Stupid Police Watch

As if we need more proof that police are poorly trained, we present the Oregon State Police using a taser on a naked 11 year old autistic girl.That’s right folks, they are protecting us at great personal risk, from this dangerous menace to society. 

Here We Go Again

The  Russians have jumped on the homophobic bandwagon for the usual reasons as a distraction from the cultural and economic decline it’s going thru and a way for Putin to bring back the old Soviet Union in a new disguise. They are hosting the 2014 winter Olympics with the hopes of a windfall. But leave it to the short sighted, the narrow minded and outright stupid Ruskies to shoot themselves in the foot. The response to their ill advised anti gay laws is a big fat Olympic boycott. Even if the boycott is unsuccessful, it’s going to be a big mess.

 But I say, let gay athletes and fans go to the olympics and the first time one of them is beat up - and it will happen- the shit will hit the fan and everyone should leave. The stupid fucking Russian people are going to realize while their were following Tsar Vladimir they got screwed when their economy and world reputation goes in the dumper. But let’s face it, we really don't need anything from that country anyway do we?

We Have a Pope and This One's a Winner

Pope Francis “Frankie”, replaced Pope ”Benny” and not a moment too soon. The church has kept it’s head in the sand about financial corruption, power struggles among the cardinals and the sinful raping of child for decades. Along comes a man who eschews the lavish trappings of the office, who is geniunely dismayed by the wealth and indiffereence of the church and advocates for the poor. The vatican curia, the people behind the throne are so shocked by his Christian airs they try to pull the “what his holiness really meant to say” PR. crap.

From St. Malachi to Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce there have been predications about the line of popes and the demise of the church. This one, according to the prophesy, is the last one. Who knows what will happen but this one is engaging in a super human feat of transforming the biggest and most secretive fraternity in the world and doing a fine job so far.Viva il Papa.

The Best July Ever

Historically summer is a poor season for me. I make plans, have a check list of projects to finish and then they don’t happen for one unhappy reason or another. Not this year. I was visiting my sister in Snohomish and had a moment in the shower to wish for a good summer. One I would remember fondly. So far so good.

First I went to the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinnville with a friend. She offered the day trip as a christmas present and off we went on a glorious hot day. It is home to the legendary Spruce Goose, which is a big ass plane so, of course, is the building it’s in- Gignormous in fact.

Two weeks later I was on the Coast Starlight train bound for San Francisco and a family reunion with my three other sibs: Susan, Mike and Bruce and an old high school friend we kept in touch with. 

We spent the first day lounging on a houseboat in Sausalito, kayaking in the bay, eating burgers, fresh grilled shrimp and corn. It was rough but we managed. We moved over to B’s house for the remainder of the trip. We came primarily to work on B’s house while it’s being remodeled so the place was a construction zone. It didn’t look much different from the last time I saw it and I was prepared for a mess. 

The last time I was in SF I went to visit my favorite place, the Science Museum in Golden Gate Park and it was ruinous due to my hip acting up all of a sudden. It was fine the rest of the trip and the experience spooked me. This time my hip was fine so all four sibs headed out. There is a giant bubble shaped room for the Rain Forest exhibit where birds and tropical butterflies fly around freely. I  always wanted one to land on me. I was wearing a hat with bright buttons and a gorgeous Sapphire Aphro (?) decided to land on it and chill out with my traveling buddy Moose. My sister, quite the good photographer, took the best picture ever. The aquarium there is also amazing . We wandered all over and never lost each other despite the huge crowds.

That night at B’s house we had a big party with old and new friends and brother Mike whipped up seafood for dinner. Now SF is a major foodie town and normally I go out a lot when I’m there but we had great meals every day at the house because of  great cooking from everyone. 

Susan had to fly back on Sunday so as we assembled on the deck for a group photo we were startled by a flock of SF’s legendary parrots of Telegraph hill ( on the other side of town) flying overhead. It was a good omen.

I brought some hand tools along for the remodeling work but didn’t need to as the brothers did electrical work so there was nothing for me to do there. I felt rather useless until our hostess asked for my help organizing her stuff. 

