Painting--portraits and landscapes, artistic and photographic, imagined and real

The art of painting has always fascinated me. It ranges from the purely abstract (I'll never understand how a blank canvas with a blue dot on it is art) to the lifelike realism of others. The ability to make a slathering of various colored paints look like anything at all is incredible, let alone an instantly recognized work. It reminds me of the famous quote of Michelangelo, when he was asked how he knew what to carve away (in reference to the statue of David). Michelangelo replied, "It's simple; I carve away anything that doesn't look like David." To have such a solid image in mind that it flows out onto the canvas is miraculous to me.

A drawing crafted by my eldest daughter

My oldest daughter paints, and we proudly display her work on our walls like any good parents would, but it's more than that. I see in her, and all my children actually, the ability to imagine in solid and visceral ways. To take your imagination and give it form is true art, and I applaud anyone willing to try and do their best. Who cares if it isn't understood? The fact that it was created is reward enough! Of course, even better is when people are willing to pay to posses it too.

Those of you who paint have my deepest respect. It's an incredible skill. And, don't let anyone dissuade you from trying your hand at it. Give it a go. Maybe you'll find a passion you never knew before. That's the greatest reward of most things in life--finding something new that excites you. So, pick up a brush, find a canvas, and go to work!

- M

Big and powerful, or small and deadly.

It's a funny thing how things start out big and powerful, then progressively get smaller and less powerful. But, with that miniaturization they become much more focused and deadly. Weapons follow this pattern pretty closely, such as bombs and guns. I can only imagine showing up during the Napoleonic wars with a machine gun. It'd be incredible at least.

The question is, why do we like to continuously perfect things to make them smaller and more effective? Well, a tool that's heavy and bulky is less comfortable than one which is light and specifically designed to the task. And, we never stop tinkering because there just might be a better way that hasn't been tried yet. One thing about we humans, we love to experiment.

I'm not sure about snowball fights though, since getting clocked by a big snowball can knock you on your backside in nothing flat. But, if you have a snow fort then you can hide a huge pile of snowballs and pelt your enemies from the safety of fortifications! And then you could add a catapult and toss huge boulders of snow and decimate all attackers! Let the enemies of the fort not go unpunished! Yeaargh!

Hee hee. I love snowball fights.

- M

Memorial Day, and a toast to our fallen heroes!

Happy Memorial Day!

On this special day we remember the great debt we owe our fallen heroes. I am deeply grateful for the courage and strength of the many who have spent their blood, sweat, and lives defending our freedoms. We should all take time today to remember and pay our respects. Military holidays are an important part of our traditions and should be passed onto the next generations with appropriate conviction. We must never forget the importance of the sacrifices of heroes.

We take the day off work, enjoy our families, and make some sweat barbeque. Maybe people travel long distances, turning one day into many as they take well deserved vacations. Actually, this is one of those heavy travelling weekends where if you don't need to drive you probably shouldn't. Some people just don't know how to drive when they're in a hurry (hint: don't be in a hurry and you'll arrive in one piece).

To those in the military right now, I salute you. Despite our leaders' political aims, you are doing what you feel is right in protecting our country, our freedoms, and our lives. I don't understand why anyone would want to cut soldiers down simply because of politics. Soldiers are the warriors for a country, not the whipping boys. Honor their many ongoing sacrifices, and tend them when they come home wounded in body or mind.

Happy Memorial Day! May our soldiers return home to care and love. And to the many who have fallen, I give my deepest respects.

- M

"I'm invincible!" and other silly things ...

One of my favorite comedy skits is the famous Monty Python "Black Knight" sketch where King Arthur takes on the famed knight. After King Arthur chops off the knight's arms, the knight charges with the cry, "I'm invincible!" It's hilarious and deeply disturbing, mainly because I can recognize at least a dozen times I've done that myself (well, maybe not armless but charging ahead foolishly at least). But, since the whole movie is one long joke, it's alright to see the characters behaving like idiots. Where else, but in stories are such nitwits held up as heroic figures? If you haven't seen the skit, I won't ruin it, but for those who have ... "We'll call it a draw."

So, think about the many tales you've heard over your lifetime. And, consider how often the people inside the story act just a bit larger than life. It doesn't matter if the story is true or fiction, because storytellers naturally embellish to give the story flavor and make it grand. Admit it. You like hearing other people tell of your exploits, because it gets better with the telling. These days we don't see a whole lot of oral storytelling going on, but we do have comedians ... and they tell stories all the time--yup, jokes are stories. People will want oral storytelling again, I'm sure of it (and, you can witness the spectacle at many Medieval Fairs around the world).

