Adam Sunny Flanders

Bar Harbor

May 29th, 2012

Just got home from camping (or RVing) in Bar Harbor this weekend. It was the first time we’ve ever gone camping without Dar (my grandfather), but it was nice to get away from home for a while following the funeral, which was well attended. I read my in memoriam (see below) and because Dar was a Shriner and veteran, the Masons and military performed special services, concluding with my little sister Ashley receiving the folded American flag.

Over the weekend, we went mini-golfing, hiked Acadia, explored Anemone Cave, and rollerbladed through downtown Bar Harbor. There is a specialty Tea Company in Bar Harbor, so I got some Pu-erh tea and Magnolia Oolong. Pictures below…

Posted in Travel | Comments Closed

Dar

May 17th, 2012

On Tuesday, May 15th, one of the most amazing men you’ll ever know – my grandfather, Harland Nickerson – passed away at the age of 81. Those of us close to him knew him as Dar, a name us grandchildren gave him. If I could only use one word to describe Dar, it would be integrity. I have never known anyone to carry so much respect in a community, and yet at the same time remain so humble, so down-to-earth. Dar had strong principles, both in his personal life and in his work. He showed everyone that the good guy can finish first. Over the past few days I’ve heard comments like, “Harland never had a single enemy,” and “Everyone loved him.” I think he loved everyone, too. He loved life and lived every day to the fullest. Even in his last days he was trying to help my mom and I with the horses.

If I had a second word to describe Dar, it would be caregiver. At a very young age, following the loss of his own father, Dar took over as head of household to care for his large family, including several young sisters. He did this not because it was the easy thing to do, but because it was the right thing to do. Dar taught me that being there for the people you love, is the only real task we are given in this short life. He always ensured the people around him had what they needed, whether it was a home for his family or even the shirt off his back for a complete stranger. The only reason I am here today is because 25 years ago, Dar made a promise to my mom. He promised her that if she wanted this baby, he’d be here for her no matter what. So many of us owe Dar so much, and yet I have a feeling he wouldn’t ask any of us for repayment. In the Bible, Corinthians talks about having nothing and yet possessing everything. Dar was never wealthy, but he was always rich with love and people who cared about him, respected him.

I don’t know where people like Dar come from, but I’m pretty sure I know where they go. I’m sure Dar is with my grandmother Kay, who he adored so much. He’s probably wondering why we’re all so sad and wish we’d be happy. For Dar, Heaven was already here – for him, it was the stuff we take for granted every day. Heaven was being with family, pumping gas for his customers at the Exxon station, teasing my grandmother in the kitchen, working with the horses. Dar always brought a little light to every day, no matter how hard things seemed. I think he’d want us to know that – to know that we already have Heaven right here, all of us together, all the little things that make life worthwhile. Dar wanted to live a life in honor and in love, and by God he did.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Spring

May 12th, 2012

I’m starting off Summer early with my new garden. I’ve been outside working on it nearly every day when it’s not been raining. I got my greenhouse back out again, too. My plantings are too numerous to list here and I’m always trying new things, but some of the highlights are tea (Camellia sinensis), tricyrtis (a type of lily that looks like a spotted orchid), nicotiana, and my favorite, plumeria. The garden is reserved for vegetables. I completed the fencing today to keep pesky little animals out. I’m not much of a hunter, but if something messes with my garden, it’s done for. A picture of my pre-fence garden is below, along with a shot of my Encyclia orchid, the one I got from Florida that was supposed to smell of chocolate. It had a really nice perfume, but it was sweeter than chocolate. I attempted to pollinate the flowers, but seeing as I only have one plant, I’m not sure if it will work out or not. If it produces seed pods (fruit), I will definitely post pics of them. That said, germinating orchid seeds is a whole other science I’m not sure I’m prepared to undertake.

I just got some new rollerblades with 90mm wheels – the Rollerblade Tempest 90. The large wheel size took some getting used to, but I’m glad I upgraded the size because they’re much smoother and faster. I got my little sister and some of her friends into it, too, and it seems we’re at Great Skates at least once or twice a week, if not skating the streets in the middle of the night (no traffic). Also getting into archery and should have some new PSE Optima bows in the mail very soon. Even with all this, I can’t wait to get back in the water for scuba diving this Summer, maybe a trip or two down to Florida this year. My little sister is getting her scuba certification this Summer so she’ll be able to come along.

