Birds in Hand Home Previous Entry Next Entry . . September 30, 2004 . Channel 5 reported on the twenty seventh a Russian scientist came to Tennessee to study reports of a "Mountain man." One report said the "mountain man" stole food from a basement freezer. I missed where they said it was - I wonder if it was Overton county? That sounds like some of the reports coming from there, as reported by the Tennessee Bigfoot Lady. The news anchor went on to say scientists here have debunked a "1968(9? They were implying Patterson) film" but the Russian scientist wanted to study here to further studies in the former Soviet Union. Ugh. People just don't like the idea of open questions or the possibility of something out of the ordinary, do they? Besides - since when has that tape been debunked? Last I heard, some idiot tried to make us believe it was a hoax because he blew the image up several thousand times and claimed he could see the zipper on the costume. Since I was a photography major in my first incarnation as a college student, I can tell you this: if you blow any image up several thousand times and try to look at one tiny little area of it, you're not going to see much of any thing. It's like taking an 100x100 image on your computer and enlarging it, say, four thousand times. If it has much detail, most of it will be lost because of pixilation. Bah. Enough. Moving on. . .

Good lord - has it really been nine days since the last entry? I've got to get my ass in gear and get back in the rhythm of posting. Let's see...catching up: Classes are still going pretty well - astronomy is the toughest one but so far, I'm holding my own. I even had an extra bit of gratification about the first test: there is one woman in the class who has a habit of telling everyone know how great she is. Thing is, she can be a great person if she can just let everyone discover it for themselves instead of broadcasting it herself. Anyway, the gratification came on Tuesday when we were all talking before the start of lab. We were all sharing our thoughts about the test when she mentioned she made an eighty-nine. I made a hundred. Yay me! Heh. The astro labs are also bringing it home to me how great and wonderful the universe is. The week of Mabon had us under the gibbous moon with the telescopes. What is amazing is how big the moon really is. For example, the county I live in is about fifty kilometers wide. The crater Archimedes is, when the calculations are done, about ninety-four kilometers wide. That's just one crater in one relatively small area of the moon (Palus Putredinus, if you're interested.) It really brings home the fact Luna is one quarter the size of the Earth, instead of a small disc in the sky. It's also humbling to remember just how small a part humans really play in the universe. Yesterday, I bought a new sketchbook and some markers. I've been so caught up in everything - getting everything done because I'm supposed to graduate (which I'm dreadfully behind on), wondering if I'll ever get my portfolio together because I sold my best work, wondering if I should take a semester off before going to Watkins - if I get in, etc., etc., etc. I got this sketchbook because I just want to doodle. That's all. Something with no pressure, no "performance anxiety." I haven't just doodled in forever and it can really jumpstart creativity. But...I did learn a few things... It is impossible to doodle (or do much anything else for that matter) when you're sitting on the ground and have ten cats surrounding you because: Some of the cats will stand or lie on the paper. If you manage to sketch something, some of the ink will smear on the page because three cats are partially standing in it as they try to knock the marker out of your hand. Some cats will "go punk" - noses and paws become multicolored. (See above.) Mei-Mei had a purple nose and Samara had turquoise paws. If they succeed, the marker (henceforth known as "the prey") will be batted about the immediate area and 'die' multiple times by each cat. If you are careful putting all the markers in the box before getting up to go to the bathroom, they won't be that way when you come back. You will be greeted by a grisly massacre - the little prey bodies will be scattered as widely as possible within a five foot area. One cat will be lying on the prey box, looking very satisfied with himself and his skill as a deadly killer. Some cats decide it is a prime time to see if toes make good snacks. One cat who shall remain nameless but goes by the initials S.A.M.A.R.A. will decide to use your back as a springboard or a good surface in which to pin down another cat's tail. ...and that's just a few of the things I learned. It was a good day anyway - anytime you spend time with family, whether it is blood or chosen, is a good day. Page and graphics Copyright 2004 D. Firewolf