Rather Startling

Dumbo Goes Begging

When I saw this cloud my first impression was that it looked like an elephant.

But then that "trunk" also made me think of a panhandler with his hand out, saying "Brother, can you spare a dime?"

Or maybe its an elephant going "Dear human, can you spare a dime?"

An Unusual Rock

One of my prized possessions.  Known in Korea as suseok (수석 --"water and stone"), these rare stones have naturally occurring landscape-like images embedded in them, and being considered minor miracles of nature, can fetch high prices among collectors.  The most valuable specimens actually command prices ranging in the hundreds of thousands of US dollars!   Although this particular stone is not nearly so expensive (obviously, since I was able to afford it), due in part to the fact that it has been cut and ground flat and therefore not in its original, pristine state, nevertheless the "view" itself is quite genuine.  Perhaps in ancient times people would have considered these miniature worlds to be proof of the earth's power of spontaneous generation.

"Head And Shoulders Above"

Who's that watching from behind the clouds?

Related post:  Rain God Dancing

2 Things Wrong With These Steps

#1.  They should have been built to face the door

#2.  That first step was too high 

Tiny Miracles

Photographed just as it was found on the sidewalk.  What are the odds?

Another Old Photo

taken inside my old flat.

I miss the collection of books, music and movies that filled it before it became necessary for me to move back to Korea after a lifetime in Los Angele.  But after spending a fortune to have all my artwork professionally packed and insured and shipped off to Korea, I simply ran out of budget and couldn't afford to have all the other stuff sent along, too.

The LPs were part of my father's collection, but the rest were all my own, collected over the decades.  Now when I look up the books I used to own, it's shocking how rare and expensive some of them are.  Some are long out of print and can't even be found.  I found a used copy of The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles Finney with the famous hallucinatory illustrations by Boris Artzybasheff -- the edition I used to own -- offered for sale at AbeBooks at $600 USD.  Another edition (also used) was listed at $2000!  As for the movies, aside from the usual classics and popular favorites I had also accumulated all sorts of lesser-known and obscure titles, artsy experimental films and cult favorites on DVD, now all but impossible to track down.  And hundreds of Korean movies.

For the longest time I had little interest in Korean culture (aside from a few favored Korean restaurants) and had no interaction with the larger Korean community in L.A. unless strictly necessary.  Then, in 2003 I came across a newly-released Korean movie called A Tale of Two Sisters (directed by Kim, Jee Woon and remade in the States in 2009 as The Uninvited), gave it a try and I was hooked!  It was beautiful, complex, scary, mysterious and bittersweet -- even the soundtrack was wonderfully poignant, and remains among my favorite compositions to this day.  My eyes were opened to a whole new world of cinema (and by extension... yes, to Korean music and drama series as well😏) and I started collecting Korean movies left and right.  And not satisfied with just watching them by myself, I started going over to my friend Evelyn's house every few weeks with a few Korean DVDs to watch with her (she was an Emmy-winning script writer;  she spent a great deal of her time watching all sorts of movies in any case, both for her work and for personal pleasure... R.I.P., Ev).  I even formed a group with local Mensa members that met downtown once a month to have dinner, walk over to my place and watch Korean movies.  Many of those can't be found any more, either.  I guess I'll never stop missing them.  They were a big part of my life.

An Evening Worm Rescue

Number of worms rescued so far:  77

To avoid the killer heat I went down to the market after sundown.  On the way back I was surprised to see a large worm crawling down the middle of the sidewalk.

It looked slick and shiny, as if it had just crawled out of wet soil.  I put down my groceries, picked up the worm and placed it in the bushes by the side.  But as I picked up the grocery bags I noticed it crawling out of the bushes and heading back for the sidewalk!  I waited to see what it would do;  for a little while it crawled along the edge of the pavement, then finally re-oriented itself and started back toward the bush.

The One And Only Time

that I remember being a total sneaky scheming rat (there may have been other occasions, only not so well remembered for not being so blatant).

This was many years ago when I worked for a company in Santa Monica that made artsy little fashion accessories.  I was living hand-to-mouth then and I desperately wanted a raise, but me being the timid little introvert that I am, and with business not being so great at the time, I didn't dare to go up directly to Roz the boss lady (not Rose but Roz, pronounced Raahzz, and she did have a personality to go with the name) and ask for one.  So I came up with a plan.  I had a friend James, who ran a small business in downtown L.A.'s jewelry district importing imitation gemstones.  I asked him to call the shop the next day during the time when I would be out for lunch, and ask Roz to convey a message to me when I got back;  a vague message about how he needed Sam's answer soon.

When I got back from lunch, Roz asked me in an annoyed tone of voice, "Sam, are you looking for another job?"  I acted surprised and was appropriately defensive and apologetic, going on about how sorry I was for not letting her know earlier, but I was going to, etc.  The scheme worked, and I got my raise.  Not a big one, but I was so relieved... and proud! Sam the mouse had managed to pull off a scam on his scary boss like a tried-and-true snake oil salesman.

Errant Truck

A shoe charm that fell off someone's Crocs.

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Just A Quick Little Post

Just now I was listening to Thomas Quasthoff singing "Das Wandern", from the song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin by Schubert.  Apart from the fine singing, I also appreciated how accompanist Justus Zeyen on the piano varied his playing to highlight the differences in the lyrics of each verse, even though the music is exactly the same.  I closed my eyes the better to listen, and suddenly I started tearing up.  How beautiful!

Another Try

Yesterday I went to visit Semiwon Lotus Museum in Yangsu.  It was a longish train ride -- I left in the morning and came home late in the evening, sweaty and exhausted, but happy to have made the trip.

["Back when tigers smoked" is the Korean equivalent of "Once upon a time"]

Related post:  Despite The Heat,

I Think A Dryad Lives In This Tree

It was giving me the side-eye as I walked by.

I've Got No Room For Coffee

on my little coffee table, but I made room for a cicada in amber and two large cicada nymph shells.  One coming, one going.

And Today's Iridescence Pt. II

Related post:  And Today's Iridescence

Unusual Observation Today

Towards evening I took a short walk, dropped by the market and was coming back when I spotted more discarded cicada nymph shells.  I plucked them off the trees, placed them in the container I've started carrying expressly for the purpose.

I then spotted one more,

but as I went to pluck it it moved.  It was climbing the tree in preparation for the molt!

I'd never seen a live nymph before and I was fascinated.  I hoped it would begin molting soon, but it just kept on slowly, laboriously, climbing higher and higher.  At one point it missed its footing and almost fell off, and I cupped my hand under it, but it recovered and continued the climb.

I must have stood there watching for over an hour, then I noticed another nymph was climbing the tree as well.  I had been so rapt on the first one I hadn't noticed it coming up from behind.

This guy was a good deal faster than the first one and soon climbed past it and out of my reach.

8 PM.  It was growing dark, the second nymph was no longer even visible.

I considered going home to fetch a flashlight, but decided against it, in case the light disturbed the nymph (I looked it up later and it turned out that cicada nymphs usually come out at dusk and molt at night, for protection from predators in their most vulnerable moment).  And whaddayaknow, just as I was about to leave, the nymph did fall off!  I turned on the flashlight on the smartphone and looked for it, but alas, I could not find it.  What a pity!  I really hope the nymph was able to regroup and make another attempt, but it may have been too exhausted after that arduous first climb.  Can cicadas molt on the ground?  Or maybe it can make do with just a short re-climb the next time.  Good luck, my valiant little friend.

Dragonfly Flying Over The Sun

Letting the sun burn my eyeballs out -- again...