Waiting For Bilbo?

So I came back from my errands to find a bunch of e-mails waiting for me pointing me to this news and asking if I plan to revive Waiting For Frodo.

I had always sworn that I would never start it up again, but now I'm thinking, "But if I call it 'Waiting For Bilbo'" I wouldn't really be starting it up again, would I? A number of people suggested that title back when I shut down WFF, and my friend Dave Weingart just suggested it to me again.

So I've just registered WaitingForBilbo.com.

I must be crazy.

Had a great time with Allison and Jodi yesterday; more later this week. I also received two new Christmas ornaments in the mail today, yay! Pics later this week.

By the way, I just posted Luisa's and my FIRST ETSY POTTERY LISTING ($15 for a mini Kittyblue dish)! More details later this week. (Yes, everything is later this week...)




Livejournal comments

Christmas ornaments and free winter/holiday LJ user icons!

Today's photos are ornaments I've received so far through an annual homemade Christmas ornament exchange organized by Amanda Snyder (thanks, Amanda!). A set of all the ornaments -- about 17 or so, I think? -- is going to be donated to the UK Fan Fund through Lissa Allcock, who has kindly volunteered to take them.

Click on any of the images for info, including who made them.



I've been investigating mailing list services because I've decided it's about time I set up a few notification lists. One for my Etsy shop, for example, to offer advance notice and special deals. Another for those who want to be notified about when certain comics are updated. And definitely one for those who want to know when my book(s) get published!



I want a mailing list service that is reliable and spam-free (e.g. does not accept customers who use it to send out unsolicited mail), automatically handles bounced mail, and that makes it super-easy for people to unsubscribe themselves.



Right now I'm considering iContact. I'm testing it out during a free trial period, and would greatly appreciate it if some of you could help me. In appreciation, I'll be including some winter/holiday-themed Livejournal icons in my test mailings to the list which you're free to use in your own LJs.



Your e-mail addresses will not be shared or used for any purpose other than this test. I'll be sending out 2-3 test mailings to the list and deleting the list after a week. Please let me know how easy it was to subscribe, unsubscribe (please try unsubscribing at least once), comments about the interface, etc.




Thanks so much! Please use the form below:




I'll be posting a review of iContact in an upcoming Blathering.

If you have any other mailing list services to recommend, please let me know. I don't mind paying a small monthly fee as long as the service is VERY reliable and has a good reputation for being spam-free and therefore not on any spam blacklists. One of the great things about iContact that I've found so far is that you can run your mailings through a "spam check" to see how spam-like they are; if your score is high, then it means your mailing is more likely to be flagged as spam.

Bounced address handling is also vital for me because I don't want to spend time administering those myself, but also don't want an e-mail address deleted from a list after bouncing just once -- it's possible that someone's mail server may be temporarily down, after all. iContact deletes after five bounces. I -do- want lists culled of dead addresses, though, so I have an accurate count of how many people are on each list.

Anyway, your help in testing this service would be much appreciated, thanks!



Livejournal comments

Toronto snowstorm

Wow, there's a LOT of snow out in Toronto!

It's been snowing steadily since last night, and forecasters are predicting anywhere from 26-40 cm falling across Ontario.

Jeff was out this morning shoveling the driveway:



A few hours later, of course, it looked as if it had never been shoveled. Jeff and I went out for a walk at the end of the day to check out the neighbourhood. I suspect these cars are going to have a challenge getting out by tomorrow morning:



It was kind of fun, being out in the middle of the snowstorm. I wore a zillion layers and my snowpants, and Jeff walking in front of me made a great wind break.

We went to see The Golden Compass yesterday. I loved the first book in the trilogy by Philip Pullman and had been excited about the movie, but the movie disappointed me. The effects were great and it had some great-looking moments, but I felt that the final effect was too jumbled and disconnected, with no depth to the characters. Jeff commented that it felt more like a long trailer for a movie than the actual movie.

However, I do know people who liked the movie -- perhaps it helps NOT to have the read the book.



Above: a very small bowl that Luisa and I made. I painted evergreen trees on a snowy field on the outside. Luisa made the pottery, I painted it, then she fired it, applied a clear glaze, then fired it a second time. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out! I'm gradually getting the hang of pottery painting techniques, and having better brushes helps.

We're going to be putting our first piece up for sale in my Etsy shop this week!



Livejournal comments

St. Nicholas Day package!

Many thanks to my friend Franklin for the St. Nicholas Day package from Germany! It arrived late because Canada Customs held it for inspection. The box also contained St. Nick packages for Allison and Jodi; I'm seeing them on Monday evening, so I'll pass their St. Nick's gifts to them then.



This year, I'm make a concerted effort to take some solid time off around Christmas time. As a freelancer, I've found that although my time is more flexible than those with office jobs, in a way it's more difficult to take time off. Why? Because anytime I'm not working (or any paying assignment I turn down), I can't help but think that I'm NOT earning money, and then I feel guilty and can't enjoy myself. Another factor is that I love my work, so it's too easy to justify why I do so much.

