Tuesday, January 05, 2010

Blog Updates and a Poem

If you read my blog on my actual blog page, as opposed to Google Reader or Facebook, then you’ll definitely notice the change in colors that you’re seeing.  The background changed from the dark green to an even darker green and the header changed a bit, too.  I’m not afraid of change; in fact, I try to embrace it whenever I feel I should.  Being the new year and all, I figured I should change up a few things here.  For one, I’m not sure if I’m going to continue posting weekdaily, but for now I am.  We’ll wait and see, eh?

I also added a Creative Commons license at the bottom of the page, but I’m not really 100% sure why.  Whatever the case, it’s there.  And I’ve removed my 2009 Reads (so far) and replaced it with 2010 Reading Deck and 2010 Reads.  I also updated my Otherwheres section, complete with many of the blogs I frequent.  Check out some of the new ones if’n you’d like.  (If ya liked it then ya shoulda put a ring on it…)

It’s cold here in good ole Western Kentucky.  The wind chill right now is –2, and the actual temp is 12.  And it’s supposed to snow up to 4 inches tomorrow night.  At last the harshness of winter is upon us.  Nothing like a good, cold winter day, though.  It’s the hard season.  The dead season.  The mean season.  And I like it.

So I wrote a series of related poems the other day.  They’re a bit on the darker side of life, dealing with things that old folky songs tend to deal with.  There are four parts total.

"see the man" or "isabella's secret pt. 3"

in the black of the night
through the woods filled with fright
see the man!

down the road of despair
through the winds of stale air
see the man!

how he dances
how he writhes
how he twists
how he cries
see the man
see the man
see the man!

in the room of bloodied walls
through the doorway past the halls
see the man!

'neath the floor of wood and stone
through the dirt that's white with bone
see the man!

how he snarls
how he screams
how he shudders
how he dreams
see the man
see the man
see the man!

in the house of isabella
through the lies and in the cellar
see the man!

in the room rests a skeleton
through the scent of the smelly one
see the man!

now he's silent
now he rests
now he sleeps
now he's dead
see the man
see the man
see the man!

And now a part no one will care about except Dave.  I’m slowly filing my way through Oblivion.  I can’t decide whether or not I want to cure my vampirism.  I like the perks of the stat boosts, and feeding doesn’t really pose much of a problem for me, either.  The sunlight thing is kind of annoying, but only in the upper stages.  The weakness to fire, though, just plain sucks.  It just hit me how massive this game is.  I’ve only completed around 35% of the game’s quests, and I’ve been playing for many hours.

That’s really about it for today.  Writing Wednesdays up tomorrow.  I hope you are enjoying the tale, if you’re reading it.  I’m having loads of fun writing it, which is really the more important thing, methinks.  But I want the readers (the few of you that there are) to like it, too.  (If ya liked it then ya shoulda put a ring on it…)  It’s different and original, but at the same time I’m making use of clichés and tradition (thanks to The Odyssey for inspiration).  There are models and there are creations, and you can probably see both, maybe, if you squint and get the right light shining on it.  Blah.  Now I’m blushing.  It’s too hard to talk about my own work.

See the man!

11 comments:

Crystal said...

You know how much I like Oscambria, but I'm not ready to put a ring on it yet. I don't want that kind of committment right now :)

Brrrrrr.... That's WAY too cold. In Seattle, if it gets below 40, we're all freezing. There was a week in December that the temp hovered around 25 everyday and everyone thought they were going to freeze to death.

I really like the new look of your blog. Change is good!

logankstewart said...

@Crystal: Well, hey, thanks for the kind words, and thanks for liking the new look, too. Now if I can only get my toes warm...

Stephanie Fey said...

Logan, you must fill me in on your writing. Is it somewhere on this blog or somewhere else? I thought the third part of your poem was powerful and atmospheric and just plain excellent. Where are parts 1 and 2?

Point me in the right direction, please, as if I'm returning from the Peleponesian Wars (and I couldn't care less if I've spelt that incorrectly!) and there are suddenly no sign posts just as you get past Charybdis!

You're a talent, so flamin' well there!

Steph Fey x

Kristopher A. Denby said...

Keep with writing, Logan. You've an audience to please! I really liked the poem, though I'm not very experienced at poetry. I liked the mood you created and I also liked the pattern you created with the text (whether by design or as a result of the style of poem).

I share your love for winter and wish that we had more of one here in Texas.

Thank you for adding The Sound and Fury to your blog roll. It really means a lot!

Catch you on the flip side.

logankstewart said...

@Steph: Every Wednesday I post original fiction, which is called Writing Wednesdays. I've been writing The Absurdly Epic Tragedy of Oscambria, my (weak) attempt of epic poetry, for the past 10 Wednesdays or so. You'll be able to find past links to all of the Cantos of Oscambria's journey on the Wednesday post tomorrow, or on any past Wednesday post.

As for Pts 1, 2, and 4 of this poem, they've not been posted here. Not yet, at least.

Thank you for the very kind words and the compliment.

@Denby: (Can I call you Denby? Should I put K.A. Denby? K.A.? Any preference?) The mood and the patterns were intentional, but thanks for liking and noticing them. And an audience is a good thing, I think.

No problem with the blogroll addition, by the way. I consider it a plus to the blogosphere.

marky said...

Happy New Year mate! Did you have a nice one?

I had to stop being a Vamp in Oblivion so I could wear a certain armour set. A great game though.

I'm just about finished Dragon age. If you liked Oblivion, you'll love Dragon age.

Assassin’s creed 2 is also amazing.

Good luck for the rest of the year boss, to you and yours.

logankstewart said...

@Marky: A certain set of armour, you say? Hmm. Interesting. I really, really want to play Dragon Age. I've never played Assassin's Creed, but the games look pretty cool. And Happy New Year to you, too.

chelsea rebecca said...

so glad to see you try the muffins!! nothing beats homemade mmuffins! so dense and delish!

logankstewart said...

@Chelsea: They were delicious. Thanks once again for the recipe! I'll keep an eye out for more tasty things to try...

MT said...

nice new colors!

logankstewart said...

Thank you, Mattson.