Virtual Brush Box

What if you could have one spell? What would you chose?

Between the ages of 16-20, each person is given the chance to chose one spell.

No warning when it will be. Much is made of Being Prepared.

You may learn more spells in your life. This will be the one spell you can always do. The one spell that will never fail. The one that will be with you for the rest of your life.

No overreach. There are stories of All the Riches in the World leading to joining a global online group composed of people named Rich.

No danger to others. Another account says that asking for Kill People led to “slaying” the audience as a comedian.

No danger to yourself. No Midas Touch here. Rumour has it that An Everything Turns to Gold request led to things being hit with a gleam of sunlight.

Truth? Urban legend? Why take that chance? Why blow your one opportunity?

The spell does not run constantly. You have to invoke it. Everything getting a sunlit glow, only when you ask. Constant would be way too annoying.

You will be given words to say, a hand gesture to make, or a somatically appropriate equivalent.

Small & specific is best.

People will hire each other to perform their task.

The Chose WiselyTM company has grown giving people advice on their choice. They compile databases of requests and how they turn out. They will offer – for a fee – projections of how your request will turn out.

Silver Level – standard report

Gold Level – detailed report with percentage risk analysis

Platinum Level – a personal consultation to clarifying your goals, identify what is important to you, and help selecting the optimal wording.

Don’t leave the rest of your life to chance.

Chose Wisely!

~~~ curtain ~~~

Afterword

There is a science fiction fantasy novel wherein everyone in the world suddenly each gains their own obscure superpower. Neither memory nor search could dredge it up. Probably an ingredient in the above.

Free Fiction 4U – Clarkesworld: Better Living Through Algorithms, by Naomi Kritzler, May 2023. I have mentioned this author before for Cat Pictures Please (Clarkesworld 2015). [Instagram Recap] & [I Didn’t Write This Post]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Nikon: Small World, Fluorescent Hand of a Madagascar Giant Day Gecko Wins 48th Annual Nikon Small World Photo Microscopy Competition, October 11, 2022.

~~~

Blaze
Branko Mededica
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
1 May 2023

Technical Details & Discussion

A started with Sunny 16 and moved the numbers from there.

Head – f/11.0, 1/160 sec., 60.0 mm, ISO 200.

Building – f/16.0, 1/125 sec., 26.0 mm, ISO 200.

Post-processing – cropping, watermark, & border.

I can’t – yet – deliberately create a striking photo. I took 65 photos and most of them are … blah. In focus. Centered. Backgrounds not too bad, although I need to get better about checking what is behind the subject. I figured, dragon statue? Cool. This will be a piece of cake. I tried close-ups, detail shots, reflections. Nothing went anywhere.

I said something similar about the dog show outing. “Nothing that wows me, although turned out better than I thought while I was snapping.” [At The Dog Show]

In this case, the photos turned out even less exciting than I thought they would. Ah well. Go somewhere? Check. Take photos? Check. Therefore success. I keep saying this, if only to remind myself.

