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I've been the primary cook about our household for as long as we've been a family, though the ways in which I deploy my culinary skills have evolved significantly over the years. When Marcia and I were younger and less financially comfortable, especially in the years soon after Katelin was born, the vast majority of our meals were eaten at home, and prepared with economically sourced supplies. I actually used to carry a little calculator into the grocery store with me to tally my purchases, making damned sure that the weekly food budget was not exceeded, not by a penny. We still smile about those days when discretionary spending limits forced me to make a tough decision on which one of Guns N' Roses' two Use Your Illusion CDs we could actually get when they were first released together, since we couldn't afford to buy both. Oh, the hard choices! Oh, the humanity!
Dining Out was definitely a luxury in those days, and saved for special occasions if the destination was a nice one (well, in relative terms, anyway, since we lived in Idaho at the time), or as a socializing reprieve if we were having more mundane and affordable fare with friends and neighbors. But then as our financial situation improved over the years, so too did the frequency, expense and (some of the time) quality of our Dining Out experiences. Back in 2012, I developed and posted a listing of what I then considered to be my nine best Dining Out meals ever and with whom I shared them; it looked like this, and I still hold each of these dinners dear:
- Channel Bass Inn, Chincoteague, Virginia (me and Marcia)
- Cafe Marquesa, Key West, Florida (me, Marcia and Katelin)
- Zuzu, Napa, California (me and Marcia)
- River Street Cafe, Troy, New York (many meals with many people)
- Driftwood, Oranjestad, Aruba (me, Marcia and Katelin)
- Barbes, New York, New York (me, Marcia, Katelin and our friend Pat, two meals)
- Hótel Búðir Snæfellsnesi, Búðir, Iceland (me, Marcia and Katelin)
- V Mertz, Omaha, Nebraska (me and Marcia)
- Unknown parilla (steak house) in La Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina (me, Marcia, Katelin and Katelin's friend, Kenna. I can't recall or find the name because apparently it has closed; I know where it was, but it does not show up on maps anymore)
Having spent 2015 to 2019 in the Food Mecca of Chicago, and having traveled internationally numerous times since 2012, we've experienced many more exquisite meals at superb places that could potentially be added to this listing. Maybe I'll do that post at some point. I'll have a lot of meals to consider from our Chicago Era, because the wealth of local choices and the presence of a massive grab-and-go style grocery store in our condo building reduced the number of meals I cooked from scratch at home to truly negligible levels. We essentially inverted our original family paradigm, such that it was typically a special occasion meal (e.g. Thanksgiving Dinner) that was cooked and consumed in our condo, while routine meals were experienced elsewhere, even though the quality of offerings available made even some of those regular evenings out quite divine from a culinary standpoint.
That said, it's also important to note that we've experienced myriad forgettable or offensive Dining Out experiences along the way as well, even in Chicago and overseas, with their number rising in direct correlation to the number of Dining Out meals we consumed. When we lived in Iowa the first time (2011 to 2015), we ate most of our meals at home, largely because I found the local restaurant scene to be so very dire. Yes, you could find some decent-ish food in Des Moines, but a Dining Out experience involves three key elements — food, ambiance, and service experience — and getting just one or two of them right isn't good, at all. Unfortunately, missing one-to-all of those three elements seemed to be the norm in Central Iowa, prompting me to write this aggravated slate of advice to the region's restaurateurs, based on loads of real-time, real-world Dining Out Disasters.
So I knew when we moved back to Iowa from Chicago in 2019 that I'd be cooking at home a lot more than I had the prior four years, out of necessity, whether I liked it or not. I will note, to be fair, that the Des Moines dining market had improved a bit while we were away, with a few more quality options emerging and a widespread reduction of the "Closed on Sundays" theocratic nonsense that used to drive me crazy here. Room ambiance remains a chronic problem in Des Moines, with inept service still nipping at its heels in many locations, but at least the trends are moving (a bit) in the right directions, if slowly. But, still: it's no Chicago. And it never will be, no matter how desperately the market aspires for distinction.
Then, of course, and as is the case in so many narratives penned in 2020, COVID happened. Iowa's response to the pandemic has been generally poor (our Governor ranks last in the Nation in terms of surveyed reaction to her handling of the virus), but there was a relatively brief time when the restaurants did shut down completely, and even if they hadn't, we weren't about to go put ourselves at risk by stepping foot in any of them. So cooking at home moved from a "most of the time" to an "all of the time" paradigm, and you know what? I was (and remain) pretty good with that situation.
