Experimental

A View of Boston high rise buildings doctored in photoshop, artwork by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Experimental

Thanks to an unusual viewpoint ( looking straight up) and a photoshop filter ( Solarization) this urban scene has been transformed into something quite surreal.

Experimental

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Temporary

Hopefully, this caution tape is only a temporary measure, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Temporary

Though the warning tape is only present for a short while, it is best to heed the message.

Temporary

Spooky

There must be a ghost in this house, drawing by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spooky

Just another spooky house in the woods

Peek

A Streetcleaner in Ljubljana, Slovenia takes a peek at all the strange figures on the exterior of the Parliament Building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peek

What goes on inside? The strangest part of this picture is that the building with all the dark figures is the National Assembly or Parliament Building of the Balkan nation of Slovenia. The sculpture is named Tobias Putrih and he is very much alive and active today.
Peek

A Rockabilly Halloween

Even the witches are callin’ in to see what’s on the Halloween playlist

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s That Time of Year Again

No Elvis here, just an unlucky 13 songs that are not afraid to jump into a good ghost story, like only Rockabilly can do. There are a few big names here, but not many. So tune in, turn it up and enjoy, for it twis the season for ghosts, goblins, candy skulls and sassy witches.

1. Haunted House by Johnny Fuller
2. Rockin’ in the Graveyard  by Jackie Morningstar
3. I’m the Wolfman by Round Robin
4. The Cat by Rod Willis
5. Vampira by Bobby Bare
6. I Put a Spell On You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
7. Graveyard Rock by Taratula Ghoul and her Gravediggers
8. Rockin’ Bones by Ronnie Dawson
9. She’s My Witch by Kip Tyler
10. Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus
11. Night of the Vampires by Moontrekker
12. The Mummy by the Naturals
13. Welcome To My Nightmare by Alice Cooper

Every year the pumpkins get bigger and bigger…or so it seems

Sugar

decorated sugar cubes (and skulls) are popular in Mexico during the Day of the Dead celebration in early November, photo and drawing by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sugar

Sugar (cane) is not native to the New World, it was introduced by Columbus way back when. However, the agricultural grew well in the Caribbean and other places and so nowadays the sweet substance is available everywhere in many different forms. In early November, when Day of the Dead rolls around, painted sugar skulls and cubes are made and enjoyed by all, even the dead.

Rounded

This oil storage tank is very well rounded, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rounded

Actually, the storage tank is in the shape of a cylinder. Late afternoon shadows give a strong accent to the large, three-dimensional structure.
Rounded

Glow

It’s that time of year again, when the eerie glow of the pumpkins can be seen all across the land, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glow

These demented pumpkins glow silently on a chilly autumn’s eve.

Glow

Opulent

An opulent castle in the sky, artwork by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Opulent

This world famous palace in India, even looks more opulent, when pictured as a palace floating in the air.

Scale

A worker cleaning windows appears smaller than he really is, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scale

The traffic light makes this worker, who is cleaning windows, appear much smaller than he really is.

Scale

Time Traveler

Unexpectedly, Jake the skateboarder found himself in a strange new world, drawing and photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time Traveler

When Jake when to the skateboarding park, just after dusk, and purely by chance discovered a wormhole that lead to a strange new world,

Pedestrian

A pedestrian in a non-pedestrian place

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pedestrian

Here we have a pedestrian (walker) taking a morning stroll along Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoir province in France, where the view is anything, but pedestrian.

Pedestrian

Windows

This Coffee shop window is located on Central Ave. in Albuquerque, NM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Windows

Windows are everywhere and on rare occasions, they act as portals to other worlds that may be sinister, magical or surreal.

Windows

What Happened to Hillary Clinton’s Book Sales????

Hillary Clinton making her concession speech

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Happened Today (Sept.12)

Today, the day after the 16th anniversary of 911, was also book release day for Hillary Clinton’s latest memoir, What Happened?. The big event took place in Manhattan’s Barnes and Noble bookstore in Union Square, where hundreds of die-hard fans showed up to purchase their signed copy. A few brave souls even camped out overnight to see their hero. No speeches, no choice words, just a chance to stand in line, buy a book and then get it signed by the former Secretary of State. I don’t why she didn’t give her fans a short speech or just a few words of greeting, they deserved at least that much.

What’s Coming Up

The book tour is next. Today’s signing in NYC was free unless you decided to buy a book, but most stops on the book tour will not be. Fans, who want to get close to the former First Lady, who also made it to the White House as the first woman president, will have to pay some bucks for the opportunity. Her tour begins next week with a stop in our nation’s capitol and continues into December, when Mrs. Clinton visits Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

A Case of Diminishing Return

Her first book sold well, Living History,  but her second, Hard Choices, did not do nearly as well as Living History. Just after one week of sales, Living History outperformed Hard Choices by a margin of  600,000 to 100,000. And after one month the margin was 1 million to 160,000 still about a six to one advantage for Living History. By November 2015, about the time things were just getting to roll, Hard Choices had racked up 340,000, a far cry short of Clinton’s first memoir, which sold well over 1.5 million copies.