Links

Branko Mededica: Blaze

Bham Now: Blaze means business. A sneak peek of the Blaze statue in front of the new UAB Collat School of Business building, Byington, 2019.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. To lighten the tone. An Alabama-run Facebook group. Not my thing, but glad folks are having fun. Elmore Autauga News: May Eason’s Beautiful Table Settings Conference Has Huge First Year In Wetumpka, Miller 2022. The Wetumpka Herald: Beautiful Table Settings is still growing, Williams 2023. “As the group has grown, Eason has added administrators to help monitor every post and comment to ensure the group stays true to its mission. She personally spends eight to 10 hours per day posting, commenting or monitoring the group.” Mobile Bay: Setting the Table with New Friends, Gentry 2021. I had no idea. Hat tip to M.

~~~

Well, that was not the most fun I’ve ever had at a lesson. Selfie because I was wasn’t on long enough to get an ears pic. New horse, so I figured I ride first and then do the photo shoot later.

Pffft.

I was told that Nila could mildly misbehave from time to time. So, when she fussed, I landed on her. She felt this was excessive and fussed about that. I could feel the whole thing starting to escalate. I asked Coach Courtney to grab the front end and then I hopped off.

Walked a bit. Got back on. With help from the ground team, managed to relax enough to get a decent walk. Asked for a trot. Back to square one. Enough of this.

The mare wasn’t being bad. I was not handling it well. I could have continued if I’d had to. Maybe. Wasn’t anybody gonna be happy about the result.

Mentally, I made a list of the bad rides I’d had with mares, and geldings who channel their inner mare, *coughMiltoncough*. Posting that is just adding negative energy to the universe. Instead here is a list of wonder mares.

Opinionated Jumper Mare, “She was so reliable, I remember coming out of a corner for a fence on the diagonal and knowing, with iron certainty, exactly where she was planning to put her feet 6 strides away.” [Bucket List – Accomplished]

Priney. A 13.2 pony. Most fun I ever had on cross-country. [Life is a Puzzle, photo]

Dottie [La Prima Rules]

Tuesday [Chestnut Mare Fanfare]

In each case, the lady in question was super-competent. All I had to do was be supportive & stay out of their way. “I was there to count the jump numbers and point out which one came next.” [Accomplished]

Overall, I get along less well with the average mare and sensitive geldings. I get along well with hardy mares and the average gelding. Basically, I’m out for any situation that calls for tact & subtlety. My instinctive response is not the correct one.

And then there was Sam, who would spook or bolt or fuss, and I would (metaphorically) yell at him to get over himself and he would say, ‘Okay, I’m good.’ I miss him. [Show Report]

Back to the lesson. Unhappy that I bailed. I wish I were a brilliant, adaptable rider, capable of getting along with any horse. It’s not clear that I ever am. Certainly not right now.

Onwards!
Katherine

|:|

~~~

-> !
🙂

Awareness of the outside world. So I guess the medical folks who are denying care based on religious principles did not grow up with the Parable of the Good Samaritan? The point of the story is that you don’t just get to help the people you like. Mentioned before; worth repeating. [A Good Enough Selection]

~~~

Virtual Tevis Cup 2023
100 Miles in 100 Days
19 April to 30 July

Rodney – 13 miles this week, 52 miles total
Milton – 13 miles this week, 48 miles total
Tues 9 May to Mon 15 May

Still plugging away, one mile at a time.

Up & At ‘Em

Horses continue to be good about working before breakfast. [Let The Morning Rides Begin]

Virtual Tevis Posts [Driving Milestone, Solidly in the 30s, Virtual Tevis 2023], [Archives]

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. AL.com: AL.com wins two Pulitzer Prizes, one for local reporting, one for commentary, May. 08, 2023. Poynter: All roads lead to Alabama for the 2023 Pulitzers, Three winners, two finalists, by Jennifer Orsi, May 8, 2023.

~~~

In the spring, our weather is such that it is warm in the evening but cold(ish) by morning. Rodney would very much like someone come out in the middle of the night to dress him suitably.

Similarly, he would prefer to spend several hours after dinner in the stall, eating hay and basking in the Sharknado-free Milton-free zone. He’d like to be let out right around the time the temperature drops.

There is a competition record that would have made this possible for him.

Imagine the last 13 years … Let’s say he …

Won a year-end award at the Preliminary Level in eventing.

… AND …

Took me around a Grand Prix in show jumping, or better yet, won one. A small one would be okay, I’m not picky.

… AND …

Earned my USDF Bronze medal in dressage.

Or even, two out of three.

For that horse, I would spend their retirement getting up at 2 am every night to switch clothing and arrange accommodations.

As it is, he will have to settle for the standard care package.

A life of leisure comes at a price, Dude.

Onwards!
Katherine

Awareness of the outside world. Happy Mother’s Day. Did you know the day was founded on principles of sanitation and of peace? National Women’s History Alliance: THE HISTORY OF MOTHER’S DAY.

~~~

My interpretation of the Unitarian Universalist rainbow of principles. These are directed towards kids. Adults like simple explanations as well. At least this one does. Also, I can’t resist a list.

RED – Respect each person.
ORANGE – Offer fairness and kindness to all.
YELLOW – Yearn to learn together.
GREEN – Grow by searching for what is true.
BLUE – Believe in yourself and your ideas.
INDIGO – Insist on a peaceful, fair, and free world.
VIOLET – Value our planet Earth.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Jackson: Our Principles for Kids

Another example, with slightly different wording. Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church: Childrens’ Principles

Onwards!
Katherine