Saturday, February 14, 2026

photo

rocket launch tonight


photo: leaf of dandelion noticed after sunset

AI question

 what are the three largest oceans on earth, and what are the three smallest oceans on earth?

1 minute ago

The 3 Largest Oceans
These three bodies of water make up the vast majority of the Earth's hydrosphere.
RankOceanApproximate Area (sq miles)Key Characteristic
1Pacific Ocean~63 millionCovers more area than all the Earth's landmasses combined.
2Atlantic Ocean~41 millionKnown for the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the world's longest mountain range.
3Indian Ocean~27 millionThe warmest ocean in the world, bounded by Africa, Asia, and Australia.

The 3 Smallest Oceans
  1. Arctic Ocean (~5.4 million sq miles): By far the smallest and shallowest ocean on Earth.
  2. It is mostly covered by ice throughout the year.
  3. Southern Ocean (~7.8 million sq miles): Encircling Antarctica, this ocean was formerly considered the southern portions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans.
  4. Indian Ocean (~27 million sq miles): While it is the third
  5. largest, it is also the third smallest in a five-ocean system.



Play notice

 Congratulations, John. Sapience has been accepted for presentation in the Play Lab at the thirty-fourth annual Valdez Theatre Conference, June 6-13. The full list of invitees is posted here. 

 

To participate, you must be in Valdez for the reading of your play. Minimum attendance is four days, but the longer you’re with us, the more you’ll get from the experience and for the expense. You are responsible for your travel costs; we have limited free communal housing available. There will also be a 2:00 p.m. seven-hour bus shuttle from Anchorage to Valdez on June 6; the return shuttle arrives in Anchorage at approximately 3:00 p.m. on June 14. 

 

Registration for the event is $250; registration will open by March 31. It includes daily lunch the closing gala meal, all Conference activities and classes, and a two-hour Stan Stephens Cruise to Shoupe Glacier.

 

I will host a Zoom meeting for Play Lab playwrights on Sunday, February 22, at 2:00 p.m. Alaska-time (3:00 PST; 6:00 EST).  I’ll discuss our history, programming, processes, and philosophies; there will be lots of chances to ask questions. A recording will be available afterward for those unable to attend live.

 

Please let me know by March 15 if you plan to attend. If you know you won’t be with us, please tell me, as we have alternate playwrights waiting to find out if there’s room for their work. If you’re certain you’re coming, you can get a jump on the stuff we’ll need from you by filling out the Play Confirmation Form. This is where we gather info on your play like the synopsis, trigger warnings, and cast descriptions. 

 

Readings in the Play Lab are mostly stationary. Scripts will be assigned a director by April 15 unless you tell me you’d prefer to direct your reading. Playwrights will be connected with both your director and lead responding panelist prior to the event to discuss the play. Readings will be cast by approximately May 7 by the Play Lab Coordinator, Ryan Buen, and emailed to the performers. In Valdez, there is one rehearsal the day prior to the reading. After the reading, there will be a response section with three panelists and audience comments. After that, writers will have a private half-hour one-on-one session with their lead panelist.

 

All of the readings stream live on YouTube; the recordings will remain available for a month after the Conference ends. There will be other opportunities to have your work presented through the Monologue Workshop, Ten-Minute Play Slam, and Valdez Theatre Fringe. Writers are also encouraged to be a part of the Play Lab cast and directing team if that’s in their wheelhouse.

 

All of these elements will be the subject of future emails with more details, but any questions you have, please don’t hesitate to ask: communicating with playwrights and helping them have a great experience in Valdez is one of my favorite parts of the job. There’s a wealth of mostly current information on our website about how travel and housing work, the current draft of the schedule, artistic staffing, our history… you know, a website. Avoiding these update emails is another great reason to let me know if you’re not coming. =)

 

Again, whether you join us or not, congratulations on Sapience‘s selection. I’m excited about the line-up; you can see the full invitation list here. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Dawson Moore, Coordinator

Valdez Theatre Conference

Thursday, February 12, 2026

dear diary

 hmm--well?

political science, i've been state by state contacting political science chairs at colleges/universities, pitching them to let their students hold an open convention on their campus, some response too. started in maine and have been working down the east coast. nice you can use ai to identify them quickly.

the issue with the insurer has destroyed my natural life since oct 15 last year, and have subsequently documented/constructed foundation to writ and am now perfecting it. hope to file before two weeks are up.

i know i have some poems in the notes on phone but have not looked.

can't wait until legal matter is resolved one way or the other.