native blooms prosper
behind the strawberries
next year's weeds
Monday, April 30, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Children's book coming soon
"Edible Zoo" First written for my first toddler. Here's a sample:
The Aardvark
The aardvark is a curious beast,
But makes a tempting furry feast,
When dipped in chocolate or when greased,
And fried with cabbage and with leeks.
Oh aardvark! Culinary gem,
I like to nibble now and then,
On freeze-dried chips of aardvark dipped,
In cheesy spread with cognac sipped.
Or aardvark cutlets would be nice,
Laid upon a bed of rice,
And garnished with a hop-toad sushi,
Left to sit until it's mooshy.
end
Illustrated, of course.
The Aardvark
The aardvark is a curious beast,
But makes a tempting furry feast,
When dipped in chocolate or when greased,
And fried with cabbage and with leeks.
Oh aardvark! Culinary gem,
I like to nibble now and then,
On freeze-dried chips of aardvark dipped,
In cheesy spread with cognac sipped.
Or aardvark cutlets would be nice,
Laid upon a bed of rice,
And garnished with a hop-toad sushi,
Left to sit until it's mooshy.
end
Illustrated, of course.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Why, that would be ... me!
I posted earlier about the fossils for teachers workshop:
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/04/october-23-2012-fossil-workshop-for.html
Here's a bit more info:
http://www.gsa.state.al.us/education/black_belt.aspx
And photos of past workshops:
http://bps-al.org/trips/october-28-2011-sumter-co-al-teacher-workshop.html
http://dreamsandnightmaresmagazine.blogspot.com/2012/04/october-23-2012-fossil-workshop-for.html
Here's a bit more info:
http://www.gsa.state.al.us/education/black_belt.aspx
And photos of past workshops:
http://bps-al.org/trips/october-28-2011-sumter-co-al-teacher-workshop.html
Thursday, April 26, 2012
haus
So we have to put plywood across the attic front, for stability, on a roof that's stood since 1913, & that's already been repaired a few years back, till we build a new porch roof, later this year. City! Waste of a day & $$, but it gets 'em off our back. Spose it will save a little on cooling this summer. At least they did pick up the debris pile.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
042512 - guidebook
my latest publication, still at the printer, is a field-trip guidebook to the Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site. This is an important fossil site in Alabama, first discovered in 1999. It has been visited at least monthly since its discovery, but, strangely, no one wrote a guidebook for the site until Ron Buta and I did it this spring. The guidebook is available as a free PDF download or on paper for a few dollars from the Alabama Paleontological Society. The download has some color, but it is lower resolution. Also, you can't jot notes on it as easily.
To my mind, the coolest thing about this site is that there are so many cool things about it.
-oldest known examples of schooling and herding behavior
-early reptiles and amphibians living together
-insect and other arthropod body fossils
-diverse trace-fossil fauna
-literally thousands of specimens
-mix of aquatic and terrestrial species
-yields new unique specimens on a regular basis
To my mind, the coolest thing about this site is that there are so many cool things about it.
-oldest known examples of schooling and herding behavior
-early reptiles and amphibians living together
-insect and other arthropod body fossils
-diverse trace-fossil fauna
-literally thousands of specimens
-mix of aquatic and terrestrial species
-yields new unique specimens on a regular basis
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sup
The weather has turned cool, at least compared to the rest of this year so far, but has otherwise been excellent. We still have not had time to plant vegetables, but a least half the vegetable garden is now free of weeds and ready to plant. I believe that most of the flowers and trees [spouse] bought are now in the ground and in the place where she wants them. One flower bed is still just a mound of dirt. Many of the things that are in the ground are blooming. What's new are regular daylilies, Stella d'Oro daylilies, and a number of things that are still in bud. There is actually a lot more to do: digging up bamboo, digging a swale around the slab that will become the greenhouse, so it won't flood after a rain, weeding the second half of the vegetable garden, planting vegetables, etc..
Why do I have time to write this letter now? Well, you know. Alabama is still in the 19th century in some ways. This is Confederate Memorial Day and the state isn't working. Interestingly, the city is working. And, of course, the public schools are in session. They get off Friday for a weather day they didn't need to use, and I am supposed to be at work. I will go to work, because I think [spouse] will spend the whole day in the garden.
Other things have happened. We got the roof of our front porch torn off. The city was tired of looking at it, and was afraid we were never going to take care of it. Now we are back at work on the greenhouse, having lost only one weekend from that effort. A one-minute tornado; >1 yr later, recovery goes on.
Why do I have time to write this letter now? Well, you know. Alabama is still in the 19th century in some ways. This is Confederate Memorial Day and the state isn't working. Interestingly, the city is working. And, of course, the public schools are in session. They get off Friday for a weather day they didn't need to use, and I am supposed to be at work. I will go to work, because I think [spouse] will spend the whole day in the garden.
Other things have happened. We got the roof of our front porch torn off. The city was tired of looking at it, and was afraid we were never going to take care of it. Now we are back at work on the greenhouse, having lost only one weekend from that effort. A one-minute tornado; >1 yr later, recovery goes on.
