Drawn from this very site

I have to post this, Linda. It's too hysterical!

A Bit a Beta

I've seen some amazing drawings done by the troopers in the last day or two, and hope to get that gallery up before I leave to visit my mother and help her move to a new room.

The evil and wondrous image above is a screen capture from my beta experiment. Informed sources say that Norman drew it.

I had to try one more experiment before I left the home base. I wanted to see if it would be possible to make a drawing dynamically and then import it into Flash. If that worked out, then you could make dynamic Flash greeting cards, for instance, or strangely personalized Flash movies.

So I put some code together, and took it apart, and rearranged it, and lost most of the day on this. Finally it works in a beta sort of way.

Draw a head in the box below. fill the head in- ie no white space or it will look kind of weird. You'll see. If you want to give it a black line, do that after you've filled it in. Press create head.



Then wait about 30 seconds. Press the button in the second app, sound on (or not).
If you don't want to draw a head, just press the button- you'll see someone's head on the body.




I coded it just for one head, so the next person who tries it will overwrite your little head. If you don't see your head, try refreshing the page, or clearing your cache if you know how to do that. I haven't tested it yet in Blogger. It may work better directly from the html page. It may not work at all.

Still, it's a new step when you can put a dynamic image in a Flash movie, and I'm sure I'll try more of this when I have more time.

Ultimate Postcard App

This one's the Cadillac of them all, with code by Ben Rhodes and eraser, undo features, plain canvas or picture, zoom, brush shapes. All it needs now is fill.



I got all sorts of wonderful postcards myself today, and even managed to figure out how to embed a flash file in a postcard. I need to save all these nifty pictures and put up another bulletin board. But it's going to be a busy week.

Last Postcard for Awhile

The only thing different here is pictures you can draw into. This information was not easily obtained. If you make a mistake use the white, clear will take the whole thing away. There are two palettes. What else would make this fun? Adding a photo you drew on, of a landscape for instance?

(I actually think the drag and drops are most fun because even non artists can create something cool, whereas when you get into drawing, half the crowd leaves the room.)

Draw it and Send It!

I've taken a peek at some of the drag and drops because they sit on my server, a maximum of 100. Just now I've put them in a show for all, because they are a treat. There are no ids except for one or two cards I received. See them in the original post. One especially delighted me.

I woke up from a dream thinking about an app. I dreamed (in Flash) that a teacher was standing in front of an outdoor cartoon classroom (funny animals) with a little easel and the dream was something about how the students thought what she was teaching was the most wondrous thing ever. I wanted to draw a minimal background and let you guys do the wondrous part, but I got stuck trying to include a background. May happen in the days ahead though.

In another dream I was told turn right at "O" street, then left at "K" street. "OK"!

So today I worked on this drawing postcard app, of course this is the kind of thing where the dirty pictures all start showing up, but maybe not in this dignified group who visits my site.

I found a charming house sitter today, so that's one major problem solved, and someone kicked the bucket at the old folks home so a room is available for my mother. I'm leaving Wednesday for quite a few days of intensive packing and moving-- timed it perfectly as I already had the plane reservation. But you hate to sound too jolly about this sort of opportunity. "Oh, someone died upstairs? In a big room? Great!"

okay enough at the keyboard, let's see if this drawing thing works. again, NOT a contest. I'm too busy.

Drag this now

This isn't a contest so don't start drooling for chocolate. But after fussing over php code for the last day I believe I've made an app here that allows you to send the drag and drop you've made to someone else as a postcard.

Let's see if it works.

post script- Look what I found on the server just now, Friday night. The one I got as a postcard from Rich was titled "She obviously has a teenage crush". Something about her reminds me so much of my sister.



If yours isn't here it either didn't go through or you did it after I crafted this slider.

Trailers From Hell

The Movie Orgy last night was a blast. We stayed more than two hours and I was doubled over with laughter. Just great. (Here's a review that came in this morning.)

Joe Dante and his partner Elizabeth Stanley run "Trailers from Hell." Jon's done two funny commentaries there.

The audience was having a rollicking old time, and what an assortment of people. In front of us was the extra large group, who'd brought croissants In a big box to share. Off to the right was a guy dressed like a doorbell-ringing Mormon with white short sleeve shirt and tie, but he was talking on his cell phone and swigging from a bottle of wine till he dropped it and it did the clankety clank thing, not that noticeable since everyone was laughing so hard.

by the way, I think it's wrong that they're sending those polygamist children to foster homes. What do you think?