If there is a destiny for me it putting things in order. I was born organized and excel at it. The daughter’s bedroom floor covered with clothes. Put in order, check. The bookshelf in the entry that was dusty and scattered. Check. The laundry room impassable. It’s clear now. Oh by the way if anyone needs to know where something is for the next couple of weeks just call me and I’ll tell you where it is because I remember these things.

Our family had a tradition of taking a picture of our feet propped up with a beer nearby and a view. It started with Susan’s photo while in Cozumel that looked like a Corona commercial. We’re always looking to top it. I got mine on the ferry to and from Sausalito with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Not the best arrangement but it worked. Counting the round trip ticket and beer, this photo cost me $28.

I had to leave. I really had no reason to rush but it was time to get home. I got to the Emeryville station by bus from the Ferry building. The driver was amazing, maneuvering the huge bus through traffic and pulling into a parking space between two other buses at the station. I applauded his performance. 

Considering the trip home I should have stayed another day. First let me say who ever thought putting a station in Emeryville and not boarding passengers at Oakland just down the road is an idiot and should be shot. Since the train leaves late, there is nothing open nearby to get snacks, including the cafe in the station. The sign announcing train arrivals does not actually announce all the train arrivals as a smaller sign next to it indicates. 

For that you have to get the attention of one of the surly staff. It was such a bother to answer your questions. The train, which starts in LA was three hours late. It’s usually Union Pacific’s fault but this time it was Amtrak’s. Seems they hit a pedestrian in Simi Valley (they survived)  and never made up the time. It was another eight minutes late when two luxury cars hired by some celebrity had to be connected in Oakland. We all glared at the cars as we passed by them to the rest of the train. Which was a shame because that is the ultimate way to travel. Normally I can’t sleep in the uncomfortable coach seats but I was so tired I was out immediately. 

By and large the Amtrak crews are nice and I’ve had few problems with them. The conductor, to my surprise, was a tall blonde woman who was friendly and efficient at handling 300 people. Alas the bistro cafe attendent was not. This woman managed to piss off  just about everyone with her indifference toward service and control issues “only three people in the bistro area at once” she ordered. Three and half hours late, I was glad to get off the train.

A minor irritation compared to the memories of an otherwise wonderful reunion and a great time in the City by the Bay. Eating lunch at a favorite old haunt ”The Sauage Factory” on Castro St. Sitting in a hot tub in Richmond over looking the bay with a full moon. Eating the best made soft pretzel at Firebrand Bakery while watching the baker make up a batch of goat cheese filled Brioche. Watching the America's Cup boat the "Oracle" zoom by at 30 knots on the bay. Making breakfast for the gang. Riding the old street car down Market Street.  

I can’t wait to go  back.

Quote of the Day

“We humans are one among millions of separate species who live in a world burgeoning, overflowing with life. And yet, most species that ever were are no more. After flourishing for one hundred fifty million years, the dinosaurs became extinct. Every last one. No species is guaranteed its tenure on this planet. And humans, the first beings to devise the means for their own destruction, have been here for only several million years.

We are rare and precious because we are alive, because we can think. We are privileged to influence and perhaps control our future. We have an obligation to fight for life on Earth — not just for ourselves but for all those, humans and others, who came before us and to whom we are beholden, and for all those who, if we are wise enough, will come after. There is no cause more urgent than to survive to eliminate on a global basis the growing threats of nuclear war, environmental catastrophe, economic collapse and mass starvation. These problems were created by humans and can only be solved by humans. No social convention, no political system, no economic hypothesis, no religious dogma is more important.

The hard truth seems to be this: We live in a vast and awesome universe in which, daily, suns are made and worlds destroyed, where humanity clings to an obscure clod of rock. The significance of our lives and our fragile realm derives from our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life’s meaning. We would prefer it to be otherwise, of course, but there is no compelling evidence for a cosmic Parent who will care for us and save us from ourselves. It is up to us,” – Carl Sagan.

The Mind is a Quantum Event

I have read many books on my favorite subject -Quantum physics and I'm always surprised and delighted when someone proposes what I suspected all along:

"IMAGINE that someone asks you how to distinguish consciousness from unconsciousness – a difficult task indeed. If consciousness has a physical basis, can the same be said about unconsciousness?

