English: Khabarovsk, Privokzalnaya square. Monument to Erofey Khabarov, Far East’s explorer Русский: Хабаровск, Привокзальная площадь. Памятник Ерофею Хабарову, исследователю Дальнего Востока (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It looked like the Greenygrey was hot on the trail of the A.W.O.L Andy Wolfhol in the last chapter of the poetically funny X Files parody XaW Files. I can’t help but think GG has gone a bit off the trail in the sixth chapter, researching and poetically documenting the life of Yerofey Khabarovsk.
Poem about Khabarovsk
Hi, it’s G.G. Howling, fiction writing correspondent at the Greenygrey inspired by J.K. Rowling. I know enough about fiction writing to know that a little background and history is necessary, and that it’s best to fit it into the narrative of the story.
However, I also know that it’s important to keep the story progressing, and don’t know if Khabarovsk is going to be important at the end.
Then again, the Greenygrey doesn’t know that either yet, as it’s still searching for our Wolfhol. Some breather chapters and fillers are often a good idea anyway, and there’s some good info and poetry within this chapter, although all done in a loopy literary nonsense style of course.
XaW Files Chapter 6: Khabarov Stroganov Tretyakov Art History Mix
Khabarovsk, Khabarovsk
so well planned
I never got lost.
Named after Khabarov
an adventurer entrepreneur
once manager for Stroganovs.
Stroganovs were an important family
remembered in food and art
like latter’s showpiece Tretyakov gallery.
There’s Morning in a Pine Forest
by SavitskyShishkin
with a bear family looking cutest.
Marc Latham’s liked quotes in Goodreads have reached double figures, and we don’t like to waste work at the Greenygrey, so it’s time for moi, G.G. Howling, literary correspondent at the Greenygrey inspired by J.K. Rowling, to bring you right up to date.
Socrates Quotes
Marc started his Goodreads quotes career by liking three Socrates quotes. Socrates was a philosopher in Greece 2500 years ago, when Greek mythology was still Greek religion.
English: J.K. Rowling reads from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at the Easter Egg Roll at White House (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
He was executed for challenging orthodox thinking. Here’s the three quotes attributed to him:
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”
“I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only make them think”
“To find yourself, think for yourself.”
Jack Wolfpac’s recent quote about the Greenygrey on this very blog about Marc’sVery Inspiring Blogger Awardseems to reflect them: ‘If we want to inspire anything it’s independent thought, so you inspire yourself!!’
Travel Writing Quotes
Talking of Jack Wolfpac, his human inspiration Jack Kerouac has a quote from his Big Sur book, which could be seen as quite greenygreyish, a long time before the Greenygrey entered the human world!:
“…Cody is furiously explaining to his little son Tim ‘Never let the right know what your left hand is doing’…”
Marc’s recent mirror poem about flexible thinking seems to reflect that.
Marc also likes the writing of another American travel writer, Paul Theroux, and there’s a quote of his from The Great Railway Bazaar there. That seems to mirror the photo used by Marc with the above flexible thinking poem, and here it is again accompanying this. Here’s the quote:
“Ever since childhood, when I lived within earshot of the Boston and Maine, I have seldom heard a train go by and not wished I was on it. Those whistles sing bewitchment: railways are irresistible bazaars… Anything is possible on a train…”
Marc had previously liked Theroux’s The Old Patagonian Express, after reading it in South America when travelling there in 1994. In an exclusive update especially for the Greenygrey, Marc has just included a couple of his favourite quotes from that book:
“A slow feeling of gathering sadness as each familiar place flashes by the window and disappears and becomes part of the past. Time is made visible, and it moves as the landscape moves.”
“And yet on that bench at Jacobacci, I was glad I had left everyone else behind. Although this was a town with a main street and a railway station, and people with dogs and electric lights it was near enough to the end of the earth to give me the impression that I was a solitary explorer in a strange land. That illusion (which was an illusion in the South Pole and at the headwaters of the Nile) was enough of a satisfaction to me to make me want to go forward.”
Poetry Quote
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
There’s a line of poetry from Lewis Turco‘s The Death of the Astronaut, from his The Book of Forms: A Handbook of Poetics.
Marc’s Folding Mirror poetry form is of course featured in that book, but Marc does genuinely like a lot of the poetry in the book, and especially the extract below.