Hello Again

Since it's Earth Day I thought I'd post a link to the helloagain site I did for my bud Susan Subtle about four years ago (or more-eek) Originally it was going to include a monthly magazine and a fully operational store, but Susan didn't want to get into merchandising and the store never launched. Susan was spotting products made from recycled materials at least ten years ago, but she's like that, always ahead of trends.

I spoke to my mother today. She'd returned from an ultra modern heart clinic where they were checking her out.

She said, "The place was so modern it made you sick. The wall paper and the floors looked liked they were competing, trying to be the least conspicuous. Big Squirrels everywhere."

"Big Squirrels?"

"I mean Swirls. It was all over-simplified and over-swirlified."

She's really mad that they haven't been letting her eat chocolate. I'll fix that when I go see her next week.

and so much for good intentions on Earth Day. I've already been out twice in my car: to walk the dog at Lake Balboa and to mail a package and get frozen corn for the chickens and potato chips and Jujyfruits. (The things we admit to.)

Worse, tonight Jon and I may take separate cars to the SAME MOVIE! It's "The Movie Orgy" a compilation film he and Joe Dante created for hippies around 1970. The cut down version runs four hours. The original ran 7 hours. I know I won't make it past two hours, and Jon doesn't think I'll make it there at all.

How are you celebrating Earth Day? (update- going in one car with two hour guarantee.)

Spotting the Spotted

We went for a five mile hike at Placerita Canyon this morning. The last time we were there it looked utterly bleak because of several wildfires in succession, but today it looked green and lovely. We didn't see any rattlesnakes, which was a relief, and were pleased to see Western Toad tadpoles filling the stream that runs through the canyon.

We walked all the way to the waterfalls, and were lucky to see a Western Tanager, a gorgeous bird.



As we got near the falls we ran into a couple who said they'd just seen a Spotted Owl, which is an endangered species and I thought unheard of in this area. The Spotted Owl was the focus of a lot of disagreements in the Pacific Northwest.

They'd heard about it on the rare bird alert, and wanted to add it to their life list.

They told us how to find the bird. 100 yards ahead, past the tree with the broken limb, off to the left- "It looks like a bag of peanuts."

Jon and I both smiled and glazed over on the directions.

"If you get to the end of the trail, you've gone too far."

"That's how I approach life," Jon told them. Well we got to the end of the trail, and didn't see a bag of peanuts, and were heading back down the hill.




At first I thought it was just a very large fungus on a limb, but no, it really was the Spotted Owl!

The chocolates go to Tom Davick, but you get-

His winning entry was entitled: "Anita East Tennessee Beehive Can I Hep You"
(sounds like someone who's gonna try to house sit here.)

All the entrants are on display here in a fancy Flash component which won't display within Blogger, something I find very annoying.

but everyone who entered can have a choice of one piece of art from the groups displayed. (One per person regardless of number of entries.) The art will be signed, and from the group, but not necessarily the one on top.



Clockwise from top left:

1. Anita coming out of pool Esther Williams style
2. a woodblock print titled "Jailbirds"
3. A drawing from the dream sequence in "Quasi at the Quackadero
4. same- on paper with watercolor markers so it might fade
5. Ancillary Anita- but no background
6. water fighting little Anita and Snozzy
7. The Octopus Stroll

If you submitted an entry before today, just email me your name and address and I'll send you the cel you want, and Tom, want that chocolate dark or milk?

Thanks to all who entered-- I got such a kick out of your pictures.

ALSO!! Note new cool feature. If you make a new picture, then go directly to sendcard, you can send a postcard of that very card. However, if someone gets there before you, their image will be on display. Let me know if it doesn't work, though.

House Sitter and then some

We met a very nice woman who's taking care of the chickens while we go on the Wild Bear Adventure, but meanwhile we've also stepped into the quagmire of summer house sitters.

There's a site I signed up with to post the "job", (hopefully no pay), and I got quite swamped by the replies. Many seemed possible, some seemed a bit scammy, and some a bit mad, like the semi retired veterinarian who displayed a picture of herself with two kittens in her hands that she was maybe about to eat.

