April is National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month and I have stumbled upon several resources that I thought I would pass along for those who might like to celebrate this poetic month.

• The blog, Poetic Asides by Robert Lee Brewer, is having a Poem a Day Challenge (PAD). Each day he will provide a poem prompt to get your poetic juices flowing.
• For poetic inspiration, you can visit on Gregory K.’s blog, GottaBook. Every day this month he will be posting a previously unpublished poem by a different poet. A complete listing of the poets can be found in his 3/23 post, Announcing 30 Poets/30 Days. Yesterday he posted an amusing one from Jack Prelutsky, A Little Poem For Poetry Month, and today Midnight Stray by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. It is about a little stray cat, a subject very near and dear to my heart.
• If you need more poetry prompts for the month, Poet & Writers is also having a Poetry Challenge with a new writing prompt or poetry-related assignment everyday during April.
• Poet & Writers also has an article on their site on what the Academy of American Poets has planned for the month, including Poem in Your Pocket day on April 30th.
• You can also sign up at Dailylit to receive though out the month 30 poems from late, great poets for free for those who would like a little poetry in their inboxes.
• For the young poetry lovers in the Denver area, they can visit the children’s section in the Tattered Cover Book Store and write a poem or copy a favorite poetry verse onto a raindrop which then will be hung from the ceiling under a cloud for readers to enjoy spring poetry showers all during April.
• If you belong to Facebook there are several poetry groups you can join such as, Facebook’s Poets & Writers Registry or World Salad Poetry Magazine.

Splurge Purchase

After a long day I dragged myself into Starbucks to catch up on my daily caffeine. After I ordered my drink I saw on the counter these little shot mugs with matching saucers. The Barista heard my gasp and said he had to buy one the night before because they were just too cute to pass up. I tried to be strong, but it was taking awhile to pull the shots for my drink and one never thinks clearly on a de-caffeinated brain. The Barista went on to tell me they were on sale for $4.99 and as a Gold Card member I got an additional 10% off that, really, it was practically destiny that it would come home with me:


Oh, do I drink shots? Nope, not at all, the latte is my drink and requires this size of cup:


Yes, that's right, I have absolutely no use for it at all. But isn't it just so adorable?

Getting Blue in Sedalia

Here are a few pics I took at the awesome Roadhouse Joe blues gig in Sedalia this past Saturday. You can check them out this Thursday at Hiccups Sports Bar in Thorton. They have several shows on the horizon, you can get their detailed schedule on their Roadhouse Joe website.

Feeling the Blues at the Sedalia Grill

Stu keeping the beat

Scott rippin' those riffs

The incredibly cutie bass player Robbie

Rick getting gritty with the harp

Hunt growling out some sweet blues

Roadhouse Joe at the Sedalia Grill Tonight

If you just happened to stumble upon this blog on Saturday March 21, and you just happen to be from the Denver area and just happen to groove to the blues, head on out tonight and catch the hottest new blues band in Denver, Roadhouse Joe, at the Sedalia Grill. Show starts at 8pm, no cover, the grill is located at 5607 N US Hwy 85, Sedalia CO. You can find out more details on the Roadhouse Joe site as well as other upcoming shows (next gig is at Hiccups, Thursday March 26th, 9pm). Plus you can get a sampling of their full tilt boogie blues.

Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

It was the layout, design, and surreal imagery that attracted me to the Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan. What a bonus that the 15 short illustrated stories also created a unique and pleasing journey through the extremely cool eye candy. I thought Mr. Tan did an excellent job capturing the voice and imagination of seeing suburbia through a young kid’s eye. As stated in the description the stories are “...about a strange situation or event that occurs in an otherwise familiar suburban world.” My favorites were Eric and Alert but not Alarmed. Eric is about a foreign exchanged student and I just loved the last illustration of that story. In Alert but not Alarmed, I would also be painting my backyard missile, stringing lights on it and turning it into a pizza oven. In addition, I quite enjoyed the water buffalo and the two brothers with the map. That one could so have been a story about my sister and me (especially the part on the older sibling always being right....I am the youngest).

