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Archive for July, 2010

The Garden [RTS] Update

Posted by Allan in Prose, The Garden [RTS] on July 18, 2010 9:17 am

I have come to the conclusion that In The Garden, Harvest is not a given day. It is not a single time designated for swinging a reaper’s scythe against unwilling crops; it is not the imagery of one final moment spent gathering everything and separating wheat from chaff. Since flowers bloom and fruits ripen at different rates, Harvest is about gathering what is ready and patiently waiting for those who need more time. With pruning shears, I am The Garden’s Atropos.

Many tomatoes have been harvested from the vine with many more to come from Clotho’s spool. Lachesis has been generous in measuring the few zucchini that attained the ultimate glory in the sacrificial fires of the summer season. The Fates have shown mercy but it is clear that they do not hold me in their favor. As battle continues, my consolation is that the troops and I are still able to fight, even as the gods conspire against us.

Having been deprived of the Greek gods’ full cooperation, I sought the gardening wisdom of the Roman Goddess Pomona. I came as a gardener to seek her sympathy and she ignored me. I came as a warrior to gain her trust through prestige and she turned away. Finally, I came as myself and she agreed to help. With Helios’ Solar Gaze feeling more like a Wrathful Stare, I hope the newfound alliance brings aid.

The Tomatoes are doing well and require more pruning. The Zucchini may also be growing too quickly for their own good. The Peppers are slowly ripening. Bell Pepper from Season One has two fruits growing. Basil is flourishing and is stubbornly trying to flower. Rosemary continues its fragrant growth. The Chives have doubled in size in the partial sun. Lettuce seeds gathered and sown have sprouted seedlings. Even the Marigolds are continuing to flower.

The Garden continues to grow. The soldiers show great fervor, proving that they are indeed ready for combat. The General, however, sees what his troops do not yet see. He sees Gaia’s army forming ranks. He knows that soon, Helios will show no mercy. To him, the upcoming battle’s outcome is yet uncertain, but one thing is clear: courage and perseverance will lead to a glorious victory.

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Unlocking The Past: The Secrets of Light and Sound

Posted by Allan in Videos on July 9, 2010 8:01 pm

A few weeks ago, we ran into a few 16mm films of the Padua Players down in the depths of the Pomona Library. In order to help preserve the information/images, we used a film projector and captured the results onto a digital camcorder. After a day of filming, downloading, and compressing them to .mov files on a computer, we found that the videos had already been transferred to VHS. Thus the following week, we hooked up a VCR to the video-capture box and recorded directly on a mac. Not only was that method more convenient, it provided better quality video as well.

That said, I decided to rescue the lesser-quality cam footage and share the entire digitization experience.


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The Fifth of July

Posted by Allan in Flipbook on July 5, 2010 8:06 am

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Pomona’s Cursed Ocean Breeze

Posted by Allan in Cultures, Prose on July 2, 2010 7:18 pm

It was in early summer in the late 1890′s back when the land now occupied by the current library was mostly trees when a strange occurance happened. Damien Matthews, Rush McComas and a few of their friends had just gotten back from a visit to Mr. Tonner’s house down on Fifth Street (now Mission Blvd. where the Pomona Police Station stands).

Having been entertained by Tonner’s recitation of prose and verse, the children departed to enjoy the cool ocean breeze brought in from the coast over by the orange groves. When they arrived, they found an old
lady in her early thirties along with her dog sitting underneath a tree, reading a book. As little boys often do, they picked up small oranges that had fallen from the trees and started to throw them at the old woman and her dog much to her annoyance.

When one orange struck her in the head, she stood up, slowly enough to make sure the boys did not run away. She pointed at them with her finger, hand shaking from age, and with a loud, shrill voice, she yelled
“You who dare disturb the tranquility of these grounds, the best place I have found in all of Pomona to read a book in peace and enjoy the pleasant winds on a summer afternoon…YOU — may you and the generations after you find the same peace, and find the same cool ocean breeze on this ground…but NEVER at the same time.”

As she sat back down to read, the cool breeze ceased and the boys had to walk a long distance away to find a cool spot to relax. As they turned back, the old lady and her dog had disappeared.

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