Comic Nurse Blog

Photo of the Week 27

2008-06-29T08:32:00.001-05:00

Summer Fruits, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

I read more. and more.

2008-06-27T13:10:00.003-05:00

Alice got this thank you note from one of the students at Hendricks Academy for her services as a literacy dog with Sit Stay Read. Apparently dogs DO make reading fun.

Readers Unite: Shelfari

2008-06-25T08:54:00.002-05:00

I've posted about Shelfari before, but I feel compelled to do so again. As I say in my profile, it's the thinking person's MySpace. The site has grown by leaps and bounds since I accidentally invited everyone in my email address book to it last October. And rather than discarding my invites as the junk mail they were, fifty of my contacts were intrigued enough to join the site. Virtual reading groups have cropped up, books have been reviewed and rated, just about anything that has been published is now part of their catalogue.

The cover story in this month's Atlantic, Is Google Making Us Stupid looks at the ways in which the internet may be rewiring our brains to make sustained concentration more challenging. This seems likely, as we jump from one hyperlink to another, constantly battling incoming emails, news updates, search engine distractions. Right now I'd set out to pay my bills online, and should be doing my homework, but I ended up on Shelfari which took me to blog about it, next I'll likely check out what's new at Flickr. Sustained focus has never been my strongpoint, and the internet makes it easier to feed what Dan Millman calls our "monkey brains" jumping from one tree to the next.

But Shelfari, part of the problem and part of the solution, lets us network about something we all love and miss: reading books. To be a part of that community, we need to walk away from our computers, pull the plug from our overly wired lives and settle in with a book. The success of this networking site gives me hope that READING IS ALIVE AND WELL. Check out my profile here, and Alice's here. Join the reading revolution.

Oyez, Oyez

2008-06-24T21:09:00.004-05:00

Our friend Cindy successfully argued in the U.S. Supreme Court. Since this isn't something that happens every day, it seemed important to commemorate this special event. If you're interested in reading more about the case, go here. To read the small print on the artwork, click on it.

Photo of the Week 26

2008-06-22T16:34:00.002-05:00

Ivy, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Went down to the lake to check out the sunset and came upon Alice's pals Ivy and Ava playing. Got some great shots. So glad I ran back in for the camera! Special thanks to Nan and Jim for throwing the sticks for them to retrieve!

This is part of the second round of the dogs on the beach series available online and at Studio b in Three Oaks, Michigan. Check my website for more examples (www.comicnurse.com).

Tomorrow - Chicago Public Radio website photo of the day number three! Oh, yeah, and a new quarter of school starts tomorrow too. This term: Literature and Medicine.

Extreme Closeup

2008-06-14T21:54:00.001-05:00

Grass Bug, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Photo of the Week 24

2008-06-08T10:27:00.001-05:00

Graceland Peonies, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Birthday Eve

2008-06-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

Birthday Eve, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Tonight is the night before Alice's Seventh birthday. She's officially older than I am. When she hits that beach, she runs like she's a puppy again. So it seemed fitting to let her do that tonight. It's so wonderful to witness.

Just recently there was a letter in the local paper about the enormous problem of dogs on the beach. I can understand the concern about uncollected poop or getting jumped on by a wet, sandy dog. At the same time, I can't imagine that anyone who has ever witnessed the joy, the pure joy and freedom, that dogs embody when they run on a beach could deny them that pleasure.

Happy Birthday, Alice.

Photo of the Week 23

2008-06-01T19:14:00.002-05:00

Old & New Street Sign Fonts, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

I love this particular sign for several reasons. First, and foremost, it's the sign that marks we're almost home in Michigan which elicits a warm feeling. Second, it provides a unique opportunity to contrast the old universal sign font (bottom) and the newly allowed Clearview font (top). Third, I love that the street signs are mounted right on top of the stop sign. There's a certain efficiency to it: here's where you are, here's what to do.

New Cartoon: MORAL PANIC

2008-05-30T13:43:00.003-05:00

From the "graduate school can be fun" series, enjoy MORAL PANIC

Alice Needs A Rest

2008-05-26T21:49:00.002-05:00

Alice Needs A Rest, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

We walked down to the Lakeside Memorial Day parade, but decided at the last minute that it was all a bit much for us - the crowd, the marching band, the guns fired when the parade reaches Lakeside cemetery. So we opted to chat with a new friend about her garden instead. The whole outing was very taxing for Alice. On the way home she parked herself in a shady spot and would walk no further.

