This tree was beside a restless sea.
I didn’t walk the dog this morning, because things were very snowstormy. But later there were periods of clearing.
[daily log: walking, 2km;]
Month: February 2023
Caveat: 높은 가지가 부러지기 쉽다
I found this aphorism in my book of Korean aphorisms.
높은 가지가 부러지기 쉽다
nop.eun ga.ji.ga bu.reo.ji.gi swib.da
be-high-PART branch-SUBJ break-NOM be-easy-INF
The high branch breaks easily.
This refers to the fact that the higher branches of a tree break more easily, and it’s a metaphor for how those who climb the highest socially experience the greatest loss when they fall. “The higher they climb, the harder they fall” seems the equivalent English language version.
Caveat: Poem #2386 “For possible utilization later”
ㅁ I found a sad, discarded washer lying in the grit of the road. It was a ring of iron blending in with the rocks. So I picked it up. You never know... you will need rusty things.
– a nonnet.
Caveat: Tree #1478 “Towering”
This tree towers mightily.
[daily log: walking, 4km; dogwalking, 3km]
Caveat: Poem #2385 “Idle geological accomplishments”
ㅁ each rock that you have kicked while walking down the road settles into its new moment and waits
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1477 “Far, far away”
This tree is across the sea from me.
[daily log: walking, 3.5km; dogwalking, 3.5km]
Caveat: Poem #2384 “Dogthoughts”
ㅁ i want to eat that! but also too what is it? thoughts in a dog's mind
– a pseudo-haiku.
Caveat: Tree #1476 “Unknown wavelengths”
This tree detected an unusual blue tint in the sky.
[daily log: walking, 4km; dogwalking, 3.5km]
Caveat: Goodgrove
[This is a cross-post from my other blog]
For this week’s low-effort brag-post of my geofiction, I’m taking a detour off the OpenGeofiction site and going to my other map-server, the planet called Arhet. I built this map-server before rebuilding the OpenGeofiction site – it a sense, it ended up as a kind of audition for being considered qualified to take over OGF. Anyway, there are far fewer users on Arhet, it’s a much smaller server, and it’s quite a bit more chaotic – there is no effort to create a coherent “world” the way that we do on OpenGeofiction. It’s just little map-snippets the various users are working on. Unlike OGF, there are no constraints on realism. That’s why I put this bit of mapping on Arhet.
Goodgrove is the “start town” for a MUD (“multi-user-dungeon” – a type of text-based old-school computer game) I was desigining for a while, with a working title of Hellbridge. That work is definitely dormant – I haven’t worked on it in years. The setting is a kind of semi-steampunk, semi-swords-and-sorcery setting. But I had the novel idea that I could create a detailed map of the world, much higher quality than that typically associated with MUD’s, and that I could even go in the direction of having some kind of “player locator” icon on some customized presentation of the map. So you would be moving around the game-world and meanwhile you could be logged into a website hosting a slippy map of the world, and you could see an icon that placed your location in that world.
I still think it’s a compelling and clever idea, and within the realm of what I could conceivably create, but I simply didn’t have the energy or gumption to push forward with it. But the starter town of Goodgrove was mapped down to every detail, and every single node on the in-game map has a corresponding node on this OSM-style map. It’s not meant to be strictly realistic – it’s a game map for a fantasy setting, not meant to represent any verisimilitudinous place.
Here is link to the zoomable map: https://arhet.rent-a-planet.com/#map=16/41.9412/-66.8451&layers=W
Caveat: Poem #2383 “An Hornopirén of the imagination”
ㅁ Rain and snow and more rain alternated as I drove homeward along the potholed road; I remembered other drives like that time I was in Chile: from Puerto Montt to Hornopirén.
– a reverse nonnet.
Caveat: Tree #1475 “By the dog on a beach”
This tree was noticed by a dog on a beach.
[daily log: walking, 4km; dogwalking, 3km]
Caveat: Poem #2382 “A weekly ritual”
ㅁ Thursday is shopping day: we drive to town - the store - because of the senior discount... drive home.
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1474 “A parking-lot tableau”
This tree was being harassed by strong winds as I watched the parking-lot tableau outside the window at work today.
