Today's Talk of the Nation:

"Japanese comics, called manga, take up more and more space on American bookshelves, and they've infused new life into the publishing industry. Japanese animation, anime, is on more and more movie and TV screens. Neal Conan and guests discuss the growing influence of Japanese culture in America.

Guests:

Peter Carey, author of Wrong About Japan : A Father's Journey with His Son (Knopf, 2005); two-time Booker Prize winner (for Oscar and Lucinda and True History of the Kelly Gang.

Calvin Reid, comics editor for Publisher's Weekly.

Elizabeth Kawasaki, managing editor at Viz, a publisher of Japanese manga."

Right on.

File under "Duh," I know, but I like to see the studies nonetheless:

DALLAS, Jan 25, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Regular aerobic exercise is just as effective as antidepressant drugs and cognitive therapy in reducing adult depression, researchers said Tuesday.

Researchers at the University of Texas' Southwestern Medical Center, Alberta Children's Hospital and the Cooper Institute said their study is the first to look solely at exercise to reduce depression. They found people who exercised 30 minutes three to five times a week show a 50 percent drop in depression, and even those who exercised moderately registered a 30 percent decline.

Brooklynites! Go! Then tell me all about it!

Wasabassco is produced by two dear friends of mine, Bill Morton and Andy Heidel.

...You could play them into a computer for editing and DVD burning, but that's a months-long project. You could pay a company to transfer them to DVD, if you can stomach the cost and the possibility that something might happen to your precious tapes in the mail.

There is, fortunately, a safe, automated and relatively inexpensive solution to this problem: the combo VHS-DVD recorder. It looks like a VCR, but it can play or record both VHS tapes and blank DVD discs, and copy from one to the other, in either direction. Pressing a couple of buttons begins the process of copying a VHS tape to a DVD, with very little quality loss. (You can't duplicate copy-protected tapes or DVD's, of course; only tapes and discs you've recorded yourself.)

-- NYTimes, registration required

From Boing Boing --

David Pescovitz:
I always love seeing artists' notebooks. A good illustrator's doodles and studies always inspire me to start my own sketchbook. Too bad I can't draw. My pal Alex Boucherot of AEIOU sent me a link to French artist "Madmeg" Margot's scanned sketchbook. A rough translation of the artist's statement:

"Since the beginning of 2001, I draw in small notebooks 11 cm X 15 cm (approximately), always with a ball point pen, always on same paper, always in black. I contrained myself never to tear a page off, what is done... is done. I put the date at the beginning and the end of each notebook. Each day (or almost) I spend one hour or two drawing in these notebooks. At this day, I made approximately 450 pages distributed in 12 notebooks."

Link

[Boing Boing]

Is there a form you can fill out to have ebay alert you when something you're looking for goes up? Nikol suggested I look for vintage kimono silk to make throw pillows for the livingroom. (Better yet, damaged vintage kimonos that I could salvage for pillows.) I can't find an alert page, just a way to save my favorite searches. Am I missing it or does it not exist?

Oh, and also? Covet, covet, covet.

Stranges series of photos of me, trying to show you my new boots:

And here's my funny nose and Applejack on a pillow:

(Nikol did the site design. Pretty, huh?)

Lacroix:

(Is it me, or does the Lacroix hair and makeup look like the Tarina Tarantino illo?)

Chanel:

Yesterday's shows: Armani Prive, Christian Dior (egads!), and Valentino.

"VIZ, LLC and ShoPro Entertainment Inc. announced early today they're merging into a new company, as yet to be named. The two companies have worked together before on a few, select properties, and this looks like a marriage of Viz's formidable English-language manga delivery system to ShoPro Entertainment's ability to maximize properties through all related areas.

I'm not sure if this will have any direct impact on manga except perhaps to allow a more thorough exploitation of more properties that may lead more customers to manga. I would also guess that this is a vote of confidence in manga's continuing role in bringing Japanese content to worldwide audiences."

-- Comics Reporter Briefings

...American Ginseng tea tastes punitive.

Now I know.

(Blech.)

There was a time -- many years ago now, it seems -- when I took much more care with what I sent through the mail, using templates and old magazines to make my own envelopes, decorating them with stickers, rubber stamped images, etc. These days I'm lucky if I remember to mail anything at all.

In an effort to bring the Fun back to the Mailbox, I point you toward this CD Envelope Template, courtesy of "Bubbly Babs."

I printed mine, laminated it and cut it out. Now, let's see if I manage to do anything with it.

...is apparently being re-vamped. Woo hoo! Can't wait.

Nikol came for the weekend and she brought me a hand-made gift. Ah, it is to die for. Knitters: envy me.

The bag is embroidered with my name and it's boned around the mouth to support its shape. There's a needle case and three pretty little satin bags for projects, each with pocket for a label. And of course, the best part is that she made it.

