G, you are always full of surprises. Now we see, from the myriad of questions you posed to Alan, that you might have been a very capable reporter or private investigator.
Alan's wish for his childhood trains to find good homes is not an unusual one. I have been trying to determine a home for a 30-volume compilation of the work of comic book artist Carl Barks, a compilation of stories that I read and grew up with 60-70 years ago. So far I have loaned volumes to neighbors' children, and one tyke really seems to enjoy the stories, so he is in the lead for this bequest. The point, of course, is not really to find a home for aging books or toy trains, it is to place them in the hands of someone who might get the same enjoyment from them that we once did.
Your point, G, about people today not really showing much interest in others (being disinterested in asking, "how you feel, how you came to where you are today,") is sadly spot on. I am as guilty as most in this regard, maybe being called out on this defect will spur me to try to correct it.
Earlier in this thread dar opined that your drawings combined with your little essays would make a fine graphic novel. I agree wholeheartedly. Perhaps you should locate an editor, give him/her printouts of the sketches and musings you have posted on the forum over the years, and let him/her go at it.
4
a lot of activity
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its4inthemorning
- Posts: 554
- Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 7:59 pm
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Re: little activity
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
Re: little activity
I've thought about getting my things in order so that my two girls, who will dispose of me, will not have many of my belongings to dispose of. But i thought about it some more and...my books, my shiny things, my old love letters and photos, my poems and journals, my assorted collectibles; I plan to force my daughters to deal with these things. I'll be dead so I won't know where they will end up anyway. They've told me, "Mom, you won't know what we do with them." I've responded with "I will haunt you if they wind up in the bargain bin somewhere at a second hand shop." I've planted the thought in their heads that I'll be watching them. It's a bit of my humorous but nasty side showing up from the other side. I get a kick out of that.
I'm also very interested in some of the answers to the questions G poses to you, Alan. Some insight into your train journey would be appreciated.
I'm also very interested in some of the answers to the questions G poses to you, Alan. Some insight into your train journey would be appreciated.
Re: little activity
will get back soon as poss. visitor from trondheim 
Re: little activity
that was both sad and funny, alan, a tragicomedy - with scant details that awaken tantalising questions. for example:
1. how did it come into your possession, and what age were you?
2. is it a valuable collector's item, or simply a sentimental keepsake?
3. did you approach both male and female grandchildren about their interest in owning this toy, and were they tactful when refusing to take ownership? can you remember exactly what they said, and how their negative reaction made you feel?
4. how did you sell it; newspaper advertisement, internet auction, to an acquaintance, etc.?
5. was the buyer a woman or a man?
6. why did you write 'homes' (plural)?
7. did the buyer try to lower the price, and were you satisfied with the sale?
8. what did you spend the money on?
9. why is there a green 'background' area beneath the train after the front wheel? (see picture)
if you feel this is an invasion of privacy your reluctance to provide revealing information will, naturally, be respected. it is just that to an enquiring mind a simple sentence "i have sold my train set" can be the key to opening up a whole universe of personality characteristics, and as a psychologist i am fully aware that many people prefer to keep private certain areas of their inner selves. being totally transparent can be a difficult and emotional journey. we like instead to project a socially acceptable image. the irony is that by telling the truth, by confessing a few secrets, a person becomes more exceptional. the less one is willing to disclose, the more anonymous one becomes, and i believe that by passing on to one's grandchilren treasured items suggests that one is keen to leave behind a footprint or two when one shuffles off this mortal coil. no matter what decision a person makes, what they say or do, the result is always the same - they tell others about themselves. in this egoistical society where everyone is occupied with their own lives. one person showing interest in another is a rare occurrence, unless of course we are talking about singers or movie stars and nonsense like that. you will have noticed that almost nobody ever asks you about anything concerning yourself, how you feel, how you came to where you are today. nobody cares, not even family - and this is where i come in - and try to open people . . . 'like a lily to the heat'.
[/quote]
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" (Quote from Monty Python's Flying Circus)
I am amazed by the interest shown to my comment, which in itself is hardly earth shattering.
