The Mercurial Muse

A place to share my photos, my babbling, music, film, books and other articles of interest.

[neil-gaiman]

Tonight as I walked with the dog, a firefly landed on my arm...

[yetibaba]

A fantastic telling via the BBC of an equally fantastic story of elemental terror. In fact, numerous well known horror writers have named this story the most terrifying "short" story ever written. I'm inclined to agree. It's subtle and builds, and is weird and unnerving. Blackwood speaks with authority about Wild nature, as he was no stranger to exploring it. His stories are magic.

The Willows (2007) by Algernon Blackwood, read by Roger Allam

[paladin-panoply-of-pax]

“Use your gifts and your talents to greatest possible effect while you can. Spread joy wherever possible. Laugh at jokes. Tell jokes. Make puns and bugger the embuggerances. Read books. Read my books. You might like them. You might find something else you like even more than them. Look for these things in life.

Question authority. Champion good causes. Speak out against injustice. Do not tolerate bullies or bigots or racists or anti-intellectuals or the narrow-minded. Use your education to challenge them. Broaden their perspectives. Make the world you interface with a happier place.

These are your choices. Choices you have been fortunate to have been given, so don’t waste them while you have them. Don’t look back in years to come and wish you had grasped a fleeting opportunity. Grasp it now with both hands, Live. Strive. Love.”

from A Little Advice for Life taken from ‘Terry Pratchett: from birth to death, a writer.’

—Sir Terry Pratchett; April 28, 1948 – March 12, 2015

One of the greatest compliments I've ever received is that I resemble Sam Vimes.

Mind how you go.

[neil-gaiman]

Hey,

Have you ever been writing and it feels like every word you put on paper is just wrong? How do you get past that?

You get all the wrong words down.

Then the next day when you have your mojo back you fix them and find some of them were the right words after all.

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Neil in red

Neil in blue

Supporting the WGA strike is the right thing to do

:)

[fuckyeahpaganism]

[yetibaba]

I was blown away from watching F. W. Murnau's "Sunrise." I knew it was considered a masterpiece, and of course I love his classics Nosferatu and Faust, but holy shit. 1927: way, Way ahead of its time (in fact I found myself muttering, wonderingly, "1927. . .Wow!" several times). Deceptively simple story, but my God, the handling of it, and really everything, effects, sound, cinematography, acting, etc. I say sound, because it had a sound effects and music track--in fact the first such for a full length theatrical release I believe, but it's really still a silent film, and what's more after a few intertitle cards early on, they become almost nonexistent! Total Master Class in visual storytelling. Art with a capital A--they made up a special award at the first Academy Awards to recognize its greatness (along with winning some others) that has never been awarded since: "best unique and artistic picture."

Neither a synopsis nor stills from the film can convey its magic. At times I felt like "Wow Murnau, you're playing us like a fiddle--excuse me, a Stradivarius, rather." On YouTube for free (entered public domain this year) and the post from "The Treasures of Cinema Classics" is good quality and the one I watched (and you can get it at pretty high/good resolution, but may have to adjust that in screen).

Highly, highly recommended--I likely have to put it in my top 10 films of all time. Superb.

[yetibaba]

And I'm just out here rooting for this wasp who is on my screen door, to keep going and make it to the top (and beyond). Ha, the poor thing can't figure out how to cross the lip, so to speak. It struck me that all those little holes on the screen and their spacing are probably ideal footholds for small legged creatures. Almost ladder-like. But then we come to the screendoor frame, and above that, siding, before you can reach the upper reaches where there are wooden corners, which seem to be desirable to their kind. He/she's so close! But that terrain texture change seems to be a doozy--gone are the ladder-like footholds, replaced by smooth metal, and then plastic siding. I've wondered why not fly? But I think it's an energy thing. It has been a long day, apparently.

;)

[yetibaba]

Got something Kind of cool at work, ha: Lord of the Rings Special Edition. First time the whole trilogy has been released illustrated with Tolkien's own art in color (30 illus.). Gold embossed, printed in red and black inks, sketches, 2 maps, facsimile pages from the lost Book of Mazarbul, and The King's Letter, the longest example of Tolkien's language Sindarin, and is from King Elessar/Aragorn in the early 4th age, stating his intent to visit the Shire, and see his good friends there. Originally intended to be part of an epilogue.

"Sympathetically packaged to reflect the classic look of the first edition."

6.5 x 3.25 x 10.75 inches

4.39 pounds

[marisatomay]

saw this thread and really loved it but what i liked most is that it taught this kid that if a book isn’t for you, even if you really want to like it, it’s okay to stop reading it and come back to it another time when you are ready. there were so many books i slogged through as a kid because i felt like i had to prove that i could read them since i *loved* reading so i simply had to finish this book or i didn’t actually love to read. silly, really. the more kids who don’t ascribe to that thinking the better. really great of both the dad and the librarian for giving the kid access to the stephen king book and allowing him make the decision on whether or not it was for him by himself.

[mysharona1987]

The French really don’t fuck around.

[lisamarie-vee]

[thefugitivesaint]

“Famous Monsters of Filmland”, #67, July 1970 Source

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

The Mask | 1961

[ducissatenebrarum]

gravestone in Crailing Parish Church, Borders, known locally as ‘The King of Terrors.’

[sorrrowfull]

[goryhorroor]

the legendary faces of horror