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If you’re bored and stuck in Los Angeles tonight, I’ve got some good news! Our monthly live comedy/cartoon revue, Cartoon Dump, goes on this evening at 8pm!

Tonight we celebrate with special guest comedian Karen Kilgariff (from Mr. Show)! Join me, Frank Conniff, Erica Doering, J. Elvis Weinstein, and Mighty Mr. Titan (putting the spotlight on his ass, above) tonight at the Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Blvd. • Free Parking! • Advanced Tickets here • Phone: (323) 666-9797 • Map & Directions

Here's my take on Marvels Iron Man. I decided to base this off John Favreau's film version of the suit. I love that rendition.

Hi!
I said that it might not be the "best" choice because it is hard to control and difficult to master. Most people use the "lasso" tool for "quik ' n ' dirty" fixes and I think that is the lasso tool's general identity in Photoshop. I've just been using it so long now and so consistently that I have gotten to know the feel of the tool very well and I use it for even the most delicate pixel extractions with success. It's funny, in PS, there are 20 ways to do the same thing. That is one of the great things about PS-because one way to do something is not "one size fits all" but you can tailor it to the way you like to work, the tools you are most adept at/comfortable with, etc. That said, I acan also be guilty at times of not forcing myself to use the latest and greatest new features in Photoshop when new versions come out. I will say that being a NAPP member really helps me there, to stay on top of the latest trends and ways to do things in PS. (National Association of Photoshop Professionals URL is : www.photoshopuser.com)

Thanks for the question!!

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I would really love to see someone do this with YA book covers.

(thank you to Fuse #8)

On our last full day in Tokyo we made another quick stop in Harajuku for my man to pick up a jacket he had seen before. As you can see, we had a little bit of rain. Love said the reason was so i could get this photo of all the umbrellas up in the air. That's one way to look at it.
After the busy (and late night) day before, we could use some relaxation, so we walked into Yoyogi Park and visited the Meiji Shrine.

Wash your hands and mouth before entering!

It was such a good idea to go here after the high energy adventure of the day before. And to end our Tokyo trip with, it was so peaceful. There were so many breathtaking spots, it looked unreal at times. I can only imagine how it will be here when the cherry blossoms are in bloom!

And thanks to the Tokyo Shopping Guide i knew to look out for stampers at big locations. If i wasn't told about this i surely would have missed them. And it became some sort of sport to spot them! Yes, they are very well hidden. In the end i found one at the temple next to our hotel, at the zoo and in the shrine at Harajuku park.

We were more tired than we wanted to admit, so we made it a short day and went back to the hotel. I had to try and pack all my new goodies (i have bought way more than i've shown here on the blog).
Hubby went out in the evening to hang out with our friend, his producer one last night, while i packed and chilled. I was in luck, the all night long Tokyo Real Fashion Event was on tv, which was wonderful to watch! I taped some pieces and maybe if i find some time, edit those together and put that up on youtube somewhere.

The next morning our friend came to pick us up and bring us to the airport. It was raining a bit again. Fitted our mood. Sad to leave.

My man and i were on a mission to spend all our remaining yens at the airport. Where i realized i didn't even bought myself a real Kokeshi! (number 7 is now standing happily beside my computer)

So this was my last official Tokyo post, hope you liked reading them. I appreciate all the comments, emails and tweets i got about these posts.
I have already booked my next trip: Amsterdam! Next month!

Yesterday I shared with you an excerpt from Les Edgerton’s book, HOOKED, where he discussed Primary Components.  Today, he finishes up with Secondary Componets.  This is very good stuff and something all writers should try to absorb.

The Secondary Components

Now that we’ve defined the inciting incident, the story-worthy problem, the initial surface problem, and the setup, all of which make up the foundation of an opening scene, let’s look at the secondary components of backstory, a stellar opening sentence, language, character, setting, and foreshadowing. I say secondary because, while the first four ingredients are absolutely crucial to any beginning, these last six take on varying degrees of importance depending on the story and your aims, and some of these latter components may not even appear in some openings.

5. Backstory
This is usually where new writers err the most when it comes to their opening scenes. Backstory includes anything and everything that’s happened up to the time of the inciting incident. There are times when a bit of backstory is necessary for the reader to grasp what’s going on in the inciting incident and why it’s important. However, this is the greatest bane for most editors and agents when they encounter a newly submitted manuscript and is the biggest kiss of death for the work. Tread carefully when considering how much backstory to include in your story.