Library Eye Candy

For all you librophiliacs, feast your eyes on these:

http://curiousexpeditions.org/2007/09/a_librophiliacs_love_letter_1.html

Top Shelf (i.e., my favorites):

• Klementium Library, Prague, Czech Republic
• Biblioteca do Palacio e Convento de Mafra I, Lisbon Coast, Portugal (I bet this one was fun to fit on a library card)
• Austrian National Library, Vienna Austria
• Library of the National Palace of Mafra, Portugal
• Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
• Biblioteca Geral University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
• George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland

Also loving because of the staircase:

• Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal Den Haag, the Hague, Netherlands (another one that would take both sides of the card)
• Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

An accident waiting to happen:

• Joanina LIbrary University of Coimbra, Portugal

How am I getting the books on the upper levels?

• Biblioteca Angelica, Rome, Italy

Hmmm...

• Riksdagen Library, Swedish Parliament Library, Stockholm, Sweden

Book dress code?

• Bad Schussenried Bibliothekssaal, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Appropriately named:

• Trinity College LIbrary, AKA, The Long Room, Dublin, Ireland

Libraries that would make me dizzy:

• Abbey Library St. Gallen, Switzerland
• Library of the Benedictine Monastery of Admont, Austria
• Melk Monastery Library, Melk, Austria
• Sansovino Library, Rome, Italy
• Vatican Library, Vatican City, Rome
• Waldsassen Abbey Library, Bavaria, Germany
• Wiblingen Monestary Library, Ulm, Germany

Friday the 13th

Yes I know, a day late and a dollar short, story of my life. However, if you were plagued with a bit of bad luck yesterday and wanting to know why, here is a new blog, the Edible Raven, with a bit of history behind the superstition of Friday the 13th.

Fables Volume 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham

After they were driven from their homelands by the Adversary, the non-human Fables, 3 little pigs, the 3 bears, Reynard the fox and many other folklore and mystical creatures, were forced to live on a large secluded farm in upstate NY to keep them hidden from the mundanes (humans). In Fables Volume 2: Animal Farm, Snow White heads upstate to visit the farm with her sister Rose Red. Snow is not only wanting to check to make sure things are running smoothly on the farm but also to mend her relationship with her sister. However, she soon finds out that things are not well on the farm as the animals are staging a revolution against the human Fables lead by the 3 little pigs spear headed by a gun-toting non-human Fables activist Goldilocks. Things do not improve when her sister Rose Red takes up arms with rebellions.

I have to admit; I did not enjoy this one as much as I did Volume 1 or the 1001 Nights of Snowfall. I guess where I can handle the slaughtering of 2-legged Fables it was a little harsh with the 4-legged ones. But the main reason was I just didn’t care for the ending as much, so far I am not a big fan of the Rose Red character. However, I would still recommend this read, the graphics are incredible, and I already have Volume 3 in hand.

Afterwatchmen.com

DC Comics has launched a new website, AfterWatchmen.com. On this site you can find out more about the graphic novel Watchmen including chapter teasers, original character sketches, and desktop wallpaper. The site also includes movie trailers and a Watchmen discussion forum. My favorite part is the After Watchmen section where they list more books by Alan Moore, books that redefine modern super heroes, books that push the boundaries of science fiction (will definitely have to be looking into a few of these), books for mature readers, and best-selling books from best-selling authors, including Neil Gaiman’s Sandman (awesome series) and Bill Willingham’s Fables. I have only read 3 of the Fables books so far but totally hooked. Fables is a modern day account of those fairytale characters we grew up with like Snow White, Prince Charming, the Big Bad Wolf and so on. These immortals have been chased out of their magical realm by an evil warlord known as The Adversary and forced to live in our world in a secret underground colony known as Fabletown, bidding their time until they are strong enough to over throw The Adversary and reclaim their homelands. This is no Disneyland. If you like happily ever after these books probably are not for you. But if you like intriguing story telling reminiscent to that of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman entwined with intense imagery, then I highly recommend them.

If you are a graphic novel fan or would like to get your feet a little wet in this genre, check out AfterWatchmen.com.

