poll: worst movies?

Another relaxing day yesterday at the cottage with Parki and Angela. Lots more lazing about, though Angela and I did do some work on our laptops.

The topic of our favourite and worst movies came up during conversation during the evening, which brings us to today's poll topic:

Poll: What is the worst movie you have ever seen?

For me, it definitely has to be Showgirls, which Jeff and I recently saw on television. This movie was so absymally bad, particularly in dialogue and acting, that we felt compelled to watch an hour of it before finally switching channels. I challenge you to name a worse movie.

Answer in Blatherchat





Links/News:

Three years ago, Luisa talked about figs.

Four years ago, I tried to figure out how to tie an obi on my kimono.

Five years ago, I rented "First Wives' Club".

---

Today's Blatherpics:

	My brother-in-law Rick, during the Turkey Bowl game on the weekend.
	Jeff and his parents.

parki and angela

Parki and Angela arrived yesterday. By the time they arrived, all the snow that had fallen in the morning had already melted. Still cold, though...Jeff and I kept the fire stoked all day.

We went for a walk near Joe Lake dam in the late afternoon and saw a female moose cross the dirt road ahead of us. She wandered into the forest and then eyed us warily until we kept walking.

Today's activities: reading, napping, snoozing, saunas, probably a hike later in the day.





Links/News:

One year ago, I watched jellyfish with Andrew at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There was an anthrax square at the building while we were there but, like so many others during that time, it was only a false alarm.

Three days ago was Jeff's first day working for Inkspot.

Five years ago, I received a naked mole rat postcard from Lyanne.

---

Today's Blatherpics:

	A tree with personality, encountered on our walk yesterday.
	Parki and Angela.

snowy sunrise

I took the above photo a few minutes ago (about 8:25 a.m.). I may update the picture again later today.

This morning when I got up, just before sunrise, it was snowing. The sky was a brilliant scarlet near the horizon, which looked amazing through the falling snow. Sadly, I never got a photo.





Another cloudy cold day at the cottage yesterday.

Also another stay-inside work day, except both Jeff and I started getting antsy late afternoon. Jeff went off and did something that involved hammering. I restocked the firewood and chopped more kindling.

Fingers getting a bit numb, must put some more logs on the fire and get some heat going.

Parki and Angela arrive in a few hours!





Links/News:

One year ago, I visited San Francisco with my friend Andrew.

Three years ago, Sara had a classmate with 80 Barbies.

Four years ago, Jeff and I had dinner at Fune.

Five years ago, I was yearning to learn contra dancing (I still am!).

---

Today's Blatherpics:

	Snowing this morning.
	Our game of Carcassonne last night after dinner, with wine and cheese and crackers for dessert. Okay, and a piece of brownie (I snuck that onto the cheese plate; you can see it just below the bowl of grapes, a bit to the right).
	Just after sunrise this morning, when it was snowing very lightly.

telecommuting

Cold and wet and miserable outside at the cottage yesterday. Which made it a perfect indoor workday, of course, since neither Jeff nor I were at all tempted to go outside. We both spent most of the day with our laptops at the dining room table.

It took ages for the boathouse to heat up yesterday despite a huge blaze in the fireplace. I was so cold that I wore a fleece hat and put a space heater right beside my feet for a while.





Things I did online yesterday from the cottage, in addition to working on my fiction novel:

- Researched current publishing news, uploaded my Market Watch column to WritersMarket.com (based in Cincinnati)

- E-mailed with my literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. (based in New York)

- E-mailed with some writers re: their poll answers for my column for Writing-World.com (based in Maryland)

- E-mailed with interviewees for my Chatelaine article.

- Researched NaNoWriMo communities and writers for my article on the topic for a newspaper in Ohio.

- Worked on my outline for my own NaNoWriMo project.

- Was interviewed by e-mail for an online magazine.

- Got an e-mail from our real estate agent about a potential house. Jeff and I looked at the picture of the house, checked out the info, checked out the exact location via online maps, made an appointment to see the house in Toronto next Tuesday.

- Researched hotels in downtown Ottawa (Jeff and I are staying in Ottawa Sunday night), looked up locations via Yahoo maps to find a hotel close to Jeff's client in Ottawa.

I love the Internet.