Are there times when a longer backstory is necessary? Actually, there are. In many police procedurals, mysteries, thrillers and related genres, the story begins often with a crime being committed. The protagonist is nowhere around the scene at the book’s beginning. Many of best-selling novelist John Sandford’s novels are classic examples. They begin with the crime being committed and it’s only later that the protagonist enters the story.

There are other exceptions, such as in Larry Watson’s Montana 1948, which we’ll look at in chapter four.

The danger in telling you that backstory can sometimes be lengthy, is that you may take that as license to provide too much backstory. The single biggest fault of most writers is that they simply don’t trust the reader’s intelligence to “get” what’s going on without providing lengthy backstory. Editors, agents, and writing teachers constantly fight that impulse in writers. Many writers feel the reader has to know that Mary has been married three times, each relationship ending badly, to “understand” why she’s looking for a good relationship. Providing that kind of backstory will most likely lead to rejection and is the kind of backstory that, while indeed important, needs to be doled out at a later point in thestory and bit by bit.

In general, keep backstory either absent from the opening or only include as much as is absolutely necessary to set the scene for the inciting incident. We’ll discuss backstory in greater detail in chapter four.

6. The Opening Line
Spend an awful lot of time on this sentence. In fact, more effort should be expended on your story’s first sentence than on any other line in your entire story. No kidding. The first sentence is the first thing the readers will see when they open the door of your manuscript or story. Make sure it’s a good ’un! One that will create a strong impression. My own favorite is one I used in my short story “The Bad Part of Town,” which begins: He was so mean that wherever he was standing became the bad part of town.

I know it’s my own story and one should at least appear to be somewhat humble, but honestly, do you think most readers would be able to resist reading on after reading that sentence?

7. Language
The opening is where you should create y

XII The laws of God, the laws of man, He may keep that will and can; Not I: let God and man decree Laws for themselves and not for me; And if my ways are not as theirs Let them mind their own affairs. Their deeds I judge and much condemn, Yet when did I make laws for them? Please yourselves, say I, and they Need only look the other way. But no, they will not; they must still Wrest their

Mmmmm!!! This one just makes me grin mostly because I haven't made a plush toy for myself since, um, since........... my first elephant in 2008? Everything else I've made with the intent of selling or have sold without meaning to. I used to have a problem with letting go of the things I create. Paintings, first prototypes of stuffed animals, sketches, etc. There are a few things that I'll never sell like the aforementioned elephant (she started it all!), my moon mobile and cabinet of curiosities. I've let go of my first tree branch (to Victo :), my first pair of headphones (a gift to its inspiration, Rich), first letter (to Bruce), first plush meets hollowed out book (to Kevin), muji pillowcase (to James), dinosaur (sitting sweetly in Majestical Roof), what I consider to be my greatest painting (on its way to the Elephant Nature Park) and ice cream painting (now sitting in a 2 year old girl's room in Maryland). I forget who but someone assured me that the more you make, the easier it is to let go. And I've found it to be true.

Today’s Books at Bedtime feature is One Hen by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes.   Much has been written already about this book in PaperTigers and elsewhere.  It was selected for the Spirit of Paper Tigers Project and will likely see its way into many hands hence.  The story is about microfinance and features Kojo, a little Ghanaian boy, who, with a loan, buys himself a hen.   What Kojo does with that one hen changes his life and everyone else’s around it.

By the time I got to this book with my daughter for her bed time read, she’d already been exposed to it at school.  But that did not diminish her enjoyment of the story the second time round.  She loved the colorful illustrations by Eugenie Fernandes and was quick to point out some lovely things I would have never noticed in the pictures like the colorfully clad chicken mothers in the market of one drawing.   The story is set up perfectly for children to understand.  The purchase of one hen leads to the purchase of another and so forth until by the end of the book, Kojo, a grown man, is shown as a producer of one of the largest poultry farms in West Africa.   That’s microfinance in a nutshell, or rather, in a children’s book! And the great thing about this book is that it’s based on the true life story of Ghanaian producer Kwabena Darko.

One Hen is a truly inspiration and informative read.  If you can, I suggest you buy the book as some of the proceeds of the sales will go directly to the One Hen: Microfinance for Kids organization.

My heart was pounding as I wrote this post.

