people on January 8, 2009 when the local nonprofit agencies come to visit us to show what we can offer them.

I sat with a colleague at the local corner restaurant. I have been trying to watch my weight lately. I try to eat a little better. I had a greek salad and two cups of coffee. Tonight, I am going to do my yoga exercises.

I am sorry if this blog seems a bit slow. I am still reading Guerrilla Negotiating Unconventional Weapons and Tactics to Get What You Want. It is a substantial book, not because the contest is particularly good, but because it is very varied. A lot of the content is suggestion lists, hints, and tips. It is very easy to pick out suggestions that can help you negotiate from long lists of ways to prepare for negotiating.

There is a lot of material. Most of it is useless. But among the suggestions are a few truly useful gems. The gems may be different for different people because there is so much covered. It is taking me quite a bit of time to read the book. The content is very dense. They are trying to make all of their suggestions count. If you have patience, you will probably learn something from reading this book. I will probably finish reading it tomorrow.

It looks like there is going to be more consolidation in the publishing industry after Black Wednesday, December 3, 2008. MacMillan laid off people and is consolidating its childrens division. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6622740.html

I noticed there was a new collection called Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics. It looks like something worth getting. Nobody in our library system has it. I reviewed The Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics earlier. I really liked it. The early horror comics are a major inspiration for the Comics Code Authority. I think it would be interesting to see what inspired people to change the conduct of an entire industry in the 1950s.

While wandering through blogland, I found a book which I probably should read. I might want to write a book some day and get it published. A lot of the battle is making it ready for the editors desk. Copyediting and Proofreading For Dummies by Suzanne Gilad looks kind of interesting to me. But, then I am book obsessed and like to read books on grammar and structure. I am hoping understanding the process will improve my grammar enough so I can become a better writer. I even requested it from my library.

Henri Matisse's "Woman in a Hat"

Henri Matisse's "Woman in a Hat", which was the subject of my post yesterday, was sold from its original showing at the 1905 Salon d'Automne in Paris to some American collectors. Leo and Gertrude Stein, brother and sister, telegraphed Matisse of their desire to buy it. Leo was actually buying it for his brother and sister-in-law Michael and Sarah Stein.

"Woman in a Hat" is now in the collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. You may see it on the museum's website. http://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/213

There is no substitute for seeing an original painting as opposed to a print. It's amazing the difference in reproductions. Today's image is taken from the SFMOMA website, while yesterday's image is from the Matisse biography, The Unknown Matisse.

You can see some of my 3-D paintings at www.jayrolfe.com/.

Daily Thoughts

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of Sherlock Holmes, by Mortimer Menpes. I wish I had a handlebar mustache like that.

Daily Thoughts

Monsters

There are monsters over here

They live in the cracks in the walls

And under the easy chair

Today started well. I had some red zinger tea with lemon instead of coffee this morning. This morning, I did some more weeding of books, put the display on the main floor in order, and cracked open the new address book I bought for work. Things are becoming a little bit more organized.

We had a demonstration session at noon for a newspaper database, Newsbank which has our local newspaper on it, The Journal News. It was much better than the last time they came to the library; the last time the search engine attached to the Newsbank database did not work very well. This time it did. We did the session remotely in the computer lab, with the salesman talking over the speaker phone and demonstrating the product on the computer screen.

There are a few more films about authors which I might want to see, Naked Lunch about William S. Burroughs, Sylvia about Sylvia Plath, and The Hours about Virginia Woolf.

I ordered another yoga book to see if I can improve the short yoga routine I have been doing every night. It helps me sleep and reduces stress. I think I am losing a little bit more weight.
Today is both a quiet day and a quiet night.

The Taint and other Novellas By Brian Lumley

The Taint and other Novellas By Brian Lumley

This is a collection of novellas sent in the world of H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft was a master of macabre horror. His writing is often called "cosmic horror." H.P. Lovecraft was influenced by Arthur Machen a writer of macabre stories.

The stories in the novellas for the most part follow the pattern of the stories in Lovecraft's works. This collection is focused on the Cthulhu mythos, stories about strange and terrible beings from other dimensions and the far stars. The elements of fear to the point of madness, monstrous slimy octopoid things, forbidden occult tomes, shadowy places at the edges of this world, and places too horrible to imagine are in these stories.

There is a real sense of nameless dread. Brian Lumley does this well. He has written a wide variety of horror books. His main hero is the occultist Titus Crow who prevents dark things from entering our world from the dreamlands and the Cthulhu mythos. Lumley has a website at
http://www.brianlumley.com/

The first story is a story about the god of the winds who bears a son in the frozen north. The story is called Born of the Winds. This is a story where everyone even the hero dies in the chill.

The Fairground Horror is a story of greed and folly. Hamilton Thorpe acquires a collection of terrifying antiquities from his mad brother. His greed blinds him to the increasingly terrible things happening around him. He is warned but does not listen and succumbs to a gruesome death.

