Life and happiness and priorities...

The squirrels didn't eat all my bulbs after all! Went outside the other day and found some small green shoots coming up. In fact, our whole garden seems to be rousing itself, shaking off the winter blahs. We're hiring a gardener to help with spring clean-up since I'd like to get a knowledgeable sort to help explain what sorts of things need to be done (what to trim back, what to leave, etc.) and because the amount of arm work needed for a full garden clean-up would aggravate my tendinitis.

A while ago, I mentioned that a publisher approached me about a nonfiction book project. Unfortunately I've had to turn the project down...although the topic and publisher were appealing (it was part of the For Dummies series), the administration and tangled legalstuff (they had hired an author to do this book a year or two ago but he didn't work out) added enough complications that I felt it was time to move on to other projects.

Disappointing, but I've learned a great deal about priorities from my whole Inkspot experience, the weighing of what seems like a great opportunity against one's sanity and happiness, and knowing when to walk away.




And while on the topic of life and happiness and priorities...

I find that appreciating other people's situations is one sure way of helping you sort out your own priorities. Please think good vibes at my friend Beckett, who is currently undergoing radiation therapy. Happily, Beckett's post-surgery MRI results came out clear, but it was still recommended that she go ahead with radiation treatments to zap any cancer cells that the MRI didn't pick up.

Beckett has been posting some well-written and thought-provoking updates to her Flickr account on the whole process, like her Eyes again Flickr entry. You can also see her LJ here.

An excerpt I found especially moving:

"The hardest part of the whole thing so far is meeting the other patients; some of them are so very ill, gray with the look of advanced cancer. I got to recognize that gray look a number of years ago because my dad had it; now I see it almost daily. It's hard and scary because death is very close for some of them. And it brings the finality of it all close because we're all just people, after all. It can happen to anyone, and nobody deserves it."

Photo below:
Thanks to Jennimi for letting me post the photo below of Chris Conway and me, at FilKONtario. I've cropped the photo a bit; you can see the full image here. Jen has also posted other pics from FKO to her Flickr account.

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Squirrelbuster triumphs!

Conversation on one weekend morning...

JEFF: Hey, Deb...come check out the squirrel on your Squirrelbuster feeder!

DEBBIE: What?! Oh. HA HA, it managed to get on the feeder but it can't get any food because its weight makes the cover pull down over the holes. HA HA HA!

JEFF: It must have taken him ages to get on the feeder. He must be really frustrated.

DEBBIE: I hope so. HA HA HA HA HA HA! TAKE THAT, SQUIRREL! HA HA!!

JEFF: Y'know, he looks kinda scrawny.

DEBBIE: HA HA...um. He does?

JEFF: Yeah, I guess he's having trouble finding food this winter.

DEBBIE: You think so?

(pause)

JEFF: What's wrong?

DEBBIE: Now I feel guilty. You think I should put out some food for it?

.
.
.

I am SUCH a loser.

:-)

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sleep poll

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated! Column topic: Writers and RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) Prevention.

I enjoyed seeing two of our nieces in plays earlier this week: one was Cinderella in her class Cinderella play (which was performed entirely in French!) and the other was the Snow Queen in a two-evening production of The Snow Queen by the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Both were fantastic.

Holy cow, these girls are growing up so quickly. I know this is a cliché, but it's SO TRUE! My older niece had to wear make-up for her part as the Snow Queen, and it changed her appearance so much that I suddenly had a glimpse of what she might look like as a teenager. These "glimpses" are happening frequently, and I'm well aware that one of these days I'm going to wake up and she WILL be a teenager.



Thanks so much to those of you who offered suggestions and help for finding the Japanese crackers which have so captured Jeff's gustatorial heart. It looks like my friend Ray has found them in a Japanese food shop near his work!

The photo above is one I -should- have posted with the other one...I hadn't realized that Jeff sent me the two photos. The white bits are sprinkles of sugar on top of the crackers.