You might have expected psychologists to have tackled this question, but perhaps not physicists. After all, physics is concerned with the study of matter and radiation. But you would be wrong. Wolfgang Pauli, winner of the 1945 Nobel prize in physics for his work on quantum mechanics, did just that. He proposed that the interaction between consciousness and unconsciousness is analogous to one of the central ideas in quantum physics, called complementarity – that it is impossible to distinguish between the behaviour of an atomic object and its interaction with the instrument observing it."

Andrei Khrennikov and Emmanuel Haven 

 

Duh of course consciousness is a quantum phenomenon, class dismissed.

How Too Much CGI is Ruining Movies

Can there be too much Computer Generated Images in Movies? Yes, yes a thousand times yes! CGI is great for many things but when movie makers rely on it too much they get lazy and it shows. I have always felt mechanical effects feel more real. I challenge hollywood to make an action film with as little CGI as possible. Seeing Superman zoom off fast: CGI. Seeing Chris Reeve as Sup take off in a leisurely way: the real thing.

When the first Spider Man film came out the complaint about CGI was that Spider man was weightless as he swung among the buildings. They gave him more weight in the last one and in once scene I was particularly impressed with the effect as he swung above cars on a bridge. Turns out it not animated but done by a real stuntman. That's impressive.

CGI allowed Film makers to imagine scenerios they could never have done with conventional effects but ironically it's the very nature of the impossible being depicted that gives it away as fake.Having buildings fall down or New York City destroyed by a tidal wave may look cool but it goes beyond suspension of belief into the realm of now they're just showing off. They use it a lot because it's a cool toy but most over the top CGI just ends up being distracting.

It works best when it takes over for something that's already established as real. In Iron Man, we see Robert Downey in a real ( practical) suit early on ( which he hated to wear as it was uncomfortable). In the dramatic fight scene at the end of the film he was reduced to wearing a Motion Capture Suit. This allowed the animators to place the CGI version of the armor on Downey using his movements as a guide. So good was this effect that even the director Jon Faveau couldn't tell the difference between the two versions.

Of course the nerdy teenage male will be entertained by it because they aren't interested in storytelling or characters. Eventually I think even they will tire of it. I know I am.

Talon Tales: Toby and Zoe's Adventure Continues

Goodness it's been a long time since I posted from my novel. Real life interrupted etc. You should read the last installment here to understand what's going on and the one before that is here.


Tivoli's Detour

There was one more mission to complete before leaving Hiron for good and good riddance. I recieved a message from Luko that several members of the palace guard were celebrating the change in command with a bit of gambling, the favorite pastime of the Hirons. The tavern wasn’t hard to find,  it was the favorite haunt of the soldiers, a stone’s throw from the barracks entrance. I found the group gathered around a heavy wooden table shoved in a corner. I asked to get into the game and a man with a crooked nose noted my long grubby shirt and soft knee high leather boots.

“You ain’t a messenger are you?” he glared at me suspiciously, leaning his crooked nose in closer as if to smell me.

“Of course not.” I lied with a scoff. Two other men at the table were engrossed in the latest hand. One of them was Luko who gave no sign of recognizing me.

“Can you believe that sniveling frill of a Prestige, he was squeling like a pig when they hauled him out of the palace.” the man playing against Luko laughed gleefully.

“Back to the province for him.” Luko said shaking his head in disappointment. I sat down in a chair without introduction and waited to join in at the next hand.  

“Where have you been stranger?” Luko asked darkly. I gave him a blank look.

“In the salt mines for the last month. And the name is Tivoli.” I replied brusquely. He shrugged indifferently and went back to the game. Under the table I felt his calf touch mine. Being in direct contact with the earth wasn’t the only way messengers could communicate.

  “The one with the scar has the knife.” He informed me in Silent Talk. He contemplated his cards as I gazed about causually and made note of the stocky man with a scar bisecting one of his brows sitting at the othe side of the table. He must be a good player if the large pile of coins before him was any indication. He grunted happily as he won the hand.

“You been in the mines huh, good pickings?” broken nose asked me, his voice like harsh gravel. Mining was tough work but paid well.

“Fair enough.” I said non-commitedly.

“Well come and share the wealth.” he said with a greedy gesture and laughed, his breath reeked of beer as gave me a slap on the back.

I joined in and lost the next three hands. Luko did marginally better.  I had a better hand than he at the next round and he scowled in frustration. We began to bet against each other and he let me take his money until I accumulated quite a pot.