Marcia and I have spent less, ate healthier, and had far fewer aggravations alongside our meals together since returning home from Florida in March. I've developed a nice roster of entrees that we rotate through, including various Indian, Japanese and Chinese stir-fries and sautes, some choice Mexican-inspired favorites (I'm particularly pleased with my posole and self-developed Mexican Lasagna), pasta, rice and tortilla-based dishes built around non-meat products, pizza, salmon, tuna, shrimp and beef with various sauces, and a nice mix of sides, including Low Cackalacky childhood faves like succotash and black-eyed peas. (We've not had any chicken or pork, though, as an active act of protest against the ways that Iowa has treated its meat-packing workers in recent months). I've also made and eaten more green salads in the past six months than I did in the six years prior, if not longer. So Dining In is okay with me. It's a positive adaptation to a negative circumstance.
There are times when we can't Dine In, though, so we've been Dining Out(side) in lieu of Dining Out for those meals. Socially distanced picnics with Katelin and John allowed us to visit and catch up with them during the darkest early days of disease time. When we have traveled out of Des Moines, we have taken to finding restaurants that can manage decent carryout experiences, and then eating them in pleasant outdoors environments. (This is easier when the weather is nice, obviously). We had some stellar outdoor meals during our trip out West last month, in fact, a memorable aspect of a soul-affirming change of scenery.
It has been interesting to see how well (or not) various restaurants have adapted to this changed food-service paradigm. One of our favorite neighborhood restaurants was also one of the first to offer carry-out options, which we were glad to give a try for our Anniversary Dinner in June. They seemed to be doing everything right: online ordering, curb-side pickup, contact-free transactions, etc. But, unfortunately, they missed two important elements: creating and preparing food that would travel well, and paying attention to what the customer ordered. We went with their prix fixe menus, choosing three items each, for a total six total items ordered — four of which ended up being the wrong items, or were wildly inconsistent with the menu descriptions, or were made with poor-quality ingredients. I can't say I'd count them as a favorite neighborhood restaurant anymore accordingly.
I suspect that the restaurants which survive and thrive through and beyond the pandemic are going to be those who can do a much better job on this front, and who remain willing to continue hewing to such a model even after the virus has run its course and/or we have widespread vaccinations available. Because, honestly, at this point even if you remove fear of infection from the Dining Out experience, I'm not feeling particularly eager to reintroduce those two uncontrollable elements that can so wreck a meal — ambience and service experience — into my dinnertime plans, knowing how many truly enjoyable, healthy, affordable and aggravation-free meals we've had during lock-down days.
That may certainly be making lemonade from lemons and/or seeking silver linings behind grey clouds, but I think it's going to be a near-permanent change to the way that I view the acquisition and consumption of foodstuffs. And I suspect that I am not alone on that front. My only regret in feeling this way comes from empathy with and sympathy for those whose careers will be impacted adversely and permanently by such a change of consumer sea-state in the Dining Out industry. I know that we are fortunate to work in fields that will not require such radical self-reinvention, and to have the means to meet our nutritional needs in a way that is pleasing to and healthy for us.
Our COVID Era philanthropy has been devoted toward food security accordingly. Perhaps you, too, could consider reallocating some of your erstwhile Dining Out dollars in a similar fashion? Well, if you already have all of your Guns N' Roses CDs properly acquired and sorted, anyway.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Universal Pictures: Frankenstein stories
Walk through the past, when Frankenstien scared kids like my dad at age 5.
Walk through the past, when Frankenstien scared kids like my dad at age 5.
The Ghost of Frankenstein – 1942
One of my earliest memories of my father talking about movies is when he described, as a child of the Great Depression, seeing the "Frankenstein monster" movies. He wasn't even ten when he went to see the film with a friend in his small hometown in southern Illinois. On the way home, he and his friend were jumping at every shadow. Finally, at one point they lost it and just ran home as fast as they could. This is one of the dragons I have been chasing my whole life.
When I watch the Universal Frankenstein films, it's my young father I have in mind. Certainly, much of what I see is through the jaundiced view of someone who has by now seen hundreds of films either more grotesque or "blasphemous." How can I capture the essence of fear he felt when none of what I see even matches what I still feel about Halloween?
