Obsessions and Possessions

Of all the (probably unhealthy) obsessions that I have, I really enjoy (certain) video games and art.  When these 2 combine, it can sometimes blow my mind.  When it's affordable, I induldge myself.  There is currently a show at Gallery 1988 (Venice, California location) about old school videogames.  One of the most popular of these games series is anything within Nintendo's Zelda line.  I LOVE these games.  I buy them as soon as they are released and labor over them for many hours (painful arms and hands be damned!) until I beat every level/beast/boss and master every puzzle and skill.  Then, I replay them over and over.  They are delightfully full of fun in their many iterations.  I really hope that Nintendo comes out with a new one as it has been a few years now.  Anyway, I noticed that one particular artist made a really cool piece of Zelda-influenced art with which he included  a golden record with the triforce on it ('natch).  Here's a (borrowed) picture from the gallery's blog showing this work and the cover art of the "album" itself and then also a closer look at the cover art by Joey Spiotto (http://www.etsy.com/shop/joebot?ref=pr_shop).  For those who don't know (gasp!) this is Princess Zelda with The Hero or Link.  Nearly always, your character with whom you play the game is Link.  I found the artist's Etsy page and bought the front and back prints of this album art.  Sadly, the record itself will have already been sold at the show and was quite pricey, I'm sure.  The prints on Etsy were much more economically priced.  The available prints from that show should be able this weekend.  I'm looking forward to what is available as I really like another of the prints that will be available.  If my wallet is lucky, however, maybe it will already have sold out.

Also speaking of obsessions and possessions, I've neglected to post any pictures of my toy collections.  Here is one small part of the (much) larger collection - my Rose Vampires.  There are 2 sizes of this toy.  The original size was the small size you see here in the various colors.  The newer, larger version is behind these.  I haven't set him up properly yet, so you can't see all of him.  (I had a different set of toys sitting behind these guys, but moved them now that there are larger versions available.) This is not all of the Rose Vampires that were released (sadly), but I do have most of them.  I think they're beautiful.  The original version is the one on the far left with the green body and red head.  The one on the far right is last one made available which was meant to echo the original (but has a clear body - a clear head would have been too pricey I read).

Hagerstown City Park, Roses, and Photoshop

After I wrote about not having taken any pictures for a while, I decided to visit Hagerstown's City Park and take some.  I walked around the Hager House and then around the lake some.  On my way back to my car, I walked through the garden behind the museum and took some pictures of the roses there.  I played with photoshop and tried a couple cool effects...at least I think they're cool.
 

Local and National Flags at Hagerstown City Park and the Hager House




The Hager House - the city founder's home



The Hager House and the spring.

The walkway leading up to the Mansion House.

A little girl feeds the swans and ducks corn.

Roses behind the museum (original picture)

A rose with a dewdrop behind the museum (original picture)

photo with "poster edges"

photo with "poster edges"

A time capsule behind the museum which will be opened in 2026 (after 50 years).

Workers lowering the flags to half staff in observance of September 11th - Patriot's Day (edit:  what I just found out is that white block on the right side is where a piece of World Trade Center steel beam was installed and this is the Washington County Emergency Services Tribute Garden - I had no idea.  I will have to return to have a look.)

Swans swimming in the lake

Rain, rain, and more rain...

Well, we endured Hurricane Irene the same week as the East Coast Earthquake of 2011, but then we suffered through the drenching rains of Tropical Storm Lee.  Lee was much worse than Irene, but it was just rainy here.  It didn't flood where I am, thankfully!  This morning, there is finally a bit of sun.  I'm hoping that we can keep it for a while. 

I took the plunge and signed up for Level 3 Basic Sign Language.  It looks like only 3 people have signed up though, so I'm not sure the class will go on with that few...which will be disappointing.  I'm not the best ASL student, but I'm trying to learn it.  I had to go to the main campus of Hagerstown Community College to buy the book (couldn't find it online at a decent price that would get it here, for sure, by Monday's first class) and get a parking pass.  It was an ordeal to get a parking pass.  At least I didn't have to pay for the pass itself, which is nice, and student parking is right in front of the building where my class will be (if it happens, that is). 

I know it's super nerdy, but I've made my annual spreadsheet of Fall TV Shows thanks to some help from Entertainment Weekly.  I don't like that EW ignores channels like HBO, Showtime, and AMC.  I'm really looking forward to The Walking Dead (October 16th!) and Mad Men (sadly, next year) on AMC.  Such awesome shows.  I can't watch the zombie show right before bed though.  It would give me bad dreams.  As it is, the show made me paranoid last year when I watched it.  While in my basement doing laundry, I worried that a zombie might be able to see me through the basement window despite the blinds and the curtain and he/she/it would try to break through the basement window when he/she/it sees the basement light and then I'd be toast...or zombie food...whatever.  I know that's ridiculous, but if a show can make me think that much about zombies, then it's certainly doing something right.

I am midway through book 3 of the Game of Thrones series.  I read so much yesterday that I dreamed crazy dreams with strange violence in them.  I don't want this series to ever end.  The paperback books are all nearly 1,000 pages, but it's still not enough.  I have the rest of book 3, then book 4 and then book 5 was just released in hardcover.  I just might have to get a Kindle (I've been fighting that urge) because it's gonna hurt my hands to try to hold a book that big and read it.  The author, George R. R. Martin has been writing this series since 1996 and I'm just now inhaling the books due to the HBO show of the same name that I adored.  It's going to be quite difficult to wait for books 6 and 7 to be written.  It sounds like it will be years and years from now before they're released.  Some things are difficult to wait for, but definitely worth the wait!

I don't have any picture to post today, sadly.  It's been so wet, that I haven't really been able to get out and do anything.  I tried to take pictures of my dog Max who isn't doing so well, but he didn't really want to cooperate and he cried when I tried to pick him up.  Oh well.  I wanted to capture what I saw last night in my backyard, but I don't think it would have come out as cool as what I saw.  Fog was slowly creeping across the long, shared back yard which borders the fence separating us from the Western Maryland Rail Yard.  The lights from the rail yard are always too bright, but the fog made them look eerie and surreal.  Maybe I'll learn how to photograph fog at some point.  I guess fog at night is even more challenging.