I swoon.

Laurenn is going to make prints of the Adventure Girl images. If you think you might want one, go vote for your favorite -- she's only making prints of three.

"Of course, the Top 100 also represents, as it does most years, of the continued strength of the established brand - aside from Conan and, perhaps 1602 (just because for a while, no one knew what in the hell was going on), the entirety of the Top 100 are the marquee characters - the known brands. Or, in other words, there is not one comic in the Top 100 for 2004 (this time counting Conan) that was created (or based on one created) less than 40 years ago..."

http://newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25290

[Thanks, Peter.]

Posted by kellysue at 10:54 AM | talk to me (10)

I'm on an iBook G4 running Mac OS X v10.3.7:

1) If I click a link in an e-mail in MAIL it won't open SAFARI; SAFARI has to be open already. THEN, it will open a window to the linked page; and

2) I'm ready to give up on SAFARI anyway. How do I make Firefox my default browser?

I'm guessing the answers to both these issues are in my preferences somewhere, but I am obviously retarded.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans is published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases.

The 2005 edition of the Guidelines was released at 11 AM, January 12, 2005.

They all sound good. Anybody ordered from them before? I'm thinking of sampling a few.

[Thanks, Treehugger]

BBC - h2g2 - Moleskine Notebooks - A1113346

Merlin Mann says:

Great Moleskine factoids and gentle mythos deflation, plus further evidence that you’re allowed to pronounce it as though you’re doing a Sylvia Poggioli impression.

The standard Moleskine Notebook measures 9 x 14cm and features the following: lightweight, acid-free paper, a foldable pocket in the back cover, a cloth ribbon attached to the spine to serve as a bookmark, and a woven elastic band attached to the back to keep the book closed when not in use. The name (officially pronounced mol-a-skeen-a, although it can vary) comes from the French spelling of ‘moleskin’, which the oilcloth covering resembles, and is a trademark of Modo and Modo.

[Nipped from 43 Folders]

EDIT: Added link to online portfolio.

Gah!

Manga News Service

Looks like I'll be there. You?

Cute site. Not at all in line with New Year's health initiatives, but very cute. I bet the forums are handy for travel suggestions, too.

//What's on the cards for you for 2005?//

[Adapted from a post on another platform...]

Focusing on work and tidying up this year, I think. Tidying up things like my skill set, my tools, work practices, physical environment, etc. Trying to quit playing the "Oh, ho ho ho, I'm just a silly luddite, will someone please explain in small words" card and get to some level of *reasonable* competency with my laptop and the many and varied internets. Reasonable. Nothing too terribly ambitious. I still consider this an uphill battle. Not that I think I lack the intellect (perish the thought!) but perhaps the attention span...?

Spent the first week of the year making my office pretty (I am unbelievable sensitive to my environment) and as functional as space and finances allow. My blog has shifted focus from detailing my intestinal gas to the minutia of interior design as it relates to my space. As that job wraps up, I expect focus will drift back to fart jokes and pretty purchases, with the occasional work update thrown in for some semblance of legitimacy. (My thinking about this blog is still messy. I suppose I'll worry about that when I think it matters.)

As I got over-committed last year, my physical health suffered a bit -- nothing drastic -- but I got very little exercise the latter half of the year and that tends to translate to depression for me. Again, nothing so severe as to require meds or counseling, but experience tells me to move my ass before I drift further in that direction. Especially in the winter, when the cold raises my level of base pissiness. Base level of pissiness? Whatever. I've put on weight, not much, something like 7 pounds, but it's enough to feel on my belly when I bend over and it dampens my enthusiasm for dressing up and/or having my picture taken. I'm not sure whether or not it's appropriate to feel shame [Before you even start, I should tell you I am one of those people who believes in the positive power of "shame" and "regret" so, as much as I love you, if you tell me that it's never appropriate to feel shame or that regret is a wasted emotion, I will have to politely ask you to take your crystals and tie-dye and and step away from the Kelly Sue. Thanks.] at having my self-esteem so wrapped up in my physical appearance, but frankly I feel only the slightest twinge. I justify this by asserting that physical appearance is a reflection of physical health and there's are no societal mixed messages attached to concern for one's health. I feel myself starting down a rabbit hole here, so let's move on.

Yes. So. 2005:

I'm finishing up Girl Got Game v10 this week and, having resigned Slayers and Descendants of Darkness, that will leave me with 3 ongoing titles: Sensual Phrase, Doubt!! and Kare First Love and a semi-regular commitment to one last porn assignment (which I may drop as I think I have exhausted that market for myself; I believe -- as unlikely as it may seem -- that I have hit the bottom of my particular Young Girl Porn well. I know, I know. I'm sure we'll all learn how to live with the loss). That's a manageable work load that should leave me enough time for less concrete, more personal work: more short stories for IDW, I hope, Eleanor and two other proposals, and a short story for an anthology that a friend has asked me to contribute to.