Answers, as much as I can remember:
1. I was quite young and in fact do not remember actually getting it as a present. As the years passed, I did add to it with my meager pocket money.
2. I had hoped it was a valuable collector's item, but it turned out to be just a sentimental keepsake.
3. I have 2 grandsons and I directly approached their mother, my daughter. She said they were more into 21st century entertainments and would not appreciate the train set.
4. (+6.) I checked with a shop in Adelaide that sells railway stuff and they put me in contact with the Hornby Collectors group, one of whom was interested and bought the locomotive, rolling stock, tracks, points, power supply, etc. He was not interested in the toy road vehicles as the scales did not match. However he knew someone who might be. That someone was interested and bought them the same afternoon. Hence "homes".
5. Both buyers were men, although the man who bought the train set had his wife with him when he viewed initially.
7. The train buyer offered me a bit less than I was expecting but I did manage to talk the price up a bit. The road vehicles went for more than I was expecting. So, over all, I'm happy with the negotiations.
8. This is the most vital question, Geoffrey. I had a note on my whiteboard to prepare everything for sale, but I kept putting it off, possibly subconsciously. I eventually decided that I should spend the proceeds on a specific, lasting purchase, rather than just putting it into general revenue. Many years ago on a holiday to New Zealand, I took several photos of mountains reflected in a lake. I "stitched" them into a panorama, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. Next week, after making several internet and telephone enquiries, I will head into the city centre to the shop that can print on canvas, without losing part of the picture around the edges. Size will be a problem, either I have a single print that is only 9" high with a width of 60", or split it in the middle making 2 prints, 12" high, and 40" wide. I'll decide nearer the time.
9. I think what you see is a trick of the light. I had the rails attached to a large sheet of chipboard that I had painted light green. There are 2 spring loaded contacts under the middle of the locomotive, to pick up the current from the centre rail. There may have been some reflection off the front one.
1. So now the mystery deepens. I had always been under the impression that the train set had originally been owned by my uncle (mother's brother). He would have been a child during the 1930s. However, the knowledgeable man who bought it said that the locomotive had not been manufactured until 1948 and later. I have asked my older sister if she knows more, but I have not heard back from her yet. It may have been a present from my maternal grandfather, but as I wrote above, I cannot actually remember getting it.
I never played with it as an adult, other than with my son (no children) and when he outgrew it, it was unused for many years.
I am at peace with my decision, particularly as it will "live on" as wall decoration that I can enjoy every day.
Thank you for your interest,
Alan
1. how did it come into your possession, and what age were you?
2. is it a valuable collector's item, or simply a sentimental keepsake?
3. did you approach both male and female grandchildren about their interest in owning this toy, and were they tactful when refusing to take ownership? can you remember exactly what they said, and how their negative reaction made you feel?
4. how did you sell it; newspaper advertisement, internet auction, to an acquaintance, etc.?
5. was the buyer a woman or a man?
6. why did you write 'homes' (plural)?
7. did the buyer try to lower the price, and were you satisfied with the sale?
8. what did you spend the money on?
9. why is there a green 'background' area beneath the train after the front wheel? (see picture)
if you feel this is an invasion of privacy your reluctance to provide revealing information will, naturally, be respected. it is just that to an enquiring mind a simple sentence "i have sold my train set" can be the key to opening up a whole universe of personality characteristics, and as a psychologist i am fully aware that many people prefer to keep private certain areas of their inner selves. being totally transparent can be a difficult and emotional journey. we like instead to project a socially acceptable image. the irony is that by telling the truth, by confessing a few secrets, a person becomes more exceptional. the less one is willing to disclose, the more anonymous one becomes, and i believe that by passing on to one's grandchilren treasured items suggests that one is keen to leave behind a footprint or two when one shuffles off this mortal coil. no matter what decision a person makes, what they say or do, the result is always the same - they tell others about themselves. in this egoistical society where everyone is occupied with their own lives. one person showing interest in another is a rare occurrence, unless of course we are talking about singers or movie stars and nonsense like that. you will have noticed that almost nobody ever asks you about anything concerning yourself, how you feel, how you came to where you are today. nobody cares, not even family - and this is where i come in - and try to open people . . . 'like a lily to the heat'.