I held my own against the others to my surprise as I’m not a good gambler and being a messenger normally keeps me out of most games. Being able to mentally communicate with others is seen as an unfair advantage. Cheating at cards by using Silent Talk was a major breech of ethics but I felt no guilt with such an important prize to win.

“You play pretty good for a miner.” Luko complained after he loss to me again. I shrugged, playing up the outsider come to town with money and ignorant of a hustle. Scar smiled at our banter, seeing two unskilled gamblers ripe for picking. He began to bet more and won the next three hands.

“Watch it, his face twitches when he has a good hand.” Luko advised me as fresh cards were dealt. Broken nose folded almost immediately and Luko informed me that he had a good set of cards. I had a better draw and we raised the bets between us to a ridiculous height before he folded. Our mark had a perfect blank face with no nervous tick and I decided to call his hand and I won.

“Argh, I can't get cards like that.” Luko fairly ranted, his face flushed red at the loss. It was a good act.I won again and when broken nose cleared his throat one too many times I realized we weren’t the only ones cheating.

“They’re playing against-”

“ Yes, but broken nose is a lousy second.” Luko cut into my line of thought, confident we could still win.

My winning streak faded during the next half hour of play, giving Luko the false sense of confidence for the end game. Never mind that Scar was taking his money too. Broken nose was indeed a poor second and I caught Scar giving him a cutting glare after a miscalculation that cost him a heafty sum. He lost patience with his partner but continued going after us. I was losing patience with myself and doubt crept up on me but I kept going out of sheer determination.

Then Scar did what we were waiting for, he started to make big bets determined to take all our money. I figured out a few of the cues the two passed between them. Luko saw it too and  almost smiled at the transparent strategy.

We let him aim his winning attack at Luko who lost badly while I hesistated to get in on the big pot. Scar had all his money bet on the hand and I was about to fold but he encouraged me to stay in as he was sure of victory.

“Say your hand." I said at last. He lay his cards down one at a time with a self assured smirk. I restrained myself from jumping with joy as I laid down my cards too. The look of triumph on the rough soldier’s face evaporated as he lost everything. I was about to get up when he took hold of my arm.

“Give me a chance to win back my room and board.” he demanded, a thins sheen of sweat on his brow.

“What have you to wager?” I sneered. He wavered for a moment then reached into his shirt and pulled out a bundle, laying it carefully on the table. It was Toby’s knife. I examined it with feigned casual interest and agreed to another round. Scar picked up the cards but I stopped him.

“Let him deal.” I indicated Luko with a nod as I distrusted our prey. Scar reluctantly agreed seeing he didn’t have much choice. Luko dealt me a good hand and after a long consideration I put in a sizable pot. Broken nose folded and Scar gave him an evil look at the traitorous action. Luko stayed so it was up to Scar who shifted nervously in his chair.

“Say you hand.” he said when he couldn’t bear the tension any longer. Needless to say I had a better hand then he did and he looked utterly crushed.

“ I believe this is mine.” I said quietly as I hefted the  weapon in my hand as I got up from the table and thanked them for a great evening. Scar’s eyes followed me in shock and Luko gave a snort of disgust as he quietly gathered up his kit and left. Half an hour later as I returend to the House Macedonia I spotted him at his regular post. I smiled and it was the first time I was happy while in Hiron.

Big Brother is Still Watching You

When the Olympics were held in Bejing, Americans were warned to take the batteries out of their cell phones because the Chinese government might hack into them- unlike our government.

Our Big Brother also found a way to put a surveillance camera in your house. The peeping toms love your web cam too.

Oh and forget about finding out if the police are spying on you-which they probably are.

Go back to work comrade.

Picture of the Day

Nature is pretty awesome and colorful.

The Rule to the Exception

Women die because the law says she can't have an abortion under any circumstance. Muslims butcher a man in broad daylight because he was a soldier. A gay man is beaten to death because he is a deviant. The list goes on.

After years of reading on philosophy and religion, the Golden Law of the universe is not to coerce or inflict your will on others, to do so generates bad karma. It's promptly ignored when it goes against whatever the current outrage.