Unreal? (picture of gorgeous blonde at party surrounded by Jamaicans- says she's 21)

I am currently a student at Vassar College in New York, born and raised in Southern
California, and would LOVE to house-sit for you this summer! I am studying in Paris this semester and I get home to So-Cal at the end of May.I love meeting new people and learning new languages. I currently speak french, chinese, swedish and english. I play volleyball and love to travel. I have been all over the world and my passions are art history, singing, and ballet dance.

or this, and who the h are Richard and peggy?

Dear Sally,
Please read my profile. Aneither smoke nor drink
and all references are easil contacted. would I
require my own vehicle? I do not charge for home
and pet care. Do you know Richard and peggy
Learman?

Well you get the idea. Meanwhile the contest entries are so wondrous I'm going to award something to everyone, as well as the grand prize.

Before there was Google

Maybe if I had a pair I could figure out the code roadblock that's driven me nuts today in between the Honda Element roadblock.

My key would not turn at all in the ignition today. AAA towing managed to get the "valet" key to work, and now I'm looking at a $1000 bill to replace the key cylinder. It's not under warranty. Molly and I are grounded. We missed the dog walk with dog friends today and will miss our scent class tomorrow.

Jon won't let the dog in his Toyota Prius, and that's probably a good idea.

How's your day going? Don't forget the contest. So far there have been fewer entries than there are chocolates in a 1 lb. box of nuts and chews, which is the prize. You don't need to draw to enter, just drag your little mouse around. Gee, maybe I should enter!

and an excerpt from Whinsey's log:

you said: Do you like cartoons?
she said: Walt was best!
you said: Did you hear Ollie Johnston died?
she said: I didn't know, I'm sorry
you said: He was 95
she said: I like big numbers!

Meanwhile, send a postcard

Don't forget the contest, folks. Only three more days. I'm selecting nuts and chews for the winner.



I struggled the last half day to get the postcard set up working, and now it seems to. I didn't spend as much time selecting the images as I did dealing with php permissions and an actual database which somehow came together late this morning.

So feel free to send a card here. Unlike many of those free cards, this one isn't doing any tracking or cookies or anything like that. If I can take it a big step farther, you'll be able to email your own drawing, but don't expect that tomorrow.

Being an old postcard collector, I've never been that keen on digital cards because you can't hold them, but I guess other people like them.

Help Anita and Win Chocolates

I've been on a code roll today, breaking through some ActionScript 3 concepts.

And I'm thinking about chocolate.

Meanwhile Anita decided to accept the free promotion Charbucks was offering and chose the coal burner makeover. Now she needs help.

Head over to Whinsey's blog to see what I mean, and enter the contest. You don't have to draw anything.

Sketch Pad

We'll see if this works. It's a nifty Flash Actionscript 3.0 sketchpad. I got the code here. It's open source from google, actually, but Henry Jones gives sense on how to implement it. However, 4/17) Henry Jones article seems to have vanished!

Here's a drawing I did before I'd uploaded it. You have to draw slowly to get decent line quality.



If it doesn't work I'll fool with it after lunch. If using firefox you have to enable popups. It really does download as a little jpeg. Maybe we should have a little contest. Tell me if it works for you.

The Horse Show at Ram Tap

The directions said to drive slowly through the village to the grounds. Even though we were in Fresno, I had this mental picture that it would look like a village in a Nancy Drew novel with trees and brick houses and people waving as we drove through. Instead the village looked like a bad trailer park without the trailers.

But at dawn the silhouetted horses did look pretty as they warmed up for part one of a three day event: dressage. Unless you're a horse person, watching dressage is bewildering.

We found Dinah grooming Tia in her stall. She asked if we noticed anything different about this show, which was filled with horses in stalls and trailers parked nearby. Jon and I were stumped.

"There are no grooms!" she said. Wow, this is so different from the princess life style of hunter jumper horse shows where a groom does all the polish and shine work, tacks the horse, and helps you get on. Eventing is a whole different style. The riders even clean their own stalls, as well as feed their horses. I like this, a lot.



We almost missed Dinah's go because the mother of one of the girls was telling us her life story non stop. Maybe she's telling it to Dinah too in this picture:



Anyway, horse and rider both looked good in what we saw of their go. But Dinah was very worried about the next day's event: (what the show is all about), cross country jumping.