In many of the stories, the protagonists are given chances to quit what they are doing, but they do not due to their own personal failings or curiosities.

The opening story, The Horror at Oakdeene is about a man studying strange psychological cases in an insane asylum. He himself becomes drawn into the madness of the patients and eventually after experiencing something unspeakable becomes a patient himself.

All of these stories have the terrible guttural language of things that came before man. There are short dark poems and reminders to not name the things which dwell in the dark.

The Taint is the feature story of the volume. The Deep Ones who themselves are often fishlike monstrosities have acquired the science of genetic engineering and have learned to pass themselves off as normal men. One of their number leaves Innsmouth and has two children, one human looking and one deformed and piscine. The story is excellent.

Lord of the Worms is the story of how Titus Crow, Brian Lumley's main hero becomes a master magician and defeats a maggot infested, evil, ancient wizard.

Rising With Surtsey is the story of a man who becomes obsessed with books about old ones. He reads fiction and occult books about Cthulhu and slowly turns into one of their priests. He ends up killed by his own brother.

The final story is The House of the Temple. It is the story of an accursed family, The McGilchrist's. An inheritor goes back to destroy his old ancestral home and goes mad in the process.

This is an excellent collection of novellas. If you like horror, especially cosmic horror you will enjoy this collection. Cthulhu, an octopoid alien monstrosity features in the background of many of these stories sitting in the bottom of the ocean in sunken R'lyeh. These stories have a strong suspense element to them, they are not just go and fight the monster. They are reminders that there are things which we should not see and places and knowledge best left alone.

Bob Eggleton did the cover art for the book. He also did several small internal illustrations; most of these are about an inch and a half acros, a skull with tentactles, a winged octopuss, and a monsters eye. Bob Eggleton has an art blog here: http://bobsartdujour.blogspot.com/ / (Bob's Art of the Day)

Matisse, Picasso, Steve Martin, and the Lapin Agile

Last weekend we saw a play written by American comedian Steve Martin at the Delaware Theatre Company called Picasso at the Lapin Agile. It's a fictional story of Picasso meeting Einstein at a local Parisian cafe in 1904, before either was famous. In the dialogue, Picasso took a few swipes at his rival Matisse. It was hilarious and we really enjoyed it.

I've been reading a two volume biography of Henri Matisse, who gave up law to be an artist, written by Hilary Spurling. Volume one is The Unknown Matisse, A Life of Henri Matisse: The Early Years, 1869-1908. Volume two is Matisse The Master, A Life of Henri Matisse, The Conquest of Colour, 1909-1954.

After spending the summer of 1905 painting in Collioure on the French Mediterranean near the border with Spain, Matisse submitted several paintings the the Salon d'Automne in Paris, notably "Woman in a Hat" and "The Open Window, Collioure." Matisse and his experimental friends Derain, Vlaminck, Marquet, Manguin, and Camoin, had their paintings shown in what became known as the notorious room or gallery Salle VII. Spurling writes that while Matisse was inspecting the installation of the paintings before the opening with writer Louis Vauxcelles, "Vauxcelles noticed a couple of academic sculptures placed incongruously in the middle of Salle VII and made what became a famous wisecrack to Matisse: 'a Donatello among the wild beasts [fauves].'" Vauxcelles then published his quip in a magazine article and Matisse's group got its name, Fauves.

The critics had little good to say about the Fauves at the time of the Salon d'Automne. Spurling reports, "Even young artists eager to identify themselves with everything that was new and forward-looking found this latest work [Matisse's "Woman in a Hat"] hard to take. One of them was the writer Francis Carco, a friend of the twenty-four-year-old Pablo Picasso, whose reputation was already gaining ground in Montmartre in spite of the fact that hardly anyone had seen his work. Carco, hanging out at Picasso's local, the Lapin Agile, could make no sense at all of the Spaniard's pronouncements on modern art: 'And I was starting to ask myself if, in spite of his astonishing powers of persuasion, Picasso was not getting more pleasure from mystifying us than he was from actually painting, when the notorious "Woman in a Hat" [by Matisse] taught me more in an instant than all his [Picasso's] paradoxes.... there emanated from this singular work ... such an evidently conscious fixity of purpose that, after an interval of more than thirty years, I still have not forgotten it.'"

Spurling continues, "Certainly, the regulars at the Lapin Agile, like Francis Carco, were powerfully impressed. Picasso (who had not yet met Matisse) felt he had been decisively outflanked."

Well, Steve Martin knows his art history and was aware of Picasso's local cafe, the Lapin Agile. It seems that in 1904 Matisse, who was 35 and married, while Picasso was 24 and single, was more experimental and more of a leader of art movements than Picasso.

I find the interplay between Matisse and Picasso fascinating. You can view some of my 3-D paintings at www.jayrolfe.com/.