I’m helping a local woman sell her fossil collection, too. Please visit my website, Paleogenetics.com Store, to view the collection and maybe find something you’d like to buy 🙂

In between getting outside and occasionally working on iPhone programming (I’m gonna have some awesome apps coming out later this Summer!), I’ve been helping my mom out with her father (my grandfather). He hasn’t much time left due to cancer and my mom is caring for him almost 24/7. Like me, she is opposed to nursing homes. I’m glad I can be home to help with things like groceries and various errands, or just watching my grandfather so my mom can take a break, though we do have hospice assistance and typically a LOT of company during the day. My mom has asked me to prepare a photo/video presentation for when he’s gone, and I may post that here at some point, but for now we’re just trying to enjoy what little time we have left with him. We managed to find some small red celosia the other day, his favorite flower. Because they were small, I also picked out some mature red salvia, which has a similar appearance. Dar (my grandfather) and Punzo…

Other than that, I’ve been trying to exercise regularly – I’m down to 135 pounds with a goal of 125, the minimum healthy weight for someone my height. I’ve built some muscle, too – pics are in my Flickr photostream and other sites.

Also, in case you didn’t hear, President Obama finally announced his full support for marriage equality. As this is an important issue coming up this November in Maine, I hope his words will have some impact on our voters here. I am undecided as to whether I will get involved in this year’s campaign. I have so many other things going on and it’s also my belief that civil rights should not be subject to popular vote, but rather litigated in the high courts. It is the responsibility of the high courts, especially the US Supreme Court, to protect minority rights against mob rule. No civil right in American history has ever been won by popular vote.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

The Legend of Korra

April 21st, 2012

The Legend of Korra is the new sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, which is one of my favorite series of all time. I’m really pleased they’re continuing the story with Korra, the new avatar. The first two episodes are currently available for free on iTunes. Like The Hunger Games’ Katniss, Korra will likely make a great, non-sexualized heroine. We need more central strong females in modern literature that represent individuals rather than sex objects, the latter category of which includes Lara Croft, Elle Woods, and Xena Warrior Princess.

In the animated world, Disney has come a long way, but most or all of their main female characters, while often possessing an independent streak, are still dependent upon males and the end point of the story is typically courtship and a readjustment into domestic female life that is reminiscent of the 50’s. It would seem that movie producers want to assure their audience that no matter how much independence or power their female characters establish, they will always end up in their “rightful place” as the female archetype. Mulan comes to mind – she was once very independent, but in the end, Disney assures us it was just a phase and everything’s OK. Disney’s recurring princess theme allows for some female independence and strength but a monarchial role presumes gender expectations, a role from which Disney (and Pixar) have yet to break free.

Studio Ghibli has done little more to break that stereotype, though Arrietty is probably their best work in this direction thus far (though the other female characters don’t offer much hope in this respect). Ghibli has performed better in the task of neutralizing male gender stereotypes, often using machismo as comic relief, but for the most part, their female characters still smack of damsel in distress.

Oftentimes literature speeds ahead of social constraints, but in this case, it’s still taking some time for film to catch up to progressive changes in gender roles. There is nothing wrong with an effeminate female character (or masculine male character for that matter), and diversity enhances literature – it gives the audience the spice of variety and forms the basis of conflict that is necessary to any story. It’s just that we haven’t seen many strong, independent women on the big screen who aren’t also portrayed as sex objects. There is a place for just about every character, and I praise The Legend of Korra for adding to a small but growing pool of such personalities.

Tags: airbender, archetype, avatar, disney, female, ghibli, heroine, korra, last, legend, of, pixar, stereotype, the
Posted in Literature | Comments Closed

MDNA & The Hunger Games

March 26th, 2012

Madonna’s new album MDNA was released today. I pre-ordered it a while ago and got a notification last night, downloading it at midnight. Most of the music is dance club style and reminds me of Confessions on a Dance Floor. So far my favorite songs are Turn Up the Radio and Beautiful Killer. Apparently her music video for Girl Gone Wild has caused controversy. While I’m not surprised that Madonna is able to cause controversy with one video, I am a little surprised that Americans are still so sensitive to nudity and sexuality. For all our freedoms, particularly free speech, we remain a very prudish nation within the developed world. Madonna’s always been my favorite artist and I’m glad that she continues to push the envelope, even though I’m disappointed there’s still an envelope to push. The music video of my favorite song of all time, What It Feels Like for a Girl, was completely banned from MTV (except MTV Europe) in the early millennium. Girl Gone Wild is below.

