Quotes from (mostly) Anne McCaffrey

Yes, that's sunshine!

My Twitter quotes for the past week have mostly been from Anne McCaffrey. Damia, at least, has just been reissued.

“Why do children have the reserves of energy people my age so desperately need?” Anne McCaffrey, Damia. Isthia Raven, when she finds herself raising her grandchildren.

“One blind man can’t lead another effectively.” Anne McCaffrey, Damia. Isthia, referring to the need for the Talented to learn from teachers with Talent.

“If you want it done right, do it yourself.” Anne McCaffrey, Damia. The full quatation is: Jeff rather thought she got what she deserved. “You said ‘if you want it done right, do it yourself!’ once too often, Mother.”

“When does ‘fair’ enter into any relationship?” Anne McCaffrey, Damia. Afra to Damia, after she has protested his pointing out that he has known her since before her birth.

“‘Feelings’ are what you trust when logic isn’t worth a hoot.” Anne McCaffrey, Ring of Fear. Nialla’s response when Rafe comments on his housekeeper’s “feelings.”

“Money tends to beget money.” Anne McCaffrey, Ring of Fear. Rafe is explaining to Nialla, who has married him without knowing of his wealth, that he does not need her insurance money.

“My first priority was staying alive.” Sue Ann Bowling, Tourist Trap. Roi is trying to help Penny understand how slavery has affected him.

If you want the challenge of trying to identify quotes, I post one a day at @sueannbowling.

The Fairbanks Ice Park

The Ice Park isn’t just an open-air winter museum, or the site of the World Ice Art Championships. It’s a playground for children. This year it was at a brand-new site and the volunteers didn’t have time to get everything in place, but there were still giant slides, a maze, and an ice rink for kids of all ages. The past week was a school holiday, and plastic sleds were all over the place.

The ice rink is a little unusual — the sides as well as the skating surface are made of ice.

Slides range in size from little, fancifully carved ones for the smallest kids

To moderately long, which some of the older kids try to ride down standing up

To downright huge, with long runout spaces at the ends. These are generally used by sledders.

I decided not to try the maze — wasn’t sure I could stay upright. But I could see it would be confusing.

There were even a few purely decorative carvings in the children’s area

Though most seemed designed to be ridden, at least.

We’ve had good weather for the ice park this year. A couple of days the highs got up to 25°F, but for the most part the highs have been in the teens above, and the overnight lows have been in the teens below. Usually there is some daytime thawing by now, but we haven’t had enough to affect the sculptures. At least the ice hasn’t deteriorated nearly as much as it had by March 26 last year, but of course the last third of March is yet to go. Just hope we don’t set any new records in late March – it can go down to forty below!

North Pole Weather 3/19/12 and #WriteMotivation

No, that's not Alaska! My sister took this photo this past weekend in California. I couldn't resist sharing the snow-covered palms.

The sun rose (past tense!) this morning at 7:53 and will set this evening at 8:06, for 12 hr 13 min of daylight. What, you say, more than 12 hours when the equinox isn’t until tomorrow? The combination of atmospheric refraction and the finite diameter of the sun always ensures that the day is a little longer than geometry would have it, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s spring!

Not in temperature. That’s been above zero most days and below zero most nights, and there’s been virtually no melting of the snow so far. It has, however, settled. A week ago we had close to 2 ½’ on the ground; today it’s just a little over 2’. The sun, when it’s out, is high enough that a fair amount of energy is absorbed within the snowpack, and the bonds between crystals are slowly collapsing. I don’t think we’re losing any mass yet, though, except by evaporation. We can get 40 below this late,  so I’m not complaining about temperatures in the teens.

Besides, look what my sister ran into day before yesterday in California!

It’s light long enough in the evening now I can get out and do things. Yesterday afternoon I attended a matinee performance of The Music Man put on by FLOT, and was actually able to drive home in daylight afterwards.

#WriteMotivation:

One thing that wasn’t on the list: I made transfers from my book cover, with the award sticker, and applied them to a tote bag and T-shirt. I also revamped my bookmarks.

1. Learn to use at least one legal method of getting images other than photos I’ve taken on my blog. DONE, though I’m still looking for an African brush fire for next week.

2. Continue to blog at least 5 days a week. (I’m doing 7 now, but I’ve signed up for a number of adult classes in March.)  On Track. I’ve posted every day so far this month, and I have 7 written and scheduled for the 12 days remaining. The other 5 are still in the idea stage, but I do have ideas. And I’ve made my OLLI classes so far, even the day I managed to high-center the car in a whiteout and had to get it pulled out by a tow truck.

3. Edit Chs 2 and 9 of my WIP to give more showing, less telling. (Ch 2 has been on Six Sentence Sunday; Ch 9 is the next section from Tod’s POV.)  I haven’t even looked at Chapter 9 yet.

