laundry piling up at my house

The making of a DVD can take quite a bit of time. As I have found, that process can easily add months, even years, to the reward finding its way to waiting hands, eyes, and ears.
Such has certainly been the case here.
But, at last, "The Laundromat" has opened for me!
When I last wrote, it was to share the update from Vanessa Yee. Her kickstarter project, a documentary with many interviews, was in the process of being completed and was gathering good reviews along the way.
Now, the T-shirt is on me, the bumper sticker is going on my Kickstarter Wall in my Ocean Room, and the button will soon be in the hands of my favorite laundry owner, Nami.
I have not yet had time to review the DVD, but I hope to do so very soon.
You'll be the first to know!
Meanwhile, you can enjoy the trailer for it here.
You can also visit her fabulous site... where you can air your laundry in a safe space.

allegiance to takei

Yes, that Takei, the one who was Mr. Sulu on "Star Trek" for so many years.
Now, he is on a trek of his own: to get a WW II-era musical, "Allegiance", onto a Broadway stage.
Yes, I did say "musical".
Yes, I did say "World War II".
Yes, I realize those things don't normally go together, though they certainly have before.
Will this show have battle scenes?
I don't know, but I doubt it.
The story is from the point of view of a Japanese-ancestry family living and working in America when Pearl Harbor was bombed...and the aftermath of a country gone to war on its own citizens.
George Takei was a boy 5 years old when his family, and many others, were imprisoned behind barbed-wire fences in desolate locations. Their only crime was having Japanese heritage.
Incredible to think that this country went so crazy as to lock up thousands of Japanese-American citizens, whether they were men, women, or children.
Incredible... and very sad.
But now, as part of his legacy to the USA and to the world, Takei is ready to share that history with all of us.
What a worthy cause!
And so, mere moments ago, in anticipation of the play's Broadway debut, I have bought into his dream!
For a mere five dollars, I now own Priority Access Pass #08713 for "Allegiance"!!!
That means, once it has been accepted by one of the 41 theatres on Broadway for its run, I will be once of the first to be allowed to purchase tickets!
Who knows?
I just may have to make a run up to New York City for that auspicious occasion!
It has been a very, very, very long time since I last saw a play on Broadway. The play was "Lunch Hour", with Sam Waterston and Gilda Radner, back in February of 1981, before my tour of duty in Okinawa.
(smile)
I'll keep watching for more news...
and say a little prayer for this worthy piece of history.

creature (dis)comforts of home

Oh, my! Such lovely, cool-scary, monsters!
Oh, pardon me - not monsters, creatures.
That indicates that these beings came from imagination, not from an egg or a uterus.

That imagination belongs to the GoggleGals, Jessica Feinberg and Alese Lea Taylor, creators of this kickstarter-funded book.
And poster, as shown above.

And two unique bookmarks.

And fabulous prints of the individual creatures!
(More on that in just a second!

Even the back of the book bears the searing mark of their fertile imagination!

I just love the way they autographed this book for me!

"FOR GREAT-AUNT FAUSTINA - BEWARE THE CREATURES!"

and

"crunch"

Such marvelous fun!






But, I must admit, my most prized rewards from these young women are Jellie Oculari and the Orange Gnawzler.
I know, they sound like something that would appear in a B-grade, late-night old-timey science fiction flick, don't they? I'm sure my fondness for those goofy movies from my youth is part of the reason I am charmed by these creatures, of all of those produced by the GoggleGals.
These were the two I could not live without.

The Snaggle-Toothed Orange Gnawzler

Shaggy and fuzzy
orange yellow on top
please don't be misled by its cute fluffy mop.
Sneaking up the stairs
hunting late into the night
It's seeking out toenails
to nibble and bite!

Jellie Oculari

Swims in the water
floats through the sky
If you don't see him coming he'll
steal your eyes.


Bwah ha ha!!!
He is definitely my favorite!
Now, they both grace a wall in my Ocean Room, a wall dedicated to the display of my treasures acquired from the support of kickstarter projects.
And Jellie, with his many aqua eyes, looks perfectly at home there, swimming along without a care in the world!

there's a new queen bee in Chicago!

(No, this bee is not from Illinois, but Georgia. I wrote about him here. I just thought the photo was appropriate for this post, too.)

