move along, nothing to see here ~

i don't really have much to say. it's been a fairly productive day, but creative-wise, i'm not making much progress. noddled around with this panel to try out some things (none of which really worked the way i'd hoped). was experimenting with lines and layers and shading, but wound up with a washy sketchy mess ~ and that, as they say, is that.



another draft run at the french countryside

given that's not going so well, maybe i'll write this evening (there's a concept). either way, there's a big blowy thundery storm going on (which keeps cutting off my connection. so it may be that whatever i do this evening will not involve the computer at all. or maybe i'll report back in an hour about whatever brilliant world-overthrowing activity i've been working on.

man, i'm tired for some reason.

either way, tomorrow i'll share some thoughts on Hitchcock.

i ain't done no meme in a long while ~

so here's some famous births and deaths on my birthday inspired by a meme from shegotsushi

births ~

* 1650 - Vincenzo Coronelli, Italian cartographer and encylopedist (d. 1718)
* 1888 - T. E. Lawrence, English writer and soldier (d. 1935)
* 1892 - Otto Messmer, American cartoonist (d. 1983)
* 1920 - Charles Bukowski, American poet (d. 1994)
* 1924 - Fess Parker, American actor
* 1931 - Eydie Gorme, American singer
* 1933 - Julie Newmar, American actress
* 1940 - Bruce Beresford, Australian film director
* 1946 - Lesley Ann Warren, American actress
* 1953 - Kathie Lee Gifford, French-born singer and actress
* 1954 - James Cameron, Canadian film director
* 1958 - Angela Bassett, American actress
* 1958 - Madonna, American singer and actress
* 1960 - Timothy Hutton, American actor

deaths ~

* 1327 - Roch, French saint
* 1419 - Wenceslaus, King of the Romans, King of Bohemia (b. 1361)
* 1661 - Thomas Fuller, English churchman and historian (b. 1608)
* 1733 - Matthew Tindal, English deist (b. 1657)
* 1899 - Robert Wilhelm Bunsen, German chemist (b. 1811)
* 1938 - Robert Johnson, American singer and guitarist (b. 1911)
* 1938 - Andrej Hlinka, Slovak politician and priest (b. 1864)
* 1948 - Babe Ruth, baseball player (b. 1895)
* 1949 - Margaret Mitchell, American novelist (b. 1900)
* 1956 - Bela Lugosi, Hungarian actor (b. 1882)
* 1977 - Elvis Presley, American singer and actor (b. 1935)
* 2003 - Idi Amin, Ugandan dictator (b. 1928)
* 2004 - Robert Quiroga, American boxer (b. 1969)
* 2005 - Frère Roger of Taizé, Swiss monk and mystic (b. 1915)

Frère Roger of Taizé's assassination is
the most recent death of a famous person
on my birthday.

a bedtime story for all you returning students ~

bachsoprano reminded me of this story in a post about what it means to be a returning student ~ the humility it requires, but also the amazing things to which such courage can lead.

saint ignatius was a nobleman and soldier, who after a mystical conversion experience, decided to become a priest. but he was not a man of letters and so before he could be admitted to the seminary, he had to "catch up" on the holes in his education. he enrolled in classes to learn basic latin and grammar skills. his classmates were young children (ages 10-14). he was 33 years old.

saint ignatius went on to found the largest religious order in the world (the Society of Jesus ~ i.e. Jesuits) and his teachings form the basis of most spiritual direction today, 450 some-odd years later.

he's a great hero of mine.

: D



i love this painting! i found it randomly while looking for
reference images of ville de Rouen