042312
Black Point Marina, Miami area, after Hurricane Andrew, Sept. 1992
bewildered kid
trapped outside my dad's garage
lost possum
Sunday, April 22, 2012
newest Frankenstein comment
And Fewer Puns
No crude fly-man hybrid here,
researchers ever so much more painstaking
than Hollywood supposed,
not to mention the likelihood
that flawed data yield dead meat.
But, one must admit,
our models of brain
function leave much to be desired;
were this not so,
surely Sir Isaac's marrow'd have led
to a lot less drooling.
end
No crude fly-man hybrid here,
researchers ever so much more painstaking
than Hollywood supposed,
not to mention the likelihood
that flawed data yield dead meat.
But, one must admit,
our models of brain
function leave much to be desired;
were this not so,
surely Sir Isaac's marrow'd have led
to a lot less drooling.
end
Dreams & Nightmares update
#92, May 2012, is full & I guess it's time to lay it out. Reading for #93 et seq.
Subscribe now (http://dreamsandnightmares.interstellardustmites.com/; paypal jopnquog@gmail.com; $25/6 issues) & I'll send either a recent back issue or the poetry 3-fold pamphlet "Inverted Folk" free). You tell me which. Lifetime subscription includes all available back issues & is still $90.
Subscribe now (http://dreamsandnightmares.interstellardustmites.com/; paypal jopnquog@gmail.com; $25/6 issues) & I'll send either a recent back issue or the poetry 3-fold pamphlet "Inverted Folk" free). You tell me which. Lifetime subscription includes all available back issues & is still $90.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
October 23, 2012 fossil workshop for teachers
Fossils of the Black Belt – A Hands-On Field Workshop
Where: University of West Alabama in Livingston and vicinity.
When: Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost: $15, preregister early
Who Should Attend: In-service and pre-service science teachers who will be teaching earth science or other science courses with earth-science components, life science, biology, and environmental science.
Contact: Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama, P.O. Box 869999, Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999. Phone: (205) 247-3695 (office) or (205) 246-9346 (cell). Fax: (205) 349-2861. Email: dkm@gsa.state.al.us
Registration Form
Name: _______________________________ Position: _________________ School:
Address:
Home phone: _____________ School phone: _____________ Email:
Return to David Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama, P.O. Box 869999, Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999.
Make checks payable to Alabama Geological Society.
Workshop Summary
A 1-day workshop in paleontology (the study of fossils) for elementary to high school science teachers (both in-service and pre-service). The workshop will help integrate real earth science into curricula. Participants will be better able to recommend meaningful science-fair projects in earth science and to assist students with them.
Objectives:
• Participants will learn about fossils and geology, so they will be more comfortable teaching these subjects.
• Participants will learn about sites that can be visited by classes, or used to provide material for classes.
• Teachers will make fossil kits for classroom use.
• Teachers will get Lost Worlds in Alabama Rocks, a major resource about the geology of Alabama, and 3 Discovering Alabama DVDs (Geologic History of Alabama, Tracks Across Time, and Black Belt Part I).
This course supports Alabama Course of Study/Science Processes & Applications in all grades, high school Geology & Earth & Space Science electives, and life-science concepts at all grade levels.
Alabama is one of the best places in the world for fossil collecting. In an area the size of England, Alabama has well-preserved fossils of almost every age. Paleontologists come from all over to collect in Alabama.
The workshop begins at the University of West Alabama, where participants learn basic geologic field techniques. Next, they visit 2 or more fossiliferous outcrops near Livingston. Fossils include oysters, other bivalves, snails, bryozoa, worm tubes, and shark teeth. If very lucky, someone might find remains of sea turtles or a mosasaur (a giant sea lizard). Back at UWA, participants will identify and label fossils that were collected that morning, making kits they will take back to their schools.
Workshop Leaders
Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel has studied trilobites and other fossils, and has led workshops and field trips for teachers, children, and others.
Dr. Andrew K. Rindsberg teaches courses on geology and environmental science at The University of West Alabama, and has written numerous publications on Alabama geology and paleontology.
Dr. James Lamb is the leading authority on Alabama vertebrate paleontology. He has worked for four different museums, led many field trips, and authored 30 scientific publications.
Cosponsored by the Geological Survey of Alabama, University of West Alabama, Discovering Alabama, the Black Belt Museum, the Alabama Geological Society, and the Birmingham Paleontological Society .
Where: University of West Alabama in Livingston and vicinity.
When: Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Cost: $15, preregister early
Who Should Attend: In-service and pre-service science teachers who will be teaching earth science or other science courses with earth-science components, life science, biology, and environmental science.
Contact: Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama, P.O. Box 869999, Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999. Phone: (205) 247-3695 (office) or (205) 246-9346 (cell). Fax: (205) 349-2861. Email: dkm@gsa.state.al.us
Registration Form
Name: _______________________________ Position: _________________ School:
Address:
Home phone: _____________ School phone: _____________ Email:
Return to David Kopaska-Merkel, Geological Survey of Alabama, P.O. Box 869999, Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999.