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend seeing The Hunger Games. I read all three books prior to opening night. I’m definitely team Peeta, hehe. If I had to choose, I would probably want to live in District 3 (computer technology) or District 4 because I could live on the ocean. The series is on par with Harry Potter, though my favorite fiction series is still His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass book series). The Hunger Games soundtrack is also pretty good, with genres similar to the Twilight soundtrack, which I love, even though I’m not a huge fan of the actual literature (with the exception of Taylor Lautner – go Team Jacob!). I’ve also been working on iPhone programming (if you have any ideas for Apps, let me know!) and continuing grad school at UMaine. Just picked up Kid Icarus: Uprising for my 3DS the other day, too. It’s pretty awesome and definitely worth the wait – I’ve had it reserved since January! You may recall that I made my own Pit costume for Halloween last year.

Team Peeta! <3

I’m looking forward to tilling a garden this Summer so that some of my potted plants can migrate outdoor and have a life outside rather than in the house or my greenhouse. An orchid I got from Florida is just starting to bloom. I have rice, radish, and bell peppers growing inside right now, and I’m trying out tea (Camellia sinensis) – it only makes sense considering I drink up to a gallon of loose tea every day (no exaggeration). Unfortunately the plant requires several years of growth before leaves can be harvested. I’ll be happy if I can just get some of the seeds to germinate. Here in Maine we got teased by the 80˚F weather recently, now back down in the 30’s. I’ve been rollerblading a lot and can’t wait to get back in the water to go scuba diving this Summer, as well as some archery.

Posted in Misc | Comments Closed

Modeling

February 7th, 2012

I’ve been thinking about getting back into modeling again. I did some test shots last night and I was quite happy with the results. I always enjoyed modeling for the most part, getting to travel, working with photographers – almost everything I know about photography is stuff I picked up while modeling. At some point I thought I should focus on school and all, but there’s really no need to choose between them. I’m not enrolled in classes this semester, so I’ve had some extra time on my hands. I’ve mostly been working on building iPhone Apps as part of my Seashore Design company, along with some graphic and web design work, but I thought I’d take a short break the other night and have some fun. I think what got me thinking was seeing David Beckham’s new underwear commercial during the Super Bowl – I’ve always admired his modeling and his body. Madonna’s performance was amazing, by the way!!! If you haven’t yet watched the halftime show, look it up online! I’ve already pre-ordered Madonna’s newest album, MDNA, which will be released in late March. Madonna has always been my favorite musical artist.

If you are a photographer and would like to work with me, drop me a line. If you’re already modeling and want someone to work with, I’m pretty much up for anything. It’s art, it’s fun. I do have a ModelMayhem account, though I haven’t used it much lately (I also just made a Tumblr account, but I have no idea what to do with it, haha). Maybe I will breath some life back into MM with my recent test shots. Some of them are below. I haven’t had time to Photoshop them and to be honest, I kind of like the raw photos. I typically don’t do a lot of post-processing in the photos of myself other than maybe white balance. I like the natural look and so I refuse to wear makeup, too (I’ve always hated makeup, even on Halloween, hehe). Photographs emphasizing the male body should be straightforward and organic, in my opinion. It can be fun to do really artsy stuff, even body paint, but that’s not the intention of these test shots.

I’ve really been wanting to do some water surface and underwater shots, though I’ve got some waiting to do if I take them in Maine – we’re still in the thick of winter here, though it’s been very mild. Today managed to reach the low 50’s, amazingly. I was just in California last month and it was so much better there (in more ways than temperature, lol), but not as hot as Florida, my second home <3 I want to tone my body a bit more, too. I've lost over 20 pounds since this time last year, now down to 138 with a goal weight of 125. That will give me the best muscle definition while also maintaining the minimum healthy weight for my height. Anyway, feel free to comment or drop me a line if you're interested in working with me. I'm pretty easy going and fun to work with.

This one is just for fun – me & Punzo. Punzo’s two little sisters are doing wonderfully, by the way, and we are looking for good homes for them when the time comes. Seven pomeranians (and a sheltie who thinks she’s a pomeranian) is way too many dogs for us, not to mention the rest of the zoo we keep at home.