What Happened Is Selling (a week later)

Just recently, Hillary released her seventh non-fiction effort with Simon Schuster. Though unlikely to match sales figures for Living History, it may still do well. In fact, What Happened has sold over 160,000 (hardback) in the first week, which is a big improvement from Hard Choices, but will likely not match the impressive sales figures of Living History.  Along with the hardback sales, there is also the e-book sales, which have also done quite well, pushing first week sales up to the 300,000 mark. But keep in mind here that the publishing industry tracks book sales of bestsellers through hardback copies, mot e-books.

Can Book Sales Determine Future Presidents

There is some evidence that having a best selling book or memoir is practically a pre-requisite for making it into the White House, especially in the 21st century. To make the point, all you have to do is look at our last three occupants of the White House (including the current one). All three have had popular best sellers that have outsold all competitors. This includes George W. Bush’s, Decisions Points, which sold 1.9 million, Barrack Obama’s The Audacity of Hope (540,000 in the first year) and Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal, which has sold over 1 million going all the way back to its 1987 release date. What is clear, is that for the major candidates, whoever sells the most books, will likely take the White House. With that in mind look for Al Franken to win the Dem nomination in 2020, but he may trouble beating Trump.

My Take

After the disappointing release of Hard Choices, I was surprised to see Hillary’s current release sell as well as it is doing right now. Since part of this blog was written on the day of her new book release, you can see it the writing.

However, the big story here is how important book sales may be in determining, who becomes president of the United States. The direct relationship between the two is very eerie. For Hillary, Living History, should have been good enough to put her back in the white house. But as we all know now, she was eclipsed by an even more popular writer and bookseller, Barrack Obama.

 

 

The New Yorker already had their cover ready for a 2016 Hillary Clinton victory

Layered

This image of a simple window, illustrates the concept of layered, photo by author taken in Old Town, Albuquerque, NM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Layered

Here, all in one picture, you have an adobe wall,  a white wood frame and some glass complete with reflection. All in all, there are many different layers here.
Layered

Jazz

Jazz originated as a musical expression, but its ideas can be applied to other areas such as writing and visual art. design by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jazz

Jazz is a truly American art form that has inspired artists in many different realms besides music.

Recipe

A recipe for disaster….too many cooks spoil the broth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recipe

What we have here is four of the more recognizable cooks from around the country all working on the same recipe. To me this spells disaster.

Samurai

Ralph was proud of his mohawk haircut that he received at the Samurai Barber Shop, drawing by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samurai

Despite its unusual technique, the Samurai Barber Shop on Cleveland St. did a thriving business.

Waiting

Two walkers await the sun to set over the Charles River, MA photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waiting

These two walkers are braving the below-freezing elements to witness an inspiring event, a wintertime sunset. Perhaps, when they are done, there is some hot chocolate waiting at home or a Hot Toddy in a nearby bar.

Waiting

Structure

Writers and playwrights aren’t the only ones that have to deal with structure, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Structure

For many creative-type of individuals, structure can be an intimidating thing to deal with.

Structure

Corner

This street corner in Kanab, Utah is well guarded, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corner

The masked stranger makes sure that there is no hanky-panky going on at this street corner.

Corner

Mail

 

Frosty anxiously awaits his fan mail, drawing by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mail

Frosty the Snowman would be all alone, if not for the daily visit by the federal employee, who delivers the mail. Letters and cards from his many fans keep this snowman’s spirits high.

Ooh, Shiny!

Ooh, a shiny red horse. photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ooh, Shiny!

The other day, I was walking down the street….and guess what I saw. A shiny red horse….Ooh la la!

Ooh, Shiny!

Hair

Mark Twain is known for having wild hair, photo and drawing by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hair

Hair often defines who we are. If you don’t believe me, you have to look no further than the White House. In the past, many celebrities have become known first and foremost by the way they wear their hair. And it’s not just the women, who do this, for the men are often just as showy as the women. Here’s a light-hearted tribute to an author, who was way ahead of his time in this regard.

Elemental

This is a rock formation near Tonalea, AZ, called Elephant Feet, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elemental

Earth, wind and water most likely created these two sandstone, rock formations, which as the name implies, look just like elephant feet. You can find these two rock pillars along Arizona State Highway 160, as it cuts across the Navajo Reservation between Kayenta and Tuba City. There is a rest area here, so motorists can stop, pull over and have a look. And sometimes Native craftspeople set up shop here to sell their handmade items.

Elemental

Neighbor

Urban neighbors sometimes live very close together, drawing by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neighbor

Neighbors can live very far apart or very close together.

Texture

Mother Nature is the force that created this rocky texture, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texture

This is Checkerboard Mesa in Zion NP, Utah. The strange patterns and textures in the rock surface was caused by horizontal cross-bedding of ancient sand dunes and vertical cracking due to the expansion and contraction of the sandstone during winter.

Textures

Ice Cream

This ice cream is Mmm…delicious

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice Cream

New ice cream flavor is now available.

Unusual

The smiley building says Hello. photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unusual

This unusual building greets the people of St. George with a big smile. During the warmer months it might also sell them a cold, icy treat.

Unusual

Collage

Outside the Museum in Montreal, this poster displays the collage aesthetic, photo by author

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collage

This poster that is displayed outside a Montreal Museum displays the collage aesthetic, a fairly rececnt artistic development that really got rolling in the early 20th century

Collage