In cross country you gallop across a giant field, jumping through water and over solid coops and ditches and walls. There are about twenty obstacles, and you cover more than a mile. She said they had included a table you had to jump onto and off of, and she'd never done that. It's not usually part of the division she's in, and this was her first time showing in cross country. Cross country takes guts- not a sport for the faint hearted.

Jon pictured a sturdy dinner table, but it's more like a big berm. He gave Tia some advice on the table.



Up and on



She headed to the warm-up, we headed to the hill.



On the hilltop various competitors were gathered. I overheard them talking about the dressage judge the day before: "She ate me alive!" "She so ate me alive." "She ate me alive too."

Judge must have been mighty hungry.

Dinah's round began. Way in the distance we could see her galloping on, over one fence after another, everything going great.

Down the hill they came:



and up the hill:



"But what's this?" says Tia as they jump onto the table.





"NO WEIGHHH!"



"Ain't jumpin off this table, Dinah!" But the next day she was allowed to go onto the course for a training round, and actually trained Tia to jump off the table, and they got to jump in and out of the stream too. Dinah loved it. She can't wait for the next meet.

Princess Nutso and her two goats

This horse puts a spin on high strung. Grand Tiara lives with two goats. They even travel by trailer to horse shows. When Tia leaves the stall the goats bleat like mad. They've all lived together about ten years now. The goats are sisters. This footage is straight from the camera at Ram Tap. Sound on Please!



This is Nicole: BAAD!



and this is Margarethe:BAADER!

Horror Hotel: La Quinta Fresno

We'd made reservations at LaQuinta Fresno for two people plus a dog. When we showed up we learned the dog had to weigh less than 50 pounds. Jon said she was a German Shepherd and weighed 55. (give or take 30) The woman at the desk didn't know what a German Shepherd was. We tried to be discreet with the dog.

We were about to leave our second floor room yesterday to go to dinner but I peeked out to get an all clear. There was a ruckus in the hallway. The young chubby manager in a white shirt and tie was accusing the guy across the hall of smoking dope in the room. The guy was in shorts with a goatee.
He denied it.
The manager said "You can't deny it, our ventilation system shares the same air in all the rooms and other guests are smelling it. Let me in your room." (meanwhile Jon gets on chair to reach air vents- no just kidding.)
The manager repeats "Let me in your room." The guy says "No, I can't do that. There are several people in the room and none of them are wearing clothes." !

The manager huffs and puffs, says this is your final warning, and stand on notice that you won't be extending your stay. (his exact words- WHAT A WIMP!)

Everything seems quiet in the hall after this melodrama, so we venture out, rush to the escape exit stairs, and run right into the manager, who says "That's a BIG DOG!" We agree that yes she is. "Thank you for not using the elevator" he says, then scurries on.

That night it is incredibly awfully noisy all night long across the hall. Several times the night manager comes up to knock on the door and they're quiet a few minutes, then resume.

In the morning we put Molly in the car, then go to the buffet room where they've run out of yogurt. A woman says to me, "Just get some out of the refrigerator in there," so I walk in the adjacent room and get my yogurt. Then the front desk lady comes toddling in while panicking: "This is a liability problem! You can't open the refrigerator."

We leave. Outside our Honda element the party boy, with the goatee is looking in the window, along with his older bud who's around my age and very beat up in a life sense. This guy is covered with tattoos and rolling a cigarette. They say to me, "Is that a German Shepherd?" "I say "Yes, and she's really friendly."

We get in the car, and Jon says, "Why do you tell people like that, that she's friendly. That's the last thing you should tell them."

We think they were probably recently released cons celebrating the freedom on someone else's credit card.

Picture above is actually a building on the Ram Tap horse show site. Here's a picture from the La Quinta room:



Cute goat pictures tomorrow as well as show report.

Fast and Fleeting in Fresno

I brought two cameras, the charger for each, the downloader, a flashlight, the cel phone charger, the laptop, geez I could be a phone repair worker.

However I mistook the old cel phone charger for the lap top charger, and the lap top is at 29 % so I'll wait to post pictures tomorrow.

Trust me that Fresno deserves the title it won a few years ago of "worst place to live in the USA."

