Blade Runner Final Cut and updated Chocolate

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated.

So I found out from Matt at blogTO that the Final Cut (as opposed to the Directors' Cut) of Blade Runner is coming to Toronto. Yay, I'm hyped to see this. I LOVE Blade Runner and never get tired of watching it, or listening to the soundtrack.

Link O' The Day

Eric Joisel Origami: This guy is AMAZING. Scroll about 2/3 way through his barbarian series pics to see some Lord Of The Rings figures he's made. (Thanks to Jeff for the link!)



Livejournal comments

Kiva: making a difference

Last Christmas, my cousin Steve gave me a $25 Kiva gift certificate/credit in our gift exchange. Kiva is a service that lets you connect with and loan money to unique small businesses in the developing world. From their About page:

"By choosing a business on Kiva.org, you can 'sponsor a business' and help the world's working poor make great strides towards economic independence. Throughout the course of the loan (usually 6-12 months), you can receive email journal updates from the business you've sponsored. As loans are repaid, you get your loan money back."



The photo at the top of the page is of Joseph Kamau, whose small business is the one I decided to sponsor. The description on his page read:

"Joseph Kamau is a 45 years old father of three children. Two of his children are in school while one is not yet in school because Kamau is unable to raise the high school fees at the moment. Kamau owns a one acre piece of land in Nyandarwa District of Central Kenya where he has been growing maize. The land size is small to produce profitable harvest and he lacks sufficient capital to finance quality farming. Kamau wants to diversify into dairy farming which requires less land and is more profitable. He is requesting a loan of US $ 1,600 to purchase two dairy cows. This will enable him keep all his children in school and save enough to expand the business. He will be able to repay the loan."

I Blathered about this briefly in January and didn't expect much follow-up. So many businesses go under, after all, and my $25 seemed so tiny in comparison to the amount that Mr. Kamau needed.

To my surprise, however, I've been getting regular updates throughout the year. I just got one today saying that Mr. Kamau had made another repayment (of $100). In total, he's repaid $1,000 and has $600 more to go. Clicking through to my "loan portfolio page" on Kiva, I can see a full schedule of the repayments that he's made, a list of the other lenders (you can remain anonymous if you wish) and where they're from, and a journal entry on behalf of Mr. Kamau.



When my loan is fully repaid, the $25 is put back into my credit and I can either withdraw it or choose another small business to which I can lend money. Yes, it's only a small amount but it's clear that every little bit helps. I'm also enjoying checking in on Mr. Kamau from time to time throughout the year.

When you're doing your holiday shopping, do consider Kiva. It's an unusual gift, keeps on "giving" through the year, and it's very cool to know that even a small thing like a $25 loan can help make a difference in someone's life.



Livejournal comments

Comixtalk, My Life In A Nutshell, and Alberta trip report (part 4)

My Life In A Nutshell has been updated, as you can see above.

Comixtalk interviewed me about my comics and my writing. You can see the interview here in their November issue.



Also, I have a review of Agra Fine Indian Cuisine up on blogTO; it's the place where Allison, Jodi and I sometimes have dinner, as a change from our usual Frog & Firkin outings.

But back to my Albert report (past posts: part 1 | part 2 | part 3).

Debbie's Alberta Trip Report, Part 4:

One of the things I love about traveling is the chance to glimpse a bit of different culture. I'm not just talking about a different language or way of dressing, either, which is why I love visiting grocery stores in other cities; I've always found it interesting how local cuisine varies. Some people like to see how many things are the same as back home when they travel. Me? I get more out of finding out how many things are different.

Rooms full of saddles are much more rare in Toronto, for example:



This display was in one of many Western-theme stores in Calgary and in surrounding towns.



Someday I'd like to visit Alberta during the Calgary Stampede. You can see pics from the Stampede in my friend Parki's online trip photos (for those who missed my mention first time, Parki did a cross-Canada motorcycle trip this past summer). He has photos up with Google map links (VERY cool way to display trip pics!) as well as a written report with pics in the ADVrider forums.

Another trip highlight: Cathy took me to the Bernard Callbaut Chocolatier in Calgary, where we went on a self-guided tour and watched the chocolate-making process:



The place was filled with the heavenly scent of melted chocolate. Drool. I'm supposed to watch my sugar levels and had already allowed myself a treat during the trip, so I limited myself to one (1) chocolate truffle, but did buy some chocolate souvenirs for Jeff and my sister's family.

I also hugely enjoyed hiking through Johnston Canyon in Banff National Park. Some really GORGEOUS scenery here! Cathy and I only had time for the shorter hike, but I'd love to come back someday and do the 6k hike to the Ink Pots.













Livejournal comments

Young writers, pottery and harps

Above: one of the cartoons I did for the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program. If you're a young writer, I encourage you to check the site out! Even if you're not participating in NaNoWriMo, there's useful info and advice.

I enjoyed reading the comments some of you posted about the British tea tradition. Not only did I learn a ton but I got really, really hungry. :-)



My friend Luisa and I are starting to experiment with doing pottery together; she makes the pottery and I paint them. The tray above was a "scrap piece" that Luisa made for me to test out Amaco paint colours. The inside of the berry bowl is actually a deep blue. Luisa claims she isn't that good at pottery but I think she's amazing. As I'm painting, I'm SO paranoid that I'm going to screw up and wreck the piece.