What I need to remind myself: I -need- that downtime to refuel. So I'm taking some time off to spend time with friends and family but also to take some days off to do nothing but nap, read and have long soaks in the tub (preferably with a dog-eared and well-loved paperback).



It's easy to get sucked into the stress and panic of Christmas prep, but this year I'm trying hard to avoid that. I'm likely not going to have time to mail out many Christmas cards this year, but that's ok. Instead of trying to wrap all the gifts at the last minute, I'm doing a few at a time so I can actually enjoy the process, with Christmas music playing in the background; my current favourite is David Francey's Carols For A Christmas Eve.

And whenever I find myself getting too cynical or stressed about the holiday season, I take a deep, slow breath (believe it or not, it helps). And then focus, just for a moment or two, on some of the many things in my life for which I am deeply grateful.

A related Blatherings post (esp. for those who, like me, sometimes tend to get cynical and/or impatient about the holiday season): Scrooge Moments.

Speaking of people for whom I'm grateful...



Above: My Uncle John. I took this photo at a Christmas party at my cousins' place recently. At the same party LAST year, my uncle had a heart attack and my cousin saved his life with CPR. He ended up having a quadruple bypass heart operation.This is the same Uncle John who came out to Relay For Life earlier in the year.

This year when I greeted him at the party, he promised me he planned to stick around this time. And he did. :-)




Livejournal comments

Morning Rituals, dung beetles and vampire squirrels

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated. Click image above to see a bigger version.

It's been strange in the mornings these past weeks. I usually wake up around 6 or 6:30 a.m. I leave the light off to avoid waking Jeff (though usually it's his alarm clock that's wakened me -- he hits snooze and keeps sleeping!) and make my way downstairs.

Earlier in the year, there used to be enough light at that time to make out the edges of the stairs but nowadays it's still pitch black. I've had a couple of mini-scares, slipping on the edge of a stair because I can't quite see it in the darkness, but I've been careful to hold onto the railing as I go down. The frosted glass panes in our bedroom door are cool-looking, but have the disadvantage of letting light through (so I can't turn on the hallway light without waking Jeff). I really need to train myself to carry a flashlight.



When I reach the kitchen, I make my tea. The sound of the hissing kettle is a morning comfort, especially when the air is chilly. These days my tea is usually Lady Grey tea (thanks, Talis!), part of Twinings Aromatics line; it's infused with the flavours of orange, lemon and bergamot. I like to add some steamed milk; I microwave about a 1/4 mug of milk for 30 seconds, use my milk frother, stir the steamed and frothy milk into my tea. Yummmm.

This morning I opted for some Cardamon Cinnamon tea that I just got from Beckett (thanks, Beckett!!!). I love spicy teas, and cinnamon is one of my favourite flavours/fragrances.

Anyway, I typically start work right away, taking a break around 10 a.m. to have a shower and some breakfast (I tend to work in my pjs until then). Sometimes I have two small breakfasts, like a hobbit: a yogurt and a piece of fruit first thing in the morning in front of my computer, then some cereal or some eggs later on.

I come up to say good-bye to Jeff when he leaves for work, then go back down to my office-cave. I -love- my office, especially since the arrival of my Sumo bean bag chair.

SURVEY:
So what's YOUR typical morning routine?

Speaking of Sumo chairs, I recently discovered that Sumo added my Blather-review to their site. Part of me is flattered but part is a tad unhappy -- they scooped my header, photos and text without permission. If they had asked, I would have said yes; they did include a link which is sending traffic my way (which is how I found out), but the breach in netiquette could have easily been avoided.

More Adventures In Painting

Above: my first experiment in using modeling paste, a Little Nightmare piece in progress. I mixed black acrylic paint with the paste and used a small palette knife to create the Little Nightmare shape. I'll be adding teeth and finishing the eyes, and perhaps adding some background. I'll probably sell this with a black matte, unless I decide to keep it for myself. Haven't decided yet.



Above: I'm also starting to experiment with different painting methods. This is my first "spattering" experiment, using the bristles of an old brush (an old toothbrush would be better, I know). I like the extra texture the technique adds.



Above: I was so pleased with how my cute and vaguely creepy mini-gallery turned out (thanks to Brooke Lunderville for buying this set!) that I've started a new series called Menagerie. I was inspired by some great little canvases that Jeff found for me: 4" x 4" but with (approx.) 1.5" sides. The sides are wide enough to paint or write something interesting upon, plus it means that paintings can stand unsupported on shelves/mantels for display. I use a Sharpie to draw the outline, add colour with acrylics, go over the lines with ink again, then add a layer of protective gloss varnish.

Anyway, I'm planning to cover all kinds of animals, insects and other creatures that I find fascinating -- some cute, some bizarre, some typically abhored. I'll be selling some of these in my Etsy shop. So far only the bunny's posted; I still need to finish painting and varnishing the others.

If you have any ideas for creatures I should paint, feel free to suggest them below! Making a suggestion does NOT obligate you to buy any paintings, of course. I'm just looking for ideas...especially creatures that aren't normally considered "cute."



Livejournal comments