A dear friend of mine is studying to be a midwife. She writes of her experiences in a new blog, Belly Tales.

She is one of the most thoughtful and compassionate people that I know. She has a lot of insight on the issues, and is fiercely committed to her craft. She’s also a fine writer, as you’ll see if you read her blog.

Check it out. Bet you learn something!

Wikipedia pages to get back to: Freemasonry, Symbolism (arts)

a blue dress
a red journal
a necklace of the Puerto Rican flag made from pony beads
an “I *heart* NY” plastic bag
a crucifix
Timberlands
steel-toed boots
US flag patch
NYCTA work gloves
chipped plastic flashlight
music manuscript in a 3-ring binder
empty Gatorate bottle

Was flipping through my trusty PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on the train this morning, and caught this little bit:

This year’s bestselling first fiction, THE HISTORIAN, has landed the summer’s biggest media coup — a one-hour special, “The Summer of the Vampire”, airing on ABC’s 20/20 on August 26. Handled by the same team — producer Jenna Millman and correspondent Elizabeth Varga — who did “Jesus, Mary and DaVinci” back in November 2003, it’s the first hour-long program since then devoted to a book.

Turns out, today’s the 26th. Nice catch.

I finished up THE HISTORIAN earlier in the week and will post a review over on the Endicott Studio boards soon-ish. You can read an excerpt here and a fun interview with Elizabeth Kostova here.

(20/20 airs at 10 pm EST, by the by.)

These days, I’m very careful not to rush time, because time rushes along far too quickly for my taste as it is. But over the past couple of days, fall has been peeking her head around the corner, and it’s taking everything I’ve got not to roll out the welcome mat. I mean, not like I’ve got the kind of superpowers that can bring fall in from her long rest, or get her to stick around more than a few blissful nights. Laws of physics, mere mortal, all that.

But you know what I mean.

Are we excited? Are we excited over THE BROTHERS GRIMM, or what?

Yeah. Yeah, we’re excited.

August 26!

Favorite dust jacket of right now goes to:

Illustrated by Greg Spalenka.

Been offline a bit since last week, but getting caught up again now. First order of business: Chares Vess news!

Endicotter Charles dropped me a note with a poster for his upcoming exhibit at MoCCA:

(click through to see it a little bigger)

Information about the exhibit is here. There will also be an opening reception:

MODERN FAIRY TALES
Opening Reception
Saturday, September 10

MoCCA is located at 594 Broadway, Suite 401, NY NY.

So, so sorry for the dorky all-caps, there, but this, man… this is big news (again, news to me, though it was announced a month ago):

The New York Public Library Acquires Important–Largely Unpublished–W. B. Yeats Manuscripts

New York, NY, July 15, 2005 — The New York Public Library has acquired a manuscript album of highly significant and largely unpublished papers by the Irish poet and dramatist W. B. Yeats (1865-1939), generally regarded as one of the greatest poets of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it was announced by Paul LeClerc, President of The New York Public Library and David Ferriero, Director and CEO of The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library. The album was acquired on July 12 at an auction at Sotheby’s in London.

The green goatskin album, with gilt tooled spine, is signed by the celebrated Arts and Crafts binder Katharine Adams and was the property of Sydney Cockerell, the highly influential design binder, Kelmscott Press Secretary, and Fitzwilliam Museum Director. “The album will become part of The New York Public Library’s Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature,” said David Ferriero. “Among the Berg’s many literary treasures is one of the world’s largest collections of Yeats manuscripts and correspondence.”

Much thanks to Leland for bringing it to my attention.

I think I might pass out.