I've added a Permalink link at the bottom of my main Blatherings entry, by the way, and have also (with Parki's help) turned on RSS 1.0 (activated? added?) in case people want to check on updates that way.

Jeff and I worked until 4 pm, at which point we had a sauna then a short nap. Jeff, who rarely cooks at home, made a yummy ginger-pear chicken dish with steamed snow peas and a salad on the side. In the evening, he taught me how to play Carcassonne, a pretty cool board game.





NaNoWriMo Update:

I downloaded Eric's NaNoWriMo Report Card, which is an Excel Spreadsheet that records all kinds of stats as you write your novel, including generating pie charts, charts output progress, etc.

I'm working on an outline in MS Word in preparation (it's allowed! I asked!). Using outline mode, I'm doing an overview of the main characters, their background, the plot.

Links/News:

One year ago, I was hanging out with my friend Andrew in Santa Clara.

Four years ago, I saw Antz with Jodi, Allison, John and David.

Five years ago, we were eating Walkers' Chocolate-Covered Ginger Cookies (from Lissa and Phil).

---

Today's Blatherpics:

	Me, yesterday morning.
	Our set-up in the boathouse. We shared one long phone cord which we passed back and forth whenever one of us wanted to go online. I wore headphones whenever I was in my "I'm writing don't talk to me" mode. Jeff hung the blanket up over that window to try to conserve some heat. Yesterday's headphone workmusic: Kim Robertson harp music and Manhattan Sleeps.
	Still more fall colours from our walk earlier this week. Sadly, these already seem to be fading somewhat.

poll: bathing rituals

Jeff and I spent our first afternoon alone together mainly doing our own thing. Don't get me wrong...it's not like we were purposely avoiding each other. It's just that after three days of fairly intense family/group activity, we both needed some solitary time. Neither of us specifically discussed this, but after being with someone sixteen years, you develop a sort of telepathy.

Jeff did cabin handyman stuff, then took a sauna, shaved. Meanwhile I worked on my laptop. After he came out of the sauna, he worked on his laptop while I did the sauna thing. Despite the new shower, I still opted for washing up in the sauna. It's pretty darned cold outside now, and taking an outdoor shower tends to be more of a quick dousing than a relaxed soak since the bits of your body that are outside of the water spray get cold very fast.

Washing up in the sauna takes more work than a shower, but I still love it. First, you heat up a big pot of water on the sauna coals and also get a bucket of cold water from the lake. Have biodegradable Camp Suds ready (my favourite is mint). Get the camp shower (basically a plastic bag with a shower nozzle at the end) and ladle in some hot water from the pot on the coals. Don't burn yourself! Ladle in enough cold water to desired temperature. Hold shower above head until hair soaked. Shut nozzle and soap up. Blind from suds, grope around until you find the camp shower again, fumble with nozzle. Accidentally open nozzle and let out some of precious hot water. Manage to shut nozzle. Hold camp shower above head and THEN open nozzle. Rinse before water runs out.

Later in the afternoon, Jeff and I went on a short hike, on the Gill/Sam Lake portage. Still don't feel as if I've exercised enough to work off all that pumpkin pie, though. I had pumpkin pie AND whipped cream for breakfast on Monday! I'm so bad.

Poll: bathing rituals

Do you prefer showers or baths? I know I asked this a while ago, but it was a while ago. Do you shower/bathe every day? Every other day? Weekly?! Morning or night? Do you sing in the shower? Soap or shower gel? Do you like experimenting with different shampoos and soaps, or stick to one brand all the time? What's your favourite shampoo? Mine is Origins minty shampoo. I used to buy it when I lived in Philadelphia, but haven't seen any in Canada, sadly. I also confess to a love of hand soaps of all textures and fragrances.

Links/News:

One year ago, Beckett talked about time management in her Guest Blathering.

Four years ago, David and I made the last sandcastle of the season.

Five years ago, I complained about the fact that the love of my life, Spencer Powell, had not updated his Web site in a long time. His new site, however, IS being updated, yay! I found out at the Cottagers' Turkey Bowl, however, that Spencer no longer remembers me. How fickle it is, the adoration of the young.





Today's Blatherpics:

	I took this photo on our hike with JBR and Ginny a couple days ago.
	Brittany and me in the motorboat. i took this photo by holding the camera out in front of us.
	Fall colours.