Singular, "liston". Plural, "listones". The best translation is "ribbon."
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Recently Sighted
Monse. At the ranch. Looking sly as ever.
How's the weather? Not baa-aa-aad. And please don't eat me.
Art hanging at the hotel. One of my favorites.
Looks a bit like Vegas, eh?
These little buggers will burn your tongue off. And they have a nice flavor, too, once you get used to them burning your tongue off.Sunday, October 26, 2008
Details of the Not-So-Obvious
Where the magic comes from is what it is.
The character of the Dubious Bastard has always been a trickster as far back as is remembered by anyone. He has always been here to show us that everything we believe to be true about nature, our belief system, the universe, and even the trickster himself is not to be trusted. He has always shown and said that we can't nor shouldn't really believe reality in general because it is all "jest a trick, pal." We search for truth and meaning when there is only chaos. We should stop trying to figure it all out because we know that no one ever has and we know that no one ever will.
Then one rainy day, the DB trickster was stuck trying to drive a car in a mind-numbing traffic jam, and he was again thinking about how Magic doesn't really exist anymore in the heart of man, nor even in his own. "There is no such thing as Magic anymore, pal, it's all jest a trick," he said to himself. "Jest a trick, pal"... no wonder he was disappointed with the time he had spent with "jest tricks..."
In the old days, when Man relied on the Earth for her kindness and bounty, in the days before the advance of the Industrialists' Rape Machines, Magic itself was strong in the heart of man and it Guided him and Protected him. Magic freed him from fear. Magic provided bountiful harvests. Magic provided freedom from want. Magic destroyed his enemies. Magic made magnificent order out of utter chaos. Magic foretold his future.
But on that day... that rainy day, as the Industrialists were flailing through their last miserable death throes and the Informationalists were struggling to take over their positions in what was left of this world's economy, as the car horns squealed and blared at each other to no avail, as the world spun through the chaos we think is our universe, as the rain fell on this rainy day... Magic let itself stand on the very edge of extinction. It looked down, and thought about its future.
And finally, after some contemplation, Magic decided to reveal itself that day as still very much alive and still very much in power.
The Trickster was relieved of his duties on that rainy day and evicted from the premises. No more would he be allowed to confuse the world with his "jest tricks." No more would he be able to cast doubts on every aspect of life. No more would he politely be permitted to challenge or undermine gentle people's belief systems.
As the truth was told, it turned out that nobody wanted him around anyway, and were really glad to see him go. Upon the trickster's eviction, he just walked away, muttering something that was never ever really understood by anyone. And that's probably just as well for all.
And there in his place, stood a Magician. And the Magician understood his powers. And he understood his position. And he understood his place. And he went forth into the new age.
Which is a good thing... or there would have been nobody to drive the car.
The character of the Dubious Bastard has always been a trickster as far back as is remembered by anyone. He has always been here to show us that everything we believe to be true about nature, our belief system, the universe, and even the trickster himself is not to be trusted. He has always shown and said that we can't nor shouldn't really believe reality in general because it is all "jest a trick, pal." We search for truth and meaning when there is only chaos. We should stop trying to figure it all out because we know that no one ever has and we know that no one ever will.
Then one rainy day, the DB trickster was stuck trying to drive a car in a mind-numbing traffic jam, and he was again thinking about how Magic doesn't really exist anymore in the heart of man, nor even in his own. "There is no such thing as Magic anymore, pal, it's all jest a trick," he said to himself. "Jest a trick, pal"... no wonder he was disappointed with the time he had spent with "jest tricks..."
In the old days, when Man relied on the Earth for her kindness and bounty, in the days before the advance of the Industrialists' Rape Machines, Magic itself was strong in the heart of man and it Guided him and Protected him. Magic freed him from fear. Magic provided bountiful harvests. Magic provided freedom from want. Magic destroyed his enemies. Magic made magnificent order out of utter chaos. Magic foretold his future.
But on that day... that rainy day, as the Industrialists were flailing through their last miserable death throes and the Informationalists were struggling to take over their positions in what was left of this world's economy, as the car horns squealed and blared at each other to no avail, as the world spun through the chaos we think is our universe, as the rain fell on this rainy day... Magic let itself stand on the very edge of extinction. It looked down, and thought about its future.
And finally, after some contemplation, Magic decided to reveal itself that day as still very much alive and still very much in power.
The Trickster was relieved of his duties on that rainy day and evicted from the premises. No more would he be allowed to confuse the world with his "jest tricks." No more would he be able to cast doubts on every aspect of life. No more would he politely be permitted to challenge or undermine gentle people's belief systems.
As the truth was told, it turned out that nobody wanted him around anyway, and were really glad to see him go. Upon the trickster's eviction, he just walked away, muttering something that was never ever really understood by anyone. And that's probably just as well for all.
And there in his place, stood a Magician. And the Magician understood his powers. And he understood his position. And he understood his place. And he went forth into the new age.
Which is a good thing... or there would have been nobody to drive the car.
Carson City, Nevada
If you ever get the chance to go to Carson City, Nevada, then go to the state museum. It's just a few blocks north of the Capitol building.
All the Carson City Mint stuff is there and they have a complete collection of every coin (gold and silver) ever minted in ol' CC. The coins are in a safe and behind bars, but you can still see them. Neat stuff.
