Author: Stacy Horn

Finney is on me and I can’t take my own picture so here’s the Tulip Staircase ghost. From About.com.

“Rev. Ralph Hardy, a retired clergyman from White Rock, British Columbia, took this now-famous photograph in 1966. He intended merely to photograph the elegant spiral staircase (known as the “Tulip Staircase”) in the Queen’s House section of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England. Upon development, however, the photo revealed a shrouded figure climbing the stairs, seeming to hold the railing with both hands. Experts, including some from Kodak, who examined the original negative concluded that it had not been tampered with. It’s been said that unexplained figures have been seen on occasion in the vicinity of the staircase, and unexplained footsteps have also been heard.”

Fun, no? Today there’s a dog in Halloween costume thing … somewhere. Was it Washington Square. Now I forget. No, maybe it was Tompkins Square. But that should be worth some great pictures.

It’s from Waverly Films. It’s brilliant. Trust me. I laugh every time, even though I’ve got all the jokes memorized now. Think of it as a Halloween warm-up. (I’m in a good mood because I’m very happy about how this draft of my book is shaping up.)

Last night I didn’t feel like reading or watching TV so I was browsing photographs on Flickr. I just cannot freaking believe how many mind-blowingly talented people there are in the world, and this was just one infinitesimally small piece of it. Just one area where people are talented, and yet there was more than I could ever look at in a lifetime. Seriously, the gorgeousness of some of the photographs, the incredibly sublime beauty and emotion I saw.

This one was uploaded by someone called cherynf. I couldn’t find a complete name. I was searching on “abandoned graves,” thinking I might find a possible cover for my book, although an abandoned grave wouldn’t really be right. Honestly, right now I don’t have a clue what should be on the cover. Not that I really get a say. Actually, I get a say, but it’s the publisher’s call, although usually they don’t want to go with a cover you hate.

I KNOW. I just figured it out! A picture of the Duke Building they used to be in, but taken at night. One, it’s a really beautiful building, two, taken at night it will symbolize that they are not there anymore, but give a slightly haunted feel. It could work! It’s perfect!

Here’s a shot I took, but this was just a quick, uninspired straight on shot. Someone shooting at night for something more atmospheric could certainly get more creative, shoot just one lovely corner, or window, in the moonlight. Maybe even looking out one of the windows.

Here’s the other side, with the statue. This is one of the old photographs I scanned when I went down there. As you can see, there’s a lot to work with here, for someone who is talented.

I saw this on Cute Overload. It was made by Simon Tofield. My cat Buddy does the patting the face thing. When he does it his nails are ever so slightly extended, not enough to pierce the skin but enough to give his pat some bite.

All praise Simon Tofield. Who absolutely must have a cat, this is so true to life (except for the bat, of course).

Four more days of giving him medicine four times a day. I wish I could tell him. Sigh.

I’m actually feeling bad for Watson, who lost his post at Cold Spring Harbor and now will be remembered for his remarks about race as much as his DNA discovery. He’s trying to apologize for them, but there doesn’t seem to be any getting around his implication that blacks are genetically inferior. I did note that he didn’t say better or worse, he just said different, and different is neutral. But then he made that comment about black employees (“people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true,” that we are equal). And saying we are not equal feels less neutral, except that was the reporter paraphrasing so to be fair we should hear the whole thing in context. But he also made that comment about being gloomy about Africa, although I have no idea what he was trying to say, except again it was about not being equal.

It’s upsetting when thinking people think ugly things.

Should I go to the library today? Maybe I should. It looks like a nice day for a walk. It’s probably a three mile walk there and back so I always feel like I got my exercise in for the day when I go to the library. Part of the reason I’m such a walker is because my step-father had terrible terrible problems with his legs, and his doctors always told him walking would help and he just never really took that advice, and suffered greatly as a result.