Walking in the rain, my review in The National Post

I was at The Flying Dragon yesterday, taking some photos for an upcoming profile in blogTO, when I noticed that it had started raining outside the shop. And I mean RAINING, coming down in buckets with the wind whipping the rain everywhere. I wrapped my camera in a plastic shopping bag and tucked it into my backpack, and waited.

Being trapped in a children's bookstore is far from a hardship (except on the wallet; I have low willpower), but I wanted to get back to work. So after vainly waiting for about 15 minutes for the rain to subside (it didn't), I headed home in my shorts and t-shirt: no umbrella or raincoat. After a few minutes it became clear to me that I was going get totally drenched, no matter what, so I just gave in and enjoyed the experience.

There's something hugely liberating about walking home in a fierce rainstorm and not caring if you get wet. I splashed through puddles and fast-moving street water in my Chacos, feeling the water run down my arms and legs, soaking my t-shirt and shorts. It was wonderful.

Plus I figure it might be good practice for Relay For Life in case it rains this Friday!

But on the topic of yesterday's storm, blogTO has an amazing/scary photo of some of the storm damage in Toronto!



For those of you who get the National Post, check out page A8 for my blogTO restaurant review of Patisserie La Cigogne. You can read the full review (I edited the review down to 250 words for the print version) in the blogTO restaurant reviews section.





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Self-referential signs

Above: Self-referential signage. Photo by Jeff.



I'm delighted to report that it looks like I may be writing for BlogTO. I'll be posting mainly in their Food & Drink and Books & Lit sections, occasionally in others.

For those not familiar with the site, BlogTO focuses on Toronto culture including the arts, music, film, fashion and food, supported by a collective of more than 20 contributors.



For Tanya Huff fans, my friend Walter has pointed out that Tanya will be at Bakka-Phoenix (697 Queen St. W, Toronto) today to promote her newly released hardcover, "The Heart of Valor", starting at 3 pm. Jeff and I are hoping to go, but we also have a family commitment later today which may conflict. In case you missed it, I recently interviewed Tanya for Inkygirl.

Links O' The Day

Artlogs.org: If you have a blog where you post art of any kind (not just drawings, but also music, comics, photos, videos, crafts, etc.), you can register your blog for free. For those who appreciate any of the above-mentioned activities, this site is a great place to find artsy blogs.

Google Maps Street View: I *so* hope they do this for Toronto! If you're outside of North America, here's how you can access this view.




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5 Reasons Why I Blog

Click on the image above for a bigger version. Will Write For Chocolate has been updated! Accompanying blog topic: Extended interview with screenwriter Jurgen Wolff, who has written episodes for Benson, Family Ties, The Love Boat, Relic Hunter and two ABC TV movies for the Olsen Twins.

Also, I've updated Inkygirl with a survey about weird book habits: What are yours? Unless it's an already battered-looking paperback, I tend to be WAY paranoid about creases, dog-eared pages, etc. I take off dust jackets to protect them. I only lend books to people I trust to take care of them. What about YOU?



I was recently tagged by Katharine Swan in a meme that's been going around writers' blogs where the challenge is to answer "Five Reasons Why I Blog." I don't tend to do memes, but I feel compelled to answer this one because the topic (why people blog) has always fascinated me, especially since my friend Erin posted this entry. So here's my answer:

1. Originally, I started my Blatherings for friends and family, especially to keep in touch with friends I don't tend to see too often because of geography. While this is still partly a reason I blog, it's no longer the main reason.



2. I blog because I'll forget things otherwise. There are times when I forget the name of a place or person I encountered years ago, and can look the info up in my archives. It's also fun for me to go through old posts about events I've enjoyed, sort of like flipping through an old photo album or scrapbook.

3. I blog because it improves my writing. Forcing oneself to write about something almost every day is a good exercise, I find. It has especially helped me in my nonfiction writing, and has also been good for self-discipline. I haven't had anything resembling writer's block in quite a few years.

4. I blog because it helps me get more work. While this wasn't a factor in the beginning and still is not the main reason I blog, I likely wouldn't be blogging as often as I do if it didn't have this added benefit. I've gotten both writing and illustration assignments because of Blatherings, Will Write For Chocolate, and Inkygirl.



I also make enough through Google Adsense to pay for my Publisher's Weekly subscription as well as memberships in various writers' organizations, and help cover my office expenses. I know the whole "blogging for money" is a thorny issue. Blatherings doesn't get as much traffic as Inkygirl, tho I do have ads in the lefthand column -- I figure every little bit helps. I don't let this influence what I write about.

For Inkygirl, I do blog in hopes of generating some Google Adsense income as well as the networking aspect (I've already met so many interesting writers as a result of starting that blog). I also use Inkygirl to challenge my comic creativity, coming up with several new comics a week. In a way, it's sort of my equivalent of Blatherings, but for my comics. Eventually I hope to publish a print collection of some of my comics, and it will help if I can tell potential publishers that I already have an established readership.

But back to the whole "blogging for money" controversy -- what's so evil and wrong about wanting to earn some income from my writing? I'm a WRITER, for pete's sake, and a freelancer at that. I write for enjoyment, and I write for money. If the two happen to overlap sometimes, then that just makes me happy.




5. And after ranting about how it's ok to blog for money, I have to confess -- even if blogging wasn't helping me in my work life, I'd still be blogging.

Blogging's fun. It's exciting to know that anyone can be reading what I write (and I'm careful in what I write about to make sure it's exciting and not terrifying). I love sitting down at the computer with a blank text screen in front of me and figuring out what I should write about that day. I love interacting with people who read my blogs, especially hearing about how something on my blogs has helped them personally or professionally. Those types of comments or e-mails always make my day.

I blog because I can't NOT blog.

I'm not going to tag anyone specifically -- feel free to post about this in your own blog if you'd like, and let me know!

The End of the Relationship

Links O' The Day

Japanese Fanta Commercial Collection : my favourite is Mr. Dragon. :-D (Thanks to Ray for the link)

Troops: This has been around for a while, but it's still funny. :-)(Thanks to Walter for the link)

800notes.com: Did you receive a call but the caller didn't leave a message and the Caller ID says "Unavailable"? Type the phone number and click "Get Details" to find out who uses it.



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