She started her post by saying, “Some people like to say that everyone thinks of themselves as the stars of their own movies or stories.” She goes on to say that she doesn’t see herself this way and I don’t see myself in that way either.

I see myself as a supporting character in other peoples’ stories. I see myself as a side-kick at best. I don’t have heroic adventures or epic journeys. However, I do find myself helping those who do have their grand exploits. This is reinforced by one of the nicknames I’ve received by a beloved friend — Convenient Man.

Now, please don’t think I find anything wrong with this. I don’t feel resigned to this or just simply accept it. I am proud to be the best supporting character I can be. I am pleased to be part of the stories I am part of.

So, to all the main characters whose stories I am a part of, thank you for letting me share your tales. For all the other supporting characters who share sagas with me, I am very glad we do.

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So, the first preview that they showed was The Karate Kid. I put aside my preconceptions about this remake of one of my childhood favorites and watched. The remake stars Jaden Smith in the ‘Daniel-san’ role of Dre Parker and Jackie Chan in the ‘Miyagi-san’ role of Mr. Han. According to what we’re shown, Dre and his mother move to, not just a new town, but a new country (China) for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, but I’m sure they’re pretty good. Dre meets a pretty girl, has issues with the local boys who then proceed to beat him up. He then meets the wise Mr. Han who teaches him the ways of martial arts, yadda… yadda… yadda…

We all know the story. If you don’t, go rent the first Karate kid. Or watch the preview here:

While watching this, a couple of things really came across to me here. The first, it appears that Smith and Chan really have a chemistry here. I think that I might actually like this one when it comes out. The second thing that came across was my realization that while I’m going to like the movie, I hate the title. Now don’t get me wrong here. I think I’m going to like the movie. I like the story, and really don’t mind that they’re remaking it. The title of the movie is ‘The Karate Kid’. Karate. There it is.

Smith’s character is in CHINA! He’s learning from JACKIE FREAKIN’ CHAN! Is he learning KARATE??? NO! He’s learning (say it with me) KUNG FU! This movie would be perfectly fine with me if it were named The Kung Fu Kid, but it’s not. So there you have my entire complaint about this upcoming movie. Take it for what you think it’s worth.

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After having watched the most recent Clash of the Titans trailer, it seems to me that the story has changed thematically from the original myth or at least what I know of it.

As I understand the original story, Perseus, who is the son of Zeus born from a mortal woman, wants to protect his mother from King Polydectes, who has affections for said mother.  The King tells Perseus that he will marry another woman but demands a wedding gift of Perseus.  In a “I didn’t think you’d actually take me seriously.” sort of way, Perseus says, among other things, that he’d offer the head of Medusa.  The King, being a complete jerk, jumps at the opportunity and claims that as the wedding present.  And so, with the help of the goddess Athena (who has it in for Medusa), Perseus begins his quest.

And it’s that “with the help of the goddess Athena” part that has me going after watching the most recent trailer.  From what I’ve seen, it seems that the story has been altered.  It seems now that Perseus is a bit of an angry-at-the-gods sort of guy now.  I”m not sure where all this angst against the gods comes from (that much is not made clear in the preview) but it seems to be there in spades and that rankles me for some reason I cannot quite explain.  And it’s not just Perseus, but mortals in general that are questioning the god and why they should be loyal.

It really seems that they’ve taken the classic hero’s journey story and changed it into a war between mortal man and the gods, and it just doesn’t feel right. I wish I could put my finger on why.  I suspect there’s going to be more navel gazing about this one soon.

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If I'm cute I'll get a treat?

Hello everybody – all one of you out there looking at this page.  While I’m feeling a bit better than I was yesterday, I’m still struggling with my creativity.  My muse has definitely fled, leaving a huge wake in the process.  So in lieu of some writing today, it’s another photo from the Flick archives.

Meet Magick.  He is one of the current members of the Furry Horde.  He’s a golden retriever and he’s got some of the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen.  He’s so full of love too.

So, I’m not too sure I like the caption for this picture, so I pose to you, what should the caption be?  What do those eyes say to you?