That last one isn't due until August, but it's probably the biggest monster for me this year, the project that brings the most associated Fear of Failure. I have ZERO ideas at present, but lots of time and a few good ideas about where to look for inspiration. There are two ways this could go wrong: 1) I could be unable to write the story or 2) I could write the story and it could be rejected. Either of those would hurt but neither would kill me. Having accepted that, I should probably quit focusing on what could go wrong and visualize wild success...

...Hey, remember back there when I made fun of you folks with the crystals and tie-dye? Well, I still mean it. But I also acknowledge a little bit of something going on with the positive thinking. A little. Don't go buying me dream catchers or anything, okay?

Yeah. Okay. 2005. That's what I've got for right now.

Wig and kick. Wig and KICK!

I saw this this morning and thought it might be of interest to those of you who intend to do the National Novel Writing thing in November:

No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days

(I think I saw NaNoWriMo on a few uberlists. You are braver folk than I.)

Okay, I think I've got a first draft of my 105 in 2005 uberlist.

(I tried to make the "extended entry" thing work, but I failed. Sorry.)

1. alarm system
2. be more diligent about skincare
3. black dog portraits/anniversary book
4. book hotel for san diego con early
5. buy short-corset from www.waspcreations.com
6. cheat sheets for doubt, kare first love and sensual phrase
7. clean out junk drawer
8. clean up basement
9. clean up front porch
10. continue circle journals
11. continue to improve on work practices
12. crossroads and/or rpg proposal
13. do something about back "yard"
14. do something special for courtney and seth and bugbert
15. drink more water
16. find a place to swim
17. find bucket hat or make a new one
18. find out what it would cost to have the roof fixed on the shed
19. finish "legs" and "don't hang up" for idw
20. finish christmas 2004 and write thank yous
21. finish eleanor proposal
22. finish filing
23. finish getting things done set-up
24. finish list book with nikol
25. finish my office
26. finish nana's slippers
27. finish reading getting things done
28. finish thank you notes (the one that haunts me is danyon's mom)
29. floss
30. follow up with markovitch on old taxes
31. frame rough house rosie poster
32. get back into size 2s
33. get contacts
34. get janus account info updated
35. get lenses replaced in glasses
36. get leopard chairs here
37. give up caffeine
38. go back to keeping a handwritten journal – not a notebook, not a book of lists – a journal
39. go through japanese magazines for hair ideas
40. go to bed earlier in order to GET MORE SLEEP
41. hang out with carrie more
42. hang out with jane more
43. hang out with kelli more
44. hang shelves in library
45. have closet remodeled and hang organizer
46. help laurenn move
47. help mom
48. investigate frederick's charges
49. learn quicken
50. look into eye surgery
51. look into japanese language classes
52. look into tattoo touch up. see danny.
53. look into transferring high interest balances to lower interest cards...?
54. make appt with genius bar and address all lady snowblood issues
55. make better use of delicious
56. make curtains for office
57. make cushions for office
58. make nikol feel welcome and supported
59. make or buy a black cover for applejack's crate
60. make regular trips to antique mall for portrait gallery paintings
61. make regular trips to thrift store
62. meet jayanthi
63. meet with accountant about estimated taxes
64. microchip animals
65. mk12 project ping pong
66. normal jean for idw?
67. order steve keene paintings?
68. organize "laundry room"
69. organize iphoto
70. organize itunes
71. read the everlasting
72. rest
73. sample chapter of ss novelization
74. see all of meiko kaji's movies
75. see dentist twice
76. send amity a wedding gift
77. send belle a check for the balance on the chairs
78. send old camera to jamie
79. send old phones to wirelessfoundation.org
80. start collecting poppy art for diningroom
81. start savings account especially for san diego
82. start showering at night
83. stay focused; review priorities regularly
84. stay in closer touch with amity & patience
85. stay on top of getting things done
86. story for maggie
87. storytelling performance
88. switch bookmarks to firefox from safari
89. take another class with applejack
90. take more baths
91. take stripper dance class in la
92. taxes
93. throw a party
94. throw out old products in bathroom
95. trim the fat – cut out time sucks, be they people or projects
96. two week david kirsch program
97. visit dave holmes in la (and wefugees)
98. visit laurenn and viz folks in san francisco
99. visit nana and pop
100. visit nelson atkins museum
101. visit spencer museum
102. write a fan letter
103. write more letters
104. write to michelle & alex
105. yoga: jump-through

McCubbin drew me picture and put me in 'er show:

Varnish Fine Art Gallery
77 Natoma St.
San Francisco - 415.222.6131

MacMerc's Best Freeware of 2004