Kids and Sea-Lions

Well, this post is about a week overdue, I'm afraid. (Where have I been all this time, anyway?!) Sorry about that!
Last week, the girls' abuelitos were here for a few days, bringing with them our good friends Angie and Joella, and Joella's two little girls, Wully and Alexipooch. Nicknames.
Anyway, Jose and Gloria took us ladies and kiddos to the port to see the sea-lions. Unfortunately, of the four cameras only Luchi's had batteries, and they didn't last very long. Grrr....
But PTL, we got some shots anyway. Here they are:

Wully (front), Raff, and Floppy (back)--3-year-olds

Abuela Gloria with Floppy

Bebe, Mumsy, Abuelita, Floppy, and Abuelito Jose

Abuela Gloria with monkey-baby

(she didn't take to her grandparents; naughty naughty)

Sleeping away...

Dead Sea Lion

Believe it or not, that piece of red meat is a neck wound on a great brown hairy sea-monster. It was directly below where we were behind a chain-link fence; I spotted it and everyone came running. It's a little hard to see clearly in the pic, but you can see the creature's nose on the left, and the top of its great dead body, with that magnificent rotting wound on top. Would've made a barbecue for an army... heheh

Here are the kids climbing the fence trying to get a better view. Wully is in front of two more sealions, sorry bout that. We were disappointed not to see very many, because normally this area was so thick with massive sealions lounging, fighting and flopping around on the rocks, but besides the dead one in the last pic (and yes, it actually was dead), there were only two or three others, and 4 little seals swimming merrily in the water.

Look closely between Floppy's right hand and face--there a brown mass there that actually was a sleeping sealion. He was too far away to get a close-up pic.

Ah, there they are. See those weird little outcroppings on the beach? Seals and sea-lions--some of them over 4 meters long, no kidding. Those beasts are gigantic. Apparently they decided to move from the crowded rocks to this nice stretch of beach about a kilometer down the coast. We had been rather disappointedly heading back to the van, when an old fellow came by on his bike and laughed, and said the creatures had moved.

We all hopped back into the van, full of hope, and found them here.--No fence between us, but with signs all over the place instructing us not to approach them, because these wild creatures are dangerous, and are under the observation of a wildlife reserve. Most of them are actually branded, imagine that. We saw huge numbers branded onto the backs of a few of them, as they swam near the docks later on. I made an estimative count of the ones on the beach--there were more than two hundred, stretched out over about half a kilometer of beach. Seals and sea lions, looking like great monstrous slugs.

OOoooh the awesomest thing was to watch them fight, heheh. Well, after this Luchi's battery died, and so you'll just have to take my word about the marvelous ships and boats and stuff we saw later at the port. Too bad, and ta-tah for now!

Library: Mere Christianity

Yesterday, I opened my email account, and there was a letter from my mom. "Cherie," it said, "As a BIG favor, would you be able to find the book 'Mere Christianity' by C.S. Lewis, and send it to me in a file rather than by mediafire?"

Her reasons for the latter, she said, was that since her internet connection in Madagascar is painfully slow and very costly, out-of-the-way and bulky storage sites like mediafire are inaccessible.

So I acquired the book for her, and then I thought, hmmm... must be good. I had a quick read of it and convinced myself that it's an excellent book, one which I intend to study in the very near future; and worth sharing with you here on this site.

http://www.mediafire.com/?n248g15d4g3jssb

Nevertheless, I want to state here for the record, that if anyone has any trouble downloading a file from my site, or if you'd like to acquire something that seems impossible to find, please let me know, and I'll be happy to send it to you, in the case of the former, or do my best to acquire it for you, in the latter case. And sharing interesting books and literary pieces for the edification of the whole, is, of course, the purpose behind this library and vintage depot. I love you!

Library: The Importance of Being Earnest

This is a very interesting 3-act play by Oscar Wilde--absolutely blooming hilarious. Have a good laugh, but don't forget to be earnest...

http://www.mediafire.com/?jnqomc9evjrhmk9

Visitors!!