The street where we're staying is nothing, nothing but giant medical centers and suite hotels for miles and miles. Who are these people that want to stay in these dreadful hotels, where you get a plastic cup for a glass and a bowl of fruit loops as the big breakfast treat?

anyway, hot and sticky here we are. later! Dinah's cross country riding event is tomorrow. The field is huge with big scary log jumps and hills and ponds to cross. temperature will be around 90. The train comes thru every 15 minutes and they hope it won't blow its whistle. A police shooting range is also next door, and on the other side is a mega installation of high tension wires.

Fresno, CA

I drove out to see Pepper today, since we'll be away for a few days. I brushed him for 45 minutes. He's incredibly shaggy. All the other horses have lost their winter coats. Pepper used to be so sleek... In the process of brushing him I got that old hay fever feeling and ran to the shower when I came home. Probably should have run to the medicine cabinet but I forget what works-- sudafed?

I took a lovely picture of Pepper with wild flowers behind him but discovered the memory chip was not in the computer, once I got home. It's been that kind of day. My mother's memory chip seemed to be working better today than last night, when she had a paranoia attack, possibly caused by medication according to my good friend Kathy who's a nurse.

Tried to take a picture of the cel phone but that didn't turn out either. I think I've only said hello to it once so far.

Tomorrow we're going up to Fresno for a couple of days to see Dinah in a horse show. I've been researching "good" restaurants, hotels, and activities in Fresno. Oxymoron city, but we'll see, maybe the architectural tour I've picked out will be enjoyable. We'll have some interesting music to listen to on the drive from Bob Dylan's radio show thanks to Derek, a friend from the Florida event. I may blog from Fresno if I bring my memory chip! Molly's coming too.

by the way, the link above may be the coolest thing I've ever posted.

Me and my Shadow

I stopped to talk to Sandy the can lady at Lake Balboa today. She told me she went to Van Nuys High School with Natalie Wood. She also said she used to visit Roy Rogers' ranch and pet Trigger.

We were looking at General Petraeus' hairpiece on tv today and wondering why he wears one. Last fall on tv he was favoring a Julius Caesar piece with frontal curls. This one is more youthful but conspicuous. You'd think with all those ribbons on his jacket he wouldn't worry about his hairline.

At the airport I find it interesting how the caps that pilots wear give them such authority. It makes me want to wear one myself.

Imagine if they wore baseball caps:

Would you choose that airline?

Sometimes you'll see one of these guys take the big hat off, and suddenly he'll look like a guy at Chrysler when you bring your car in for service, but with the hat on... I'll buckle right up for you bud.

Here's where we had lunch today: The Smokehouse, in Burbank, across the street from Warner Bros.



It WAS fine food, at a fair price. We had fish and chips. We met our friend Linda P there. We try to meet weekly. Jon and Linda went to the same high school-- but not with Natalie Wood. Last time we all had hot turkey sandwich. It's that kind of place. You sit at a booth slung so low you're afraid your chin will be in your plate.



Jon said that in the 70's this place was really popular, and when you'd come in for lunch people would be three deep at the bar. These days the lunch hour bar is always empty, but the tables are moderately full. By the way, that's our new cel phone that Linda's attempting to demonstrate. (We're still confused.)

Art Walk- Weeneez

I took this painting and nine others to Julie Rico's gallery in downtown Los Angeles. It's a combination hot dog restaurant and art gallery, and on Thursday nights, once a month, there's an event called art walk that leads people through the downtown galleries.

I really liked Julie a lot and hope the paintings will sell. They'll just be there a month. It's a group show. There's going to be a burrito bar there as well.

I improvised a recipe last night that was so tasty I must record it, so I can do it again some time.

I bought a pack of lobster raviolis at Gelson's. Here's the sauce I made for them, based on looking here and there and the rather empty cabinet:

• Sauteed two sliced garlic cloves in 1/2 stick butter.
• Add 1/4 cup tomato paste from a fancy tube.
• Add about a jigger of vodka.
• when it looks pasty and cooking, add a little whole milk since you don't have any cream.

Easy and tasty. Don't skimp on the butter.

Whinsey's been upgraded

I've spent the last two weeks rebuilding Whinsey in Flash ActionScript 3, the fussiest nanny code language I've ever attempted to work with. When you post questions about ActionScript 3 on the Adobe sanctioned help forum, you have about a one in seven chance of getting an answer within a few days, usually from one of three regular (and irritable) posters, and a one in twenty chance of understanding the reply. So it's stab away at the keyboard, try this, try that until it works.