[/quote]
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" (Quote from Monty Python's Flying Circus)
I am amazed by the interest shown to my comment, which in itself is hardly earth shattering.
Answers, as much as I can remember:
1. I was quite young and in fact do not remember actually getting it as a present. As the years passed, I did add to it with my meager pocket money.
2. I had hoped it was a valuable collector's item, but it turned out to be just a sentimental keepsake.
3. I have 2 grandsons and I directly approached their mother, my daughter. She said they were more into 21st century entertainments and would not appreciate the train set.
4. (+6.) I checked with a shop in Adelaide that sells railway stuff and they put me in contact with the Hornby Collectors group, one of whom was interested and bought the locomotive, rolling stock, tracks, points, power supply, etc. He was not interested in the toy road vehicles as the scales did not match. However he knew someone who might be. That someone was interested and bought them the same afternoon. Hence "homes".
5. Both buyers were men, although the man who bought the train set had his wife with him when he viewed initially.
7. The train buyer offered me a bit less than I was expecting but I did manage to talk the price up a bit. The road vehicles went for more than I was expecting. So, over all, I'm happy with the negotiations.
8. This is the most vital question, Geoffrey. I had a note on my whiteboard to prepare everything for sale, but I kept putting it off, possibly subconsciously. I eventually decided that I should spend the proceeds on a specific, lasting purchase, rather than just putting it into general revenue. Many years ago on a holiday to New Zealand, I took several photos of mountains reflected in a lake. I "stitched" them into a panorama, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. Next week, after making several internet and telephone enquiries, I will head into the city centre to the shop that can print on canvas, without losing part of the picture around the edges. Size will be a problem, either I have a single print that is only 9" high with a width of 60", or split it in the middle making 2 prints, 12" high, and 40" wide. I'll decide nearer the time.
9. I think what you see is a trick of the light. I had the rails attached to a large sheet of chipboard that I had painted light green. There are 2 spring loaded contacts under the middle of the locomotive, to pick up the current from the centre rail. There may have been some reflection off the front one.
1. So now the mystery deepens. I had always been under the impression that the train set had originally been owned by my uncle (mother's brother). He would have been a child during the 1930s. However, the knowledgeable man who bought it said that the locomotive had not been manufactured until 1948 and later. I have asked my older sister if she knows more, but I have not heard back from her yet. It may have been a present from my maternal grandfather, but as I wrote above, I cannot actually remember getting it.
I never played with it as an adult, other than with my son (no children) and when he outgrew it, it was unused for many years.
I am at peace with my decision, particularly as it will "live on" as wall decoration that I can enjoy every day.
Thank you for your interest,
Alan
Too much Leonard Cohen is never enough.
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
London 1972, Adelaide 1980, 1985, 2009
Sydney 2010; Adelaide 2010
Sydney 2013 X2; Melbourne 2013; Adelaide 2013
Re: little activity
I think it's really cool that you will transition the train set to a canvas print of a favorite set of photos.
The wall art may likely go where a train set never could.
Thanks for sharing that info Alan. The next update must be a pic of the print!
The wall art may likely go where a train set never could.
Thanks for sharing that info Alan. The next update must be a pic of the print!