Found via LJ:
> Received this today:
>
> This is a newsletter that St. Mary’s church in Colorado Springs sent out
> this week. Evedently I and everyone I know is a goth and needs to be saved.
> Special props to the staff of St Mary’s for number 25. I had no idea. Also,
> thanks for bringing to light the fact that both Buddhism and Philosophy are
> two of the many “dangerous cult religions”.
>
> Also, I’d be really interested in how many of the 37 items apply to you. I
> got 27!
>
>
> If Your Child is a Gothic, Reform Through the Lord!
>
> Listed below are some warning signs to indicate if your child may have gone
> astray from the Lord. Gothic (or goth) is a very obscure and often dangerous
> culture that young teenagers are prone to participating in.
> The gothic culture leads young, susceptible minds into an imagined world of
> evil, darkness, and violence. Please seek immediate attention through
> counselling, prayer, and parental guidance to rid your child of Satan’s
> temptations if five or more of the following are applicable to your child:
>
> 1. Frequently wears black clothing.
> 2. Wears band and/or rock t-shirts.
> 3. Wears excessive black eye makeup, lipstick or nailpolish.
> 4. Wears any odd, silver jewelry or symbols. Some of these include: reversed
> crosses, pentagrams, pentacles, ankhs or various other Satanic worshipping
> symbols.
> 5. Shows an interest in piercings or tattoos.
> 6. Listens to gothic or any other anti-social genres of music. (Marilyn
> Manson claims to be the anti-Christ, and publicly speaks against the Lord.
> Please discard any such albums IMMEDIATELY.)
> 7. Associates with other people that dress, act or speak eccentrically.
> 8. Shows a declining interest in wholesome activities, such as: the Bible,
> prayer, church or sports.
> 9. Shows an increasing interest in death, vampires, magic, the occult,
> witchcraft or anything else that involves Satan.
> 10. Takes drugs.
> 11. Drinks alcohol.
> 12. Is suicidal and/or depressed.
> 13. Cuts, burns or partakes in any other method of self-mutilation. (This is
> a Satanic ritual that uses pain to detract from the light of God and His
> love. Please seek immediate attention for this at your local mental health
> center.)
> 14. Complains of boredom.
> 15. Sleeps too excessively or too little.
> 16. Is excessively awake during the night.
> 17. Dislikes sunlight or any other form of light. (This pertains to vampires
> promoting the idea that His light is of no use.)
> 18.Demands an unusual amount of privacy.
> 19-Spends large amounts of time alone.
> 20-Requests time alone and quietness. (This is so that your child may speak
> to evil sprits through
> meditation.)
> 21-Insists on spending time with friends while unaccompanied by an adult.
> 22-Disregards authority figures; teachers, priests, nuns and elders are but
> a few examples of this.
> 23-Misbehaves at school.
> 24-Misbehaves at home.
> 25-Eats goth-related foods. Count Dracula cereal is an example of this.
> 26-Drinks blood or expresses an interest in drinking blood. (Vampires
> believe this is how to attain Satan. This act is very
> dangerous and should be stopped immediately.)
> 27-Watches cable television or any other corrupted media sources. (Ask your
> local church for proper programs that your
> child may watch.)
> 28-Plays videos games that contains violence or are of a role-playing
> nature.
> 29-Uses the internet excessively and frequently makes time for the computer.
> 30-Makes Satanic symbols and/or violently shakes head to music.
> 31-Dances to music in a provocative or sexual manner.
> 32-Expresses an interest in sex.
> 33-Masturbates
> 34-Is homosexual and/or bisexual.
> 35-Pursues dangerous cult religions. Such include: Satanism, Scientology,
> Philosophy, Paganism, Wicca, Hinduism and Buddhism.
> 36-Wears pins, stickers or anything else that contains these various
> phrases: “I’m so gothic, I’m dead”, “woe is me”, “I’m a goth”.
> 37-Claims to be a goth.
>
> If five or more of these apply to your child, please intervene immediately.
> The gothic culture is dangerous and Satan thrives within it. If any of these
> problems persist, enlist your child into your local mental health center.
>
> ~St. Mary’s Catholic Church

I’m really struggling to come up with a witty comment, here. I know there are a million of ‘em — feel free to go wild in the comments section!

Me? Words fail.

Oh, and if this is an urban legend, I don’t want to know.