Share a Story Week

Share a story is a week-long event where the online community of children's book bloggers are promoting reading. From March 9 to 13, 2009, blogging librarians, teachers, parents, authors, illustrators, and other people passionate about literacy will be writing about different aspects of reading. Each day has its own theme, with a host blogger and several guests. The organizers also have several giveaways planned, including a number of books related to reading. There will also be lots of free, downloadable content that includes ideas for making bookmarks and templates; links to book lists, children's book reviewers, and resources for selecting material; and tips for reading with kids and getting involved with your community. Please visit their blog, Share a Story - Shape a Future for more details on the week's events.

Our Weekend in the Mountains Gone to the Dogs

We hadn’t seen the folks since Christmas so we were long past due a trip up. Thus we headed off to the mountains this past weekend for a double birthday and late Valentines celebration. All week we had unseasonable highs in the 70’s and 80’s and then here came Saturday:


Despite the cold, snow and gale like winds we still had a great time. Celebrated Mom and me staying forever young with cake and homemade ice cream, then those who could, partook in a little Valentine Day chocolate (okay, I am the one who is allergic to chocolate...they tell me I am adopted and not from this world). Then our evening entertainment was Hellboy 2, which I can only speak for my sister and myself, but we quite enjoyed it. We could barely contain ourselves during Hellboy’s and Abe Sapien’s rendition of Barry Manilow’s I Can’t Smile Without You. The only downside of the weekend is we lost an hour and really could have used it for a little extra shut eye or rubbing puppies' bellies.

Here are a few (okay several) photo snaps of Saturday’s walking of the dogs and then Sunday’s puppy park visit:

Walking puppies on a cold blustery day:

Did I hear we were going to the puppy park?!?!

YES!! WE GET TO GO TO THE PUPPY PARK!!!

My Ball!

Obstacle Course

Hellboy Volume 2: Wake the Devil by Mike Mignola

Hellboy Volume 2: Wake The Devil is a combination of European folklore and mythology coupled with Nazi sub-plots and of course Hellboy taking some huge beatings. In this volume the team is sent to Romania to investigate the rumor that a nobleman vampire is about to be reawakened. Meanwhile the Nazi scientists continue their quest to end the world. Great graphics and a bonus gallery at the end where we get to see our red hero sporting a smoking jacket as well as some nifty boxers.

Pink Dolphins

Yesterday my sister sent me this link about a pink dolphin being spotted in Lake Calcasieu in Louisiana. No spoof, it is actually a rare albino dolphin. If you would like to read more, here is the link to the article.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4927224/Pink-dolphin-appears-in-US-lake.html

March is Small Press Month

Small Press Month is where small presses are celebrated nation wide highlighting the valuable and creative work produced by independent publishers. All month literary events are taking place coast-to-coast, visit Small Press Month to get a listing of all the events that might be taking place in your area as well as things you can do to help celebrate the month and small independent publishers. You can even get your own Small Press Month posters.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

Trixi Thursday

If audio does not work, video can also be viewed at http://www.allusallthetime.com/trixi-belle.html

A precious little kitty that will always be in our hearts

Trixi-Belle

1990-2009

Music on video is Me and My Shadow preformed by Eric Winstone Orchestra

ZooBorns

I stumble upon this site, zooborns, which is dedicated to showing pictures of baby animals from zoos around the world...oh yes, the pygmy hippo is shown. Sigh, well there goes the rest of my day.

Roadhouse Joe at the Buffalo Rose Tonight

Sorry about the late notice, meant to post this on Monday but then somehow it got to be Thursday. However, if you stumble upon this posting today and are from the Denver area, stop by the Buffalo Rose in Golden tonight for some rockin' good ol' blues from Denver's hottest and greasiest new blues band Roadhouse Joe.

No Cover
Ladies Night (gals drink free)
$4 Pitchers

Start the weekend early. Opening band comes on at 9pm and Roadhouse Joe takes the stage at 10pm.

Trixi Thursday

Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham

Last month I enjoyed Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall by Bill Willingham the prequel to the Fable Series, and this past weekend finished the first in the series Fables Volume 1: Legends in Exile. The premise of these books is the immortal fairytale characters we grew up with have been chased out of their magical realm by an evil warlord known as The Adversary and forced to start a new fable community in New York City and co-exist with the mundanes (uh, that would be us humans).