Of course, the John Carpenter classic is in the same wheelhouse for my kids as Frankenstein is to me. I spend much of my time watching the first Michael Myers film last year with my daughter in her friend explaining why what they were seeing should be terrifying. They were barely even scared by the 2018 version. In fact, my youngest just recently sped through the SAW series just for information on who did it each time.
It can't be, I believe, the changing times or even the age in which someone sees a film exclusively that makes something scary. Get Out will always be scary. Or will it?
Frankenstein – 1931
Director James Whale
Screenplay Garrett Fort, Francis Edward Faragoh, Robert Florey, John Russell based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff, Dwight Frye, Edward van Sloan, Frederick Kerr
Frankenstein's great gift to cinema include a horrific makeup job for a re-animated corpse, an unrelenting social commentary and James Whale's moving lens.The film, based as much or more on the plays that followed Shelley's book as the novel itself, is a narrow 71 minutes. Much of this run time is a product of the time, be it attention spans or censorship.
To be fair, this is a completely different era. The morals are without a doubt
It's tale is limited to Henry Frankenstein's (Clive) crazed attempt to "create" life out of a collection of parts from various bodies. An accident by hunchbacked assistant Fritz (Frye) gives the monster an abnormal brain of a crimminal and the subsequent chaos leads the town to burn down the windmill he is in after the pitchfork mob runs him down.
The strength of the story is in the idea of innocence with this absolutely grotesque abomination created by the patience and gifted acting of Karloff. He's at once scary and endearing. We see our own sense of hope in Karloff's soft eyes, even as his clunky movements present the unhinged look of a beast.
Overall, the film is too choppy to be anything more than a flawed but groundbreaking effort. Much of this would be improved by the second film.
(***1/2 out of *****)
Bride of Frankenstein – 1935
Director James Whale
Screenplay William Hurbut based on the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Thesiger, E. E. Clive
The second film in the Frankenstein Universal series is a huge improvement over the first. It's so good, it might almost feel like it was made by a different director were it not for the name on the credits. Whale's skill is such that not only is the film altogether more frightening than the first, it is also more beautifully filmed and has much more of a story. Even though it is only four minutes longer at 75 minutes, the film feels like it covers twice the ground.
Revisting the end of the first film, we are told Henry Frankenstein (Clive) died, then miraculously survived. This goes against the ending of the previous film to an extent, but it gives Frankenstein's wife to be Elizabeth (Hobson) some time to over emote. Soon enough they are back on their way preparing for marriage, even through Elizabeth has a vision of death. Strange.
Meanwhile, Frankenstein's monster is badly burned but fell through the windmill to the water down below. He survives, much to the detriment of the parents of the little girl who was killed in the first film. He saves a young woman from drowning, but she screams in terror. He is caught, captured and locked up. Then promptly escapes and terrorizes the area until he finds a blind man who does not fear him. From this man, he learns several human concepts including friendship and thankfulness. The acting here is exquisite on Karloff's part. It feels like hope, which is a strange commentary on those of us who can see. Soon enough, some seeing citizens wander by and mess things up by showing the same irrational fear.
Meanwhile, Frankenstein is approached by his former mentor Doctor Pretorius (Theisinger), who insists they partner up to create a female companion for Frankenstein. This segment is augmented by his showing some truly bizarre homunculi that he had created. He doesn't go into great detail on how he creates these fantastic beings. He does inform Frankenstein that he has created an artificial brain. He then is to work with Henry to find the other parts to go with this brain.
Needless to say the wandering Frankenstein monster ends up crossing paths for Pretorius and something horrible happens. The real monster here is Pretorius, we see. Frankenstein, his monster and the bride are all just victims of his horrible schemes. This is shockingly and expertly portrayed, even through the censorship that afflicted this film at the time and since.
There are several all time classic moments in this film. The portrayals of Karloff, Lanchester and especially Clive are incredible to behold, and Whale's lens captures them perfectly. There are too many perfections to ignore the film's effect on cinematic history. It's proof that even in the most restrictive times, storytelling is an art that cannot be denied. This film belongs in the pantheon of great works.
(***** out of *****)
Son of Frankenstein – 1939
Director Rowland V. Lee
Screenplay Willis Cooper
Starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Donnie Dunagan
Years after his father and mother escape the castle, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Rathbone) returns home with his own wife and child. They get a concered welcome from the townsfolk, including Inspector Krogh (Atwill), who lost an arm to the monster as a boy. The Baron promises he has no intention of dredging up the past.