It amazed me how such a little town held such a wealth of history. One might think that the big cities hold that ace, but the older I get, the more I realize that the real work is done in the little towns.
Virginia City and the silver mine are next. I'll drag my kids along with me for that one. Road trip!!
All the Carson City Mint stuff is there and they have a complete collection of every coin (gold and silver) ever minted in ol' CC. The coins are in a safe and behind bars, but you can still see them. Neat stuff.
It amazed me how such a little town held such a wealth of history. One might think that the big cities hold that ace, but the older I get, the more I realize that the real work is done in the little towns.
Virginia City and the silver mine are next. I'll drag my kids along with me for that one. Road trip!!
The "Magician in Trouble" Plot
I have eliminated all "Gee, I can't tell. Is the Magician in Trouble?" plots from my working sets. They just don't work for my character.
What does work for me is when I tell them in advance, with a wink and a smile, that I "always mess up this trick." That way they can develop a reasonable expectation of what's about to happen. That way they're aren't going to feel "tricked" when I magically save my own sorry butt. That way I can act out the piece assuredly, elaborating on the facets of the "magician in trouble" (yeah, right!) plot.
I figured out how this works for me by actually messing up a trick that I "always mess up." Does this sound familiar? Does this sound ironic? It sure didn't feel either of those ways when I messed it up.... but I digress...
I was doing the Spectator Spells to His Own Card After the Magician Couldn't Find Water Even If His Ass Fell Out of a Boat trick. I was using a break and just a break to keep track of the whole thing, and while during the shuffle, I lost the darn break! The break vanished into thin air. I knew I was in deep doo-doo.
I remember the wave of emotions that washed over me. I remember the heat. I remember the sweat on the back of my neck and palms of my hands. I remember the speechlessness and my eyes wandering, flicking around the layout while my mind raced for a solution that was nowhere in sight. I remember the tunnel-vision. I kept saying, "Really, guys, I goofed this one. It's gone. I goofed. It's gone." We sat there a good two minutes (a lifetime!) with nothing to say or do.
And then, as fortune would have it, the stars lined up, the clouds opened and the sun shone down on the deck still in my hand. The deck split open in my hand and I was able to look at one card. That one card told me instantly where the other card was, and I was able to bring the trick to a successful conclusion, flying by the seat of my pants. I can attest that it was the strongest trick I did that night. They talked about that one, not the others, for the rest of the night. They said, "I really thought you messed that trick up!" I told them, "I did! I did!" We laughed about it until sun-up.
That experience taught me how I should do this MIT plot. It is the only way I'll do it. Ever. Nothing else works for me.
What's this got to do with the price of Bicycle decks at Wal-Mart? I'll tell you. The Magician in Trouble plot is a strong plot. It is a powerful plot. It is a plot that will get people talking for a long time. The only problem with it, (and it's a doozy..) is that there are infinitely more ways to mess it up than there are ways to get it right. When it's right, it's a KO. When it's wrong, it's, at best, contemptuous, and at worst, downright insulting.
Guess which card I saw.
What does work for me is when I tell them in advance, with a wink and a smile, that I "always mess up this trick." That way they can develop a reasonable expectation of what's about to happen. That way they're aren't going to feel "tricked" when I magically save my own sorry butt. That way I can act out the piece assuredly, elaborating on the facets of the "magician in trouble" (yeah, right!) plot.
I figured out how this works for me by actually messing up a trick that I "always mess up." Does this sound familiar? Does this sound ironic? It sure didn't feel either of those ways when I messed it up.... but I digress...
I was doing the Spectator Spells to His Own Card After the Magician Couldn't Find Water Even If His Ass Fell Out of a Boat trick. I was using a break and just a break to keep track of the whole thing, and while during the shuffle, I lost the darn break! The break vanished into thin air. I knew I was in deep doo-doo.
I remember the wave of emotions that washed over me. I remember the heat. I remember the sweat on the back of my neck and palms of my hands. I remember the speechlessness and my eyes wandering, flicking around the layout while my mind raced for a solution that was nowhere in sight. I remember the tunnel-vision. I kept saying, "Really, guys, I goofed this one. It's gone. I goofed. It's gone." We sat there a good two minutes (a lifetime!) with nothing to say or do.
And then, as fortune would have it, the stars lined up, the clouds opened and the sun shone down on the deck still in my hand. The deck split open in my hand and I was able to look at one card. That one card told me instantly where the other card was, and I was able to bring the trick to a successful conclusion, flying by the seat of my pants. I can attest that it was the strongest trick I did that night. They talked about that one, not the others, for the rest of the night. They said, "I really thought you messed that trick up!" I told them, "I did! I did!" We laughed about it until sun-up.
That experience taught me how I should do this MIT plot. It is the only way I'll do it. Ever. Nothing else works for me.
What's this got to do with the price of Bicycle decks at Wal-Mart? I'll tell you. The Magician in Trouble plot is a strong plot. It is a powerful plot. It is a plot that will get people talking for a long time. The only problem with it, (and it's a doozy..) is that there are infinitely more ways to mess it up than there are ways to get it right. When it's right, it's a KO. When it's wrong, it's, at best, contemptuous, and at worst, downright insulting.
Guess which card I saw.
That Dumb Dog
A picture of the culprit. He has trash all over the floor and guilt written all over his face.
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