Yup! The little girls have awesome grandparents; and they've finally arrived today for a long-awaited visit, bringing all the happiness and treats and big bear hugs and smiles they could stuff into their van. And, to add to the merry number, came our good friend Joella, and her two little girls Wully and Alexia (Wully and Floppy are quasi-twins--that is, they were born a day apart, in the same hospital, Joella and I even shared the same hospital room--and they spent the first 3 years of their lives together as little playmates.) Alexia is precisely one year older than my little monkey-baby Chantal. And rounding off the company is our dear friend Angie, who'll be working with us again next year when we move back to BA. How jolly good to see them all again! I was happily surprised to discover that everybody actually does fit into the house, ha! I foresee a lot of loud screeching noises and plenty of bumps and bustles over the course of the next few days, but hallelujah, life is so very short that every moment of happiness and laughter and pleasant fellowship is important. I hope somebody has a camera handy--if so, I'll post pix whenever I can. Ha-ha!!! Wish us luck and great fun!

Library: Every Living Thing

The fifth and final in our series of audiobooks by James Herriot, read by Christopher Timothy. Simply splendid! I'm going to miss my nightly listening sessions, sniff. Love you and hope y'all enjoy it!

http://www.mediafire.com/?daczd8a5b039i

Reflections on Writing

I have been a little slack with my posts lately--I'm sure there has been a noticeable drop in the frequency of my posts. To all who follow my blog with love, I apologize deeply. And here is a little treatise based on my ruminations on the subject.

I would like to say that my time is occupied with my writing. This is not strictly true, from a factual point of view--actually, very little of my time is spent writing. But when I say that, I mean that most of my own time--mental energy, really, because I don't have much actual spare time that isn't peppered with baby noises and bouncing monkeys on my knee--is immersed in my writing. Each unoccupied moment of mental spacetime is currently being dedicated to developing the stories.

I currently have seven books in the works. Seven stories, carefully filed in meticulous order, which I'm developing into books, bit by bit, as inspiration strikes. These are, for the most part, shelved projects, ideas which came to me months or years ago, and which one day will be published and marketed, and all of my faithful followers will receive an autographed copy...

But I am actually only working on two books at present. I wish I could tell all about them, but I won't, because it'll take up far too much time, more than I have at present I'm afraid. The kids will be coming home from their get-out walk in a while, and I'll have to be ready for them when they arrive. But here are the stories in a nutshell.

One book is the story of two families, neighbours, in the 1800's, and their lives. Hortense, the protagonist, is determined to be a missionary, even though she knows it will cost her everything. And Leopold, her neighbour, is in love with Hortense's sister Maxine. But his father has recruited him into a secret brotherhood, and now he must guard the secret of his profession--but it's destroying him from the inside.

Actually, it's going to be about three book-length volumes. I'm halfway through the second volume already. The inspiration for the story came in a haunting flash one day, while walking through the neighbourhood of Chilavert; I saw a house that had very strange-looking windows--they seemed to be bricked over. It was so intriguing, I dreamed about it several times, and finally decided to write a story. The working title of the book, in fact, is The Mysterious House with Missing Windows.

The second book is one I'm co-writing with my good friend Stevie. We each invented a character, and these characters write to each other--these letters will constitute the main body of the book, with very little, if any, surrounding narrative. We alternate writing one letter each week. I'm not going to give away the plot, nor even the characters of this book--but suffice it to say that it's going to be a veritable novelty.

One thing I've found to be essential in novel-writing is to, in essence, live your characters' lives. Get to know them as though you lived in their world--in other words, you have to write straight from your heart, from your own observations and conclusions, or you won't convince anybody else. And in the case of fiction, its reality must be lived in the heart and mind, either from experience or imagination, in order to be believable.

And to those among you who enjoy writing, but who aren't sure whether you possess the talent or not, my advice is to write. The first few pieces you write likely won't be entirely publishing-worthy, but you'll get better and better with practice. By practice, I mean make each piece your best piece. Don't bother writing just for silliness' sake--if you're going to spend the time and invest all that mental energy into your project, make it as best as you can. Who knows? You may be the next Agatha Christie.

Another thing: don't be afraid of corrections. I suggest taking one or two close friends, people you trust and who share your interest in the piece you're writing, into your confidence, and having them go over your work critically. Don't go around showing your work to everybody and trying to get as many opinions as possible: it can be so very discouraging to hear too many opinions on the subject, and doubtless some or most won't even be interested enough to make well-rounded suggestions, but will just comment according to the mood of the moment--which won't help you much at all.