Wasn't feeling that great yesterday, so decided not to go to the Tranzac. :-( Main reason: accumulated lack of sleep. How I envy those of you who are able to get by on 6 hours of sleep a night or less on a regular basis! I've heard that as people get older, you need less sleep. I can't wait for this to happen to me!

But then I checked this article on sleep, which says that the only reason seniors sleep less is because they experience more insomnia problems. It also states in the article: "If you routinely fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying down, you probably have severe sleep deprivation or a sleep disorder." Hm...this definitely describes me, but I've been told this is just a myth.

Anyone out there know the real scoop? Or a reliable sleep info resource?

Also, how many hours of sleep do YOU need? And how long does it take for you to fall asleep?


Quick experiment with the Scratchboard Tool. I might work this

up into a more polished illustration at some point.

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E-mail woes

Eudora seems to have eaten all the e-mails I received (to my inkygirl.com and electricpenguin.com accounts) between Feb.7th through until Monday morning. If you sent me e-mail during that time period and still have not received a reply, I would greatly appreciate you re-sending.

Eudora also ate all the e-mails I SENT between Feb. 14th and this morning.

As you might imagine, I am not a happy camper right now.

If anyone has used Eudora for the Mac before and experienced a similar problem, I would greatly appreciate (understatement of the year) any advice.

Because this is not the first time Eudora has gone quirky on me, I have decided to finally switch to AppleMail with the help of my technonerdboy husband. I will be starting from scratch, building up my address books and filters/rules, as well as learning a new application. And trying to piece together what urgent e-mails have disappeared, what needs to be answered, etc.

Thanks for your patience during this transition.

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Xlibris, Writing.com and Demon Squirrels

It's been just over five years since Xlibris shut down Inkspot. Seems strange to think it's only been five years; it feels like much longer than that to me.

Looks like Xlibris sold my old domain to Writing.com. I found this out accidentally while looking for writers' communities online, saw "Inkspot.com" listed under Writing.com. When I checked out Inkspot.com out of curiosity, I saw that the domain (which is still listed on some writers' resource sites and books) is now being used to funnel traffic into Writing.com.

Yes, I did feel a twinge, and it did bring back some not-so-great memories. But this time I was able to focus more easily on the positivestuff that came out of that whole experience. Since Xlibris shut down Inkspot, for example, I keep running into people, both online and offline, who tell me how Inkspot had helped them in some way.

For those of you not familiar with the whole situation, you can see my Woodpile Philosophy: A Practical Application. You can also see this Wired article about the shut-down.

Photo to the top right: Some of my favourite work-at-home clothes...yellow Christmas socks from Sibylle, homemade Oreo flannel pants made by Lyanne. Working at home can come with its challenges, but one of the benefits is that I can wear whatever I'd like. My "office outfit" is always geared much more to comfort than style. :-D

POLL: What are YOUR favourite comfort/comfy clothes?

Birdfeeder update: My SquirrelBuster feeder has still managed to thwart all squirrels! I'm very pleased. It was more expensive than the other feeders but has been worth every penny in terms of saving me much anti-squirrel frustration. Though those furry little demons are now turning their attentions to my other feeders:



My friend Cathy gave me this heart feeder for Christmas. The birds loved it, especially the red-breasted nuthatches. Unfortunately, so did the squirrels. The feeder disappeared COMPLETELY a couple days ago; I have no idea where it's been taken.

Grrr.

Thanks to Walter for my very cool Lord of the Rings Valentine's card:



The scan above doesn't do this Valentine justice...the paper has a shimmery texture. Almost blinding in the right light, really. Fortunately my office is completely devoid of sunlight, so my eyesight is safe for now. I have posted the card up on my magnetic board. :-)

Getting together with Allison and Jodi tonight for an Urban Tapestry practice. We'll be going over songs in prep for our concert with Franklin at FilKONtario.

Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud Recently finished this last book in The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Enjoyed it quite a bit, and more than the second book. The demon is my favourite character. :-)

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