It's Christmas Eve3 (otherwise three days before Xmas).
Today's second shot shows fog sitting behind the ridge which is where I believe Malibu Canyon Creek empties out into the bay (the fact that there is fog probably indicates that there IS a running creek there).
Last night was a particularly red sky, but my camera does not faithfully render sunsets as I have mentioned before (it puts too much yellow in).
Which is odd, because it does sunrises well enough. Why one is different from the other photographically I will probably have to have a landscape photographer tell me.
Nevertheless, when I crop out all reference points, it gives me something that I can call an "alien sea of fire" and I will actually believe myself. I want to go there in a dream.
CHRISTMAS? BAH, HUMBUG - Part 2
I've noticed that several people that I know (generally people without children) seem to develop an aversion, or at least an annoyance, with the overall enforced cheeriness and joyousness that comes with being surrounded by the images and music of Christmas which start up after Halloween.
When you have kids, there is a responsibility to commit to the underlying premise of secular Christmas to be nice and generous to each other.(BTW: The real religious Christmas story is followed up in short order by tale of mass-murder of children by an insecure governmental authority--ask your Sunday School teacher about that one...). |
| An L.A. Krampus |
A few years ago, reading one of my favorite webcomics The Non-Adventures of Wonderella, I was introduced to the Christmas Krampus, who has been enjoying a resurgence, at least among a certain ironic subculture. He has made appearances on The Colbert Report and American Dad I believe, so he's kinda hip right now. L.A.'s Echo Park district even has a parade which I missed (dammit).
He is basically the wild man archetype character (hairy, horned, long-tongued, tailed, strong, aggressive, noisy, probably smelly, etc.) who travels alongside Saint Nicholas in the Alpine cultures, dispensing punishment to bad children as St. Nick dispenses goodies to the good. If you've been bad, he'll beat you with his rusty chain, toss you in his basket-rucksack, and take you to Krampus-land (hell, I presume?). Read all about him at www.krampus.com.
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| Santa and Krampus by artist Steven Austin |
My Chinese yin-yang soul really responds to this guy as the antidote to keep Christmas cheer in check. Thank you Austrians and your pagan forbears for understanding the balance of light and dark in such frighteningly and kooky way.
I'm going to have to design my own Krampus holiday card next year (I can hardly wait, so I'll do it on my Xmas vacation here from my employer ...).
That's all for today.
Love,
Pops
Personal postscript: This is my newest relative, who was born Saturday. Granddaughter Henrietta Sojourner Pickering (and I thought her mother's name was long when we named her ... I've been done one up!), born in the waning Year of the Wood Horse. Welcome, you are loved. Goong-Goong.
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