Re: little activity
that was a magnificent response, alan - thank you. i now feel that i know you a whole lot more than earlier. in fact it was almost possible for the reader to step into your shoes, reminiscent of the closing line in cohen's 'avalanche' song ("it is your flesh that i wear"). of course, a psychologist's object of opening up and delving into a patient's seemingly innocuous ('throw-away') sentence is to get a 'snowball' effect. for example, one could now attach further invasive enquiries to these nine responses until eventually quite an accurate personality assessment begins to surface. i have no intention of doing that because there is no reason to suspect that you are unbalanced, and neither have you approached me for a consultation. this was merely an exercise.
by the way, i love trains! our nearest railway station is at åndalsnes, and that is a two-hour drive through the mountains. i only go there when traveling down to oslo, which is very seldom. the åndalsnes train ('raumabanen') is frightening, because when you look out the windows there are steep drops on one side, and the tracks also pass over unstable bridges. it takes about 90 minutes, i think, but when one arrives at dombås one can board a much safer train that goes all the way to oslo, about four hours. there is wifi, and one of the carriages has even been converted into a sort of cafe - i love that part of the trip. people think i am mad because there is an airstrip on one of the islands near my home, and the aeroplane takes less than an hour to oslo - but i have never been in an aeroplane.
my visitor is still with me, but i believe she plans to catch the north-going boat on sunday, after some friends have been here for dinner. then things should return to normal and i will have more time to spend as i wish. each day we go lots of places together, meet lots of people. tomorrow (saturday) we will be in langevåg because there are a lot of midsummer celebrations going on, especially at the devoldfabrikken. i would rather be at glastonbury, but that would be a long trip through denmark, germany and france - and then through the channel tunnel - out of the question. the things ghislaine maxwell did were very bad, but i don't think she deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison. president trump said "i wish her well".
by the way, i love trains! our nearest railway station is at åndalsnes, and that is a two-hour drive through the mountains. i only go there when traveling down to oslo, which is very seldom. the åndalsnes train ('raumabanen') is frightening, because when you look out the windows there are steep drops on one side, and the tracks also pass over unstable bridges. it takes about 90 minutes, i think, but when one arrives at dombås one can board a much safer train that goes all the way to oslo, about four hours. there is wifi, and one of the carriages has even been converted into a sort of cafe - i love that part of the trip. people think i am mad because there is an airstrip on one of the islands near my home, and the aeroplane takes less than an hour to oslo - but i have never been in an aeroplane.
my visitor is still with me, but i believe she plans to catch the north-going boat on sunday, after some friends have been here for dinner. then things should return to normal and i will have more time to spend as i wish. each day we go lots of places together, meet lots of people. tomorrow (saturday) we will be in langevåg because there are a lot of midsummer celebrations going on, especially at the devoldfabrikken. i would rather be at glastonbury, but that would be a long trip through denmark, germany and france - and then through the channel tunnel - out of the question. the things ghislaine maxwell did were very bad, but i don't think she deserves to spend the rest of her life in prison. president trump said "i wish her well".
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its4inthemorning
- Posts: 554
- Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 7:59 pm
- Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Re: little activity
IMO "Storeroom" is an overlooked gem. Always wonder if there are other such gems in the Cohen Estate's storeroom.
Geoffrey, my guess is that the answer is yes, but I will ask: When you do a sketch, have you already decided on the lyric that will be inscribed on it? (Note: This question is not the start of a personality assessment.)
4
Geoffrey, my guess is that the answer is yes, but I will ask: When you do a sketch, have you already decided on the lyric that will be inscribed on it? (Note: This question is not the start of a personality assessment.)
4
2010 DECEMBER 10 - CAESARS COLOSSEUM, LAS VEGAS / 2012 SEPTEMBER 28 - L'OLYMPIA, PARIS
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
2012 OCTOBER 3 - PALAU SANT JORDI, BARCELONA / 2012 DECEMBER 13 - K-ROCK CENTRE, KINGSTON
2013 APRIL 6 - RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY / 2013 JULY 9 - PIAZZA NAPOLEONE, LUCCA
2017 NOVEMBER 4-8 - MONTREAL "TOWER OF SONG" CELEBRATION - RIP, YOU GOT ME SINGING!
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solongleonard
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:51 am
- Location: Just ice round the shoulder
Re: little activity
good question.its4inthemorning wrote:When you do a sketch, have you already decided on the lyric that will be inscribed on it?
not very often, but there are no fast rules. i don't usually think too much about it, but just do it and see what happens. the drawings have to be done quickly or else it gets boring, and during the ten to fifteen minutes (sometimes a little longer) it is in progress the loudspeakers are blaring loud music, anything from opera to rock, and my thoughts are not fully focused on the picture - my mind wanders. it's like when you are mowing the lawn, peeling the potatoes or painting a door - it is so tedious that you cannot hold your concentration fully on the task at hand. sometimes a caption comes to mind while the drawing is being made, at other times after it is finished. i do have access to marie's cohen concordance if need be, but i am well acquainted with his earliest albums. i hope this answers your query.