One or two individuals will do splendidly, and you'll have the pleasure of knowing that somebody is truly interested in your work, and wants to help you make it reach its best potential. It's also an incentive to continue working on something even after the inspiration fizzles out, when you know someone is anxious to hear the rest of the story.

Finally, don't let the adage "do few things but do them well" bother you. If you have a penchant for writing, and you feel the storytelling urges but have no time to indulge, it may be that you have not divided your time correctly, or perhaps are squandering it in some unnecessary passtime. I, for example, dearly love to play Mah Jongg during my downtimes--but after an hour and a half of trying to beat my own records, I find I've neither contributed to society, nor grown in intellect, wisdom, or wit, nor produced anything worthwhile. So I have to force myself not to indulge in that game when I could be working on my book, or doing something else.

Finally, don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's okay to go back and change half the work you did on your piece if you think it can be better. Just remember to save a copy of the original so you can compare the different versions. Keep good records--I recommend uploading all your progress, or backing it up, to prevent losses in case of crashes or robbery.

Hey, bebe is squirming all over the place; I'd better rescue her. Love you all so much!

Vintage Mask (1985)

These things are good:

ice cream and cake

a ride on a Harley

seeing monkeys in the trees

the rain on my tongue

and the sun shining on my face.

These things are a drag:

dust in my hair

holes in my shoes

no money in my pocket

and the sun shining on my face.

--Roy L. "Rocky" Dennis

(Dec. 4, 1961 - Oct. 4, 1978)

"Mask" is a very touching movie, based on the true story of a young man named Rocky Dennis, who was afflicted with a very rare disease, colloquially termed 'lionitis'--a disfiguring enlargement of the face and cranium. I wouldn't recommend that this film be viewed by young children, as it can be a trifle distressing; otherwise it's a beautiful story, splendidly acted, casting Eric Stoltz as Rocky, Cher as biker-mother Rusty, Sam Elliott as the freewheeling Gar, and Laura Dern as Rocky's lovely blind girlfriend.

rapidshare.com/files/91379473/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part1.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91380039/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part2.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91379464/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part3.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91379468/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part4.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91380094/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part5.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91409803/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part6.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91409386/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part7.rar.html

rapidshare.com/files/91410671/Mask_DVD_RIP_.part8.rar.html

Library: The Lord God Made Them All

And here is the second-to-last part of the series. It's a good deal of fun, though since the chapters jump back and forth in sequence, it takes a bit to get used to it. Some really funny parts, like chapter 26 for example, heeheehee! Great for a good giggle.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ypmgpbvh9a549

Library: All Things Wise and Wonderful

Here is All Things Wise and Wonderful, the third volume of the acclaimed series by James Herriot, veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire dales in the '30s. Read by Christopher Timothy--great bunches of fun! Each chapter stands out on its own as an individual masterpiece. Here's the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?35l62jbiq2ljc

Let Us Be Kind

We cannot know the grief

That men may borrow

We cannot know the souls

Storm-swept by sorrow

But love can shine upon the way

Today, tomorrow

Let us be kind.

Upon the wheel of pain

So many weary lives are broken

We live in vain

Who give no tender token

Let us be kind.

Library: All Things Bright and Beautiful

Here's the second book in the series by renowned vet James Herriot, this one titled 'All Things Bright and Beautiful.'

http://www.mediafire.com/?pr2gzddrarypf

I've been listening to a few chapters of the series per day, usually in place of the customary drama tape while Floppy goes to bed and I nurse the woosel to sleep--well written, and properly read, too. I'm halfway through the third book now, so it won't be long before I post that one up too.

Oh by the way, for some strange reason the ebooks and the audiobooks are misaligned--that is, the chapters do not correspond correctly. I think it's because some editions divide James Herriot's series into four books, each titled after a stanza of Cecil Alexander's famous poem; other editions divide the books into 8 or 9 volumes, with different titles. The content is all there, of course, just not in the same order.

So, and this is my firm suggestion, SCREW THE EBOOKS, as they are badly transcribed anyway, and stick with the audiobooks, which are cleverly and wonderfully read by Christopher Timothy, a grand master of his art.

Makes me feel like downing a pint of bitter myself. Anyway, cheerio!