I made this graphic because I thought the Leadership that President Trump has provided, especially during the COVID-19 crisis, is perfectly exemplified in his own words:
It is a large, beautiful red flower & sits by our back door in our kitchen. Because it's propped up against the glass door, it grew to this ridiculously tall height, over 5ft.
I love the Spring time as life begins to re-emerge and the outdoors become green & colorful... Nature doesn't care about humanity & all our issues, and the cycles of time continue no matter what.
Like President Trump, I too look for the spiritual embrace of 7ft tall smokey Jesus.
On this Blessed Day, let us remember what is truly important... that
Jesus himself hand-picked Donald J. Trump to lead us through one of the
worst crises in U.S. History. 🇺🇸🙏✨
We are lucky to have a President with the deep wisdom, humility,
compassion, & moral purity needed for this difficult time. I am
especially grateful for all my fellow Americans with the good judgement
to support President Trump and his superior, Christ-like leadership. God
Bless the USA!
Since I received a PS4 from my wife last Christmas, I have been primarily playing 2 games - Star Wars Battlefront II and Assassin's Creed Origins. Assassin's Creed has occupied most of my limited gaming time for the past 4 months, due to the sheer expansiveness of the game.
I previously posted about the use of The Flower of Life motif in the game, but since I just finished the main storyline I can write a full review.
Let me start by saying that this game is absolutely awe-inspiring. This is coming from someone who has played video games all my life... and I can say that this is as close to the perfect game as I have ever had the privilege to experience!
Because of the camera feature, I was able to screenshot images of some of the amazing visuals that can be seen throughout the game. All the images in this post are from my gallery below. There is so much to see & experience in Origins that it is impossible to document it all.
The main story is very engaging, and I never got tired or bored of the missions or even the side quests. It follows Bayek of Siwa, who is a Medjay (Magi) or protector of Egypt. He and his wife Aya seek justice for the murder of their son by the Order of the Ancients. The Order searches for relics from a lost "First Civilization" that they use to control mankind. Bayek & Aya eventually form the Brotherhood of Assassins (the "Origin" of the Assassins in the other games of this series) to destroy this Order of the Ancients.
I love history, especially ancient history, and have always been fascinated with ancient Egypt. AC: Origins is set in Ptolemaic Egypt- which was a couple thousand years ago, but the Giza pyramids were already thousands of years old, even back then. These pyramids, as well as other landmarks such as The Great Sphinx, Djoser's pyramid, and countless temples are all present and can be fully explored and climbed upon like everything else in the game.
The Great Pyramid of Giza,
with it's limestone casing & gold capstone in place
Yes, you can climb to the top of the Great Pyramid!
(It takes awhile to climb, but you can slide down the side to get down)
The Great Sphinx, with the paint still intact.
(although the head was probably originally a jackal, guardian of the underworld)
The Egyptian temples were absolutely stunning.
There are many more photos in my gallery linked above
Not only is Egyptian architecture and culture showcased, but ancient Greek influence in Egypt at the time is also heavily represented. Alexander the Great and the Ptolemaic pharaohs from Greece had a lasting impact on Egyptian society, through the establishment of Alexandria and the infusion of the Greek pantheon of gods & their temples.
The legendary tomb of Alexander the Great.
At the top of The Pharos, or lighthouse of Alexandria.
One of the many temples influenced by Greek architecture.
In addition to the historic landmarks, Assassins Creed titles always put the player in the presence of famous historical figures and situations. In this one, you are involved with pivotal events involving Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Ptolemy XIII, and Pompey the Great.
Talking with Cleopatra along the Nile River.
Cleopatra becoming acquainted with Julius Caesar.
This is how you encounter Pompey the Great-
decapitated & impaled on a spike by Caesar's army.
As with all the Assassin's Creed games, the historic events are masterfully woven into the main storyline. The great thing about these games, however, is that you are not forced into a linear playthrough. You can go off onto side quests, or just explore at your leisure. It is a true sandbox style experience, where you can go anywhere or just do nothing but look around at all the captivating scenery, if you want.
Even though there are important figures from history in the story, my favorite aspects were just the ordinary slices of life that are captured everywhere. The level of detail is so astounding, that I was often in total disbelief that something like this could even be created! It truly is an epic work of art that gives a better sense of human history at all levels than any textbook or class could ever approach.