Today, I received an email that made me cry.
Tears of happineess, tears of joy, tears of gratitude.
Thank you, Jana, for sharing your news... and making me part of it.
This is truly why I support projects on kickstarter. I want to believe that Mama's money is helping people achieve their dreams, make a difference, pay it forward.

Update #12
Jul 25 2014 1:40 PM
Third Summer

Hello Backers,

I just wanted to share some thoughts I had the other day.

I was out checking on two of my hives down in Fuller Park, one of which was queenless. Sometimes hives become queenless because she gets squished or injured, sometimes it's just a mystery. This time, I had killed her. She wasn't a good queen. She didn't lay eggs consistently, and earlier in the year the colony had sacbrood. Since the queen is the only bee laying eggs in the whole hive, a viral disease like sacbrood originates with the queen. It was a painful Executive Decision but I knew it would be better for the colony in the long run.

After I got rid of the original queen, we transferred over queen cells (young, pupating queens) from the other healthy hive nearby. Soon a virgin queen would emerge from one of those cells, and after she's mated, the colony would accept her as the new matriarch. I left the garden, and hoped that everything would go as planned.

I came back a week later, and even though I knew a queen had already emerged, they are so small before they are mated and laying eggs that it's hard to spot them. They look like any other worker bee — almost. But, I just wanted to peek inside the hive anyways. I opened up the hive and carefully removed a frame, and OH MAN! I spotted the virgin queen! There she was, looking trim and not quite regal yet. How on EARTH did I spot her? And how lucky was I... She was on the first frame I grabbed! She walked amongst the other worker bees, who don't regard her with much respect yet. I can't explain it, but, queen bees, even when not yet mated, walk around with this... "air" about them. Like they have something on their mind. I mean, I know they don't, but I was so impressed by my trained eye that I could spot her.

I carefully put the frame back into the hive, closed the lid, and got on my bike. The sun was shining and just starting to get low in the sky; it was a heavenly Chicago summer afternoon. I was done with beekeeping for the day, and what a perfect way to end it. Getting to see a virgin queen, one small insect that was about to make a dangerous journey out of the hive to mate with neighborhood drones. I couldn't believe it. Suddenly I became overwhelmed with emotions (this happens often while beekeeping) and I started to cry. I thought about how this is my life now. That I get to do this every week and that it's the most fulfilling thing I have ever done.

I want to share this because I would not be beekeeping in this capacity if it wasn't for my Kickstarter backers. You guys LITERALLY (and I am using this word appropriately) changed my entire life. You, who donated a little bit of money, collectively changed my life. I wanted to share this because my project was a unique one... It wasn't a product or an event, it was an ambitious idea that I couldn't do by myself. You really took a risk with this one, but there is so much your money has done.

Not only has it changed my life, it's changed the lives of countless urban gardeners, neighbors, and community groups who now have a positive relationship with pollinators. Children all over Chicagoland who were once scared now care about bees now because of Bike a Bee, or as they know me, "the bee girl." Bike a Bee's education efforts are the most important aspect of the project for me.

On a personal level, my favorite accomplishment with Bike a Bee has been mentoring Abby, an intern I took on last year. Abby worked with me almost every day I went beekeeping last year, and I got to see her turn into a fantastic beekeeper. She even got to be a part of the business side, helping us become a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit. This year, Abby is caring for her own Bike a Bee hives and also beekeeping with me (we really love working together). The other night she told me she couldn't imagine a life without beekeeping. So not only did you change my life, you changed Abby's.

The long and short of it is: I don't think a lot of people on Kickstarter realize that they are changing people's lives when they throw $20 at a project. I just wanted to remind you that you are, and while I am enjoying my third summer beekeeping, I want to thank you with all of my heart for backing this project back in the winter of 2012.

