I played a game this year called Art Fight, in which you "attack" other players by drawing their characters. The game ends on August 1, so it's just about over, but I attacked 8 times and I think my skills improved a lot over the course of the month.

Oh, like the one on the left below? I was hoping for something more like the one on the right.

I'm definitely getting better. I think this is the best face I've ever drawn.

I just found a neat connection between i.33 and Fiore. The special longpoint of i.33 and the iron gate of Fiore are basically the same. Also, the guard Walpurgis holds in i.33 is what Fiore calls The Guard of the Woman. Did Fiore read i.33?

I'm participating in ArtFight as an excuse to practice drawing more. Also, I bought an iPad so that I could try drawing in a medium that isn't pencil and paper, but kind of feels like pencil and paper. This is a pirate girl named Amelia that I drew. I'm particularly proud of the hands.

We tried to see Manhattanhenge last night. Clouds blocked the sun enough that it wasn't spectacular.

I spent most of the past week at Niagara Falls. We camped one night and stayed in hotels for the other 3. My oldest conquered the falls by surviving The Hurricane Deck at The Cave of the Winds and the top deck of The Maid of the Mists. My youngest declared my wife Queen of the Caves.

I spend a lot of time in or near the water.

I woke up this morning with the full moon shining directly in through the open flap of my tent.

My son asked to burn his worksheets from 6th grade, now that the school year is over, so we invited a half dozen of his friends over.

I was raised on these streets.

Poem sent around at work for Poetry Wednesday (a tradition of the English dept). I thought people here would appreciate.

Quote post with a sword.

Gods have I needed this. I have been so busy, I haven't given myself the time to just run until I can barely lift my legs anymore. 20,000 steps before 7am. My audio book ended 6km ago and I didn't care. I walked 2 labyrinths and took some pictures of a very pretty chapel.

I climbed a mountain to watch the moonrise tonight. Unfortunately, due to clouds over the Atlantic Ocean, I couldn't see the moon until it was well up in the sky.

I know you aren't supposed to mow your lawn in May, to protect the pollinators, but the grass is getting really long. I am really looking forward to next week when I can mow this.

My 4 year old Pencil on paper Took one 30 minute staff meeting to draw I'm getting better!

If you see this, post a castle.

I think this is the best drawing I've ever done. Pencil and paper, took all of an hour long staff meeting, during which I occasionally had to look up and pipe in. On the right is the original photo.

The left is the original, the right is my attempt.

Finding an appropriate image for the rapier intensive I plan to run later this year was hard: all the good rapier manuals have the fighters naked. This will do.

The most important part of any vacation is to find the green spaces and spend time there. I just got back from a 9k run along the Schuylkill River. Gorgeous.

Yesterday was The Cloisters and then we watched Hamilton on Broadway. I hope today goes as well as yesterday did. Ridiculous adventures, bikes, subways, books, all that.

Went on a beautiful hike with a friend today.

A month ago, I ordered enough swords to supply a second location for my swords class. Today, they arrived.

For some reason, my brain processes color *after* shape, so I don't notice it in the same way that other people do. Most people talk about a robin as a bird with a red breast. I think of a robin as a bird with a cool pattern around its eye.

I need to stop resisting necessary change. Yes, I am tempted by easy fixes. Yes, I am walking away from a successful position to a position which will require hard work. But the end of that hard work is a stronger organization.

I just found out that the images of The Unicorn Tapestries are in the public domain.