A random merchant's stall, with a dozen detailed items to inspect.
A closer look at the merchant's goods.
The level of detail, even in this little section, is crazy.
Just some dudes hanging out at the baths.
Street musicians entertaining passersby.
On the other end of the spectrum, another aspect of Assassin's Creed games that make them great are the mythical elements, revolving around the mysterious "First Civilization". This is a race of technologically-advanced beings who created humanity, but were destroyed by a cosmic cataclysm in the distant past. They have left seemingly magical artifacts and "Vaults" containing knowledge incomprehensible to the human race. Although there wasn't as much about Those Who Came Before in this installment, the aspects that were included were pretty cool.
One of The Vaults from the First Civilization
was hidden below the Great Pyramid
Bayek and Aya discover another Vault,
with a holographic map of the Earth.
They obviously think this is some sort of magic.
The settings in the game, both natural and man-made, are very immersive. There is abundant wildlife, common people doing their daily routines, and beautiful architecture throughout the ridiculously vast map. I still haven't explored and unlocked anywhere near all the areas, despite finishing the story.
The various landscapes and vistas in the cities, towns, and surrounding wilderness are enough to make you often just stop and observe. Then you may be jolted into action by an attacking alligator or cobra out of nowhere!
Crazy random shit happens, like wild animals attacking each other...
...or wild animals attacking you!
One really cool feature is the ability to use of your hawk Senu as a scout, to get a literal birds-eye view of the locations, including the enemies and treasures there. You can also use the camera while in Senu mode to get awesome aerial shots.
There's just so damn much to rave about with this game... I put off writing the review because I knew it would take me at least a couple hours. If you've read this far, and haven't been convinced to play this 1st class title, then there's nothing more I can say to persuade you. It's an absolute masterpiece.
I will leave you with a final picture of, not a Monkey Buddha, but of Babi the baboon god... I guess it's close enough!
My wife and I recently watched the Amazon Prime series "Undone". It uses rotoscope-style animation over live action to create an enthralling and sometimes super-trippy visual style.
The animated approach is reminiscent of one of my favorite movies "Waking Life" and another crazy movie based on the book by Philip K. Dick, "A Scanner Darkly".
The story follows Alma (played by Rosa Salazar), a woman who gets into a car crash & experiences a major shift in consciousness after coming out of a coma. Besides seeing and interacting with her dead father, she starts to have altered perceptions of time and space.
The lingering question throughout the series is whether Alma is feeling the effects of brain injury and perhaps schizophrenia inherited from her grandmother, or whether she has unlocked special abilities - as her father's spirit insists.
Her father claims that she has the abilities of a shaman to transcend the physical world, and he tries to recruit he to help him discover the circumstances behind his mysterious death.
There are a lot of interesting themes explored in this show, including shamanism, the nature of reality and the mind, social behaviors, the relativistic properties of time, and spirituality. All these concepts are blended into an engaging story that makes us question what is real... even here in the "real" world.
The final episode ended suddenly with insinuation of something significant happening, but without a clear resolution, a la "The Sopranos" which was a bit to abrupt for my liking. I wouldn't mind an ambiguous ending, but I felt like something a bit more interesting could have been explored, to match the depth of the series as a whole.
Overall it was enjoyable and intriguing, and I would recommend it for anyone interested by my description. At first, my wife flat-out said she didn't want to watch it, but after seeing a few episodes on my own I dragged her into it. She ended up really liking it since she is also interested in all the topics I mentioned.
I am pretty picky about what I choose to watch, and this was just the right mix of cool visual effects, thought-provoking ideas, engaging cast members, and all around excellent production. Definitely worth checking out.
Obi-Wan was a classic sage/wizard archetype, but he was never one of my favorite Star Wars characters. However, the Prequels and expanded material have done a lot to add dimension to his character.
The lighting and realism of this painting are awesome, really giving depth to the image.
After looking at Donato's other work, I was blown away by his talent.
Here are some images that caught my eye, but all of his work is impressive. Check out the website above for more.