4. Participate in at least one Platform-building challenge. I did both.

Six Sentence Sunday

Six sentences from Rescue Operation, following directly from the six I had last week.

But he had another heritage as well, one that he was even less comfortable with. His father had left him in charge of the Inner Council of R’il’noids that effectively ruled the Confederation. Not the planets that made up the Confederation; in fact he as the regent of the Confederation had no voice at all in the laws of Central, where the Councils met and he lived. Now and then Council duties included fieldwork when the specialties of individual Council members were needed, and in truth he’d been eager to get away when the government of a distant planet thought (wrongly) that others were making it the target of biological warfare. Wif, the other medical expert, had already been away from Central, and Derry’s specialty of xenotelepathy and Kaia’s of communications had been needed in the field while Roi was gone, leaving Roi’s older brother Zhaim in charge without the steadying influence of the other two.

Roi had never expected a disaster like this.

Again, I know this is more telling than showing, and this, with the last week, makes up a section separated from the action. Suggestions for improvements are welcome!

Visit the other Six Sentence Sunday Authors.

World Ice Art Chapionships Multi-block 2

Here are the sixth through the tenth placings in the 2012 World Ice Art Championships, along with a few shots of the general layout of the competition site.

Sixth place went to “Geoflames,” sculpted by a USA team.

Seventh place was “Playin’ in the Garden,” again by a team from the USA. This one had a “viewing window” (actually three atop each other) to indicate the best place to see the sculpture. This photo was taken through that window, also carved from ice.

Eighth place went to “The Super Raven Guide.” The two carvers were from Russia, and it took me a while to see the raven’s head. I was trying to make it an aurora, and it may have been intended to evoke one. Most of the sculptures were done by teams of four. This and the fourth place “The Land Calls” a couple of days ago were carved by 2-person teams.

Ninth place and Artist Choice was “Spring.” I’ve used this one before, but it’s worth using again. The artists on this one were from China.

Tenth Place and Governor’s Award was “Olde #7 On The Bridge To Nowhere.” The artists were from the USA.

The ice as cut from the pond has a layer of cloudy ice  near the surface, where snow and ice intermingle. Although most sculptors cut this off, it can be used with interesting effect, as on this pedestal.

Finally a wider view of part of the competition area. Snow is being blown off  “Mother” in this picture. I’ll have at least one more blog on the kids’ area of the ice park by daylight, and I might get to see it at night, lit up, next week. If I do, I’ll get some pictures. The sculptures are incredible bathed in colored lights in the dark. If you’d like to see a particular piece under the colored lights, leave a comment. No promises, but I’ll try.

Jarn’s Journal, Year 2 Day 248

Year 2, Day 248

I’ve always thought of herbivores as relatively harmless. Not that you want to corner or threaten one, as they generally take rather violent exception to anything that signals they might be eaten. But as a general rule they don’t go looking for trouble. Not these!

I have named them hippopotamus, though I will have to find out what Songbird’s people call them. I’ve seen them before, of course, when I was following the river downstream. They look like small, barren islands from above, and lumbering, clumsy brutes when they drag themselves out of the water where they feed.

They are not clumsy.

Especially when they see me watching them and decide that I am a threat.

They are very crowded, as the dry season has been more intense then usual this year, and they have retreated to the few deep scours of the river. I knew the tempers of the bulls were short, as I have seen several battles. In fact I was watching a battle, amazed at the gape of their jaws, the ferocity with which they attacked each other, and the obvious fear with which the cows herded their young out of the way. I had shielded against their emotions, so I had little warning when one of the rivals suddenly decided I was a threat and charged me.

I am ashamed to say that I totally forgot everything I have managed to learn about counterbalancing over the last few months and simply did a brute-force teleport to my shelter.

Needless to say, I am almost too exhausted to record this. I need to make counterbalancing automatic!

Jarn’s Journal is an ongoing feature that gives some of the back story of my science fiction universe. Jarn is a human-like alien, a R’il’nian, who was stranded on Earth, in Africa, roughly 125,000 years ago. He has made contact with a tribe of early humans, but they have left for the season, following the game herds. Jarn’s story to date is on my author website.

Multi-Block Ice Sculpture 1

My internet access is via a phone line (DSL) so I am well aware that pages with lots of photos tend to load slowly. This is one reason I’ve broken the World Ice Art Championships into several blogs. (The other is that the awards for Tourist Trap are keeping me pretty busy marketing, and several short blogs are easier than one long one.) Beside, who wants to look at that many photos at once?

First place in the multi-block competition was “Prickly Reception,” by a team from Japan. Don’t ask me how they managed the porcupine. I did find out how they achieved the leopard’s frosty spots: shave out the ice, saving the shavings. Then pack the shavings back into the hollows and heat.

Second place was entitled “Rebirth of Elements.” Three of the carvers were from Russia; the fourth was from Monaco.