Too bad Ygor (Lugosi) has other plans. In a delightful turn, Lugosi's evil crooked necked villain convinces the doctor to help revive the monster (Karloff in his final turn). Unknown to Frankenstein, the henious wretch befriends the monster, convincing him to do his bidding.
Frankenstein is mostly a sideman here as Lugosi steals the show. His Ygor sets the standard for the villain hidden in plain sight. The story is a relatively long 99 minutes. Lee's direction is good, though not to the magical levels that Whale achieves with his second film in the series.
The cast are the real stars here. Karloff really belongs fourth in billing compared to the other performances, including a delightful performance by Dunagan as the young child.
Still for a third film in the series, they have yet to really repeat themselves.
(**** out of *****)
The Ghost of Frankenstein – 1942
Director Erle C. Kenton
Screenplay W. Scott Darling
Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Evelyn Ankers
The series accelerates into a sort of parody here. We have the brother of Wolf who makes his way into the story as he is conned by Ygor, who survived being shot as well as previously hanged into bringing the big guy back. As Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein, Hardwicke has just learned to remove a brain for surgery, and then place it back. Guess who is next in line for the slab?
The story, convoluted as it is, has familiar elements. The monster is misunderstood. likes kids, put on trial and subsequently escapes. Lugosi's second time as Ygor yields less of a return as the first film. There is enough here to make those who grew up with the previous films, while leaving less for the adults.
Chaney Jr. is fair enough, but his performance is not nearly as nuanced as his predecessor. Atwill moves from inspector to a peetr Dr. of Frankenstein who has dreams of greatness.
This is not necessary viewing unless one is just plain curious.
(*** out of *****)
House od Frankenstein – 1944
Director Erle C. Kenton
Screenplay Edward T. Lowe
Starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish. Glenn Strange, Lionel Atwill
House of Frankenstein is the first of Kenton's series of films featuring the quartet of Dracula, The Werewolf, Frankenstein's Monster and a Mad Scientist toying with them all. There are no fewer than three actors that played the Monster. In this film. Karloff is Dr. Niemann. who just broke out of jail with his hunchbacked assistant Daniel (Nash). Niemann is out for revenge on all of the men who had put him behind bars for graverobbing.
On the way, there are some flimsy plot devices that help him encounter Carradine's Dracula, Chaney Jr.s Werewolf and Glenn Strange as The Monster. The plot involves brain switching, unrequited love and Niemann's revenge. None of these plotlines will mean anything by the time we get to The House of Dracula which resets the narrative and brings all characters and many of the same actors back to life. We even get Lionel Atwill as the inspector once more: always a day late and a dollar short.
This is a very tame exercise that allows younger viewers the slightest variation of the hits for each character. In this way, The House of Frankenstein is closer to Justice League than it is any of the Avengers films.
(** out of *****)


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Hooters Casino Hotel Las Vegas May Listings
Steak n' Shake May Special
Beginning on Saturday, May 5, Steak n' Shake will offer all Las Vegas and Clark County Fire Fighters a free meal every Saturday throughout May to thank them for the service to our community. The promotion includes a steakburger, french fries and a milkshake. The promotion is only valid for ID holders and is limited to one meal per Saturday.
Cinco de Mayo Specials – Saturday, May 5
Hooters Casino Hotel is the destination for all Cinco de Mayo festivities, featuring the best food and drink specials just feet away from the Strip.
- Hooters Restaurant will offer $5 margaritas, four shots of Sauza Tequila for $10, and specialty fish tacos.
- The Porch will offer a Mexican Brunch Buffet for $13.99 with $10 pitchers of margaritas.
- Steak 'n Shake will offer $1 Margaritas all day long.
Hooters Restaurant Mother's Day Promotion – Sunday, May 13
Hooters Restaurant inside Hooters Casino Hotel will offer guests a buy one, get one entrée free promotion on Sunday, May 13. The second entrée must be of equal or lesser value to the first.
Memorial Day Promotions – Monday, May 28
To honor and thank our active duty military and veterans, Hooters Casino Hotel restaurants will offer specials on Monday, May 28. Specials will be:
- Hooters Restaurant inside of the Hooters Casino Hotel will receive a 15 percent off of their meal with proper military ID.
- The Porch will hold a special Memorial Day BBQ at the Pool complete with Jim Beam and Budweiser specials.