“I saw sunrises fade and burn among fleets of sparks. The moon blossomed like a lily carved of bone…’
Lily Setup (Photo credit: nickwheeleroz)
The second line has a nice twisting metaphor, which he thought was a good lesson in how to create distinguished poetry: evoking an image of something from something else, but additionally also making the metaphor out of two seemingly unrelated items/words: lily and bone.
“It’s from the newspapers that people I know – relatives and co-workers – have got the idea that crosswords are a prophylactic against Alzheimer’s. Newspapers are of course also the place where crosswords (and now sudokus) are most readily available, so the association is presumably good for circulation.”
Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult Signing (Photo credit: dcnerd)
That brings us to Jodi Picoult’s Lone Wolf, which set the quote quota off the richter scale, increasing them by 50%: from five to ten.
That’s because it has lots of quotes relevant to the Greenygrey, inspired by Shaun Ellis living with Native Americans and wolves in real life (a character called Luke in the book was based on him); so they contrast the ancient world with the modern, the animal world with the human, and returning to ‘normal’ society after having travelled outside.
More like Diogenes than Socrates, but independent of either, Ellis is thankfully still with us, and still working with wolves, trying to educate humanity about the wolf’s worth, like our very own poetry correspondent William Wolfsworth! Here’s the five:
“The Abenaki also believe that there are some people who live between the animal world and the human world, never fully belonging to either one.”
“Limbo. It’s not Heaven, and it’s not Hell. It’s the in-between.’ (Edward speaking about reading the Divine Comedy.)
Luke: ‘This was, I realised, my new address.”
“The hardest part about being back in the human world was relearning emotion. Everything a wolf does has a practical, simple reason. There is no cold shoulder, no saying one thing when you mean something else, no innuendo. Wolves fight for two reasons: family and territory. Humans are driven by ego; wolves have no room for it and will literally nip it out of you. For a wolf, the world is about understanding, knowledge, respect – attributes that many humans have cast off, along with an appreciation of the natural world.”
“The Native Americans know that wolves are mirrors for humans. What they show us are our strengths and weaknesses… When I lived with the wolves, I was proud of the reflection of myself. But when I came back, I always paled in comparison.”
“ The first Abenaki word I ever learned was Bitawbagok – the word they use for Lake Champlain. It means, literally, the waters between. Since I’ve come back from Quebec, I have thought of my address as Bitawkdakinna. I don’t know enough Abenaki to be sure it’s a real word, but translated, it is the world between. I had become a bridge between the natural world and the human one. I fit into both places and belonged to neither. Half of my heart lived with the wild wolves, the other half lived with my family.”
The second Ashes test
more Oz east than west
gets under way
in less than a day
in the Adelaide Oval
where Grey found opal
providing direction
before Arishes invention The Old Gum Tree
all Werewolfers did see.
Hi, it’s Martin ‘Werewolfie’ Adams, satirical comedy sports correspondent inspired by darts legend Martin ‘Wolfie’ Adams.
Yes, The Old Gum Tree was about all the Werewolf of Ozzers saw when they passed through Adelaide a long time ago; how long is difficult to tell, after a timequake sent them hurtling in the direction of Theold Gumtree, expert in timetravelicity.
Then they discovered AusRuIcket, something like a combination of Aussie Rules and cricket probably inspired by J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter quidditch; played between teams of Crows and Redbacks, like the Aussie Rules and cricket teams in that locality.
Adelaide Oval (Wikipedia).
And about fourteen hours from now, the Ashes returns to Adelaide for the second test, with the Aussies 1-0 up after the Brisbane boomeranging. I’m sure England and Wales will want to bounce back.
Werewolf of Oz Green Light
We don’t know what’s going to happen in the Ashes second test, but we do know what’s going to happen in the Werewolf of Ozzers’ ultimate test, as they approach Bri’s bane.
Have you guessed what Bri’s bane is yet? We didn’t have a clue until they passed through Hat Head and reached Emerald Beach. Then we had an idea. There’s more clues in this episode, which mixes flashbacks, contemplative review, repetition and progression.
Self-Analysis (Photo credit: mellowsundrops)
Chapter 128. Welcome to the Jungle: Emerald Forest Beach
I grew ever more apprehensive as we neared Emerald Beach; because my last few experiences of green hadn’t worked out well.