Third place went to “Tiger Marriage Desire.” One of the carvers was from the USA, and the other three were from China.

Fourth Place was “The Land Calls.” Both sculptors were from Russia.

Fifth Place (and one of my favorites) was “The Gallery.” One of the carvers was from the Phillipines; the other 3 were from the USA.

One question I’ve had was answered yesterday. We’ve had over a foot of snow since the carving started — why don’t the sculptures all have snow caps? The answer? Leaf blowers!

Quotes from Andre Norton

The first six quotations are from Three against the Witch World, by Andre Norton.

“If one is content to use a tool, then one shall never know what one can do without it.” Kaththea, arguing that her lack of a witch jewel may not me as much of a handicap as generally thought. 64

“Can you turn your back on all this merely because it suffers from some disease?” Kaththea, arguing that Escore is worth fighting for.

“Not always are light and dark so opposed, one to the other.”  Kaththea, as she prepares to work a magic that is best carried out at sunset. 96

“In due time I would pay for what I had done.” Kyllan, knowing he has weakened his gift by using it to lure a prong-horn to its death that he and his siblings might eat. He pays sooner that he thinks, as he is enthralled by the Keplian early the next morning.

“I cannot hide all thoughts.” Kyllan, about to leave the Lady Dahaun on a mission. He is in love with her and she with him, and they both know it though no explicit word has been spoken.

“They merely supply the impulse, you the actors for carrying it out.” Kemoc to Kyllan as they face the hallucinations of the witches in their rescue of Kaththea.

“There are times when I slap myself on the head and wonder how I could have been so stupid.” Sue Ann  Bowling, Jarn’s Journal. Jarn suddenly realizes that he has the supplies to build a defense against predators.

More Ice Sculpture: Multi-block in Progress

I didn’t get to the ice park until after the single-block sculptures were judged, so I didn’t see them in progress. But I did get to see the multi-block sculptures at several stages. These photos are mostly of incomplete sculptures, so you get some idea of how they’re done.

Tools are, to put it mildly, eclectic. The first is a long-nosed chain saw.

Next there are a wide variety of hand and power tools, including both hand and impact chisels, screwdrivers, propane torches, screwdrivers, Dremels, brushes, and even hairdryers.

The drawings have to be transferred to each block of ice.

The blocks may need to be piled up, and for this the artists have the help of heavy equipment. Scaffolding is available, and often needed to reach the surfaces to be carved. These blocks, for instance will be carved into the appearance of a stone bridge.

These will eventually be in the round, but not yet.

And this is the early stages of a bird-themed one,

which finished up looking like this. The trailers provide shade.

Even yesterday, after the judging, this artist was sharpening up his sculpture.

I’ll have photos of the winners up in a few days.

North Pole Weather and #WriteMotivation Check In

The sun will rise at 8:18 (thanks to daylight savings) but it will not set until 7:41 this evening. Thanks, Alaska legislature, for putting us closer to the East coast, time-wise, while totally ignoring our true longitude. (Nome has times when the sun doesn’t rise until afternoon, and even we in Fairbanks have sunsets the next day in midsummer.) Anyway we’re up to 11 hours 26 minutes of daylight, and still gaining about 6 min 44 seconds a day. Temperatures are well blow 0 at night, 5 to 20 above in the daytime. Perfect for the ice carvings.

We’re suddenly getting the snow we missed earlier this year. My snow stake says almost 30” now, and I may have to get the driveway plowed again. My all-wheel drive can get in and out, but just barely. Earlier it was easy to keep the snow rolled down, and the main reason for plowing a couple of weeks ago was to get rid of the packed snow before breakup.

WriteMotivation check in:

1. Learn to use at least one legal method of getting images other than photos I’ve taken on my blog. (I’d love to have some shots of Africa on Jarn’s Journal, for instance.) Done, I hope. At least I got a shot of Victoria Falls up this week, and changed the header on JarnianConfederation.wordpress.com.

2. Continue to blog at least 5 days a week. (I’m doing 7 now, but I’ve signed up for a number of adult classes in March.)  On track; I’ve blogged every day so far this month.

3. Edit Chs 2 and 9 of my WIP to give more showing, less telling. (Ch 2 has been on Six Sentence Sunday; Ch 9 is the next section from Tod’s POV.)  Still need to get to Ch 9.

4. Participate in at least one Platform-building challenge — I hesitate to commit for more without knowing what they are. Participated in both (Give Us This Day and Dreams) and advanced to the second stage in both.

Oh, and in case anyone missed it, I found out Wednesday that my second novel with iUniverse, Tourist Trap, won Best Fiction Book of 2011 as well as first place in science fiction in the Reader Views literary awards! I’ve been busy modifying all of my web presences to reflect this, which has taken up a lot of my writing and promoting time the last week.