The Underground Lounge: NOW OPEN
Following a recent remodel, The Pregame has been rebranded into The Underground Lounge, a dedicated area for entertainment, drinks and food. The Underground Lounge offers new food specials like the Jim Beam Swiss Stuffed Bacon Sliders ($12) and Frosted Flakes Chicken and Waffle Cone ($14) along with many others. In addition, The Underground Lounge will now serve specialty craft cocktails like Kiss From A Dragon ($8), Pour Some Sugar On Me ($9) and more.
Underground Knightly Special
Guests can expect to catch the Vegas Golden Knights journey to win the Stanley Cup at The Underground Lounge with amazing game day offerings, including buy-one get-one free buckets of beer and $1 margaritas. Guests can also visit the William Hill Sports Book located next to The Underground Lounge to place their bet on the Vegas Golden Knights.
When Chase Wins You Win
Throughout the 2018 NASCAR Cup season, every time Chase Elliot places in the Top 10, guests will receive a free plate of fried pickles with a drink purchase at the Hooters Restaurant on the Monday following the race. If Chase Elliot finishes in first place, guests will receive 10 free boneless wings with any 10 boneless wings purchase.
$9.99 Wings Wednesday at Hooters Restaurant
Every Wednesday, Hooters Restaurant offers 10 boneless wings tossed in your choice of sauce, served with fries and a choice of bleu cheese or ranch dressing for just $9.99.
Drink Promotions
Guests can 'Bump Up Your Beer' with a $3 shot with any beer purchase inside the Hooters Restaurant or Saloon. In addition, guests who purchase one of the signature Shooters will get to keep the souvenir Hooters glass for just $7.95.
Karaoke Night at The Underground Lounge
Take a stand in front of the mic at The Underground Lounge with live entertainment and free karaoke Thursday through Saturday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Karaoke participants also will receive a free shot following their performance.
$1 Blackjack
Hooters Casino Hotel offers guests $1 Blackjack games twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
10 Times Points on Wednesday
Hooters Casino Rewards Club+ members can participate in 10 times point multipliers on reel and video reel slot machines every Wednesday from now until Wednesday, June 27. Guests must properly insert Rewards Club + Card to redeem point multiplier during designated times.
$1,000,000 Dare Devil
Hooters Rewards Club+ members have the opportunity to play the $1,000,000 Dare Devil each day for free for the chance to win up to one million dollars. Every spin wins, with secondary prizes including Free Play, Table Game Match Play, cash prizes, food discounts and more, totaling up to $200,000. In addition, Rewards Club+ members can earn up to two additional spins per day by using 250 same day base points per spin. Prizes must be redeemed within 48 hours of the win.
The Dirty Joke Show
Hooters Casino Hotel welcomes the "The Dirty Joke Show," led by veteran standup comic Geechy Guy every Monday through Wednesday at 9:00 p.m. in the Night Owl Showroom. Guy is recognizable from his appearances on CBS' "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Americas Got Talent." This side-splitting comedy show also features Rob Sherwood and Mat Black as the trio of hysterical comics give guests a behind-the-scene look into the life of a working comedian in Las Vegas, as they try to outdo one another with the dirtiest, funniest jokes they know. Referred to as "the most brilliant concept in the history of stand-up comedy" by TalkVegas.com, this raunchy R-rated show joins the Night Owl Showroom every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at 9 p.m. with tickets starting at $54.25 available here.
Gordie Brown
Known as one of the top impressionists in the country, Gordie Brown brings his incredible show to the Hooters Night Owl Showroom, with weekly performances Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Brown delivers spot-on impressions of a variety of notable celebrities, including Garth Brooks, Robert DeNiro, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Jack Nicholson and many more. That, paired with his comedy and singing talent will create an evening guests will never forget. Tickets are available for $54.25 here.
The Worst Show in Vegas
Follow the adventure of a magician from Austria, reunited with his long lost younger siblings as they attempt to live their dream of having their own variety show in Las Vegas, dubbed "The Worst Show in Vegas." Perhaps one of the only shows in Las Vegas that might be accompanied by a live accordion player, this quirky and unique looking performance will bring something for everyone. This side splitting, family-friendly, and relatable show takes over the Night Owl Showroom every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. Tickets are $54.25 and available for purchase here.
Electric Candy
The fantasy world of Electric Candy establishes its residency at the Hooters Night Owl Showroom every Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. This first of its kind, this interactive vignette style production takes guests and couples on a sultry tour through this fictional electrically charged world. Guests are encouraged to interact, dance and indulge in the world of Electric Candy. This late-night show is the perfect way to start an electrifying all-nighter. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased for $54.25 here.