Make checks payable to Alabama Geological Society.
Workshop Summary
A 1-day workshop in paleontology (the study of fossils) for elementary to high school science teachers (both in-service and pre-service). The workshop will help integrate real earth science into curricula. Participants will be better able to recommend meaningful science-fair projects in earth science and to assist students with them.
Objectives:
• Participants will learn about fossils and geology, so they will be more comfortable teaching these subjects.
• Participants will learn about sites that can be visited by classes, or used to provide material for classes.
• Teachers will make fossil kits for classroom use.
• Teachers will get Lost Worlds in Alabama Rocks, a major resource about the geology of Alabama, and 3 Discovering Alabama DVDs (Geologic History of Alabama, Tracks Across Time, and Black Belt Part I).
This course supports Alabama Course of Study/Science Processes & Applications in all grades, high school Geology & Earth & Space Science electives, and life-science concepts at all grade levels.
Alabama is one of the best places in the world for fossil collecting. In an area the size of England, Alabama has well-preserved fossils of almost every age. Paleontologists come from all over to collect in Alabama.
The workshop begins at the University of West Alabama, where participants learn basic geologic field techniques. Next, they visit 2 or more fossiliferous outcrops near Livingston. Fossils include oysters, other bivalves, snails, bryozoa, worm tubes, and shark teeth. If very lucky, someone might find remains of sea turtles or a mosasaur (a giant sea lizard). Back at UWA, participants will identify and label fossils that were collected that morning, making kits they will take back to their schools.
Workshop Leaders
Dr. David C. Kopaska-Merkel has studied trilobites and other fossils, and has led workshops and field trips for teachers, children, and others.
Dr. Andrew K. Rindsberg teaches courses on geology and environmental science at The University of West Alabama, and has written numerous publications on Alabama geology and paleontology.
Dr. James Lamb is the leading authority on Alabama vertebrate paleontology. He has worked for four different museums, led many field trips, and authored 30 scientific publications.
Cosponsored by the Geological Survey of Alabama, University of West Alabama, Discovering Alabama, the Black Belt Museum, the Alabama Geological Society, and the Birmingham Paleontological Society .
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
readung Powers' _Hide Me Among the Graves_
Name-dice thrice tost
in the Devil's Game
young hands
turn to the old Work
in the Devil's Game
young hands
turn to the old Work
McDonalds overnight parkers
Wake, buy grease, leave. My sleeping spouse/driver needs more Zs. West Plains Chen's Garden stayed open late, entertained w overheard shop talk w 3 other local restauranteurs. She has twins.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Deep-ish thoughts
I recently had to choose a bunch of my poems for a reading at the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts. The theme of the meeting was the monstrous in literature. I realized a few things about my monstrous poetry in the process of making choices for the reading. In most of the poems, if there were two intelligent beings, one was male and the other female. The viewpoint character was almost always male. The viewpoint character almost never dismembered/devoured/made wallpaper out of any female characters. The reverse, however, was true in many of the poems. In a few of the poems, none of the major characters victimized anybody. I don't think analyzing one's own deep psychological motives is fruitful, but I did write this poem as a result of my observation.
The Poet Debates an Imagined Reader
What is it with you
and these poems about women?
Your protagonists, all of them male,
and all of them you,
are eaten, killed, turned into furniture,
by females of one kind or another.
The best they can hope for
is to lose their women to
alien monsters,
natural disasters,
ecological catastrophes,
mysterious viruses;
is this something from your childhood?
They are viewpoint characters,
not protagonists,
and never me.
Don't mistake the character for the author;
that's the mark of a noob.
Weak, very weak.
Why should we read any more of your crap?
end
The Poet Debates an Imagined Reader
What is it with you
and these poems about women?
Your protagonists, all of them male,
and all of them you,
are eaten, killed, turned into furniture,
by females of one kind or another.
The best they can hope for
is to lose their women to
alien monsters,
natural disasters,
ecological catastrophes,
mysterious viruses;
is this something from your childhood?
They are viewpoint characters,
not protagonists,
and never me.
Don't mistake the character for the author;
that's the mark of a noob.
Weak, very weak.
Why should we read any more of your crap?
end
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Waz happenin?
Nothing much: catching up on snail-mail submissions, reviewing books, mundane chores. Letting the day's warmth in, such as it is, apres le front froid.
one of us digs plants
into the storm-bared earth
garden tour soon
one of us digs plants
into the storm-bared earth
garden tour soon
Friday, April 6, 2012
Trace-fossil guidebook
Guidebook to Steven C. Minkin Paleozoic Footprint Site (http://eoa.duc.auburn.edu/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1371) available as free pdf. Download is of decent resolution. The guidebook won't get you TO the site on your own. To get there, as part of a group, contact alabamapaleo.org.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
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