And the miracle of telling these stories is that words aren't even absolutely necessary. I've loved watching the "People are Amazing" videos on YouTube. What are those but magnificent stories documenting the incredible feats of the human body! We are involved in a constant greatest story ever told as we live our lives. Naturally, the question is: what is your ending? Happy or sad?

- M

Robots. Those goofy, charming, scary, and downright perplexing machines.

I love robots. Big, small, huge and fighting, or tiny and sneaky. I've always loved robots. The recent Transformers series of movies have highlighted robots in a big way, and I think it's all great. Also, Pacific Rim showed us huge robots fighting giant monsters! With the Avengers and now Avengers 2 we have Iron Man and an evil robot (Ultron). I'm smiling ear to ear about it all. I can't wait to see miniaturized robots flying around--perhaps a remake of Fantastic Voyage.

Iron Man, the villain Ultron, and Captain America

Today's robots mostly build stuff--assembly line robots, or automated cutters, or 3D printers--and they destroy things--demolition, military robots--and they explore distant worlds. Of course there are also medical robots, but they are mostly directed tools used by human operators. I think we are quickly arriving at the point where robots will do quite a lot in regular life. I doubt we'll ever have fully autonomous robots (able to think and learn for their own), mainly because life is simply too complex for a programmed mind to handle. Now, if we could create artificial intelligence on the scale of what we see in movies it would be possible, but I have my doubts. Anyway, scientists will continue pushing toward that point until time comes to an end.

What makes robots fun is how they can be human and yet not. As an example, think about Data from the Star Trek series. It's a common story tradition--using something not quite human to express human concerns, issues, and troubles--and robots are perfect for the job. The great thing is we aren't even all that worried when a robot is destroyed, because we can rebuild them! Great stuff. One of my favorite movies is The Iron Giant, which lets that happen in fact. It is my wish that robots see a long life of use in reality and stories.

- M

Possible sequel? Ooh, tempt me more!

Is there a story that you desperately want to have a sequel? To continue the tale and keep the world alive? And how do you react when an announcement comes out that your wish is coming true? What if you could make it happen yourself?

I think back on one of my most beloved movies: Tron. When the announcement of a sequel shocked the world, with brilliant new light cycles and an incredible teaser, we were given Tron: Legacy. Whatever your impression of the movie (personally, I loved it), it generated incredible buzz. Now, it sounds like we may even get a sequel to that one! (Possibly named Tron: Ascension). Anyway, my point is the buzz about the sequel was unbelievable. People were slobbering all over themselves just to talk about it. It was inspiring, especially when you consider the length of time between movies. Amazing.

Right now there is a bit of a sequel frenzy going on. It seems like no story has a chance without at least three parts already made (trilogies, tetralogies, or more). Maybe it's because a three act story is such a fantastic framework (the starting triumphs, the middle tragedies, and the ultimate victory). But, I'm all for it. I love continued stories. Any good story is worth an extension. But, please make sure there's a story to tell and not just make it for profit--give it a reason to exist.

I think stories define us in ways nothing else does. Entire civilizations are known mainly for their stories. Take the Greeks for instance. We all know about Greek gods and goddesses (particularly with Percy Jackson books and movies). Isn't that incredible? So, what's your story?

- M

Oversleeping

Have you ever slept past when you wanted? Waaaay past? Hopefully not getting up for work, but what about on the weekends, or when you're on vacation? You have things to do and yet you sleep it all away. Right now my favorite reaction is to wonder why I needed sleep so badly. But, say you've missed something important? What then? Do you blame your alarm, or power going out? Do you blame yourself? If you've missed something that isn't possible to redo, then what happens?

There's a brief conversation in one of my favorite television shows: Babylon 5. It's like a UN in space. Anyway, one emperor is talking with the main hero and asking him if he has any regrets. The answer is poignant: "My dad said to live life as if each second were your last; love without reservation, fight without fear; he called it the way of the warrior." That's powerful and is a great tactic on living without regret.

I think we get trapped by regrets over things we've done. Maybe the best way to answer my question about oversleeping is to grab hold and say, "Apparently I required the sleep, and I did it with gusto!" Not sure I'm swayed by the argument, but it's a thought. Either way, I hope you all had a wonderful sleep last night and may your next be reviving to your body, mind, and soul. Live without regret and live free.

- M