Men decide what women can or can't do with their bodies, Muslims encourage killing unbelievers, homophobes justify killing gays. If you want to think Jews, gays, women or ( fill in the blank) are evil, sub human, whatever, that's your right. I may disagree with it but that's your right belief and so be it. But when you inflict that belief in the form of violence on others, when you insist at gunpoint that others believe as you do-that's where we need to draw the line. Not all men are narrow minded mysognists, not all Muslims support terrorism, not all bigots carry out their hate to death but the ones who do, need to be stopped.

Some claim it's hypocrisy to be intolerant of extremists. It's not, it's self defense. Instead of insisting the morally stunted bullies stop inflicting their narrow minded notions on society, we make excuses for them in the hopes it will placate them from doing more harm. It doesn't, it just makes the apologists look weaker. Like an abused wife who explains away her vicious husbands behavior as her own fault so maybe he will stop beating her. We need to call the bully for what he is, they need to see the harm they inflict on themselves and others. Sometimes that means shutting the bullies out of the playground because they are too dangerous.

I once had a friend who was smart, funny and we politely disagreed on many topics. But she became so strident and inflexible in her views there was no room for civil debate on either side. I had to cut off our relationship. That's the way it goes, it happens. She not required to listen to my point of view any more than I am required to listen to hers. That's our right.

Sweden, a very liberal, progressive country has allowed immigrants into their country and generously care for them with their welfare state. But the immigrants were unhappy for a number of complicated reasons and one day their anger reached a tipping point and they rioted for days. The Swedes were shocked, the immigrants couldn't politely disagree with their new compatriots. The two must part company as I did with my friend.

The next time you demand the world think like you, ask yourself, does the world view you hold drive you to inflict harm on others? Does your world view leave allow for difference of opinion? Does your belief system have room for the pagan law - do as you will, harm none?

If the answers are no, then it's time to reconsider one's narrative.

He Was Fine Until He Put His Foot In His Mouth

Orson Scot Card is a fine writer and  has a movie coming up based on his novel Ender's Game". I don't intend to see the movie not because of his notorious homophobia but because I found the book weird and unreadable for a number of reasons.

Still It amazes me how smart people can parrot ignorant ideas as if they were original and sincere.  Please don't boycott my movie, he says, I get that the whole same gender marriage argument is moot, but now those radical queers have to be tolerant and not be upset with me, his statement seems to say. After decades of discrimination and abuse, being denied basic legal rights and looked down as immoral, this guy has the gall to imply he and his fellow members of the tight ass club are the ones being persecuted.

Nice try.

And Now a Word From the Creator.

This blog site is slowing morphing into another on line magazine. This one is admittedly small, personal and done by one person-me. Published bi weekly, on Tuesday I will post news, opinion pieces and rants. On Friday I will have more personal stuff like journals, movie reviews, fiction and non fiction writing and whatever else strikes my fancy.

I used to publish a bi monthly newsletter and despite the headache of doing all the work myself, I rather enjoyed it. I have worked on newspapers of one kind or another since high school so I have experience. The on line version is a new challenge for me. Please check back often for the latest and let me know what you think and like.

Movie Review ; This Is The End

(This is the End. 104 minutes.Rated R (Profanity, Sexual Content, Violence, Drugs, Nudity) Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Criag Robinson. Written and Directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Columbia Pictures.)

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and company have made the raunchiest, rudest and rawest film I have ever seen. It’s also very funny.

Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco and their fellow celebrity buddies portray parodies of themselves in a film with a simple plot. Jay comes to LA to visit his pal Seth, who invitees him to a party at James Franco’s house. Reluctantly he agrees and after some awkward moments with Franco, a passive aggressive Jonah Hill and party animal Craig Robinson all hell breaks loose -literally. It seems the apocalypse has arrived and after dispatching many of the recognizable party guests the remainders hole up in the house and fight amongst themselves as the end draws near. 

This is juvenile humor done by guys who delightfully exploit it without realizing how limited the genre is. Rogen and his merry pranksters are not subtle so we are treated to sight gags and verbal battles that takes everything over the top. If this were a “real” story with “real” characters we would be appalled at their actions but the film gets away with it’s Richard Pryor level of shocking offenses because of the obvious wink to the audience that it’s all a put on and put down of the stars vanity. It’s just so outrageous you can’t take any of it seriously. It’s like being privy to a drunken bull session where these guys toss around ideas for their own amusement and it ends up on film.