I saw this article on Creative Bloq that listed some of the major events in graphic design over the last 25 years. Although I might not totally agree with their list, some of which is self-serving, it is important to look at the changes and important developments that have happened in the field.
In 1995, I had almost graduated high school, and was about to go to college for mechanical engineering. After 3 semesters, I switched majors to my main passion- art & graphic design.
Not much has fundamentally changed since I was a student. Obviously technology has advanced, but I still use a Mac computer, Adobe creative software is still the gold standard, & designing for print or web relies on the same basic principles.
The most significant thing that has changed is the proliferation of mobile devices, and the introduction of a wide variety of software and apps to make design more accessible.
What makes "good" or "bad" design is still subjective, but I think that allowing more people to express themselves creatively is always a good thing. I'm not worried about my job security as a professional designer, even if AI starts to encroach on my field!
As a graphic designer I have helped dozens of companies and startups create a brand identity & logos through my business, Paul Micarelli Design.
Having a impactful logo is crucial for a business's identity. Having some interesting meaning behind it adds another layer of depth that may make your brand more appealing to people, even if it's on a subconscious level.
On r/coolguides I saw this comprehensive graphic showing the symbolism & meanings behind some of the world's best known logos.
Click the graphic for a larger version with the details:
Last week my wife & I watched a film that we both thought was excellent, called Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds. Links to the full movie are on the website:
It explores many of our interests in science, philosophy, mysticism, & understanding the nature of reality.
The division between the outer world of "The Universe" and the inner world of "The Mind" is a totally fabricated distinction. Similarly, I don't think science and spirituality have to be mutually exclusive endeavors.
In truth, there is a continuum of the fundamental vibratory field that manifests into all phenomena. It permeates through us and everything else. Physical, energetic, and mental are all different aspects of the source field.
The visual imagery used in the film is beautiful and inspiring in itself. It is a treat for the eyes, ears, mind, and soul.
I would highly recommend it for anyone with an open mind about the world in which we exist, and the mind through which we experience its infinite facets.
Beeple has made a piece of computer art every single day for over a decade. The amazing thing is that it is rarely crap, & in fact, his work is usually pretty awesome. His everyday images range from sublime, to technically impressive, to completely sick & twisted. Along with Alex Grey, he is one of my favorite contemporary artists.
This video lets us see Beeple in action, and he is like an insanely talented Bill Gates with a sailor mouth.
I am currently playing "Assassin's Creed: Origins" and it is a virtual journey through time that is taking me months, at the rate I play video games nowadays. Having played most of the other titles in the Assassin's Creed series, this one is just as amazing. Because I have so little time to spend gaming, I only choose titles that I know are going to be worth it.
All of the Assassin's Creed games take place in different time periods, and the level of research and immersion that goes into the stories and visuals just blows my mind. "Origins" takes place in Ptolemaic Egypt, right before the birth of Jesus.
I will give a full review & an album of my in-game snapshots once I finish the main story, but there was a cool tidbit I wanted to share now...
Back in college, I created a strategy game called "Da Vinci's Challenge" that is based on The Flower of Life, an ancient symbol that is part of a system called sacred geometry. This is the study of geometric and mathematical properties that have mystical or profound qualities that hint at the patterns defining reality.
As I was playing Origins, I entered a bathhouse as part of a mission, and began to explore (as I find myself doing in every other part of the game). There were mosaic floors that were part of the intricately detailed decorations in the building. I was pleasantly surprised to see that a section of The Flower of Life pattern was used in the floors of the baths.
Then, I walked into a side chamber to see a more complete Flower of Life symbol, formed in the mosaic floor tiles:
The Flower of Life has been used as decoration throughout history, all around the world.
I don't usually post a lot about my personal life here, but I am excited to announce that my wife Loretta & I are planing on having a son, Paul Giuseppe Micarelli!
She is about halfway through the pregnancy right now, at week 22, or 5+ months. Ever since we first started dating, we knew we wanted to have children and and a family. It's something we talked about and planned extensively before and after we got married. It helped that we were both in our 30's & 40's when we started our life together. We both had plenty of life experience, knew what we wanted, and were ready to take the steps to make it happen.
We also believe very much in mindful, spiritual approach to life, hence the brand we formed together called "Conscious Living for YOU". Conception and our approach to having a child was no different, and we practiced visualization and mindfulness as we attempted to create new life.