There was our terrible episode with Smiggin Holes, Lord of the Green; the green ray I’d seen before our awful Swan Lake experience; and then we couldn’t get past Green Point after being boomeranged from Boomerang Beach.
I thought Green would probably have had much better luck at those places, and maybe I just wasn’t cut out for this epic rambling lark.
Emerald Beach
U-Bute True Blue Gold for ‘Straylya! (Photo credit: mugley)
My emerald cork hat almost dragged me onto Emerald Beach; it seemed to be growing in strength, and I now felt like it was wearing me more than the other way around!
I took it off to have a look at it, and was shocked to find I could only see its corks.
I put it back on and it pulled toward a crag jutting out of the cliff at the far side of the beach. I looked back at the others, who seemed to share my curiosity. Moreover,
out of the corner of my eye,
in the seemingly faraway ocean,
I thought I saw a commotion,
and wondered what it could be.
Sea Cliff Bridge (Photo credit: Nik Cubrilovic)
It was difficult making our way through all the emerald; like struggling through dense jungle. But my hat was a good guide, and we soon reached the crag.
I thought that might be it, but the hat wanted to go farther; it led me around the edge of the cliff. The others followed. I thought I knew what my hat was up to when we turned the corner. Emerald Beach had a secret cave.
—————————————————————————————————-
Notes
The secret cave is inspired by adventure books such as those in Robert Arthur Jr’s The Three Investigators series.
Hi, it’s G.G. Howling, listening to the Scorpions, who had some wonderful women hanging out with them in the 1980s Worldwide Live video. The heavy rock and metal fan in me loves rock and metal comedy satires, like Beavis and Butthead and the Bill and Ted movies, so sometimes I wonder why other people don’t seem to have a sense of humour when it comes to comedy satire they say offends them. Maybe they’d say I don’t mind because I’m too stupid, like the stereotypical metalhead?
Although I’m not the real author of Werewolf of Oz: Fantasy Travel by Google Maps like my human parallel J.K. Rowling was of The Cuckoo Calling, after using the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, I’ve been invited to introduce the second of this week’s episodes of your favourite werewolf travels Australia on a fantasy travel quest for comedy satire by Google maps.
Girl Action
There’s not much girl action in this episode, but that hopefully means there’s less ammunition for militant feminists to criticise. Although they will probably criticise the lack of females then.
If there’s women in it militant feminist critical theorists will find fault with their roles, and if there’s no women in it they’ll criticise the lack of women… because like other critical theorists, that’s their job and obsessive agenda. Sometimes there are genuine biases, but other times they just seem to pick on something to have something to write about.
Madonna, Valle Hovin (Photo credit: NRK P3)
It’s hard to find a happy medium, and sometimes hard for men to know the right thing to do with modern women; open a door or not, smile and greet or not, compliment or ignore etc; but we think most try to do their best, and we certainly do at the Greenygrey.
For the Girls, Girls, Girls
While a lot of what we’ve written might have seemed more critical of women than men, we do believe that women have the moral high ground over men overall, as men do much more violent crimes against women than vice versa; and men still control power a lot of the time. But women often wield the power behind the men.
Jo Guest (Photo credit: Stuart Chalmers)
Maybe some women believe they have to become militant, but some men think they get privileged treatment as it is. Funnily enough, glamour modelling is one industry where women probably do better than men, although it is supposed to be a tough cutthroat place to work.
The truth is probably somewhere in the Greenygrey middle. Anyway, enough prevarication, you’ve already had the best work of my day for no additional pay.
Angry’s dog was getting on with Boot like a house on fire; warming the cockles of my heart in front of our flaming bush telly. I hadn’t seen two critters take to each other so quickly since Grizzly Bear Adams met Ben.
The dog duo seemed inseparable by the time Marlon said the Perishers had to leave. I felt sorry for them, until Angry said it looked like his dog had found a new home, and told the Perishers and Boot to look after it.
Angry’s dog looked sad as we said goodbye, but walked proudly beside Boot at the head of the gang as they left.
Beware Smiggin Holes
Smiggin Holes, Kosciuszko National Park (Photo credit: Australian Alps)
Before leaving, Maisie warned us to beware of Smiggin Holes if we were heading east, as there was some weird poo going on down there. Her warning sent a shiver down my spine; well, it was either that or the cold; as that was the direction I could see the dust sandy path leading.