It’s also takes a swipe at the way the trashy tabloids have depicted them to advantage. Michael Cera- who by all accounts is a sweet heart is portrayed as a sex addled, coke head whose demise is perhaps the highlight of the film. Meanwhile Danny McBride plays up the image of the bad boy to antagonistic perfection.

Between the clever action scenes the story drags a bit and the jokes wear thin when the boys have to deal with the reality around them. Rogen and Goldberg probably should not have used the weighty apocalypse metaphor in a comedy that is essentially about arrested teenagers unable to confront their fear of women, sex and latent homosexuality in close male friendships. It’s very witty when the barbs are aimed at such subjects as the etiquette of masturbation but fails when dealing with larger philosophical matters.

A Moment in Time

I wrote the following piece for a magazine article about some friends of mine and their wonderful business making miniature models. The story didn't get published , alas, but I post it here for your enjoyment.

  

Hobbyists Joanne and Tom Snyder do more than create miniature rooms and dioramas, each project is a snapshot of a moment in time. In  She Dressed in a Hurry  a bedroom with clothes scattered about and a newspaper lying on the floor with the headline “Japan Surrenders” looks as if the occupant has just left the room to greet her returning beau. In another display, I Dare You, two small children approach a run down house on Halloween where a ghostly white hand appears in the window reaching for a lowered shade.  I Dare You started as a pattern piece for a miniatures group. Joanne wanted to practice making a house look old and the Halloween theme evolved from that. 

The Snyder’s got into the miniature business as an extension of Joanne's hobby. She worked at the Santa Cruz City Museum of Natural History where Tom joined her doing repairs and refurbishing displays. In 1995 Tom’s sister Martha Snyder --then working for the Maude Kerns Art Center and the Oregon Museum Association -- suggested forming a business and “Moments in Time “ was born.

 

The time and place of sets done for museums, historical societies and visitor centers are determined by the client. Once the Snyder’s get the proposal, the hair pulling process of choosing the right moment and how to get it done among three strong artistic individuals offering different ideas begins.

Tom works as a carpenter, engineer and lighting designer on the projects. He figures out all the physical problems; how to make a door look realistic, how to light the piece for maximum effect and create the display to best show off the project. He also assists with buildings, vehicles and machinery. Martha uses her sculpting skills to create major land forms, realistic bodies of water, and backgrounds. Joanne expertly paints figurines to match the set. They strive for the ultimate in detail and realism. 

“If you can take a picture of the piece and fool someone into thinking it’s full size, you know you’ve done it right.” Joanne explains. 

The Snyders most notably projects has been “The Niantic” for the San Francisco Maritime Museum and “The Wild, Wild East” for the Petroleum Center in Oil City Pennsylvania. The Niantic was s ship that was dragged out of the waters of  San Francsico Bay and shored up with pilings next to a pier where it sat as a hotel. The model was done in a one quarter inch scale (1/ 48), measuring a total of four by four feet.  There are seventy little people populating the pier mid morning on an early fall day in 1850. A large crowd watches a daily auction in progress in front of the warehouse next to the Niantic. Far enough away from the legitimate business, another crowd gathers for a shell game scam set up on a large barrel.

“It’s important to have people, wherever possible, to enhance the story. “ Joanne explained.

Tom is particularly pleased with the casting of one character, the water seller. A one and a half  inch tall man with a missing arm, gets his water cart filled at an artesian well pumphouse. The figure, once an abandoned toy, will now spend the rest of his life being gazed at by visitors at the San Francisco Maritime Museum. 

In “the Wild, Wild East” the Snyders base a few characters on themselves and the names of those who helped with the project become business signs.  So a burly fellow with an apron, obviously modeled on Tom, stands outside a tavern. He watches with amazement as a pothole in the street devours yet another horse and wagon. Their friend Doug Haines, who help build the oil derricks and wagons, has a rooming house named for him. Next door Mrs. Mooney, based on Joanne, stands on the sidewalk outside her boarding house scolding brawlers in the street.  At the other end of town is “Martha’s Millinery and Dress Making” downstairs from “A. McLaughlin Signs”.

Regardless of the subject or size Snyder dioramas burst with colorful characters and intimate details that will fascinate both the miniaturists and the curious.