- Jana (+ the bees)

I am so touched that she wrote this, to share her news and her gratitude.
Her mother must be very proud of her - I am.

the broken hearts table

Truth be told, this is what started my recent bout of activity in the kickstarter universe. You know, the one in which I backed six book projects in less than an hour on a Tuesday morning last week.
Whew. I was a busy Fliss!
But this was the project I had first checked out that day.
You see, on June 1st, the brothers Titshaw (Brian and Matthew) screened their previous film at Muse Arts Warehouse to grab some attention for this new venture.
Good move.
The screening was free, which certainly appealed to many at the early afternoon show. Also, as "The Space Jockey Pursuit" is offered as a reward for several of the funding levels in this new kickstarter project, the free screening generated financial interest. (All puns intended!)
My forty-three remaining birthday bucks is helping to make that last push for the goal of $11500, which must be met in the next two days.
Honestly, I think they'll succeed. I'm almost their 200th backer, so that tells you they must be doing something right.
So, no worries.
I'm very much looking forward to owning my own DVD copy of that quirky movie of a brother helping another to attain his dream of being in a film about a space jockey. Quite funny and touching!
I'll also receive a plethora of other goodies! Digital Wallpaper, a signed postcard from the filmmakers (you know how much I love those!), a video thank-you, a digital download of the aforementioned space jockey film, and a subscription to the Making of the Broken Hearts Table (filled with juicy bits like behind the scenes footage!).
As the icing on the wedding cake, I also get a sneak preview of the first ten minutes of "The Broken Hearts Table"!!!
Won't it be super-special if that viewing is held at Muse Arts???

speculative relationships: a sci-fi romance comics anthology

I could most definitely use a little romance in my life.
Everyone can, n'est-ce pas?
When it comes to love between different species, science fiction has always been there to say: why not?
Tyrell Cannon and the other five artists in this 80-page collection agree with that philosophy. Together, they have contributed eight stories to stroke that romantic beast purring deep in my soul.
Mike Manomivibul, in conjunction with providing the cover art for the book, has a tale of two robots, searching the world over to be reunited. To be perfectly honest, it is that cover art, with the questing hand reaching out for the touch of another, that captured my heart. I'll hope his story bears up to that predispostion on my part.
Isabella Rotman offers dreamers on a traveling spaceship. Her art is lush and has a medieval fantasy edge. Very pretty!
Daniel Warren Johnson combines action and comedy in his other work. This tale of a cyborg in an alien war promises to keep the attention point on!
Rinko Endo is an art therapist, offering her tale through a manga lens. The star-crossed love tapestry of an alien and a human is of the ages, but newly woven.
Scott Kroll has two contributions to the anthology. The story which most has my interest postulates a five-gendered species, with love only if all are present. I wonder if they will have flavors, like quarks do?
Then there's the initiator of this kickstarter campaign, Tyrell Cannon. He also contributes two pieces, one which speaks in the voice of "Gravity", while the other features a modern chapter in the Adam and Eve saga.
Can you tell I'm hooked?
Apparently, I'm not the only one. Four hundred, thirty-seven others made sure they had surpassed their $9000 goal yesterday.
So, as the 438th backer, I've added $28 of birthday money to their pile, to help make this book the best it can be.
I'm committing to Going Steady with them. In return, I'm getting pinned in the form of a physical copy fo the book to hold in my hands and close to my heart, a print of the cover to frame and hang on the wall above my bed, and a PDF of the "Making Love" zine, so I will know all the work which was done to make this love my own.
I am nearly breathless with antici-pa-tion!

horizon anthology

This anthology poses the question: What happens after the hero wins?
Indeed, what does happen?
"The Incredibles" showed us the aftermath. All of the heroes were forced to go undercover, forgo their super-identities, phase their superpowers into "standby" mode. Sure, eventually, an evil power forces them back into the open, but again clad in their supergarb. After that evil uprising is quelled, they continue living as (near)regular folks, at least in appearance, when not called into action.
Jeremy Lawson, the initiator of this kickstarter project, has joined up with fourteen other talented artists, from near and far. Together, they have created a 144-page, full-color work of visual literature, which they want to share with us.
Nice, right?
The ringleader is a Savannah artist, transplanted from Texas (but we won't hold that against him). (smile!) He's done a great job of keeping interest alive in the project. They're on their last day today and are more than $1000 over their original goal! Woohoo!!!
Now, there's a push to try to hit that magical $10,000 mark. You want your copy of the book to be hardcover, right? I would!
So, more of my birthday money into a worthy creation! I've sent them forty-four buckaroos. As my reward, I'll be receiving a copy of the book, of course, with my name in the acknowledgements. Nice!!!
I'll also receive a PDF download of the book and a digital wallpaper pack of the cover art.
That's pretty nice, too!
And, because they had attained their initial goal, I will also be granted two Kickstarter Exclusive art prints!!! Sah-weet!!!
Now, let's hope they hit that hardcover stretch goal...