The city at night.

The cosmos favours no one for long
The stars hang above us
With the starkness of bones
White and dead
Once the framework of a man
We carry nothing with us
When we return from whence we came
Where then is the good?
The laws of God are inscribed upon the hearts of men
Deny this if you can
There is no escaping the sounds of the city at night
A place of masks
You shall soon see
I lay this upon you, oh desert son
Let me see the coming of the stars once again
Under them lies our fortune –
And our fate
The time has come—the waiting is done
The winds blow, the storm strikes
Expect no answers from me.

Inspired by the fantasies of Andre Norton.

A humble aspiration.

When I got to a certain age, I began to reflect on some of the things that I had missed over the years. I'm convinced this is a common failing among men, but be that as it may, I came up with the proverbial 'bucket list.'

It was a time of introspection and self-examination, one not recommended for light entertainment.

Okay, so I never got married, never had kids, never had a long-term full-time job that lasted more than two or three years, and I still don't have any real prospects, and while I don't necessarily regret not being married, I do see the way parents look at their own children, with love and a kind of pride in their eyes and I sort of get it...no, really, I do.

It's just something that I'll have to get over. But there were certain things on the list. For one, I would like to get laid again before I die. Is that so bad? Seems pretty humble to me. Almost practical really, for all the guys that go postal and wind up in the news seem to be dealing with a kind of unspoken frustration, perhaps status-related.

At the top of the list, was a bicycle. That's right, a bicycle. That seems like a pretty humble aspiration, but another common failing is the longing, or the attempt to recapture lost youth.

I'll be honest with you, a bicycle is not very good for picking up chicks, but that wasn't the real purpose, although I may have joked about it from time to time. It gives people something to talk about.

In some ways it actually worked, for I did things and went places that I wouldn't have otherwise.

At about $400, to own one nice new thing, is not unreasonable. It really is better to ride a bike two blocks to the store once in a while.

On this particular day, I probably rode about twenty kilometres. I found the big tree I like, and said hello. I stayed away from the house for two or three hours, and sometimes that's important as well.

My needs are simple, and my wants are not complex.

Spetznaz Woman

Spetznaz woman coming in your dreams

Spetznaz woman going to make you scream

Spetznaz woman want to see you burn

Spetznaz woman going to give you a turn

Spetznaz woman always plays the field

Spetznaz woman going to make you yield

Spetznaz woman leather and lace

Spetznaz woman sitting on your face

Spetznaz woman going to make you cry

Spetznaz woman laughing as you die

Spetznaz woman she’s back in town

Spetznaz woman, she’s the best around

Spetznaz woman she’ll make you fly

Spetznaz woman, you’ll never understand why

Spetznaz woman she make you squeal

Spetznaz woman, outstanding in the field

Spetznaz woman, yeah yeah yeah

Spetznaz woman, yeah yeah yeah

Spetznaz woman, never let you sleep

Spetznaz woman, gonna make you weep

Spetznaz woman, yeah yeah yeah

Spetznaz woman, yeah yeah yeah

Digital photo painting effects.

Photo by Louis.

c2011 (S)



The above picture was created with a digital camera and two different editing programs. The effects were generated using Paint.NET, which is a free download. The free version has certain features withheld, but I use it with the limitations it has.

I used the colour select and the 'bucket' to make the sky all one colour in Paint, for example, while using Nero Photosnap to tilt the photo a half a degree in order to straighten up the horizon, a horizon which disappeared in the final picture.

This is actually a beach scene, whereas it looks like the side of a sand-dune. Possible improvements would include touching up the fine screen of curving branches, and that's about it. Other effects include ink drawing and oil paint effects, sharpening, brightness and contrast, and the 'curves' tool in Paint.NET.

Marketing Image artwork in progress.

This is a cropped version of Edvard Munch's 'Madonna,' of which he painted several versions circa 1894-95.