We’re closing in on the end of the year now, approaching what is traditionally the holiday season. And it could be an unusual one. I’ve been wondering lately what Thanksgiving and Christmas will be like. I typically spend those holidays with my family, but this year with COVID-19 everywhere I’ve been trying to protect my parents by limiting my exposure to them, meeting them outside their house and at a distance. When the weather cools down that might no longer be an option.

But for now we’ll put those thoughts and concerns aside and take a look back at the quarter that’s just ended.

Photography

I’ve slowly begun getting out and working on new images again. Slowly. Very slowly. Almost imperceptibly slowly. But it’s a start. I’m working to bring back enough motivation to continue. And in the meantime I’m still going through older images, processing and sharing them here.

This quarter I watched some more webinars, mostly those sponsored by Moab Paper and rockynook, as these seem to present photographers and specialists and their work with a little less marketing. I liked seeing these photographers work and hearing them discuss different photos, what their thoughts were on creating them, how they choose what to print and display, how they build their portfolio. Some of the folks I watched include Chris Martin Scholl, Evan Parker, William Neill, Robert Faber, and Les Picker.

As with last quarter, I continued regularly posting articles on the blog, putting out 14 posts, listed below in case you missed any.

Before & After: Dawn Reflections of the Washington Monument

Aperture & Depth of Field with Cherry Blossoms

Tone Poems Book 1 by Bruce Barnbaum & Judith Cohen - Cover

10x10 Exercise - Reflections of Early Spring

Reading

As is usually the case, most of my reading this quarter has been fiction, but I did also finish a photography book and a couple other non-fiction books.

Below are the books I finished this quarter, and below that are descriptions of my favorites.

The books I consumed this quarter (paper, ebook, and audio).

My favorite reads of the quarter include:

Kabuki Library Edition Volume 2 by David Mack

I’m continuing my reread of David Mack’s Kabuki comic book series. This volume collects the Skin Deep and Metamorphosis storylines, some of my favorites, perhaps because these were my introduction to his work. I love his writing, the characters he creates, and most of all his incredible original artwork, so very different from anything else in the comics industry.

City of Stairs, book #1 of The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett

A short while back I read City of Blades, book #2 in this series, and have been looking forward to getting back into this world ever since. So I picked up the first book to see how it all began, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a fantasy series that feels very different from most I’ve read.

City of Miracles, book #3 of The Divine Cities series by Robert Jackson Bennett

This was the conclusion to the series, and what a fantastic conclusion it was. Lots of action, lots of emotion, very powerful. I couldn’t be happier with this series and I look forward to reading more by this author.

Exit Strategy, book #4 of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Martha Wells continues to create complete winners in her Murderbot Diaries series, stories about a SecUnit that manages to break free from the restraints that are supposed to keep them under control. She has created an incredible character in the form of Murderbot, and I look forward to reading more in this series.

The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds

I’ve never been disappointed by an Alastair Reynolds book. This one is set in his Revelation Space universe, telling the story of Prefect Tom Dreyfus as he tries to keep peace in the Glitter Band while encountering major forces intent on making his job difficult.

And the photography book I finished this quarter was:

Tone Poems - Book 1: Opuses 1, 2 & 3 by Bruce Barnbaum & Judith Cohen

This book was built around a fascinating idea, combining photography with music. I really enjoyed it. To see my thoughts check out the review I posted.

Movies

I watched a few more movies this quarter than last, and thankfully really enjoyed most of them.

My favorite films of the quarter were:

Alita: Battle Angel

This was a rewatch and I think I might have enjoyed it more this time than the first. It’s a science fiction film based on a story originally told in Japanese manga and anime. Alita is an abandoned cyborg found in a scrap heap by a doctor who treats cyborgs. He brings her back and we slowly learn more about who she really is. Lots of action and I enjoyed the story, as well.

Only Lovers Left Alive

This was a slower paced, almost trippy, melancholic look at a pair of aging vampires. Adam is the brooding musician, a very depressing fellow who wants to make his music but not gain any fame for it. Eve is his lover living on the other side of the world. She travels to visit him and nothing is ever the same again for either of them. This was not a horror movie, but instead a love story, of sorts.

Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

This was a series of anime movies that were compilations of a longer running series, which I’ve not seen. It’s a zombie story where some survivors travel via railway between stations, trying to survive and avoid the creatures. The two main protagonists are known as kabaneri, they’ve been infected with the virus but for now are able to control it. This gives them special powers, allowing them to help the other survivors but also bringing out fear and hatred from some. This was well done and I’d be curious to one day watch the longer series.

Music

I’m still listening to a lot of Japanese artists, and this quarter I’ll share with you a group of songs I’ve enjoyed lately.

The first artist is Aimer, a Japanese singer with a beautiful voice. In ninelie I love how she starts the song softly and slowly builds in volume, tension and emotion. I love STAND-ALONE for similar reasons, it begins softly but grows in volume and is also full of emotion. And of course I love the role photography plays in the video. Brave Shine has, for me, similar emotion to the others. That’s one of the things I love about her music. And the video is an interesting post-apocalyptic, or end of the world, tale. Much of her music is used in anime, movies, and tv shows.

An artist I recently discovered is milet, another Japanese singer with a beautiful voice. I’ve been really enjoying many of her songs lately. Grab the Air has a very positive, light feel to it. Just a simple feel good sort of song. Until I Die isn’t quite as feel good, but another with powerful emotion, something I’m realizing I’m really drawn to in music.

And I’m always thrilled when I find a new song or album from WagakkiBand, a group focused on the fusion of traditional and modern for both instruments and music. The video for Singin’ for… does a great job showcasing each member of the group, as does the behind the scenes video. I’m really looking forward to this new album.

I love the message that goes along with the video:

“Spring 2020, everything that was ordinary was no longer ordinary. The ordinary view, the everyday bustle of the city, all of it has changed...and the city of TOKYO is evolving, moment by moment.

Fall 2020, Power that overcomes difficulty and adversity, the strength to never give up, and the courage to stand up over and over, again... Towards a completely changed world, here is a message from TOKYO. A message from WagakkiBand.”

— WagakkiBand

Life

Well, this was another quarter where there weren’t any major changes in my life, and I’m ok with that. Life is still a bit strange and will likely remain that way for a while. But we adapt and carry on.

When I was much younger, in grade school, I picked up the trombone and played that for many years in the various bands the schools had, such as concert, jazz and marching. And for a short time I started learning bass guitar. But half-way through high school I stopped all that and haven’t played anything since. Lately, I’ve been feeling an increasing desire to not only listen to music, but to begin playing again, and perhaps one day to create. But I’m no longer drawn to playing trombone. So what do I do?

Well, folks who subscribe to my emails may have heard I bought my first acoustic guitar this quarter, and have slowly, very VERY slowly, been learning to play. I’ve practiced at least a short while each day since I got it, starting out with short sessions as I’ve slowly built up my fingers. I want to practice more, but sometimes I think I feel blisters forming under the newly developing calluses on my fretting fingers, so I slow down and let the fingers recover. Thankfully, there’s so much to learn and not everything requires the same fingers, so I can lessen the use of one finger while it heals and focus on others. But my fingers are slowly toughening up, and I’m feeling like I’m making some progress.

I’m trying to learn some classical techniques used in many Spanish songs. It’s a real challenge because most of the songs are played fast. I have to start super slow and as I build up the muscle memory I’m increasing the tempo. It’s lots of fun. I am struggling right now to remember the various chords, though, and to transition between them. There’s still a lot of work ahead of me there. But again, it’s been a tremendous amount of fun, and I’m so glad I bit the bullet and bought the guitar, letting me once again branch out my desire for creative expression, exploring new outlets and learning new skills, and hopefully opening me up to seeing the world just a bit differently, to perhaps seeing a bit more than I have before. One can hope, anyway.

I so appreciate you checking in to see what I’m up to, sharing a little of your time with me. I hope you’ve had a great quarter, and I hope the coming quarter is even better for you. Feel free to let me know what you’ve been up to in the comments below.

Until next time, stay safe and stay well!

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