Conception happened on the very first try, since I was using an app to track her menstrual cycles. We found out she was pregnant at her mother's Donna's house, after she missed her first period. After she took the test and saw it was positive, I went into the bathroom with her mom her step-dad Steve and we all hugged and celebrated. I told me parents, Paul & Karen, that night, but help off on breaking the news to the rest of my family.
I broke the news to my other family members totally out of the blue. It was at one of my nephew's birthday parties, and I had got done working a Fantasy Photos event and was pretty tired. Loretta wasn't even there, and I had mentioned something about her having a skin rash, but not wanting to take steroids because... Oops!... & I stopped myself. I looked around at everyone, looking back at me confused. My mom was standing right next to me and was the only one that knew. I looked at her, and she made a funny face like "I'm not saying anything!"
Finally, I was just like "Screw it," and told everyone that she was pregnant! They didn't know if I was serious or not, because of the weird way I blurted it out. I assured them I was, in fact, serious, and they proceeded to have a good laugh about it.
Right before Christmas 2019 we finally heard the baby's heartbeat. We both were very emotional and got choked up hearing that our baby was apparently healthy in there. Hearing the quickly beating heart makes it seem so real, it's an indescribable feeling for a parent-to-be.
Then, on New Year's Eve we got bloodwork and genetic testing results back, which were all ok. The nurse told my wife that we could know the gender of the baby, if we wanted. I'm usually very patient, but in this case I absolutely wanted to know and did NOT want to wait any longer for the results. So, Loretta put me on speakerphone with the midwife while I stood outside my work. When she told us it was a boy, I broke down sobbing, after thanking & hanging up with the midwife. My wife asked me, "Are you ok?" over the phone, because she heard me crying uncontrollably. It was truly the happiest moment of my life, besides marrying Loretta, and I felt like my head was spinning all day after getting the news.
I would have been just as happy if I was expecting a daughter, and had names already planned out either way, but we both were hoping for a boy & felt that's what it was going to be. My name is Paul Michael Micarelli, and my father's name is Paul Joseph Micarelli. I wanted to keep the tradition of Paul "___" Micarelli going, and we decided to use Giuseppe, since that was my grandfather's name (Joseph (Giuseppe) Armando Micarelli) and it also honored both my Dad's middle name & her dad Joe.
The most recent step was to see ultrasound imaging of the baby a couple weeks ago. I had never seen ultrasound images in person, and was amazed at the ability to see the sound waves forming pictures phasing through various parts of the baby's body, showing bones, his skull, the beating heart, and the protrusion that suggested, yes, this was definitely a boy! I was also amazed at how much he was moving, watching his arms and legs shifting around in real time. Within the past week, we have finally been able to really feel him kicking around, and you can feel strong movement from the outside of her belly now.
Here is a picture of the profile, with his head to the left looking up, & his hands in front of his face.
Here is a cool image of the top of his head to the left, & the bottom of his feet in the middle.
That weekend, we had a gender reveal party for our immediate families even though we already knew it was a boy. We like to have celebrations, and wanted to share the wonderful news with the people who are closest to us.
Everyone is excited to meet this new human, and he will definitely be a Monkey Buddha Baby. I hope that we can instill wisdom, compassion, and strength into him that will benefit the entire world.
The pregnancy has definitely not been an easy one for Loretta, mostly due to exhaustion (which is unlike her usually active lifestyle) and skin rashes/irritation that has lasted for months despite seeing specialists of all kinds. We joke that it because the psychic powers of the baby are so strong that it is causing her body to go haywire. Realistically, it's probably due to her lifestyle & diet changes, as well as the flood of hormones & biochemical reactions she is dealing with.
We just pray that the baby stays healthy, and is delivered without complications. The one thing I've discovered already is that fear is something to stay constantly vigilant against. The mind can produce endless scenarios about what could go wrong, and one must stay focused in the present so the mind doesn't dwell on the infinite negative possibilities. I continue to be grateful, and appreciate the blessings that I am able to experience. When this child is born, my gratitude will be boundless as I try to lead him toward a long, happy life in this crazy, wonderful world.
