Finally broke my month-and-a-half not-reading streak by tearing through Twilight on Thursday, then Stardust with equal speed today. I’m starting to feel my imagination again; things are once more catching my eye, wandering away with my thoughts, and I can feel the juices stir ever so slightly. I saw amazing clouds on my way to the mailbox. My ginzuishou splits the world into colors, in my window. (Yeah, I have a ginzuishou. The teardrop kind, not the lotus kind.)

I’m slowly finding my way to some story ideas and writing more frequently. Sorry for the huge lapse in posting, but I’m working on it….

(Blogging.…that thing I keep forgetting to do. Oy.)

For a month or more I’ve been in a severe funk, not writing, and not reading anything more than light manga or a short story. I haven’t been able to write as much as a regular blog entry — I posted thrice last week because, hey, I had a car wreck and a site launch, and those were things to talk about! Now, I’m back to being out of things to talk about.

As far as Serenitatis goes, the layout that came out was beautiful but extremely agonizing to execute. I’m starting afresh and hoping for something less painful to code up. Still aiming to revamp in the next month.

As far as Mistress Fortune goes (see last post), indeed, Tanemura-sensei is finishing it after three chapters and a side story in the summer Ribon Special magazine. She’s been going at it for the last 49 issues — over four years, and that’s ONLY Ribon Magazine; that doesn’t even count her side stories in nearly every special issue of Ribon printed. Clearly, she needs a break. I can’t say I blame her.

As far as life (and writing) goes, I’ve been taking notes on themes that draw me, stuff I like, stuff I should incorporate into my writing, and trying to figure out what it is I should write, what’s most important to me. I’m getting a lot of good things out of it; a few dismaying things…. I’m playing a lot of Animal Crossing. I’m crocheting; I made a netted shopping bag, and I’m about halfway through my afghan pattern. I’m taking a break from eBay sales and will be listing a bunch of stuff for direct-sale, probably on my LJ. I’m tired, it’s hot and muggy.

More soon, I hope.

Presenting Infinite Destiny, the Zettai Kakusei Tenshi Mistress Fortune (Absolute Awakening Angel Mistress Fortune) fanlisting! Yes, the flesh is weak. I applied practically on the day of release. I admit it.

And now, this launches! Just in time for me to find out that it ends… next month. T______T; Three-chapter short. [falls over]

Yesterday got considerably worse as the day wore on; sore and stiff and exhausted. And freaked out and terrified of driving, ever ever again. I know I’ll have to drive again, and much sooner than never, but it’s a little hard to think about at present. The wreck was way scarier, well after the fact. (Thanks for all your comments, by the way.) I didn’t get much of anything done yesterday except some housework (while forcing myself to get up, move around and stretch periodically.)

Today was better, I’m not in any real pain, just a bit listless. Did some work, not as much as I probably should have done, but it was a start. Tomorrow will be better yet, I’m sure.

As we were driving down the interstate, a deer magically appeared in the fast lane, directly in front of us. Lenneth and I are fine. The car, not so much.

When I went to Prague in 2005, I fell in love with Cubism. Oh, I went for the Art Nouveau, don’t get me wrong — but I left loving Cubism, an art movement that had a vigorous, localized growth spurt in Prague from 1910-1914. Most people have seen one of Picasso’s Cubist paintings, but very few know that the Czech Cubists leapt off the canvas and left their mark on typography, architecture, sculpture, interior decor, furniture and everyday items.

Sharp points, slicing planes, crystalline shapes. These are the trademarks of the Czech Cubists – a unique, avant-garde group, feverishly active in Prague between 1910 and 1914. As well as fine art, they left behind them building facades prickling with little pyramids, furniture bursting with energy, and decorative objects dynamized with stark black lines.

Why do I like Cubism?

Cubists attempted to supplant the right-angled forms of modernism with oblique, broken, pyramidal ones; they desired to give shape to the boxlike, modernist interiors through the use of forms reminiscent of the inside of a crystal. (Quote from here, emphasis mine.)

The movement venerates natural, crystalline shapes. How could I not like it??

I went through the Cubist Museum (housed in a peculiar Cubist building) from top to bottom (all four stories.) The one thing I really didn’t see much of was Cubist glasswork. Oh, they had one piece, a candy jar or something, but it wasn’t that exciting. Bohemia, later Czechoslovakia is famous for their glass; perfume bottles especially. Collectors just love the stuff, and have for centuries. I never really thought to wonder whether something like Cubist glass-ANYTHING could be found in Prague, antique or otherwise. (I love art glass. Not just any old glass object, mind you, but a lot of them have Danielle-magnets inside, I admit.)

Anyway. Very long ramble short, I received my birthday presents early from my mother this year, in honor of the big three-o:

Genuine Czech Cubist glass, almost a century old. Two small lidded boxes, and an atomizer — boudoir accessories, basically. (I didn’t think to put it in the pictures below the cut, but the original tassel/bulb cover and cord came with it, but are unusable. I think I can replace the bulb, get a new cord, and …use it!) The color of the two diamond-shaped objects is a green-grey; the rectangular box is a shade between clear platinum and smoky quartz. They are very precious and are living on my dresser, holding my favorite earrings and necklaces. I love-love-love them, and want to share.

MANY pictures below the cut. [Read more →]

So it’s the end of June, and I’ve been crazy-busy. I’ve done a lot of cleaning. I’ve done a lot of cleaning out, and I’m selling myself through several square feet of containers of anime goods. I’ve already sold several things, given away a few. I will be auctioning more as I get it together; there’s a LOT of stuff to go through, so it’ll take me the summer most likely to get everything online here or there.

I haven’t written in a week or more. I haven’t started, much less finished, the first draft of my Selene short story. Hopefully this month will be different. I felt the need to get my collections organized and reduced; it feels good to be purging some things, from a mental standpoint. The money is also very helpful, but mostly it’s my mind that benefits.

I have some fantastic pictures to post, but they demand their own post, and the post needs some research work done for maximum effect, so I will likely put that up tomorrow. I received my birthday presents early from my mother, and I have some fantastically obscure art antiques to show. :D :D :D (I’m very excited.)