Anyway, I wrote down the code numbers/names of all the colours I used around the edge of the tray (the pieces above were my first painting attempts) so I could compare how they looked before and after the pottery was fired. Here are the unfired versions:





I was happy with the experiment and learned a great deal in the process. Like the fact that I need to use three coats of paint for some of the colours to show up clearly, especially if I'm painting on another layer of colour.

This past week, I also finally replaced a missing string on my poor harp:







I'm in the midst of re-tuning. It takes me a while to tune my harp, especially one with some new strings.



Here's how my harp was made, in case you're curious. It was custom-made for me by a Winnipeg harpmaker named Larry Fisher; I got to choose the type of wood (maple and spruce) as well as painted design, and it was a comfort to me while I was living in Philadelphia, away from friends and family. I took some lessons from Kimberly Rowe, the editor of HarpColumn magazine (and ended up selling some articles to the publication as well).


Mich Sampson playing my harp! *swoon*

Like the guitar, the harp is somewhat a challenge for me to play for extended periods of time, so I've been leery about using it with Urban Tapestry; I tend to zone out a bit when I'm into music-making mode; time falls away. Result: I don't take breaks when I should, to avoid of tendinitis flare-ups.

However, I've found that keeping a kitchen timer nearby works pretty well, as long as I don't ignore it. If I get a piece practiced up well enough that I feel brave enough to put online for you to hear, I'll let you know.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I was invited to several parties today (all of which sound like fun) but am going to be good and work instead, to make up time I took off while in Alberta.



Livejournal comments

Dainty Finger Sandwiches (Alberta trip report, Part 3)

My interview with Jeff Cottrill about his new book, Guilt Pasta, is up on blogTO, for those interested. Also, looks like the NaNoWriMo site has started posting my NaNoWriMo comics. Other news: Urban Tapestry has a concert at FilKONtario! (see bottom of this Blathering for more info)

But back to my trip...

Alberta trip report thus far: Part 1 - Part 2

Photo at top of page: Dainty Finger Sandwiches that Cathy and I had during our Afternoon Tea at Lake Louise in the Fairmont Hotel. No actual fingers were harmed, I assure you. I've always wondered about that term, but I assume sandwiches were named because you eat them with your fingers (as opposed to with a knife and fork?!).

I've been fascinated by the concept of an "English tea" ever since reading about them in all the British children's books where the four heroines (almost always two sisters and two brothers) inevitably interrupt their adventures each day to have tea. I craved buttered scones years before I knew what a scone actually was.



Cathy (who has a British family background) warned me that the tea we had at Lake Louise wasn't a proper British "high tea," but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. It consisted of:

- A glass of Nino Franco Prosecco Rustico.

- Fresh fruit cocktail in cointreau syrup.

- Dainty Finger Sandwiches (English cucumber & Bourain cheese, egg salad pinwheel, smoked salmon & asparagus with mascarpone spread, curried chicken salad tortilla wrap).

- Buttermilk Scones with Devonshire cream and strawberry preserves.

- An assortment of homemade pastries and sweets: passion meringue tart, opera slice, white chocolate pastry cream eclair, strawberry pistachio shortcake, chocolate mousse pompons.

And tea, of course. :-) We both opted for maple tea.

We had our tea while looking out at the gorgeous mountains and turquoise waters of Lake Louise. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.



I did some research online but still found the whole tea thing confusing. According to this source, "high tea" is actually dinner, and there are three types of Afternoon or Low Tea: Cream Tea, Light Tea and Full Tea.

A Survey For You Brits Out There (or non-Brits who are familiar with the custom): How accurate is the description in the page above? Have you ever been to a "high tea" (that wasn't a regular dinner)? Do you have Afternoon Tea? If so, which type?



While in Calgary, Cathy took me to a tea shop where I picked up some Chocolate Truffle Tea and Soothing Throat Blend tea from Oolong Tea House. I'm not really sure what's in either; when I asked the woman behind the counter, she said, "I have no idea!" :-) But both are good, especially the Chocolate Truffle Tea....yum.

Speaking of tea, right now I'm having some lovely Lady Grey Tea from my UK friend Talis Kimberley. Talis was the one who got me hooked on the concept of a Tea Library when I visited her and Simon years ago. Congrats to Talis, by the way, on winning the Pegasus Award for Best Writer/Composer! And congrats to the other Pegasus Award Winners:

Best Filk Song: Rich Fantasy Lives by Rob Balder / Tom Smith
Best Classic Filk Song: Falling Down on New Jersey by Mitchell Burnside-Clapp
Best Performer: Dr. Mary Crowell and Seanan McGuire (tie)
Best Writer/Composer: Talis Kimberley
Best Dorsai Song: Shai! by Steve Simmons /Steve Macdonald
Best Song of Home: Emerald Green by Michelle Dockrey / Tony Fabris

It's worthy of note, by the way, that Michelle Dockrey and Tony Fabris are Guests of Honour at FilKONtario this year (April 4-6, 2008, in Toronto). Bill Roper is the Official Filk Waif, Marilyn Miller is the Interfilk Guest, and Heather Bruton is the Special Guest. Be sure to register soon! Plus Urban Tapestry has been invited to do a concert during the weekend! You can find more info about the convention at the FilKONtario Web page.





Livejournal comments