Re: little activity
https://youtu.be/T8XeDvKqI4Esolongleonard wrote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf-tossing
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solongleonard
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:51 am
- Location: Just ice round the shoulder
Re: little activity
your referred sketch has nothing to do with "little activity".
thusly your post shows disrespect to this thread. In contrast, superior and more in bitterness, mine was perfectly judged and you can use it as a bumplate of how to write.
the owsner of this thread will be furious that you have contributed nothing to the cause of saving him to posterity.
thusly your post shows disrespect to this thread. In contrast, superior and more in bitterness, mine was perfectly judged and you can use it as a bumplate of how to write.
the owsner of this thread will be furious that you have contributed nothing to the cause of saving him to posterity.
SOME PEOPLE NEVER GO CRAZY.
WHAT TRULY HORRIBLE LIVES
THEY MUST LEAD
WHAT TRULY HORRIBLE LIVES
THEY MUST LEAD
Re: little activity
despite it being a dying sport, there still remains innumerous videos on social media promoting dwarf throwing, yet few concerning slapping people so hard with a dead fish that they fall off a jetty. so i put it to you that my post is considerably more relevant in this 'little activity' column than yours. however, as most of my audience has long since ascertained, i suffer (as did leonard) from 'imposter syndrome'. it is often difficult for me to accept that i normally win in any kind of competition or discussion, but on this occasion i cannot escape. you excel at playing second fiddle when i am around, and you are bright enough to understand the predicament in which your mentor finds himself. you know that even though i am reluctant to accept praise, and never ever boast of my achievements, the evidence of my success in everything i undertake speaks for itself. so let us not quibble over minutiae, but instead try to find common ground upon which a friendship can be built. sound good to you?solongleonard wrote: ↑Sun Jun 26, 2022 4:35 pm your referred sketch has nothing to do with "little activity".
thusly your post shows disrespect to this thread. In contrast, superior and more in bitterness, mine was perfectly judged and you can use it as a bumplate of how to write.
the owsner of this thread will be furious that you have contributed nothing to the cause of saving him to posterity.
https://youtu.be/1tovvMMInRM
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solongleonard
- Posts: 774
- Joined: Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:51 am
- Location: Just ice round the shoulder
little nativity
I only read alternate words of your reply as next week as I have a friend visiting from Berlin. Your suggestion was certainly not good and holds no interest for me at all.
I do not condemn all non-writers and I am happy for you that you can still doodle.
I will next post here towards the end of October 2022. Meanwhile, I will look for Lisa and I sincerely hope you have not destroyed her.
I do not condemn all non-writers and I am happy for you that you can still doodle.
I will next post here towards the end of October 2022. Meanwhile, I will look for Lisa and I sincerely hope you have not destroyed her.
SOME PEOPLE NEVER GO CRAZY.
WHAT TRULY HORRIBLE LIVES
THEY MUST LEAD
WHAT TRULY HORRIBLE LIVES
THEY MUST LEAD
Re: much activity
have a nice summer, michael, welcome back - and to prove i can do more worthwhile things than doodle . . .solongleonard wrote:I do not condemn all non-writers and I am happy for you that you can still doodle . . . I will next post here towards the end of October 2022.
Re: little activity
No surprise your mentee arrived here to mark his territory but looks as though there won't be time for you both to engage in a pleasant pissing contest like in the past. It's always enjoyable to watch you two cross streams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNSo1zvaLlE
(The chairs came out great.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNSo1zvaLlE
(The chairs came out great.)