[daily log: walking, 4km; retailing, 8hr]
Caveat: Poem #2381 “The crunchy remnants of last night’s precipitation event”
ㅁ Last night it must have snowed. But some rain came after, and with morning, it was just ice. Crunchy.
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1473 “Abandoned among rocks and snow”
This tree found itself among rocks and crusts of snow.
Arthur has a daily ritual: at bedtime, he asks me “what’s happening tomorrow?”
Last night, I answered, “I’m going to work.”
“And what am I doing?” he asked.
“Not working,” I replied.
“Thank you,” he said, with immense sincerity and relief – as if it was I who’d offered him this reprise.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 8hr]
Caveat: Poem #2380 “Coexistence”
ㅁ Rainbows coexisted with a gray cormorant perched nimbly on the pier's railing, in wind.
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1472 “A dog’s view”
This tree was subjected to the keen supervision of a dog.
[daily log: walking, 3km; dogwalking, 3.5km]
Caveat: Poem #2379 “No longer”
ㅁ I am, allegedly, a person who's patient. But I think that that's just an act. It fails.
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1471 “The traffic problem”
This tree guarded the road, supervising the unbearable traffic.
[daily log: walking, 3.5km; dogwalking, 3km]
Caveat: Poem #2378 “Driveway quest”
ㅁ Slowly Slug made her way. The terrain was quite rough. Obstacles presented themselves. A quest!
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1470 “Half-wet”
This tree was half-wet.
I overheard this, the other day, while entering the library in town. A man and his son were talking.
“Dad, when is this rain going to stop?”
“This rain will never end,” the dad answered, sagely. The dad clearly was familiar with the weather in Southeast Alaska.
[daily log: walking, 3km; dogwalking, 3km]
Caveat: Poem #2377 “In the forest”
ㅁ The bear slumbered somewhere, deep inside the forest. Later, in spring, she'd cross the road. A plan.
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1469 “Deja vu”
This tree experienced deja vu: morning again.
[daily log: walking, 3km; dogwalking, 4.5km]
Caveat: Country Club Alameda, Ohunkagan
[This is a cross-post from my other blog]
My low-effort brag-post for this week is a neighborhood called “Country Club Alameda, in the imaginary city of Ohunkagan. The mapping is currently in a time-warp, not yet having reached 1920, but there’s an intersection of two streetcar routes at 63rd Avenue and Melville Street, and a golf course southwest of that.
This neighborhood is found on the opengeofiction map here: https://opengeofiction.net/#map=17/-42.49772/146.04194&layers=B
Caveat: Poem #2376 “On Patrol”
ㅁ Some ducks patrolled waters in the sea near our dock. It was clearly a group effort. Good work.
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1468 “Wind-chime”
This tree has a wind-chime hanging in it, there in our front yard.
[daily log: walking, 4km; dogwalking, 3km]
Caveat: Poem #2375 “Carcasses”
ㅁ Eagle supervised bones, with a nonchalant air. She knew that they belonged to her. "All mine."
– a cinquain.
Caveat: Tree #1467 “The past is a beach on a distant sea”
This tree is a guest tree from my past. It’s a tree among others on a rocky beach on 무의도 (Muui Island), which is an island off the west coast of South Korea southwest of the Incheon Airport (I believe it’s here on the map). I visited this tree in August, 2015, with my friend Peter (who subsequently has visited me here in Southeast Alaska.
I had a very unhappy day at work – one of those days when I am reminded that I never had any actual training to be a “matting and framing guy”, but rather, I’ve always been in a kind of “fake it till you make it” mode with this job. I made many mistakes, working on challenging projects. I made mistakes with cutting mat board, which I corrected but always is wasteful of mat board, I made mistakes with cutting glass, including an oversize piece that had high visibility since I needed help from my boss Chad to make it happen. I’ll have to go in tomorrow and try to cut the oversize piece again. Anyway, I felt incompetent all day. Such a salient feeling.
[daily log: walking, 5km; retailing, 8hr; breaking glass, 4pieces]
Caveat: Poem #2374 “Above the road”
ㅁ Raven made a circle using wings, and the air. She landed on a leaning tree. She watched.
– a cinquain.