March 20, 2005
"Dragons and Bats"
8:16pm
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Dragons have appeared in the myths and legends of almost every world culture since the dawn of time. What if more than myth was behind these envisionings? In the show Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real shown on Animal Planet, the creators came up with scientifically plausible reasons for the way dragons might have evolved. They also created very realistic CGI dragons in all the various aspects of their lives devoted to survival. In the end, they go extinct for all the reasons animals go extinct now, largely human encroachment.
I couldn't help but think how much the extrapolated skeltons resemble those of some creatures today, namely BATS:
Bat skelton
Of course, bats' heads are different, the tails are usually shorter, they don't breathe fire, and they are mammals. And, of course, the size. The biggest bat has only the wingspan of an average man. But the wings, including the thumb digit at the wing crest, are similar:
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©JAL
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I tried to give him a good feeling of being in flight, and the quality of being 'alive'. I had to look at many pics, not just the one that was ultimately the model. So I also used close ups of bat faces, as the model pic had a blurred face, as well as bat skeltons, so I could get a clearer idea of their underlying bone structure, which also wasn't so clear in the model pic. I'm pleased with it!
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March 26, 2005 A
"Will We or Won't We?"
7:32am
Will we or won't we get out in nature this weekend? The most appealing spot is a three hour drive away, just north of Parker. At least the little pic of the Buckskin mountain setting looked green and appealing. However, I don't know if I'm up for a three hour drive to and another three hour drive back for a couple hours worth of different scenery.
Maybe a place more nearby, though less green, will suffice:
ADAIR PARK:
Adair Park is located just 16 miles northeast of Yuma
on Highway 95 with the entry 3/4 miles east of McPhaul's
bridge. Covering 660 acres, this park has nine
rifle, pistol and archery ranges. There is also a baseball
diamond, radio-control model airplane strip, picnic areas
and camping sites available.
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Or we may decide to go to a place much closer although familiar. We WILL get some fresh air, in any case.
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QUIRKY QUOTE:
"You see this goblet? For me, this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, 'Of course.' When I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious."
Laotian forest monastery master Achaan Chaa, as described by psychiatrist Mark Epstein, Thoughts Without a Thinker
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How can there be 'thoughts' without a 'thinker'? What kind of cockamamy thinking is that?
Anyway, he's describing one of the reasons I like shiny things like steel cupware. The durability factor adds to the pleasing asthetic.
What? That's not the point of the quote? I know it isn't. Yes, it's about the impermanence of things adding to the savor of them. Though it's not an easy lesson to learn, I admit.
March 26, 2005 B
"Locked Out!"
10:52am
After deliberation, we decided to go to the Conservation garden this morning. It combines both short distance and least familiarity, as we haven't been there in a long while. There are trees for shade, and a pond with ducks, so the refreshing and soothing comforts of nature are there. However when we got there, this is what we found:
The entrance was firmly LOCKED...
So I just peered at one of its trails through the locked door:
That path not available just yet...
So maybe that door will be open for me another day. Things could be worse. A fellow journaller seeking a place of calm serenity found her serenity rather short lived when she found herself LOCKED IN. Things could always be worse.
March 31, 2005
"Joyful!"
6:18am
I awake feeling joyful. I slept the night entire. I had some weird dreams about flying, and how I could float by just waving my arms. I had such strong upper arms, as they were carrying the weight of my body entire. It was neat, I could float/fly around, and others just smiled at me when I told them it was easy.
Then there was a part about a new home, in a trailer park, and red shirts and some weird bits I don't remember well. But the flying, oh I remember that! It was fun.
My sleep was quite undisturbed by an event which no doubt HAD to have made some noise. Julia's long closet bar gave way under the strain and splintered into two broken sections.
She has so many clothes she never wears. (Okay, I admit I hung a few of my things there, as well. Grin!) It will be a hassle to get that fixed.
But mostly, I am joyful this morning.
