14 more days until I pick up my iPad

Holy cow, there are already SO MANY iPad accessories available! I'm posting about some of them at iPad Girl.

Click to read more ...

An iPad cartoon

For those interested, I've (finally) updated My Life In A Nutshell.

Click to read more ...

Visiting Erin and Rand

(Above: Handmade bookmarks I bought from Erin. See her other calligraphy items for sale in her Etsy shop, Calligraphy By Erin.) I recently visited my friends Erin and Rand this past weekend. We don't tend to see each other that often anymore, so it was wonderful to catch up; I hadn't seen either of them in almost a YEAR. Got lots of work done at Rand's library, which has a GREAT children's book section. And I'm not just saying that because it includes all of Ruth's books. I've been working on some picture book ideas lately in addition to my novel writing, so have been reading as many picture books as I can. One of my current projects is a story featuring my Little Nightmare characters. Wish me luck, eh? Speaking of little monsters, check out the cuuuuute monster guy that Erin and Rand gave me: I LOVE HIM! Still trying to think of a good name. The weather turned wet early in the visit so we opted to hang out indoors instead, chatting and watching some tv and eating excellent food. Erin also likes to bake, and I enjoyed mouthwateringly good ginger scones one morning: Wow, just noticed how HUGE that one scone looks in this photo. It really wasn't that big. I feel compelled to say that because I hoovered four of them. I had one for breakfast this morning, too. Mmm. But I digress... Erin also took me to one of her favourite craft shops: the Hobby Lobby. Oh. My. This was crafter's heaven, and I could have spent way more time here. Fortunately (for my pocketbook) I didn't. :-) The more I hang out with Erin, the more I find we have in common. (Above: one of the cards I made with my new crafty supplies while watching a tv show with Erin & Rand; I gave it to them afterward in thanks for letting me invade their space :-)) I was also happy to see my friend John Kalisz again. Rand introduced us years ago, and we became friends. Ironically, John and I now see each other way more often than I see Erin and Rand. Jeff and John also like each other; the two of them went out for lunch a few weeks ago when I wasn't feeling well. I was supposed to come home on Sunday, but Amtrak had major problems so Erin and Rand had to put up with me for an extra night. Don't tell them, but I actually made up the whole Amtrak thing just so I could have more of Erin's baking. She kindly obliged with a fantastic apple crisp: Oh geez. Now I'm hungry again. You can see more photos from my visit in this Flickr set. Most of these photos were taken with my iPhone. Many thanks to Erin and Rand for their hospitality!

Click to read more ...

Aritzia Clothing Fail and Why I Hate Clothes Shopping

Ok, so this is one of the reasons I hate clothes shopping. I don't buy new clothes often, but yesterday I decided I needed a non-black sweater that I could wear at writers' conventions and other casual business environments. I say non-black because black matches with everything, which means I don't have to get as many outfits. At least that's my justification but in reality it's because I missed an important class in Girl School and never learned to enjoy clothes shopping the way many other women do. Yesterday, I decided to make use of a shopping card that Jeff got as a Christmas gift from his workplace, but kindly gave to me. Anyway, another reason I hate clothes shopping is because so many women's clothes seem overpriced to me. However, I'm aware that fashionistas could say the same about the price of books or original art. In the end, the stores charge what people are willing to pay, else they'd go out of business. Anyway, after much agonizing at Aritzia in Toronto's Eaton Centre, I finally decided on a cotton-cashmere sweater and wore it to the Max Raabe concert at the Royal Conservatory last night. When I went to put it away, however, I was surprised to see a big swath of ugly pilling in the lower back. It looked as if I had worn the sweater for years and sat on sandpaper every day. Ugh. And this brings me to another aspect of clothes shopping I hate -- buyer regret. Now I have to go back downtown just to return the sweater. I called Aritzia to explain what had happened, and asked if I could return the sweater. The woman on the phone was immediately guarded, saying there was no guarantee, but that I could try bringing the sweater in for her manager to examine. Sigh. This means at least 2 hours out of my work day but I don't see a way around it. I hate HATE wasted time.

Click to read more ...

Max Raabe & Palast Orchestra at Toronto's new Koerner Hall

Jeff, Walter, Ray and I enjoyed the Canadian debut of Max Raabe and Palast Orchestra at a sold-out show last night. It's been ages since I attended the Royal Conservatory of Music, and it was exciting to see the new Koerner Hall. Gorgeous venue! Anyway, the performance was fantastic, ending with three standing ovations and four encores. The audience REALLY didn't want to let Max and the Orchestra go. :-) Watching Max and the others in their slicked back hair, bow tie and tails (except for the female violinist, who was clad in a glamorous sequined red dress), there were moments when I felt transported back in time. Loved Max's dry introductions to each song. Although this concert focused on songs from the 20's and 30's, Max and his group also perform covers of more recent songs, which is how Jeff and I got hooked. Here's his cover of "Sex Bomb": I was never that crazy about Brittney Spear's "Oops, I did it again," for example, but loved Max's version: You can find more info about Max and Palast Orchestra at http://www.palastorchester.de/en/home. Info about Koerner Hall and upcoming performances: http://performance.rcmusic.ca/

Click to read more ...