Type: Black and White

Not subtle.

Today's type selections are lessons in contrast, in more ways than one. Black and white is the first typesetting we know of: black ink rolled onto type blocks and then pressed onto paper. Simple. Or is it? 

I don't know the characters, but....

Just as there are many ways to print a book, so there are many ways to render letters, due to the natural complexity of human vision. We see an enormous range of information quickly and very well, just like any predator with eyes set in the front, creating an unobstructed field of vision, which is great for fighting. And other pursuits.

....I know an arm bar when I see one.

Enjoy the fights tonight, battle hounds.

Sticker Art: Dead Head

every day is a holiday for 'los muertos'

Happy Christmas

"Merry Christmas, Marie! Shake hands?"

A row of tiny Charlie Brown trees. 

Merry Christmas, from the town of friendly people. 

From The Land of Ice and Snow

Red berries, green firs, and white snow.

A natural wreath tied with red string.

Decked out for the holidays.

Christmas scenes from 2013.

Secret Santa

I've written before about my feelings regarding Christmas, and it is typically a lot of "Bah Humbug", but occasionally I'm reminded that there are many people out there who feel like I do, and highly influential ones at that. Why buy more stuff, stuff that the people in your life don't need? After the first addictive rush of "Gimme!" wears off, they're left with an awful, empty hangover feeling from a binge that gets them no closer to where they really desire to be. Do something real for them this season by giving to someone who really needs it. They may not thank you immediately, but what you're doing lasts far longer than whatever piece of cheap (and toxic) plastic they'll eventually toss out. Hang in there and go the distance, because that's where the real good stuff is.  I'm with you on this one.



Here's yet another "secret" (that's not so secret) from a real life "Santa" who always gives :) Facebook users, click on the link for a great Xmas tip: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152091712840590&set=a.336319760589.197360.114205065589&type=1&theater 

This is 44

A Japanese horror movie.

Every year on my birthday, I keep to a tradition that honors my ongoing commitment, and the promise I made to my family, that I would make taking care of myself a priority in my life. It's not easy, because even a casual reader here knows that much of my life is devoted to helping others. It is my pleasure to serve, but every good mom out there knows where I'm coming from about giving until it hurts.

Before getting it chopped.

I've learned the heard way that if I do not take some time for myself, I will eventually crash and burn, which sends those around me who are dependent on me into a tailspin while I rebuild, and at this age, I don't have the time for that kind of a long process anymore.

One last look at my grow out.

At the salon on a snow day.

So every year, I do something that's just for me: get a massage, or my nails done, or a haircut. This year, I did all three in the middle of a snow day. I got my hair cut first, then a manicure and pedicure, followed by a ten minute chair massage.

Steeling myself: this ain't nothing for a Warrior Princess.

Later in the day I ordered pizza, drank a glass of beer with a couple of pepperoni slices, and watched The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey with my mom. It was brilliant, by the way; we were riveted. 

All in all, it was a pretty good day :)

Thanks to Katy for the great bob and the chat (sorry gals, no hair color was added, it's just my iPhone settings), and my new friends at the nail salon who gave me some prettily packaged lotion as a free gift.

Winter: Snow Dogs

Check out this Malamute pup playing in the snow for the first time. Guaranteed to make you happy. How many things can you say
that about?

Can you spot the Malamute? Flawless blending in.

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/dogs/

A Walk in the Park: Fall

Dr. Henry V. Borst Park

Here's a shot from the early Fall that I wanted to post, because looking at it reminds me to take a walk outside whenever I feel stressed, or tired, or frazzled, or down. A nice walk in brisk, cool air always makes me feel better, health and weather permitting. Go for it.

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/nature/

Hudson Valley: Snow Day

Winter Wonderland

Free

For Madiba.

Little Red Birdhouse

The Little Red Birdhouse that could.

Now that the leaves have dropped, I can see the bone structure of certain things better: trees, houses, and little red birdhouses. I love that my neighbors share my penchant for Our Mother Mary, fun dog statues, and as many charming birdhouses as they can sometimes cram onto branches, or perch helpfully atop other structures.  
We so love animals here!

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/birdhouses-and-treehouses/ 

 

Nature: Winter Flowers

Black sunflowers in winter.

Sunflowers that have lost their bloom have a beauty of their own, set against a bright and chilly crisp winter sky. We often hear how depressing and "dead" our climate seems to outsiders, but it is a full-on sensory experience: there's birds chirping loudly and calling out, chasing away crows, flying overhead from tree to tree, and squirrels that play, and rabbits that hop about, collecting acorns fallen to the ground and bright red berries that remain on the vine. Pines give off their strong scent on cold days that smell like "snow" and woodsmoke from fireplaces, something I can't explain to you if you've never experienced it fully. There's plenty to see, if you open your mind.

Wintertime: Black Hole Sun

A dark winter sun.

There's this bruised, yellow sky in winter that holds a dark sun hidden behind the clouds, creating long, dark, stretching shadows everywhere the weak light meets the earth. That kind of spooky weather makes a fun atmosphere for us here in the Hudson Valley. Oftentimes, I don't need a horror movie with a fog machine. I just take a walk outside.

A hidden winter sun.

Cottages: Halloweentown in Wintertime

Enter at your own risk.

I love scary old houses, especially the kind you find in small Hudson Valley towns that were settled many, many moons ago. There was a day last week that reminded me of the song "Black Hole Sun": the far away star seems to spin wildly around a dark cloud sky, like something out of a witches fable that farmers told wayward children for centuries, huddled around a fireplace in the kitchen, as the snow swirled outside, and the barn door rattled in its' hinges with every strong gust of chilly wind. Yeah. Like that.

Type: Time/Travel

Titanic Sans Serif: big, clean, eye-catching, well-spaced for easy reading.

I saw the bulk of this monster special one night streaming video online, because the title caught my eye. I thought it was another gloriously bad SyFy monster movie of the week. Even better, we go back in time millions of years, when actual living monsters roamed the earth. It's got plenty of wacky humans though, if you desire that same level of human engagement typically present in the modern day scifi flick. Here's a tip: poorly dressed scientists hunting snakes in the wild. 'Nuff said. Check it out. It's gross and scary and awesome.
http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/full-episodes/titles/16708/titanoboa-monster-snake

For the armchair traveler: "Come on in and take a look."

The next excellent type sample came through the mail, in the form of a travel catalog. It's a simple but extremely effective form of visual communication; a seemingly average piece of printed information that masks an underlying intellectualism that's quite keen and very sophisticated. It's warm, inviting, and friendly, asking a timeless question to its' audience: "If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would that be?" The expectation is thus: some practice winter flight, a panic brought on by the cold and the snow, indicative of someone who is at odds with themselves and their locale. Many will see the high price tags and be satisfied with a cheaper (and easier) form of travel that's available to the armchair traveler; a wishing and hoping that's a pleasant form of dreaming not needing actualization to have a lot of value to the viewer. Still others, would-be adventurers and wealthy donating alumni surely, want "in" immediately, for their future. What kind of trekker are you? Think on it, and dream.

 http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/travel/

Street Art: The Sewer Monster

It crawled out, from within.

I found this particular nightmare walking back from a real estate excursion around town. Whoever thought to pair a Cthulhu-type octopus creature with the faceless body of a businessman in suit and tie is one twisted monkey, and my type of freak. We know monsters lurk in more places than the dank depths of a city's bowels. Sometimes, they even live and walk among us, perhaps secure in their anonymity, but no less evil because of their every day banality.  
Who is it that walks among you?

http://www.pinterest.com/mariedoucette/street-art-sacred-spaces/