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A Purple Moment

I’ll just come out and say it.  I am in a downright fowl mood right now.  It’s probably a good thing I live alone.  My writing has stopped coming to me.  That’s been a problem with my writing.  I get intriguing ideas and good beginnings but they end up going nowhere, which is currently where I am.  The muse is fickle but at least I know how mine works and have decided that I shouldn’t be writing *long* things.  Short, decisive and to the point – that’s the type of writing I should be doing.

And since I’m in a fowl mood, and I’m pretty sure that no one actually comes here to read (I’m pretty sure y’all just catch it when I cross post to my LJ or DreamWidth journals), I’m just going to re-post a picture from 2007 that I find to be pretty.  If you do actually read my works here, then I hope you find the picture as pretty as I do.

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A Bright Smile from Sunnie

As I am still percolating ideas for where my story goes next, I thought I’d dig through my photo archives yet again.  Today I bring you the most wonderful Sunnie!  For those who don’t know her, she’s the viola player for Bone Poets Orchestra and has played with Vixy & Tony as well.  She’s a singer and performs with the Medieval Women’s Choir too!  Talk about talented! If you get the chance to hear her perform live, I highly suggest it.

If you can’t wait, here’s a video of her singing Fiona Apple’s Criminal and one one singing Peggy Lee’s Fever.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Sunnie over the past few years.  She is such a warm and caring individual and has brightened many a day for me and I bet she doesn’t even know it.  I feel VERY fortunate to call her my friend.

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A quiet moment for Sooj

Today is a day of thought and speculation as to where my current writing is headed.  So, instead of bringing you a sentence that would have read, “Rock fall, everyone dies.” I’ve dug out a photo of one of my favorite people, S. J. Tucker of Skinny White Chick and Tricky Pixie.

She first dazzled me almost 6 years ago now when she opened for Gaia Consort at The Red and Black Cafe in Portland (which, sadly no longer exists).  She stood there, tiny in stature and immediately captured my attention with her amazing voice. I was transfixed and instantly a fan.  And over the course of that weekend, I had the privilege to become more than a fan to this wonderful songstress, I became her friend.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to take MANY photos of Sooj and her traveling band of compatriots.  This photo is from the second time we got together.  She performed at the Portland Saturday Market.  I was lucky enough to catch her in a quiet moment in between sets.

For some  reason, I keep coming back to this photo as one of my favorites.  It’s true that I have many favorites of Sooj, but this one really is something special and I can’t quite put my finger on why.

Sooj is in Denver today with a concert there this evening.  I hope everyone enjoys her performance, and I can’t wait until she’s back in my neck of the woods.

Photo ©Ryan Nutick 2005

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Jamie Tinney spinning fire

This photo is from a set I did last year.  It was my first time shooting fire.  I sincerely hope I get the opportunity to do this again sometime.  You can find more pictures from this set on my Flickr account.

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We have our stories about the faeries, our faerie tales. Some believe these fanciful stories to be metaphor, warnings to our children about the dangers of a very real life. Many believe there is some grain of truth to these, that there are faeries but the stories themselves did not occur in the manner told.

The faerie also have stories about humans, about human markets where the food is incredibly tempting and about how to protect yourselves from these human beasts. Just like mankind, some believe these stories are metaphorical warnings and some believe in the grain of truth.

The actual grain is this: the stories happened. They happened when the veil between the worlds was torn and, for a moment, the two worlds came together. Then the veil mended itself and the worlds separated once again.

Since time began, the realm of the humans and the realm of the faeries have existed in the same physical space and the same exact time, contrary to the laws of physics. If one were to be able to see into both worlds simultaneously, the view would be of overlapping, but similar images. A building on one side may be a farmers’ market on the other.

In our past, when the worlds were less densely populated, the merging of the worlds in this manner was relatively harmless. But now…

© Ryan Nutick 2010

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Slowly, I drank and waited.

The radio signaled it was time and began playing patriotic music. Right on cue the first of the fire blossoms lit the sky. In time with the music, the explosions filled the air and faded from view, slowly building in number and frequency until they had become a frenzy of fire in the sky.

When it was over, the air was filled with the smell of smoke and sulfur.  The chemical cloud was dense. There was little wind, so it hung over the area like a gathering storm. Little did we know the veil was very thin that night.

Little did we know we’d declared a war.

© Ryan Nutick 2010

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