Cons of Comedy
Cons of Comedy is a combination of a standup comedy show and performance acrobatics at the Hooters Night Owl Showroom with weekly performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 9 p.m. and Fridays at 7 p.m. The show takes place in a maximum-security prison where three inmates hysterically plead with the cold-hearted Warden for their release or instead face death row for their crimes. Every act is the Con's last hope for freedom and the audience is the jury that will decide their fate. This show is ideal for those who enjoy tongue-in-cheek comedy and cannot be missed. Tickets are available for $54.25 and can be purchased here.
Hoo-ya Pass
Hotels guests can purchase the HooYa Pass, a $250 value, for only $20 upon check in. The HooYa Pass is guests one-stop pass to experience each of the hotel's entertainment amenities, along with additional perks. The pass includes one ticket to Gordie Brown, Electric Candy, Cons of Comedy and The Worst Show in Vegas. The pass also grants access to Sip Happens – a happy hour that offers complimentary food and beverage pairings from 5 to 6 p.m. The HooYa Pass also includes one free frozen margarita and a coupon for Buy 10 Get 10 Wings. So guests don't lose track of their pass, the package comes with one complementary Hooters lanyard.
Group Sales
Hooters Casino Hotel offers great rates on groups looking to book for 10 to 200 people. To fill out a group request or to get in contact with the appropriate representative, visit the Hooters Casino Hotel website.<
The world's only Hooters Casino Hotel is located one block from the famous Las Vegas Strip and directly across from the Las Vegas Monorail, providing access to all Las Vegas has to offer. The property features 657 newly-renovated rooms and suites, the world's busiest Hooters Restaurant, and new, fun-focused venues like the Porch and Backyard. The 30,000 square foot casino floor offers 330 slot and video poker machines, 20 table games and a full Sports Book by William Hill. Hooters Casino Hotel is your not-so-ordinary casino that welcomes you to play, stay and eat with us 24/7/365. Hooters of America, LLC, is the franchisor and operator of more than 425 Hooters restaurants in 39 states and 31 countries, including the Hooters Casino Hotel location. For more information call 1.866.LVHOOTS or visit www.hooterscasinohotel.com.


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It's high time I stop complaining and get back to the game of wielding writerly wisdom.
*stoically ignores all sniggers from the blogging auditorium*
I am serious. I am tired of fussing about doing this or that to sell my last book. The fact that I have a.) the opportunity, b.) the time and c.) the completed novel in the old coffer to actually peddle are all blessings so many would-be writers don't yet have that whining about them seems to be rather brattish of me.
I apologize for that.
While I reserve the right to complain when rejections flutter in, I will try my best not to fuss about the querying process in general anymore.
So, Wednesday, expect wisdom.
A whole steaming heap of it.
With that expectation hanging threateningly over your head now, I depart.
Until tomorrow…


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Show me an example
"St Porphyrios has the most difficult face to paint". These were the words of iconographer Fr Justin Venn when I started work on this icon of St Porphyrios....and I wholeheartedly agree. There are not many photographs of him and it seems that in every photo he looks different. So most iconographers fall into the trap of painting is face like a naturalistic portrait collaged onto a byzantine body. So I almost have a sense of dread when someone commissions an icon of him and especially when they say we want his face to look like this or the other icon and for him to be smiling etc. Inevitably the icons they have sent me show a naturalistic portrait-like face. This means having to explain what I did in the previous post on St Sophrony.
Besides the matter of the naturalistic face is the matter of wanting the saint to be depicted smiling like he is in his photographs. The icon is not supposed to show any emotion, it is not meant to influence or manipulate our feelings in the way that Western art does from the Renaissance on. Once the western image lost the ability to create a relationship with the viewer by projecting the figures into the same time and space as the viewer, the only way left to create a connection was through sentimentality, through manipulating the emotions. The Byzantine icon doesn't do this. Rather it leaves the viewer free to enter into the relationship or not. I have written in more depth about this subject here (Revisiting the Patristic Theology of the Icon Part 1: Setting Aside our Western Assumptions)
Another difficulty we face when painting contemporary saints is black garments. Byzantine iconography is essentially colour given form and hypostasis by line. The whole byzantine painting language is based on the contrast between warm and cool, dark and light colours. There are no black garments in Byzantine or post-Byzantine iconography, but now we are faced with contemporary saints who wear contemporary black clerical dress and the expectation to paint them that way, which most often results in dead lifeless garments. So how can we paint black garments without them looking dead and lifeless? By painting them in color. I will explain the process below.