It was a good pounding, though. Pulmonary palpitations on purpose.

I’ve started running again.

The Backstory

About four years ago, we were living in Washington, DC. I was working for the top litigation consulting firm in the States, which meant crazy, hard work and long hours but in a lot of ways extremely rewarding. People rewarding. Financially rewarding. I also developed a deep, very personal relationship with my Blackberry. We slept together, ate together… well… as far as I’m going to go with that one.

One of the things that kept me sane was taking up running again. Years earlier when we lived in Los Angeles I jogged a pretty easy route downtown, in the heart of homelessness, drug deals, and… Starbucks. It wasn’t hard training but it felt good.

So in DC I decided to start running again, partly to calm my nerves and partly to regain the svelteness I had lost in transition. That hump on my shoulders wasn’t balancing out my waistline, so I decided to do something to fix it.

At first I struggled to run even a few hundred yards.

Embarrassing, since it wasn’t completely new to me. Then I found a program that helped me get started and even helped me feel better about my slow pace. If you want to check it out it’s still online at About.com.

I even created an iTunes playlist of songs that helped me time my runs without looking at a watch (oh yeah – I used to wear a watch). I was determined to stick to it, even if the police found me doing a Fred Sanford a block away from home.

Weeks later I ran from my home in Thomas Circle through Georgetown, across the Key Bridge into Arlington and back – under 5 miles but a huge accomplishment for me and afterward one of my favorite routes the rest of our time in DC.

Today was no Georgetown

Ouch. It’s been a while. The hometown of Nike hasn’t even seen my old custom-designed training kicks on the street yet.

When I ventured forth into the rare sun this afternoon, I knew I would take it slow. But, man. I’m right about back where I started in DC.

I’m okay with this.

If you look at that program (even if you have no intention of ever moving faster than an airport walkway), you’ll see that it’s gradual. It’s no go-for-the-glory, win-at-all-costs method. The purpose is to not only train you to run longer over time, it’s to help you enjoy the process so you run consistently and not once a year after trying on your old dress pants (I don’t know who would ever do that… ahem).

There are lots of excuses for me leaving off running since living in Portland. Most of them have to do with not having time. I’m sure my friend Dave Navarro would have a few things to say about that.

As I was running today I realized that as crazy busy as I was with my old company, I made the time to take care of myself. I had to. Nobody was going to hand me a personal care plan with my company Blackberry.

Now I work for my own company and I actually can blame my employer for not taking care of me. We had a chat today and it was kind of uncomfortable, but good.

It’s time I start taking car

On our last full day in Tokyo we made another quick stop in Harajuku for my man to pick up a jacket he had seen before. As you can see, we had a little bit of rain. Love said the reason was so i could get this photo of all the umbrellas up in the air. That's one way to look at it.
After the busy (and late night) day before, we could use some relaxation, so we walked into Yoyogi Park and visited the Meiji Shrine.

Wash your hands and mouth before entering!

It was such a good idea to go here after the high energy adventure of the day before. And to end our Tokyo trip with, it was so peaceful. There were so many breathtaking spots, it looked unreal at times. I can only imagine how it will be here when the cherry blossoms are in bloom!

And thanks to the Tokyo Shopping Guide i knew to look out for stampers at big locations. If i wasn't told about this i surely would have missed them. And it became some sort of sport to spot them! Yes, they are very well hidden. In the end i found one at the temple next to our hotel, at the zoo and in the shrine at Harajuku park.

We were more tired than we wanted to admit, so we made it a short day and went back to the hotel. I had to try and pack all my new goodies (i have bought way more than i've shown here on the blog).
Hubby went out in the evening to hang out with our friend, his producer one last night, while i packed and chilled. I was in luck, the all night long Tokyo Real Fashion Event was on tv, which was wonderful to watch! I taped some pieces and maybe if i find some time, edit those together and put that up on youtube somewhere.

The next morning our friend came to pick us up and bring us to the airport. It was raining a bit again. Fitted our mood. Sad to leave.

My man and i were on a mission to spend all our remaining yens at the airport. Where i realized i didn't even bought myself a real Kokeshi! (number 7 is now standing happily beside my computer)

So this was my last official Tokyo post, hope you liked reading them. I appreciate all the comments, emails and tweets i got about these posts.
I have already booked my next trip: Amsterdam! Next month!