Photo of the Week 22

2008-05-26T08:14:00.001-05:00

MCA, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

This is the new lobby art at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It is by Jeff Koons and is part of his show that opens May 31st. The piece is all glass, as are most of them in the upcoming exhibit. Can't wait for it to open.

Dillingerville

2008-05-23T12:33:00.003-05:00

The 2400 block of North Lincoln Avenue has been retro-fitted to replicate the night in 1934 when John Dillinger was shot outside the Biograph Theatre. The set has been created for the film "Public Enemies" in which Johnny Depp will play Dillinger.
Parking, already at a premium, was impossible to find in the area, so I just took some photos as I drove by. Carpenters who have been working on the set for at least three days, proudly waved and shouted "Cheese!" as I snapped these shots.

Preony

2008-05-18T21:15:00.001-05:00

Preony, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Couldn't resist posting just one more photo - there's something about a flower on the verge of bloom that I find so incredibly compelling.

Alice Considers

2008-05-18T21:14:00.001-05:00

Alice Considers , originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Once again, Alice had a pretty decent weekend.

Happy Buddha's Birthday

2008-05-18T14:58:00.001-05:00

Happy Buddha's Birthday, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Engaged Ellen

2008-05-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

Photo of the Week 20

2008-05-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

Tree Flower 3, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

Chicago Memories?

2008-05-09T23:22:00.003-05:00

Almost two years ago I illustrated a book. The small Indianapolis publishing company has been bought by a larger one since, and I'd mostly given up on ever seeing that project come to light. But now I'm hearing otherwise - a projected late June, early July release. As my dad used to say to me all the time when I was a kid, "we'll see." I am pleased with how the cover looks - the font they chose is very compatible with the drawing style and the colors are seamless. More info here.

Photo of the Week 19

2008-05-04T11:24:00.002-05:00

Tree Flowers, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

It's been a great week for photos with my newfound appreciation of Flickr and one of my posts there being chosen as Thursday's photo of the week on WBEZ's website.

Also a great week for quotes, this one being my current favorite, a restating of Annie Dillard's notion that our needs are guaranteed:

"True abundance does exist; it flows from sufficiency, in an experience of the beauty and wholeness of what is. Abundance is a fact of nature. It is a fundamental law of nature, that there is enough and it is finite. Its finiteness is no threat; it creates a more accurate relationship that commands respect, reverence, and managing those resources with the knowledge that they are precious and in ways that do the most good for the most people."
-- Lynne Twist

Alice v. Tabby

2008-04-30T15:57:00.001-05:00

Alice v. Tabby, originally uploaded by ComicNurse.

it was a draw. Both parties chose to walk away.

Sit Stay Read in the News

2008-04-28T23:25:00.004-05:00

Channel 5 in Chicago visited our program at Manierre.
Check out the report.

Photo of the Week 18: Lakeside Daffodil

2008-04-27T16:24:00.003-05:00

Photo Stream

2008-04-24T16:57:00.002-05:00

I didn't think I'd be using another photo site. After taking the time to upload my photos, I would then find a fatal flaw to the site- the photos don't look good on the site, they don't make decent prints, I can't link to them indidually, I can't organize them in a way that works for me. So I'd given up. But Flickr has a great thing going - I should have gone there first. I wanted to submit one of yesterday's Graceland photos to the Chicago Public Radio photo of the day competition. So I took the time to put my best stuff on Flickr.

See what you think.

History of Medicine Follow-Up

2008-04-20T18:04:00.003-05:00

Two things - first, the vocabulary list. Again, don't forget - the test is using it in a sentence. If anyone requests definitions in the comments, I'll be glad to oblige in a future post - unlike my dad, who always made me look it up myself. I'm not sure that was such an effective strategy.

pathocenosis

shibboleth

concatenation

weltanschauung

meretricious

apotheosis

accoucheur

parturient

Second thing, Thursday we found out my professor was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship. Very exciting. Her research will focus on “science and identity politics in the Internet age.” She intends to study highly publicized identity politics controversies involving academics and the response of marginalized groups when they feel the work of scientists injures their rights and reputations.