So for the initial preparation to paint this icon I found a frontal photograph of St Porphyrios with a fairly neutral expression on is face and where his eyes aren't squinting from the sun or a smile and I overlayed the line-work for the icon, finding the form of his beard and trying to create a sense of rhythm.
I then made a rough sketch based on those forms.
Then I sketched the icon onto the panel.
After gilding the halo I paint over the basic forms using black and yellow ochre.
I paint the initial layers for the background so I can see how the colours work together while I'm painting. I chose a red background so that will contrast with the cooler "black" of the garments and make them more alive.
I cover the garments with a dark olive proplasmos made of black and yellow ochre. In other icons with black garments I have used different coloured dark proplasmos for the different garments, but here, I'm sort of "breaking the rules" because of the intense warm red background, and not using a warm background for some of the garments.
I then build up the grapsimata and dark areas with the addition of black to the proplasmos. Already we can see the figure is beginning to contrast with the background.
Now with the addition of white and a tiny bit more black to the proplasmos we have a cool bluish colour with which I build up the lighter layers. The proplasmos is actually warm in relationship to the lighter blue layers and this helps project the form and also make the black colour seem more alive.
Here I have completed the Gospel book and belt and have laid down the proplasmos for the face and hands (yellow ochre, ercolano red and black).
I then start building up the grapsimata and details on the face and beard with red ercolano and black
I create the grey for the beard using the proplasmos for the face plus black and white and first lay down a glaze before building up the forms.
Then with the addition of white I build up the layers of the forms, each layer being smaller than the previous one,to create the sense of volume that projects the forms off the surface and towards the viewer.
The final white highlights are only added on the broader side of the face which projects towards the viewer.
Now I start building up the flesh tones with yellow ochre and white.
Each consecutive layer that is built up with the addition of white creates the volume and plasticity of the face.
And now to bring the face to life I add a cool glaze which is blended into the proplasmos on the broader side of the face which helps project towards the viewer (white, yellow ochre and black). On the narrow side of the face as well as on the lower lip, cheeks and nose I add a warm glaze. This contrast of warm and cool suddenly brings life to the face that seemed quite flat and lifeless.
I continue building up the flesh with another layer of white. Here you can see that when the face is in the dynamic frontal pose (where the head moves in one direction, and the gaze in the opposite direction) now matter where you stand in relation to the icon the person depicted will be looking at you.
Finally we paint the psimithia with the addition of more white.
The final white psimithia are only painted on the broader side of the face.
Prints of this icon are available here.
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St Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia
Wed, Nov 04, 2015
St Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia


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Traders & Barbarians is distributed as the third major expansion for The Settlers of Catan, although it is actually a compilation of small expansions and variants. (It is independent of the Seafarers and Cities & Knights expansions, but can be combined with them.)
This compilation includes 5 scenarios:
- The Fishermen of Catan - Originally released in the 05/2006 Spielbox magazine and then subsequently released in Games Quarterly magazine. Expanded in this edition.
- The Rivers of Catan - Originally released in the Atlantis scenario box, then subsequently in Games Quarterly magazine as "The Great River". Expanded in this edition to include two rivers, one occupying 4 tiles, and one occupying 3.
- The Great Caravan - Originally released as a free expansion in Germany.
- Barbarian Invasion - New in this edition. - Barbarians are invading Catan and the players have to try to stop them with new knight pieces. This plays very similarly to the flood mechanic in the Atlantis scenario from the Atlantis and Das Buch scenario packs.
- Traders & Barbarians - New in this edition. - You get new hexes, one for the castle, one to produce glass, and one to produce marble. You try to rebuild Catan after the invasion. You get gold and victory points if you finish tasks in the castle, but to do so you have to travel back and forth to the castle on roads and undeveloped paths. There are still some barbarians around who interfere with trade routes.
It also includes 4 minor variants:
- 2-Player Rules - Use the new "Commercial Chips" to force trade with your opponent. Use 3rd and 4th neutral player to block your opponent. Also available online: Klaus2player.pdf
- Catan Event Cards - Originally released in the Atlantis scenario box, then subsequently released for sale separately. Replaces the dice with a deck of cards to minimize randomness.