Tags: Photography
Posted in Pets & Animals, Photography, Travel | Comments Closed

Growing

January 27th, 2012

The puppies opened their eyes recently. They don’t look like puppies, in my opinion; more like smug little bears. The brown and white one yawns a lot. They are of course still suckling, though Bebe is much less protective of them and checks in on them only occasionally. That said, if she spots any of the other poms going into the bedroom, there’s always pomeranian drama, lol. Puppy pictures are below ^-^

My plants are doing well. I finally decided to cut back the belladonna, which almost immediately grew new leaves from the 1/2″ stems I left. I’ve been wanting to start some Black Pearl Peppers (the leaves are black instead of green) and Easter Egg Radishes, the latter of which may help me with one of my graduate projects. I transplanted the belladonna outside when it was relatively warm the other day. I’m hoping the roots may survive the rest of the Maine winter, especially since the species is native to Europe. I also have some blue water lilies growing and although their stems are about a foot long now, their growth, much like that of the Colchicaceae plants, has virtually halted, though they remain healthy. I have them under a grow light, but I’m not sure it’s helping.

Two of my three orchids are shooting, an odd time considering the light is at a minimum right now. One of them, an Encyclia orchid I got from R.F. Orchids in Florida nearly two years ago, will bloom for the first time in its life. The flowers supposedly smell of chocolate, so I’m excited! I will post pictures when they bloom.

Among my Christmas presents were two microscopes – a dissecting scope and an objective microscope with 2,000X power. It’s my fourth objective microscope, but this one includes an attachment for dark-field microscopy, which is great for certain microorganisms with transparent bodies. I had to cut some infected leaf tissue from one of my Phalaenopsis orchids the other day and I was able to view the stomata, chloroplasts, nucleus, and nucleolus very clearly even though I don’t have any stains yet. Just by adjusting the diaphragm, I was able to observe changes in the cytoplasmic streaming of the chloroplasts.

Unfortunately UMaine doesn’t offer any courses in plant histology, so I’m on my own when it comes to using my microtome and figuring out what stains I need to order. There are a lot of good resources online, though. I’ll post pictures when I get some good ones. I also ordered a camera mount while I was in California, so now I can take time-lapse videos. I’m hoping to (very carefully) slice open a dicot plant seed in order to photograph the embryonic developmental stages (embryogenesis), which are very distinctive. This Summer I’ll likely take some time to document the cleavage stages of amphibian eggs and their embryonic development as well. In the meantime there’s limitless things to look at for fun, like my red and white blood cells, cheek cells, hair, and microorganisms, many species of which I can find in the standing water around my orchids. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to come across Daphnia, my favorite. I bet they will show up well under the dark field.

Posted in Pets & Animals, Plants & Gardening, Science | Comments Closed

Bebe’s Puppies

January 14th, 2012

Bebe just had two new puppies a few days ago. They are super cute. Dean came over to stay and see the puppies, too, and we’re patching things up. I really love him and I really hope it lasts forever this time.

Posted in Pets & Animals | Comments Closed

California Vacation

January 9th, 2012

Just got home from my California vacation last night. I had an awesome time and it was a nice break from the cold weather here. Most of the time the temperature was between 70 and 80. Thanks to my uncle and aunt Ray and Debby for having me! While there I stayed in Orange County and visited Laguna Beach, San Diego and the Zoo, Balboa Park, Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden, Aquarium of the Pacific, Hollywood Boulevard, the Griffith Observatory, Palm Springs, the Living Desert, and Top of the World Mountain. I’ve made an Online Album of my California Vacation if you’d like to see some of my pics :).

Posted in Travel | Comments Closed

Animation

December 20th, 2011

As part of our final project in my 3D Animation course at UMaine (which I highly recommend), we had to create a full animation with characters we developed ourselves, taking part in a narrative. I didn’t put any sound in mine, but it tells a short story. A minute and a half is a LOT of time in the world of animation, where every little detail and motion requires precise care. I’m happy with the results, especially since this semester is the first time I’ve touched Maya. I’ve worked with Blender for years and created short animations, usually no longer than 10 seconds long, so this was a first in many ways. Hope you like it!

Posted in Technology | Comments Closed