No Strings Attached

Posted By Kathleen David on January 9, 2011

We had more snow last night after we went to bed. I think it was another inch to inch and half. It covered exposed surfaces and piled up on the snow that is already here. I may go out and shovel the walk or I may just let it go for the sun to deal with. Today I think the wind is going to be more of a problem than the snow.

Peter and I got tickets to the Addams Family musical a while back since we knew this was the last weekend that Ariel was going to be home this break and we really wanted to see this one. Reviews have been vary mixed but it is Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth who are both Broadway powerhouses. We are going into the city by train because the roads are passable but not much more than that.

Apparently there will be a snow storm in the South that will be effecting a lot of people and produce. They are getting more snow down there than they have seen in a very long time. When I was a kid, one snow storm a year was pretty amazing but they have had a couple this season.

Off to shovel yet more snow. I have a good feeling that the water table is going to be fine this summer after all the snow melt.

I am grateful for amounts of snow that I can shovel in a short period of time.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 8, 2011

We didn’t get hit with much yesterday. The grass and places with snow is where it stuck. The problem this morning is that everything that was wet last night is frozen this morning which means there is a lot of invisible ice out there to slip on or skid on. The only concern I have is that Peter and Ariel are going to see “a Little Night Music” in the city today. They are taking the train in but they do have to get to the train station and be able to walk around the city.

Tomorrow if the weather doesn’t mess things up, Peter and I have tickets for “The Addams Family” which we have had for a while. We wanted to see it while Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth were still in it. Also I have had more than one person ask me to look at the puppetry and tell them how some of the tricks were done. Basil Twist did the puppetry and gags for the show and he is a very clever person.

So this afternoon Caroline and I will find ways to amuse us around the house since going out of the house is a rather slippery proposition right now. Probably finish up the dress for her doll today and maybe one other pattern.

The only reason I have to go outside this morning is making sure that my porch is such that the mail carrier can walk on it and deliver the mail without falling. If they think that the porch is a hazard, they can just walk away from it according to the guidelines we got at the beginning of the season.

I am grateful for non-icy areas outside my house.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 7, 2011

I have notices that more conventions are enforcing the rules that have been on the books for ages but had been more of a “ nudge nudge wink wink” just so they can keep their legal butts covered. But now with more attention on conventions by the copyright owners, the rules are being enforced more strictly.

The DragonCon Art show has a no fanart clause in their rules and have had for as long as I can remember. There are ways that you can show something that might have a fannish aspect to it without violating the rules of the game. DragonCon will allow someone to display a piece that they have done for Blizzard for World of Warcraft when they have the correct paper work from the copyright holder. It is all in the paperwork.

But, I have heard the cry, in comic artist alley the artists charge to draw copyright characters all the time. Well there are rules there as well. Most of these are done in sketchbooks and are a one -time thing. Also many of the artists do have the permission of the company or companies that they work for to sell prints of their drawing. So they have that legal piece of paper that makes it OK. I have noticed that more and more people in artist alley are selling more original characters and work than ever before, which is totally allowed by the rules.

Yes, there is a lot of grey area in the whole debate and then there is international law which has some variation from the US copyright law. I try to keep within both with what I make. I really don’t understand when one is told NO and given rather clear guidelines, why muddy the waters with “how far can one get away with this before crossing the line”?

I also am rather tired of being told that fan artists are being discriminated against when told that they can’t sell their original Naruto comic book at an anime convention or the fan art buttons that they made. If they made the fan art button and gave it away, then it is within the rules because they are not making a profit off the artwork.

Right now the owners of copyright are turning a pretty blind eye to fan art on the internet except when someone goes over the line and mass produces something. And I hope for people who enjoy drawing and looking at fan art that it stays that way. My concern that if we don’t respect the wishes of the copyright owners (like not having fan art being mass produced and sold at conventions), that they will start shutting down any and all fan art that they find which would be a shame indeed.

If all one can do/sell is fanart, then may be these art shows and artists alleys are not for them. But threatening to disrupt things at a convention in protest or to go ahead and sell what one has been asked not to sell seems rather childish and mean spirited. And getting one’s favorite convention shut down for copyright violations won’t win you any friends in fandom. I don’t care how good your artwork is.

I am grateful to fans and artists that do respect the rules and try to figure out how to get them to work for them rather than just try to break them.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 6, 2011

But I am going to prevent accumulation by making sure we are ready for it. It always doesn’t snow when we have all the things we need for a snowstorm.

Today is that and some errands I needed to run yesterday but I didn’t get to.

Then I am going to tackle the electronic project that has been looming.

The heat problem was pretty easy to solve. I like having a local family owned business for our oil heat needs. It is easier to get an answer to a problem.

I feel that I am at a crossroads right now and I need to make a choice about where to go next or what to do next.

I am grateful for things that amuse the cats.

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Posted By Kathleen David on January 5, 2011

For some reason the heat is out this morning. It is still warm enough that I can get Caroline off to school before dealing with the problem but it is a bit nippy in here right now. Thank goodness Caroline’s sister Gwen got her fleece pajamas that she loves to wear because they are keeping her warm. The cats have fur and I have a sweatshirt and a pair of Uggs.

I got some more art done. I am ahead on projects so far this year. I am debating about one that I need to do now. I have a clever idea but I need to ruminate a little more on how I am going to execute it.

There are rumors that we might get some more snow this weekend. Most of the blizzard has melted except where there were very large drifts and where the plows stacked the snow. At least they have melted enough that I can see over them to pull out of my driveway safely. I have noticed since we really got hit that the weather predictors on the TV have toned down their rhetoric. One good storm will do that for a while.

Ohio State won which makes me happy. My parents met there. I know that there is the controversy over whether 5 players who did violate the rules should have been suspended for this game rather than the 5 first games of the season next season. I am hoping that they have learned their lesson. However it does bring up the subject of college players who don’t earn anything but, by their playing they bring lots of money into the school coffers. I look at it this way, they get a full ride and a chance at a degree and, considering how few will make it to the pros, a chance at a career that they probably didn’t have otherwise.

I have figured out what I want to do today. Now off to do it.

I am grateful for an oil delivery company that does care about its customers.

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