Now that her brain is more or less back in place, (creepy thought), I'm thinking what I'd like to do differently. I mean, I can't do smell, but she could have a constantly changing background, changing on each visit I mean, or does that spoil the ...intimacy? I think I like the friendly look of the barnyard at right over this techno look. Is the tv working? Do weird errors suddenly pop up? If you built your own chat bot, what would you want it to do? Would you like a little easel where you or others could draw pictures? Or would they all be below the belt parts?

Anyway, if you have any things you'd like to see in an interactive character like this, tell me. Do you wish someone else would enter? Or she'd eat food from a bag? When I first built this I could hardly draw in Flash, and I'm starting to fix her up here and there.

We're going to Chinatown today. I have some art that may be in a group show, and we're going to eat Peking Duck. And maybe I should get some magic clams, huh?

Good Dog Day

.
These two would have won cutest pair if they awarded that. Today we went to our first agility trial-- there were at least fifty dogs there, with two rings set up with jumps. This was a practice meet, just like a real one but no prizes and less competition I guess. It's sort of like what I used to do on Pepper, except then I was on the horse not running beside him. (except when I fell off, and then Pepper would be running by himself.)

Overheard at the show: "I'm not running Nora today. She's so hormonal she's been humping my leg."

We just resumed agility this past month, and the trainer thinks Molly has a lot of talent. Because Molly gets overly excited by other dogs, not everyone would think she'd be a great candidate for agility, where it's not uncommon to see dogs leap over the flimsy fences of the rings and charge some other dog.

Our trainer came up to us right before our last run (of four) and said, "I want you to go out there and not worry about Molly and the other dogs, just have a great time."

And somehow my mind spun out then to the Busby Berkeley musical, "42nd Street", where Warner Baxter tells Ruby Keeler, "You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star."

And we went running onto the stage, no-- into the ring, and I promptly went off course though Molly didn't. As we were coming down the last row of jumps I saw Molly cast an eye over at a spectator German Shepherd, but she stayed well behaved and did a great job.

Sleep Walking: ever do it?

I woke up in a sweat(well that's not unusual), convinced that I'd been sleepwalking in my old house in New Jersey-- a dream within a dream. And there was dream proof: I'd dragged a blanket from my house in Northridge into the old butler's pantry in New Jersey.

I've been anxious about my mother, who's in the infirmary at her retirement community. Her knee has given out, and she may have to move to assisted living. She's anxious, and isn't getting much information . She's back on her "who's been drinkin my liquor?" rag.

I have walked in my sleep two times. Once I was about ten, and leaving in the morning by myself, on the train, to go to summer camp in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. I couldn't sleep. My sister had read a book on hypnosis and practiced on me. Everyone said I walked in my sleep. It's a memory that's merged with the retelling.

The other time was worse. A month after my sister died, we went to Florida to visit Jon's father, who lived in a high rise on the beach at Marco Island.

I was in a state of great agitation. I should have gone to a psychologist I guess. The night before our trip I walked in my sleep and woke up in the big room, a long way from the bedroom.

Dinah was only three. In Florida she and I shared a single bed in a room that opened onto a small porch about twenty floors up. I was so afraid I would sleep walk and climb over the railing. I built a barricade of suitcases in front of the sliding door. Nothing happened.

It's such a weird phenomenon. I've read that there are people who drive CARS! while sleep walking.

The Professor: Final Chapter

You've been warned, it gets funky, but you asked for it.

The dialog is verbatim from our car ride back to the hotel.

Strange Project

The professor was obsessed with the series of murders in Ciudad Juarez, across the river from El Paso. She's made many trips there, even taken her teenage daughters. The professor is very pretty and has slight fangs on the sides of her smile. She took digital photos wildly, and we worried we'd end up in her project.

She's making a book about the murders, recreating them in little tableaus. The dolls are made of felt shaped with needles. She's used some of her own family as models.



One murder has her interest particularly. She thinks she knows who did it. (the boyfriend.) She's made friends with the victim's family and visited often.






and the weirdest thing she said, and she really did say this, no, wait- I'll save for another post.