Boot’s new best friend barked a final goodbye before disappearing from view, and Angry led us in shouting and barking our farewells.
—————————————————————————————————-
Notes
Grizzly Bear Adams was a television series about a wilderness man called Adams who saved and befriended a grizzly bear he named Ben.
Smiggin Holes is really a nice ski resort.
Hi, it’s G.G. Howling. After J.K. Rowling was revealed to be the author of The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith there has been a lot of wondering while wandering in the Greenygrey world whether I am the real author of Werewolf of Oz: Fantasy Travel by Google Maps and 242 Mirror Poems and Reflections.
English: J.K. Rowling. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’m saying nothing! Except that both books are now widely available on Ereaders after passing review for the Smashwords Premium Catalogue:
1. Premium Catalog (Reaches Major Retailers): Once your book is accepted into the Premium Catalog, we automatically distribute it to major online retailers such as Apple (distribution to iBookstores in 51 countries), Barnes & Noble (US and UK), Sony, Kobo, WH Smith in the UK and FNAC (both powered by Kobo), Livraria Cultura in Brazil (powered by Kobo), the Diesel eBook Store, eBooks Eros (operated by Diesel), Baker & Taylor (Blio and the Axis360 library service), Page Foundry (operates retail sites Inktera.com and Versent.com; operates Android ebook store apps for Cricket Wireless and Asus), and other distribution outlets coming soon. These retailers require certain mechanical standards, such as a quality book cover image, a proper copyright notice at the top of your book, and other simple requirements outlined below. If you’re a serious author or publisher, you want your books included in Smashwords Premium Catalog. Both Apple and Sony require you have an ISBN, which you can obtain or assign in the Smashwords Dashboard’s ISBN Manager. For additional special requirements of the Apple catalog, see this checklist, How to Publish Ebooks on the iPad with Smashwords. Visit your Dashboard’s Channel Manager to control which retailers we distribute your book to.
Marc Latham’s (which might be a J.K. Rowling pseudonym?) 242 Mirror Poems and Reflections, which combines self-analysis, social criticism and nature appreciation is now available on lots more Ereaders via Smashwords after passing review for the Premium catalogue. 40% of the book (twice as much as average) is available to browse for free.
1. Premium Catalog (Reaches Major Retailers): Once your book is accepted into the Premium Catalog, we automatically distribute it to major online retailers such as Apple (distribution to iBookstores in 51 countries), Barnes & Noble (US and UK), Sony, Kobo, WH Smith in the UK and FNAC (both powered by Kobo), Livraria Cultura in Brazil (powered by Kobo), the Diesel eBook Store, eBooks Eros (operated by Diesel), Baker & Taylor (Blio and the Axis360 library service), Page Foundry (operates retail sites Inktera.com and Versent.com; operates Android ebook store apps for Cricket Wireless and Asus), and other distribution outlets coming soon. These retailers require certain mechanical standards, such as a quality book cover image, a proper copyright notice at the top of your book, and other simple requirements outlined below. If you’re a serious author or publisher, you want your books included in Smashwords Premium Catalog. Both Apple and Sony require you have an ISBN, which you can obtain or assign in the Smashwords Dashboard’s ISBN Manager. For additional special requirements of the Apple catalog, see this checklist, How to Publish Ebooks on the iPad with Smashwords. Visit your Dashboard’s Channel Manager to control which retailers we distribute your book to.
Smashwords.
It is also still available on Amazon for paperback and kindle.
After all the wolfophobia in the media this year it is great to report that the BBC is showing a two-part documentary about the return of wolves to the Cascade Mountains in the North American north-west. Land of the Lost Wolves started last night, and concludes tonight. It is available on iplayer (in the UK at least) until next week (13th April).
Wolves Documentary Description
The programme description is:
At a time when wildlife is disappearing across the planet, one animal is making a comeback – the wolf.
Wolves were wiped out across much of America, with more than a million wolves estimated to have been shot, poisoned or trapped when European settlers arrived.
This enthralling series documents the return of one very special wolf pack to the snowy peaks of Washington’s Cascade Mountains – the first to return to the American Northwest in 70 years.
Greenygrey Thanks
The Greenygrey thanks the region for returning the wolves to their natural home, the documentary makers for the programme, and the BBC for showing it.
mistYmuse 