No Need to Force Me to Read

I've continued my guilty summer indulgent reading through fall, and it will probably last through winter. Why? I just began reading a new book. It's also the first in a series of ten books. It's starting out a bit slow, but probably because they are building the framework for the other nine books.

 

I started reading this series after just finishing another series of four books: Star Wars - The Old Republic. The last book, 'Annihilation' was really good! It's based on the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). I'm stuck on Level 25, but I'll see if my nephew can help me out. If you are looking for some escape, pick up a book and read!

The Force is Strong in CO, Dude

I had to contact some publications in Colorado to see if they would run a press release for me. When I looked up the Denver Post, I found a job title unlike my own. This job title requires very little explanation, people know right away what you do, and it's an instant way to start up a conversation.  I'm provided a link to their Contact Us page so you know I didn't mess around with the picture.

 

So if you don't think Coloradans are cowboys, or perhaps I should say Rebels, I'd love to see A) how they get around the copyrights for this; and B) this conference in person. Click on the picture to see an enlarged version.

http://www.rfgsolutions.com/OpportunitiesResources/AnnualConference.aspx

 

A Work of (He)Art

This past summer, I discovered a 'new local artist'...well, at least for me.

Dan Mondloch is a talent who hails from St. Cloud, Minnesota. His work is primarily in watercolors, but has different works and mediums. I purchased a work from Dan in September depicting a familiar location in St. Cloud. We had some playful banter about the location, and that sealed the deal for me. The piece now has its own story for me.

Today while I was in St. Cloud on business, Dan was gracious enough to invite me to his studio. I even was able to meet his faithful companion, Ruby. She gave us a scare by chewing on an Exacto knife, but thankfully, she didn't chew on the blade. Oops. I probably should have mentioned that Ruby is the family dog and not Dan's wife!

Anyway, when I was looking through his work, I found a piece entitled, 'Outside Creede, Colorado', which is about four hours from my family in Colorado Springs. I love the colors in this work, wouldn't you agree?

Be sure to keep an eye on this talented artist. I'm sure we'll be seeing his work in more art shows throughout the Midwest.

Click on the picture below to seen an enlarge version of Dan's work.

Visit Dan's website by clicking here. And be sure to 'Like' Dan's Facebook page!

Sanctuary!

While I didn't 'Feed the Birds', I did drive by to take a few pictures on this glorious fall day. It really is a beautiful landmark and I have to refrain from singing Uncle Walt's favorite song from 'Mary Poppins'.

These were taken with my iPhone 6. I love the camera!

To read more, click here.

Rebel Yell

Okay, most people know that not only am I a Disney Geek, but I'm also a Star Wars Geek. My friends would just say I'm a geek all the way around. Okay, I own that.

I, like many fans, was so disappointed when they canceled Star Wars: The Clone Wars. But we know 'All Good Things Must Come to an End.' (Sci-Fi fans will know I just committed a taboo: I used a title from 'Star Trek' to talk about something 'Star Wars'. I'm an equal-opportunity Sci-Fi Geek!).

Anyway, with talk of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII, coming in 2015 to a theatre near you, there was talk about several spin-offs. One that came to fruition was Star Wars Rebels. This is set between Episodes III and IV, and focuses on the rise of the Empire and the birth of the rebellion (in case you weren't able to gather that from the title).

As I was watching the premiere, I was immediately hooked! No surprise there. There were some scenes that were so well animated, they looked like real shots. You can see that whenever you see the TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers as well as many of the Stormtrooper scenes.

The style is vastly different than Clone Wars, and that's okay. I thought it would bother me at first, but the story is sound and I can't wait for some character development. I love the Mandalorian, Sabine, and the Twi'lek, Hera. Kanan Jarrus has a very important role too.

Check it out. I'm sure I'll be posting a lot more about this.

http://www.starwars.com/tv-shows/star-wars-rebels