In this volume Snow White’s sister Rose Red goes missing. Has she been kidnap or worse yet, murdered? And who could be behind this dastardly deed? Her current boyfriend Jack, who use to climb beanstalks, her ex-lover, Bluebeard, or could it even, be her own sister, Snow White? After all, she did catch Rose and her husband Prince Charming in bed together, or should I say now ex-husband. The sheriff of Fabletown, the reformed Big Bad Wolf in human form, has his work cut out for him in this classic whodunit, with not-so-classic fairytale characters.

Oh yeah, it’s official, I’m hooked.

Trixi Thursday

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hellboy Volume 4: The Right Hand of Doom by Mike Mignola

For me Hellboy Volume 4: The Right Hand of Doom is worth the read just for the 2-page story on Hellboy and pancakes. I probably don’t need to say anymore, but I will.

This volume of Hellboy is a compilation of short stories divided into 3 sections. I enjoyed the notes at the beginning of each section from the author/illustrator on the background and inspirations for the stories. A lot of them were based on mythology and folktales such as King Volmer, Saint Leonard the Hermit, a Romanian vampire, and the Saint Dunstan legend. In the 3rd section is the title story The Right Hand of Doom, where Mike Mignola explains that he had been doing Hellboy for five years and people were no longer inquiring about what the deal was with Hellboy’s big stone hand and thought he needed to attract attention to it again with this story.

There were a few of the stories that I though had abrupt endings but overall I thought it was a fun and exciting read. I also found the sketchbook section in the back with the development of the illustrations fascinating.

Frankenstein The Graphic Novel with Original Text of Mary Shelley

As I mentioned before when my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told him The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake. I received Hellboy Volume 1: Seed of Destruction. My birthday was at the end of January and when he asked what I wanted I said I was good with Hellboy Volume 2: Wake the Devil. I was once again surprised with Frankenstein The Graphic Novel. But it is the thought in asking that counts.

Since I was familiar with the story and had read another version of it in the graphic novel, Big Book of Horror by Steve Niles, Scott Morse, Ted McKeever and Richard Sala, I breezed through it even with the use of the original text. Despite the all black front cover, the graphics are very colorful and vivid. I thought they did a good job in the conversion to the graphic novel, though there were a few illustrations of the creature where I thought its expressions did not go along with the text.

For me the most fascinating part of the book was at the end where they gave a 6-page biography of Mary Shelly, including how she came up with the inspiration for Frankenstein. I had always heard it was from a dream, but according to this book it started with a challenge from her circle of friends to all write a supernatural tale. At first she struggled to come up with any ideas and it was after the challenge was over following another gathering and bad weather that sparked the vision for her Frankenstein. There are several passages from her journal through out the biography. Mary Shelly's short life was anything but typical for the times and unfortunately encompassed a great deal of grief. After the biography the book goes on with the history of Frankenstein and how the creature from the book evolved to the creature we know today including when we began to blur the name of the doctor with the name of the creature. It ends with a brief section on the steps involved of creating the graphic novel. I know this will sound bad, but I think I enjoyed the additional section at the end more than the story itself.

Still, I would recommend this book to those who are huge gothic horror fans, those curious on the transformation from classic novel to graphic novel, or those who like to get their history from other sources versus Wikapedia ;) .

Trixi Thursday

Birthday

Last Friday was my birthday and I caught a cold. Not a very nice present if you ask me. My sister did say though she would refrain from making comments about the body falling apart as one gets old. Not officially celebrating the milestone until later this month when the family can get together, thus I don't feel I need to officially count it until that date. The celebration of course will include me eating a massive amounts of birthday frosting with a little side of cake. It is my birthday, so I get the corner pieces, right?

Here are a few photos I took in my office for prosperity sake of sweet birthday wishes to chase away my aging blues...and running nose.

The flowers and teddy are from the hubby and the cards from family.



Yes, the bat one is from my sister.


The rest of the photos are me playing with my camera in other settings besides "auto", trying to prove you can teach an old dog, or in this case should I say old Icats, new tricks.