- The Harbormaster Card - Originally released in the Atlantis scenario box, then subsequently available online: harbormaster.pdf. Gives two victory points to the player with the most harbor points.
- Friendly Robber Rules


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Earlier this week, José Mourinho demoted Chelsea's long-serving team doctor, days after he publicly showed her up during a game last weekend. He's rightly come in for criticism for the decision, so now "sources close" to him have concocted an excuse for the change: the players didn't feel comfortable around a lady.
The article in question comes in ONE World Sports' Duncan Castles. Castles begins by explaining a bit of the backstory, then notes that, "[a]ccording to sources close to the Chelsea manager," Mourinho had actually been contemplating this for a while. The reason?
Mourinho is said to have held reservations about Carneiro's role within the first-team squad since at least last year. While there is no question about her professional abilities, the Portuguese coach was concerned that the dressing room dynamic was affected by the presence of a female. According to a source, some players had expressed misgivings to the coaching staff about the set-up, arguing that it forced them to alter their usual behavior in a team environment. Famous for his attention to detail, Mourinho has always sought to eliminate factors that might reduce his team's likelihood to win matches.
You see, it's not Mourinho himself that harbors any kind of retrograde opinions, it's just that the players don't like knowing there's a woman around who might be offended if they run around and act like frat bros.
It's not clear to me how that's exactly a problem, nor how this was never apparently an issue for any of the three other managers she's worked with in her four years as Chelsea's first team doctor, nor how the precipitating incident of this weekend in any way relates to the players' comfort level with Carneiro, but the excuse's reasonableness is not really the point here. Mourinho demoted her in a calculated way, saving himself the trouble of an outright firing while still embarrassing Carneiro enough to make his displeasure felt. This newest info will make her situation even more untenable, not just at Chelsea but possibly even for any club she could've potentially jumped to. This is a pretty shitty way to handle things, but it is so very Mourinho.


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Isaiah 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord."
You've got to keep your thoughts in check always!
If we can learn to agree with god in our thoughts, meaning to think the way he does, then we can have what he wants us to have. We can be who he wants us to be, and do what he wants us to do. But it won't just happen. It takes some real thought to contain our thoughts. We have to invest in them, not waste them.
I have said may times, "We have to think about what we are thinking about," and I believe it now more than ever. If you're in a bad mood, ask yourself what you've been thinking about. You'll find this to be the root of your mood. If you're feeling sorry for yourself, just think about what you're thinking about. Your attitude may need an adjustment. Remember, "Where the mind goes, the man follows." Our moods are directly linked to our thoughts, so good thought will produce good moods.
We need to take responsibility for our thoughts. We must stop acting as if there is nothing we can do to stop them. God has given us the power to resist the devil by choosing to think of things that are divinely good. It gives me great hope when I can be assured of a better life just by controlling what I'm thinking.
God will show us what do to do to "clean up" our thinking, but he will not do the cleaning for us. He gives us his word to teach us, and his spirit to help us, but only we can make the right decision to do well. You can learn to think properly and powerfully if you want to. It will take time , and it's quite an investment that pays great dividends. The Bible is a record of God's thoughts, ways, and deeds. As we agree with it we are agreeing with God.
This Week's Meditation:
Teach me to "think good thoughts."
Help me to meditate each day: "Think only positive thoughts"
Teach me to be patient and know you will mentor me. Remind me that prayer motivates me.
Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind. And realize God has you in his arms always.


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In 1985, the movie "Back to the Future" showed a future where flat-screen wall mounted TVs, electronic tablets, video conferencing, and wearable technology were a part of every day life, even though none of those things existed at the time. In the same way, thirty years ago no one imagined a health care environment that included GPS tracking, scripts that "teach" nurses how to introduce themselves, and the dangers of posting too much information to Facebook.
Now that future exists and like maneuvering a flying hoverboard, nurses must learn how to navigate their workplaces. From the violation of workplace rights to infection prevention to the impact of technology on nurses' practice, it's time to fire up the DeLorean and make sure our present and our future benefit both patients and nurses.
Join us on Thursday, October 1 at the Southfield Westin Detroit to gain workplace advocacy skills for your patients, yourself and the nursing profession. It's time to make sure nursing's voice is heard now and in the future.
Visit the hyperlink in blue for more information on the event and registration.
Thank you for your support & sponsorship!