Starlore

Donna gave me the Starlore handbook by Geoffrey Cornelius from press élan as a holiday gift.



It includes interesting illustrations, monthly whole-sky maps, and explanations of the symbolic significance of constellations. This will be an interesting read... I hope this will help me better "see" the bigger constellation, like Ursa Major, rather than just the Big Dipper.

happy solstice!

I phoned Lisa and Colleen today to wish them a Happy Solstice!

picked up 8x10s

I picked up my first official constellation photographic prints today.

I asked Silvano Color Lab, a bit north of my home, to make up 8x10 prints of my experimental photos. I shot Orion during a winter visit to my Mom's house near Port Stanley (December 2001).

I'm pleased. It's not a great image. But it's a good first attempt.

Caught a planet too!

meteor watch attempt

Alan and I headed north to observe the Perseids at their peak. Alas, clouds moved it, so it was not very successful. We kept driving north, further north... No luck.

accurate stars

I admit I'm biased. I love the Legend of Zelda games...

I've been playing / learning Majora's Mask.

I noticed the stars at night-time are eerily accurate. I can see Orion!

I don't know why exactly but I think that's totally cool.

§

There's an interesting subtext here. Link and Zelda must live on Earth...

being me

My girlfriend Lisa wrote me a note in a beautiful card.

"I remember meeting [you, 10 years ago, when you lived near Yonge and Eglinton]. [You] struck me as being somehow... different. [You knew] which direction the moon would rise later that evening."

all lined up (Toronto)

The big conjunction of a life time... Mercury, Saturn, Mars, Venus, the Moon, and Jupiter, all lined up at sunset. I snapped a bunch of blurry digital photos. I forget where I was...

one sun dog (Port Hope)

While driving in the chilly early morning from Toronto to Shannonville, as the clouds broke, I spotted a solitary sun dog, left of the sun. I took 2 digital photos with my Samsung camera... while driving (nervous laugh).



This was my first sun dog. The first time I ever observed one.



The clouds were too thick to the right to see anything, unfortunately.

§

Wikipedia link: sun dog.

untitled poem

I wrote and posted this poem on my Sympatico webspace. I repeat it here...

§

just now
i felt
a slowing
a pause
a peace

all tightly focused
down into a single pure
black hole moment of
dark gravity and intensity
deep intense
melancoly
all
quiet

the Universe swirling
around me
quickly hugely
things are happening
everywhere
every split
second

frantic
planet
chaotic

but for me
it's slowing
slowing down
focusing
slowing
pausing
quietly

but for me
it's slowing down
focusing
slowing
into
in to
like
the seconds
precious few
trembling
shimmering
seconds
oh god
before
waiting
almost
there
then
the orgasm
and
the minutes
after
the quiet
that quiet
vibration

down
into
pelvis

down
into
spine

everything spinning fast
rotating 'round
then slowing
and slowing
down
tightly
slowing
pausing
quietly

your
bits
pulsing
quivering
down
from a
planet-large
nervous
network
into the thin
orange
metal
wires
into
my
pupils
my
ears

bits
in my spinning CD player
swirling like
galaxies
spinning
slowing down
to a
trickle
pausing
for a 1/4
second

buffer
exceeded

the photons
of quick
blue or orange light
tens
of
thousands
of
years
away
from home
quivering
then slowing
in their
long journey
pausing

like they were passing through
and they just wanted to
look in
tourists

the lyrics
of Lamb
Lou
echoing
off my walls
in my mind
out of
my television
her long slow slow voice
waves of sound
waves of dark water
slowing
down
quivering

somewhere
i know
an intersection
of photons
or cars (vibrating mirrors)
a tropical storm
or lovers
galaxies
slowing
pausing
in
their
delicate
dark
sudden slo-mo collision
dance

gasping
in
not
breathing
for
that second
or two
they
darkly
pause

a singer
curving 'round
her mic stand
making love
to the room of
mesmerized unblinking eyes
transfixed
frozen
in time
waiting waiting
watching
her open mouth
waiting
for her
next
breath

down
into
me
into
this
single slow quiet still
quivering
nexus

down
into my
pelvis

down
into my
spine

connecting
into me
wires
photons
memes images notes vibrations
moving
into me



just now
i felt
a slowing
a pause
a peace

Feb 2002 Toronto
copyright © 2002, 2008 Blake Nancarrow