Feels like forever since I've posted anything really meaningful here. Life continues on its merry way. Things happen but nothing ever really changes. That's not a complaint -- I have a pretty good life, I'm content with it for the most part. But when I sit down at the computer, none of it really seems worth writing down.
Yesterday T and I went to the Asian Art Museum to see two special exhibits on Japanese storytellers: the 19th century printmaker Yoshitoshi and the great manga-ka Tezuka Osamu, best known in the US for Astro Boy. I enjoyed both exhibits a great deal. Probably what struck me most in both exhibits was the level of detail both men lavished on their work. I certainly noticed it with Yoshitoshi, but it struck me even more in the Tezuka. Some of his drawings of rainstorms, in particular, were exquisite. I also found the breadth of subjects to be totally fascinating. Tezuka wrote a manga version of Crime and Punishment, and another on the life of Beethoven ("Ludwig B") -- the panels on that one had some of the most dynamic visual representations of music I've ever seen. But the thing that bowled me over the most was the segment on "Princess Knight (Ribon no kishi)", because I recognized it immediately. It had been made into an anime that I watched on television as a kid. I loved the show but could never for the life of me remember the title. I've been trying to recollect for years, but no one I've ever asked has recognized it. And now, 25 years later, I finally know what it is. Of course, you can't get it on video in English, but at least now I know it's out there.
The rest of the weekend has been pretty much spent around the house. We made white chili yesterday; it was good, but I ended up with "jalapeño hands" -- the oil got embedded in my fingertips and burned my skin all night. Now, 24 hours later, it still hasn't completely worn off. Taking out my contacts was an adventure. My other main project has been working on the website. Still nothing ready to present yet, although I feel like I'm at least starting to get a bit of a handle on the CSS. If only I could figure out how to make everything line up the way I want it to. Hopefully I'll have at least something to show off soon.
Wrote a little bit, too, although not as much as I'd like. The Kissing Battle got me rolling (from Monday night through this afternoon I wrote eight ficbits including, um, two for FFXII, I am really not quite sure how that happened) but then I got sidetracked by CSS and the burning fingers, which made it really hard to concentrate on much last night. Still, the kissing ficlets were a great deal of fun. I enjoyed the chance to cut loose and play with pairings and characters I don't usually touch (as well as revisit a few old friends) in a low-pressure situation. I hope to see more fic challenges like it.
Oh yeah, and I got some planning done for my upcoming trip to Chicago for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
concertinette's wedding! We leave on Friday and come back on Tuesday. That should be fun -- good friends will be there, I haven't been to Chicago in ages, and T has never been, so I'm excited to show him all the exciting architecture (and of course to get a look at it myself). Definitely looking forward to that one.
Yesterday T and I went to the Asian Art Museum to see two special exhibits on Japanese storytellers: the 19th century printmaker Yoshitoshi and the great manga-ka Tezuka Osamu, best known in the US for Astro Boy. I enjoyed both exhibits a great deal. Probably what struck me most in both exhibits was the level of detail both men lavished on their work. I certainly noticed it with Yoshitoshi, but it struck me even more in the Tezuka. Some of his drawings of rainstorms, in particular, were exquisite. I also found the breadth of subjects to be totally fascinating. Tezuka wrote a manga version of Crime and Punishment, and another on the life of Beethoven ("Ludwig B") -- the panels on that one had some of the most dynamic visual representations of music I've ever seen. But the thing that bowled me over the most was the segment on "Princess Knight (Ribon no kishi)", because I recognized it immediately. It had been made into an anime that I watched on television as a kid. I loved the show but could never for the life of me remember the title. I've been trying to recollect for years, but no one I've ever asked has recognized it. And now, 25 years later, I finally know what it is. Of course, you can't get it on video in English, but at least now I know it's out there.
The rest of the weekend has been pretty much spent around the house. We made white chili yesterday; it was good, but I ended up with "jalapeño hands" -- the oil got embedded in my fingertips and burned my skin all night. Now, 24 hours later, it still hasn't completely worn off. Taking out my contacts was an adventure. My other main project has been working on the website. Still nothing ready to present yet, although I feel like I'm at least starting to get a bit of a handle on the CSS. If only I could figure out how to make everything line up the way I want it to. Hopefully I'll have at least something to show off soon.
Wrote a little bit, too, although not as much as I'd like. The Kissing Battle got me rolling (from Monday night through this afternoon I wrote eight ficbits including, um, two for FFXII, I am really not quite sure how that happened) but then I got sidetracked by CSS and the burning fingers, which made it really hard to concentrate on much last night. Still, the kissing ficlets were a great deal of fun. I enjoyed the chance to cut loose and play with pairings and characters I don't usually touch (as well as revisit a few old friends) in a low-pressure situation. I hope to see more fic challenges like it.
Oh yeah, and I got some planning done for my upcoming trip to Chicago for
concertinette's wedding! We leave on Friday and come back on Tuesday. That should be fun -- good friends will be there, I haven't been to Chicago in ages, and T has never been, so I'm excited to show him all the exciting architecture (and of course to get a look at it myself). Definitely looking forward to that one.
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